The Manipulation Room

Chapter 27 - Who?

Manipulation Room victim no. 427834
Name: Abacus Serun 
Age: 49 years old 
Occupation: Artist 
Family Member: 47-year-old wife, Rosalind 
Description: Deep laceration in the stomach of a four inch depth downwards, resulting in death from severe blood loss 

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"Yes! Yes, I'm a prisoner too! Thanatos... his soldiers threw me in here!" The man cried, still partially in tears. Ezra leant against the bars of the cell and raised an eyebrow, "Why'd he lock you up?"
"I-I don't know. I was chosen for the Manipulation Room. Esther, my sister, she was with me. Do you know where she is? I-I can't remember anything." He explained; I could hear the fear and confusion in his voice. Fear is worse when it's paired with the unknowing. 

"You were a Manipulation Room victim?" Ezra gasped, running a hand through his hair. "Look, the Manipulation Room is fake. People are turned unconscious once they enter, only one is released. The video the rest of Delta 5 see is manipulated. I'm sorry you had to find out this way." It just occurred to me that the name, although misleading, was still perfectly fitting. Manipulation. The room didn't manipulate us and our feelings for each other; but the videos we were shown were manipulated. And these manipulated out thoughts and inner fears. It was clever but so cruel that I was sure I would have killed Thanatos had he been in front of me right now.

"That's...oh my God, that's crazy. So, Esther's okay?" The anonymous man asked through the door. "Yeah, she should be. But she, as well as everyone else, probably thinks you're dead. How long have you been here for?" I asked. There was a pause before he spoke again. "Um, I'm not sure. It can't have been more than a few weeks." He responded. I turned to Ezra who looked just as confused as I did. "That doesn't make sense. The last Manipulation Room was only around a month ago." Ezra whispered to me.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" I squeaked, biting my nails.
"Cedric. Cedric Allen-Blue."
I stared, stunned, at the metal door. There were sparks in my brain, desperately trying to connect the dots and instead just causing a short circuit. My brain stuttered for a moment and my eyes took in more light than I expected, every part of me went on pause while my thoughts caught up. Allen-Blue? As in, my teacher?! It made sense. We all know he had died in the last Manipulation Room at the hands of his sister, and now that I thought about it, the man sounded exactly like him. How had I not recognised him before?

"Mr Allen-Blue? You teach the high school, right?" I gasped, turning to see that Ezra looked just as stunned. His eyes were wider than I thought was physically possible and his mouth was hanging open. The man cleared his throat, "Yes...are you a student?"

"It's Lyric. Lyric Skyler. And Ezra Ray. From your form class?" I replied, praying that he'd remember. It was muffled but I could hear a gasp, "Lyric?! And Ezra...the new student? Wow, what are you two doing here?" He puffed, catching his breath.

I turned to Ezra, unaware of how to reply. Me and Mr Allen-Blue were always close, but not in the way Mrs Castellar treats me. I like to think that it had nothing to do with my brains and exceptional work ethic. It was just because of me. "We were captured, no reason for it." Ezra said finally, and I heard him gulp. Technically, he had only told a half lie, although I still felt awful about it. He deserved to know the truth, but neither of us could bare to tell him.

I heard him exhale deeply through the minute gap underneath the metal door, muttering to himself. "My two star students...how dare he, how dare he!"
"If you don't mind me asking...do you know what Thanatos is planning on doing with you?" Ezra asked, sitting down on the stone-cold floor. I sat down with him and pressed my back into the bars behind me, leaning my head against them. A cold sensation from the metal bars ran down my spine and I shivered.