The Strange Story of...

The Strange Story of the Pit

                                 There was no clock, but the sunrise could let one know when it was morning. The people didn't know where they were, or even what day in what month in what year it was. All they knew was that the sun, if that's what it was, rose every morning, and set every night. Wherever they were, they had no ceiling. It never rained. At night, there were no stars. And it was always cold. So cold.

                                The people didn't know where they were, only that one minute, they woke up, and were suddenly there. They were a group of six individuals, each with nothing but the clothes on their backs, a basic knowledge of the earth and how it worked, and, oddly enough, a gold medal around each of their necks bearing their names. This was what scared them; they knew nothing about themselves; not even their names.

                                The first to arrive was an adult male. He had been wearing a black three-piece suit, black dress shoes, and his dark hair was in a fairly common style. He had dark skin, hinting at an African heritage, and brown eyes that matched. Along with his knowledge of how the world worked, he had a very wide knowledge about mathematics and the sciences. He took this to mean that he was something along the lines of a scientist or professor. The gold medal around his neck confirmed his theory, as it said that his name was Professor Morgan Smith.

                                The next to arrive was a juvenile female. She'd been wearing the opposite of what the Professor wore; a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, slightly baggy blue jeans, new black high tops, and a teal headband. The headband seemed to be the only thing keeping her wild blond hair out of her face, as it stuck out in all directions.  Her wrist had a few scars, which she couldn't remember getting. She had inquisitive green eyes, and couldn't have been more than thirteen. The medal around her neck said her name has Alice Carter. She had searched her pockets, and found only a pink smartphone. It was a dead end; all the data had been erased.

                                 The third and fourth came together; a man who looked to be in his early forties in a U.S. military uniform, and a little boy who looked about eight or nine, wearing ripped jeans, a rumpled Spider-man T-shirt and a black jacket. The two had no idea who the other was, and their medals confirmed that they weren't related: the military man was Lieutenant Ryan Brewer, and the boy was Randy "RJ" Jameson. RJ seemed to be the only one who knew anything about where they were, saying that "the bad guy with the weird eyes put us here". Lieutenant Brewer had checked the pockets of his uniform and confirmed that they were defenseless, as his gun, bullets and any other weapon had vanished.

                                The fifth was an adult woman who wore, strangely, a long violet evening gown, black four inch heels, earrings, and too much make up. She had black, straight hair that hung to her shoulders, and she spoke with an English accent. Her medal said her name has Adeline Grayson. She had a bossy personality, and after searching the purse she had with her, she found a small fortune in bills that confirmed that she was both wealthy and from the U.K.

                               The sixth and final was another man, an old man. He had gray hair and a drooping mustache, and arrived with a cane. He wore a red sweater and plain black pants, and squinted through a pair of steel-framed bifocals. His medal said that his name was Herman Sanders, and he seemed to be the only one who remembered anything about his old life. He said he lived on a farm with his son's family in rural Arkansas, and he'd been sitting on his front porch when he saw a strange truck pull up.  That was all he could remember.

                                The lieutenant was elected the unofficial leader, though Alice, Herman and RJ were usually on the side of the Professor. The Professor disapproved of most of the Lieutenant's theories about them being in an enemy prison camp, arguing about why they would bother to go to such great lengths as putting them in a pit with walls made of steel, and finding a way to wipe their memories?