The Behavior Game

8. "FAILURE TO FOLLOW ANY GIVEN RULES OR TASKS WILL RESULT IN DEATH."

8. “FAILURE TO FOLLOW ANY GIVEN RULES OR TASKS WILL RESULT IN DEATH.”

Though he was becoming accustomed to waking up in odd places, the room he next found himself in was by far the strangest. He was slumped back against soft white walls with his legs spread out over a plush padded floor. A large metal door dully showed his reflection in the surface.

The last week had been a blur to him. He remembered only a few things, the rest of his time was spent with what Maezah called ‘health tests’, though she never told him what they were for or why they were doing it. He remembered answering several more sessions of questions, taking a medical exam, and having to wait for hours on end handcuffed to a metal chair while teams of doctors watched him through thick glass.

Now he sat in the silent white room, staring at his hands. His clothes had been changed, now consisting of a white button down shirt, khaki pants, his hospital bracelet with his name and other writing on it, and a silvery strip of duct tape over his mouth. He smelled like disinfectant, and any dirt or blood that had been in his hair had been scrubbed out. He could still see the elliptical shaped bruise on his forehead in his reflection on the door, but from what he could tell, he looked normal. His cheek bones no longer stuck out, his eyes looked healthier, and his skin was even beginning lose its off-white tone.

He picked at the tape on his mouth and got to his feet, wondering where he was this time. He assumed he was still in some part of the hospital, so he turned the doorknob, hoping a nurse would realize he was awake. But the door was locked, and he had no way of getting out of the room. Turning around, he noticed a small black device in the far corner of the floor. Walking over and kneeling in front of it, he recognized it as a tape recorder, and immediately hit the play button. As the film started rolling, a computer altered voice, almost comically deep, croaked from the device:

“LISTEN CAREFULLY,” the voice boomed. “YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THIS ROOM UNTIL THE MESSAGE HAS CEASED. DO NOT REMOVE THE DUCT TAPE FROM YOUR MOUTH UNTIL AUTHORIZED. ONCE THE DOOR OPENS, YOU WILL SEE A NARROW HALLWAY WITH A DOOR AT THE END. YOU WILL ENTER THOUGH THAT DOOR AND THAT DOOR ALONE. ONCE THROUGH THE DOOR, YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW AND PERFORM SIMPLE TASKS. FAILURE TO FOLLOW ANY GIVEN RULES OR TASKS WILL RESULT IN DEATH. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE UNTIL THE EXPIRIMENT IS COMPLETE.” The voice paused to take a shallow breath. “END MESSAGE.” The recorder clicked off.

He sat alone in the room, letting the words of the tape sink in. After several seconds, the lock on the door jolted open, signifying that he could leave. He stared at the door a minute, and before leaving, he listened to the tape once more.