Social Experiment

Find the Journal (Dameeka)

Abbi finishes speaking and goes to sit next to a strong-looking man. People's theories and concerns and inquiries are a buzz around me.

After Abbi and the man are finished talking, I see her leave. She heads back down the hallway.

I follow her silently. Her room is a few doors down from mine, being that I am "D". That's how I imagine whatever international society is watching us. There are probably cameras all over our underground habitat. I wouldn't be surprised if we were like lab rats to them, nameless and useful only for their little experiment. I can imagine them up in some labratotry now, scribbling down notes. "Subject D follows Subject A to it's room." It makes me feel sick.

I walk up to Abbi's door, hesitate, then knock gently. She opens it with a surprised look on her face.

"May I help you?" Her tone is polite, with a hint of confusion.

"Hi, I'm Dameeka." I greet, shaking her hand, "I just wanted to say that you are an excellent speaker, and also that I strongly agree with you."

"Oh.. um.... thank you."

"We should be splitting up into groups, searching the tunnels." I prod.

Her brows furrow. "Tunnels?"

"There are other passageways leading out from the circular room we were just in." I inform her, "I saw them when you were speaking. Five other tunnels, leading, I'd imagine, to other chambers."

"Great! We should try to get the others interested... I'll be right back."

She closes the door for a few seconds, than opens it again, face red. "Um... why is your hair not.... not a mess like... like mine?"

"Top drawer in the desk, there's beauty supplies. Hairbrush, makeup, hair ties..."

"Thanks."

She emerges a few minutes later with her dark hair nicely brushed and a pink hair tie on her wrist. "Let's go."

We enter the now chaotic room full of arguing people. Rolling my eyes, I motion Abbi towards the third tunnel, the farthest away from the noise.
It's long and dark, made of concrete just as the rest of this place (excluding our rooms). Eventually, it opens up into a large chamber, though not as large as the main one, with mountains of food piled up.

"See, they didn't leave us with nothing." I'm both satisfied and relieved. If I had been wrong, who knows what sick thing They would have put down here?

"I wouldn't celebrate yet." A Norwegian-sounding voice says behind us.

I look back to see the speaker. He is scrawny, with round brown glasses that make his hazel eyes look big. He has extremely short, fuzzy brown hair.

"Why not?" Abbi asks, sounding suspicious. I can't say that I blame her.

"Because," it is only now that I notice that mumbling is his set volume, "sooner or later, we'll go through all that food. And then what?"

"There's twenty-six of us. We could take turns going in groups to hunt-" I begin.

"Need I remind you that we're underground?"

Abbi rolls her eyes. "So what are you suggesting? That we don't eat because we'll run out of food otherwise? That makes a whole lot of sense."

"I just think you shouldn't be celebrating. That's all."

He walks back down the hallway, leaving me and Abbi suspicious and wary.

"Let's just grab some food and get out of here."