Make Good Choices

Make Good Choices

The white room was empty except for the woman lying unconscious on the floor. She wore a tan tank top, matching underwear, and nothing else. Her brown hair was trimmed short into one of those popular pixie cuts. The room had four corners and a single door. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead and then there was a voice.

“Sally, it’s time to wake up.”

A man’s voice, maybe mid-thirties. He sounded friendly. The woman did not stir.

“Sally, we have little time to complete your trial. I’m afraid we will have to wake you now.”

A square piece of the ceiling removed itself and the head of a sprinkler peeked into the room. It erupted without warning, showering Sally with gallons of ice-cold water. She thrashed like an overturned beetle, screaming herself awake. She scrambled on all fours to a corner of the room and sat there shivering and hugging her knees. Her eyes wide enough to fall right out of their sockets.

“W-what is this?” She looked at the white walls and white tile floor. She looked at the ceiling which had already begun to retract the sprinkler head. Then, her gaze moved to the door. She leapt up and crashed into it but the knob did not turn, nor did it open. She pounded her fists against it.

“WHAT IS THIS?! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!”

“Sally…” the man’s voice returned. She immediately grew quiet. Her eyes searched for hidden speaker. She was truly all alone in this white room. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled with a feeling. Someone was watching her. She could not see him. But he could see her.

“Calm yourself Sally. You are safe and no harm has come to you.”

She cautiously moved to the center of the room.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Mr. K and I am a scientist.”

“Where am I?”

“You are in a break room. It is a room between rooms.”

“Can I leave?”

“Absolutely, when you have completed your trial.”

“This is illegal. You’ve kidnapped me.” Her voice cracked. “Y-you have to let me go! This is illegal!”

“Sally you signed a consent form.”

Her gaze searched the room. No visible cameras.

“I don’t remember signing anything.”

“In our records we have a video recording of you providing your signature of authorization. I’m sorry that you are having trouble remembering that encounter.”

“Please just let me out.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Sally. My supervisor has just informed me that we have to begin your trial now.”

She shook her head and backed into a corner. “No I didn’t consent to anything.”

“Sally, right now you have two choices. You can choose to not cooperate and leave us no choice but to utilize very unpleasant methods which will force you to comply, or, you can choose to cooperate and complete your trial which will not take very long. The choice is yours.”

Her mind collapsed and she began to weep uncontrollably. “Can I at least call my Mom and say goodbye?”

“Sally why do you feel the need to say goodbye to your Mother?”

“Because I’ve been kidnapped and this place is obviously some sort of torture dungeon and you’re obviously some psycho serial killer or something. I just need to say goodbye to her. Please.” She dropped to her knees and fell forward.

“Sally, please do not think of this facility as a place of torture. This is a place of enlightenment and discovery. A safe place. We simply would like to study your behavior for a short period of time. Once that allotted time has expired, we will gladly compensate you for your cooperation as outlined in our contractual agreement. Furthermore, you will be provided with a vehicle and a cellular device to contact your loved ones. This I promise you.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

“What other choice do you have? You will have to trust me.”

She wiped her nose and dragged her gaze to the ceiling, defeated. “Okay. Okay.”

“Excellent. Let’s begin. Please open the door. It is no longer locked.”

She approached the door and turned the knob. It opened with a soft click. She timidly stepped through the doorway into a nearly identical room washed in white. The door behind her gently closed with a mechanical cranking noise. She walked up to a table with a mirrored top. Glimpsing her reflection, she hardly recognized herself. The whites of her eyes were stained red. Her hair spiked out in every direction as if she were the famous Peter Pan who had just done something very mischievous. Oh there was mischief in the air alright. The stink of it was all over the objects that lie on the table in front of her. There was a knife with a serrated edge and a basic key.

“Sally, there are two choices on the table in front of you. Whichever item you choose will either assist you in completing the test in the next room or it may hinder your progress. You are only allowed to choose one item. You also have the option of choosing neither item. Please make your choice now and advance into the next room.”

“What’s in the next room?”

“I’m afraid I cannot disclose that information.”

“How do I know which one to pick then?”

“You don’t.”

“What is the point of all this?!”

“Sally, there is no catch. We are merely observing your behavior and gathering data. Now please choose.”

She looked at the knife. Why would I need a knife? Maybe I might have to cut something? Like a rope? What if something attacks me on the other side of that door? I could use the knife as a weapon I guess. This is freaking crazy.

“Sally, please choose.”

“Yes, Okay.”

She looked at the key. Keys unlock things. Keys open doors. Could it really be that simple? She picked up the key.

“Thank you for choosing Sally. Please enter the test room.”

She stopped, took a breath, and turned the knob.

Another white room. She heard those familiar cranking sounds of the previous door closing and locking shut behind her. Her gaze climbed the walls. She stared at the big red button on the ceiling encapsulated by a glass case. She could barely make out a tiny indentation in the lower right corner—a keyhole. The lights died. She froze in the pitch-black darkness. Her eyes were wide open yet seeing nothing at all. The only sound that broke the silence was her own panicked breathing. A horn blared. She screamed immediately.

“I’m okay. I’m okay. It’s just a noise. You’re okay.”

The horn continued to wail in a stop and go rhythm. Hellishly loud. Soundwaves reverberated off the walls and exploded her eardrums. Sally could barely hear herself think. Something wet and cold began to surround her feet, rising with deadly speed. She couldn’t tell where the water was coming from but she sensed its purpose was to fill the room completely. She splashed around blindly in the dark. By the time she realized she was literally spinning in circles she felt the coldness now wrap around her waist. Darkness. Rising water. Blaring horn.

“STOP THIS PLEASE!”

“Sally I’m afraid we cannot do that.” Mr. K’s voice was unnaturally calm. It might have been considered soothing in a less urgent situation.

“Please complete the test Sally.”

“I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!”

“Sally, please complete the test. Thank you Sally.”

THINK THINK THINK! she screamed in her mind. The water swallowed her abdomen and she felt her toes lift off the floor. Although she wasn’t the best swimmer she was thankful that she knew how to at least tread water. The water level reached her chin. Her arms began to burn as she struggled to keep herself afloat.

I’m done. Mom I love you.

A light flashed above her head. The button flashed red synonymously with the blaring horn. On, off, on, off. Intermittent flashes of crimson light illuminated the water for brief moments, revealing the gravity of the situation. The room was nearly filled. With each stroke Sally’s arms ached and burned. There was something else. As the water level rose, so did she. Now she could nearly reach out and touch the ceiling. A thought slapped her in the face—the key! The excitement of this realization caused her movements to become uncoordinated. Her head dunked under the water. She popped back up, blubbering and gasping for air. The red light lit up her fear-stricken face like a Christmas tree. She struggled to grab the case but her hands slipped over the glass. Finally, she was able to plaster her fingers like an octopus. She struggled to slide the key into the lock. It slipped from her grip and disappeared beneath the water’s surface.

“NOOO!”

“Sally please complete the test. Thank you Sally.”

In her last moments of desperation she remembered everything. She remembered how frail her mother looked sitting on that park bench, finding the effort to smile as cancer devoured her insides. Doctor appointments, unpaid medical bills, eviction notices, signing the consent form. She remembered sitting at a long table with a group of men who wore white coats and serious faces. She remembered a hand sliding a form toward her. She remembered it all and she understood why she had no other choice.

Soon she would drown and all of this would be over. She thought of her Mother one last time. She remembered her smile before the cancer took her hair. That beautiful smile.

Sally took a deep breath and dove down. With what little strength she had left, she swam deep down through the dark, watery world—searching for the lost key. Her wide spread palms swept the floor. Then, she found it. She grabbed the key and propelled herself back up. There would be no coming up for air. The room was completely submerged. Was that Dr. K’s voice?

“Thank you Sally.”

The red button glowed like a beacon of hope. She slid the key into the groove and opened the glass case. A coldness slithered into her lungs into and she realized she was gulping water. She was too late. Just as she started to lose consciousness, she pressed the button.

∞

Sally woke in a white room. She was lying on a cot and was fully dressed. She sat up, looking around dumbfounded. On the floor was a black duffel bag. She unzipped it, revealing thick stacks of money, a pair of car keys, and a cell phone. There was also a note that read: Sally, please accept your payment of twenty-thousand dollars. Thank you for your participation.

She zipped the bag and picked it up. The exit sign above the door glowed green. She headed over to it and touched the knob.

“Sally. Thank you for your cooperation.”

She stayed quiet and opened the door.

“Oh and Sally? Have a beautiful life. Please make good choices.”

She left and never looked back.

∞

In a dimly lit room, a man and a woman sat in front of a wall of various computer screens. The electronic blue light illuminated the woman’s eyeglasses as she studied the monitors. The man had just finished scribbling into a black notebook. He closed it, giving it a gentle pat. On the cover there was a large white label that read: Subject 4509 ‘Sally.’ He returned the notebook to a large bookcase that was crammed with others just like it. He removed a new one from the very top shelf. It read: Subject 4510 ‘Alan.’

His finger pressed a button on the keyboard at his workstation and he leaned forward to speak into the receiver.

“Alan, it’s time to wake up.”

END