PROJECT NIRVANA | ONC2020 ✔️

Chapter 3.

I opened my eyes to find myself submerged in darkness, the unpleasant scent of dank, musty air, filling my nostrils and staining my chapped lips.

Sweat dripped down my forehead, sticking to my hair and skin, forming shiny, wet trails down the sides of my face. My fingers felt numb and weighted like heavy blocks; I was unable to lift them no matter how hard I tried.

'Had I been swallowed by the black hole?' I wondered. Transported to a different world? My body throbbed with pain and I tried to lift my head, only for it to fall back down with a loud 'thud.' Panic surged through my chest, threatening to claw its way free.

It took me a moment to realize that I was lying on a cold hard surface, the iciness of the metal seeping through my thin clothes and causing me to shiver. My breaths came out in ragged gasps as I struggled to breathe, lungs spasming with each inhale.

The distant hum of a generator was the only sign of activity in the vacant chamber. Or at least I thought it was vacant.

That was until I spotted a shadowy figure standing over me, watching my form intently.

A single blue light flickered on, casting an eerie glow on the stone walls.

The figure's face was covered with a surgical mask and they wore baggy white overalls, the kind worn by exterminators or disease control officers. They paused for a second as if hesitating, before placing a gloved hand over my eyes.

An automated voice rang through the room, reverberating against the echoey walls.

"Sorry! Due to technical difficulties, the simulation has been interrupted. Normal services will resume shortly."

The pinch of a needle pierced my skin and a cold liquid ran through my veins. My body stiffened, as rigid as a board. Then I grew calm, falling, spiraling into the warm embrace of my subconscious.

I woke up to the comforting sensation of someone holding my hand. The warmth slowly brought me back to reality and I blinked my eyes open to the white ceiling of my bedroom.

I sat up quickly, assessing my surroundings. Light from the window filtered into my bedroom, falling on the embroidered rug and fancy furniture. My old paintings lined the walls, flaunting their glossy shades and bright infusions, created in a time when I didn't have any doubts about my perception of the world. The clock ticked at its usual place above the flatscreen T.V., moving at a steady rhythm.

Everything seemed normal; however, if that was true, it would mean that I had just been dreaming. But the memory was too vivid to be a dream. I could still feel the cold tearing through my bones, the sting of the needle and the subsequent disorientation.

"Are you okay?" a deep voice asked. I recognized Avron's messy black hair and soft angular features, a faint three-o-clock shadow darkening his jaw. He wore a loose fitting button-down shirt and khakis with matching dress shoes; it was clear that he cared about his appearance. Maybe if it wasn't for his cold demeanor, I wouldn't have disliked him so much.

I must have been staring because Avron cleared his throat. "Felicity...are you okay?"

I nodded and plastered on what I hoped looked like a smile. "I'm fine."

Sliding out of my bed, I started for the door, but Avron caught my arm, pulling me back. "You saw something, didn't you?"

I glanced at him, hoping that my expression didn't reveal the muddled turmoil that was bubbling within me. "I saw nothing."

"You're lying," said Avron. He paused for a second as if in thought. "The system failed, didn't it?"

I stopped in my tracks. "How did you know?" The words spoken by the automated voice still rang clearly in my ears like a recording that was on loop.

"Because you're not the only one having these strange experiences," Avron said.

A heavy silence hung in the air between us, and I looked at him skeptically.

"Who told you that I was experiencing these things..." I trailed off. Then I realized. Kasey.

"I have some theories," Avron continued, stepping closer to me. He'd never been this eager for us to engage in conversation in the entirety of our relationship.
Normally I would have seen this as an opportunity to befriend him, but the situation was just too foreign for me to digest.

I took a step back. "I don't want to hear about your strange theories." I'd had more than enough weirdness in one day.

Avron tilted his head, his eyes boring into me. "Are you sure? Don't you want to know what's going on?"

I shook my head. "There's nothing I need to know. Everything's fine."

"Maybe you'll change your mind after we go on our date," he said, his tone edged with confidence.

Momentary confusion washed over me like a cold wave. "Which date?"

"Remember," said Avron, "You agreed to go on an outing with me."

I groaned inwardly. Why had I agreed to this? Then I remembered it all because of my own cowardice.

"I'll be waiting downstairs," Avron said before exiting the room.

He shut the door softly behind him.

I sighed and slumped down on my mattress, struggling not to have a nervous breakdown. Going on a date with Avron wasn't what I needed right now. Trying to forget the dream was more crucial. And I had a sneaking suspicion that he would try to prove one of his 'theories' on this outing.

But maybe this wasn't so bad. If Avron actually knew something, there might be a chance that we could investigate what was going on. Then I'd have my much needed answers.

I dragged myself out of bed and rummaged through my closet, eventually settling on a red blouse with dark blue jeans. After tying up my dark hair in a loose ponytail, I slipped on my shoes and went downstairs.

Avron was waiting for me at the main entrance, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked almost nervous, as if we were going on a real date and not just doing this to please our parents.

We said our goodbyes before leaving the mansion and boarding his red Lamborghini.

The car was silent as we sped past the identical looking houses and full trees. I opened the window to let in the wind, revelling in its refreshing coolness.'But was it natural?' I wondered.

Everything felt suspicious. The neatly paved roads and crystalline ponds suddenly made me uneasy. Even the sun in the sky seemed strangely artificial, like a cheap yellow lightbulb instead of the ball of burning gas and fire that it was supposed to be.

Avron parked in front of a tall metal fence that rose ten-feet in the air. It served as a border between the outskirts of the city and the darkness beyond, a place my parents had always warned me against going to.

They had told me stories about people who had journeyed there, never to be found again, of those who had lost their sanities, now no longer nothing more than empty shells. I wasn't sure whether those stories were true, but with everything that had occurred recently, anything was possible.

"What are we doing here?" I asked. My unease had balled into a deep dread that sunk to the pit of my stomach.

"To test something out," Avron replied.

Normally my first instinct would be to hide or run, but strangely I found my unease morphing into heart-pounding excitement.