I looked around the room. The near blinding white light made it difficult, but not impossible. Through the rays cascading over everything, I could see dark, possibly mahogany wood making up the walls, ceiling and floor. I was sitting on a leather armchair that had recently been cleaned. I couldn’t feel it though, I couldn’t feel anything except for a deep pain in my chest. It burned. That was the only thing I could focus on, my mind was swimming and my vision started to blur slowly. A minute later, I couldn’t see anything but white. I vaguely felt the sensation of throwing up, but nothing else. Then it was gone, the feeling, the white, everything.
+++++
I woke up abruptly, gasping for air for less than a second before regaining control of my lungs. I was in my bedroom at our family’s new york apartment. The cramped and atrociously messy room reassured me that I was home and safe. I had felt...older in the dream, but that had ceased. I was now just my 14 year old self I knew and hated. Sweat clung to my skin and the blanket but I was cold. I got out of bed then stealthily snuck to the linens closet as to avoid waking a family member, and retrieved a blanket. The blue fleece felt nice in my freezing hand. I began to walk towards my bed, but before I could take two steps, my head began to ache, my vision distorted and I heard a sharp ring in my ears. I collapsed to the ground, but this time I felt it. The pain surged through me, consuming every sensation before it, transforming them into pure agony.
+++++
I looked around the room once more. This time, it was all black, the ceiling, the walls, even the minimal decor. I was standing this time, behind a metal table, polished black with a clear class of ice water sitting on top. I was thirsty but I didn’t drink. The door to my left burst open and a man in a black suit and red tie. He was tall, taller than me, but that wasn’t exactly saying much. I was only 5’9”. His black hair was combed back, with strands of gray scattered throughout. “Look, I know you want to get out of here, hell, we both do.” He paused, “But if you don’t cooperate, this can only end one way.”
“Look,” I said, attempted to be sarcastic “I don’t even know where I am. As far as I’m concerned, this is just a dream.”
“Those are most likely a result of the ergoline drugs we administered when you first came.”
“You drugged me?” He flashed me an inquisitive glare on that sentence.
“Not me specifically, no.”
“So if not you, then to whom do I owe the pleasure?”
“That’s classified.”
I chuckled. “And how would I cooperate?”
“You really don’t remember, do you?” He looked at me like I was a child. “You’re one of the only ones not responding to the drugs. Any of them. Someone who has had your dose of octaliphenethine should be dead. You’re experiencing moderate hallucinations. Of course this is a base drug required for further...experimentation.” His voice nearly cracked on the final word. “Part of the reason the drugs are not taking full effect is your mental resilience. Even in your subconscious mind. We need you need consciously counteract this.”
“What exactly does that entail?”
“Slow your breathing, clear your mind, think about nothing except for your happiest memory. The chemicals may trigger a response.”
“Why, what kind of...experiments.”
“That’s classified.”
“Of fucking course it is.” I stopped and stared at the man.
“And if I don’t?”
“You’ll be killed.”
One thing I wasn’t expected was the bluntness of his answer.
“Think about it,” He said as he moved from his position and towards the door. The door slammed into a closed position, leaving me in the room to ponder my decision. I had no idea what would happen if I went along with them. Speaking of which, I had no idea who They were. I stood in the room for over two minutes, expecting something to happen, then looked down at the table. Empty except for the water. The water. I picked up the glass while drops of condensation fell on my hand. The cold felt nice as I moved it to my mouth. I took a sip. For the first few seconds, everything was the same. Then, the room began to tilt and I nearly fell to my left side before it shifted to the right, causing me to collapse. My vision went black.
+++++
I woke up once again, but this time I was lying on a concrete floor with multiple cracks and fractures. I was wearing a solid gray T-shirt and black pants. Adjacent to me was a metal door with a small window. Running through the window, there was a dark mesh, most likely to trigger an alarm if broken. To the left of it was a small, black metal door, about a foot by a foot, presumably for food and water. I inhaled and immediately coughed, my throat burning. After moving to a seated position, began to cough more. After several seconds of this, blood spurted out of my mouth and on to the ground. I wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt. After what seemed like, and may well have been, hours, I heard a click and a slide on the other side of the door. It slid back down and clicked again. I scrambled to the smaller door and grasped the small handle on the bottom. After sliding the door up, there was a food tray visible with peas and what vaguely looked like meat. I was hungry, but I didn’t eat it. The tray was freezing when I picked it up and placed it in the corner. I sat back down against the wall and continued to wait. After around half an hour, a loud buzz was audible then six precise clicking noises. The main door swung open and I could see how thick it was, about 4-5 inches. The man from the other room stepped in, accompanied closely by two armed guards in full body armor.
“you’ve had time, what will it be, Mr. Owens?”
The look on his face told me he wouldn’t fuck around.
