The Escape

​Darkness.

Complete darkness surrounding me.

Am I dead? No.. couldn’t be…

Underneath the tips of my fingers, I felt.. something rough yet somehow gentle against my hands; running the texture over myself repeatedly to accustom to the feeling, though it took a while before I got bored of it.

I felt lost to the lack of light, like a blind man searching for support, which is what I was doing at the moment.

Grasping anything I could was my main thought, stumbling over my soft footsteps that quickly paced in panic; hands reaching out for

anything within reach.

Where am I?

Things were running through my mind at the speed of light, not stopping until I crashed into something much rougher than what I had been feeling moments earlier; groaning in pain at the sudden bump.

Just as I had, I began feeling around it, my fingers trailing as I leaned against the surface; it provided some sort of relief to know I could be in a room, or outside?

To say the least about the wall, it was rocky and felt like.. cement.

Cement.

How do I know that word?

And that was the moment my mind wandered again; just as desperate to grasp any memory as I had been to find the support to bring me as much security.

I don’t even know my name.

Why don’t I know my own name?

Wait..

Something was coming up like an itch I couldn’t scratch; so far yet so close..

Calvin.

Well, I’m assuming that’s my name since everything else came up blank but the past.. maybe five minutes ago?

I didn’t know a single thing about myself, and curiosity was just burning through my mind like a wildfire - growing bigger and

bigger.

Instead of just moping around and staying in my safe spot like I probably should be doing, I made the decision to observe with my other four senses: smell, hearing, touch, not so sure about taste, though.

And walking blind was what I was doing for the past thirty minutes.

Again, I’m assuming how long it had been - my mind was too preoccupied with curious thoughts and counting didn't seem so appealing when I felt like screaming out of frustration.

Endlessly, I was walking and walking and walking..

If I hadn’t felt it before, I did now - a breeze hit against my skin, sending a shiver across the cold sweat coating me.

So maybe I was outside, the unexpected wave certainly confirmed so, but where, exactly?

And just as sudden as the crashes I'd probably bruised my face with, a sudden flash of light shone over everything everywhere.

Holy-

I was blinded for a few too long; my hands instinctively flying to my face and covering my eyes away, a surprised yelp falling from my lips as I fell to the floor on my knees.

To anyone else, I would have seemed as if struck to the face, but my eyes had already accustomed to the darkness and the abrupt light startled me.

As long as I was in the dark, I was in the light hiding myself away.

It was rather reluctantly I inched away from the comfort my arms brought me, squinting as I looked around the space, gasping a tiny bit at the sight before me:

Everywhere were these houses, clean and amazingly structured; most colorful, some neutral, and little blank white - so grand, and so big, I seemed out of place in my.. rather dirty clothes that I just realized I'm wearing.

And then, the people owning those mansions, walked to me in an orderly fashion with kind smiles that somehow put me into panic mode - I'm an unwashed rat next to them.

Their gazes weren't exactly judgemental but welcoming, greeting me with handshakes and hugs from random children I don't think I've ever seen before.

Either the most upfront people were forced to hug my not-so-clean appearance, or they were just that naive to my stained self.

It anyways did little to keep them from shying away.

Their receiving demeanor was bit intimidating, to say the least, though it did relieve me more than I thought it would.

"Welcome, newcomer! I hope you had a nice trip here! My name is Mariana," one of probably the most smiley women said, warmly

shaking my hand with a gentle squeeze.

I'm not sure if she expected me to recognize her within those two seconds of touch, but something about her seemed to anticipate the thought of being more known than she already was - or I was just paranoid to the exposure of new faces.

Guiding me around the quaint little neighborhood, she led me oh so patiently, to reveal a stunning city with bright lights, giant buildings, alluring amusement centers, and so much more to explore, it'd take a lifetime to visit everything without returning to the other.

My word, I was fascinated.

Who knew, all this time, I was hiding away from something so phenomenal?

Certainly, not anymore.

It was a little embarrassing, my mouth agape, eyes wide, and practically rooted to the spot, while they were so nonchalant about it.

A chuckle from Mariana ripped me from my astonished gaze, flushing a deep red at being caught.

Perhaps this was everyday for them, to see the beauty of such breathtaking aura of what displayed before me - I wouldn't be surprised.

Still quite caught-up in amazement, the group steers me to a house just as grand as theirs, and explains most of everything I'm wondering at the moment, to only add more surprise.

"This house," Mariana gestured to, "is now yours for all your time here."

"Around here, sunset is at 6:30 sharp during winter, 10:30 during summer, and exactly at 8:30 during springs and falls.

"There will be, also, many of your necessities kept inside your brand new home just for you, such as your own car, food, and passes for each of everything our city has to provide.

"Even your own money will be in balance at the local bank."

All of everything that left their smiling mouths beyond shocked me.

Something about this, though, strangely irked me.

There was really nothing I did or achieved to have all this, and it wasn't just this I noticed during my first few days staying here: I was new here, and somehow, I had a better lifestyle than most of those working in the city that provided the entertainment I and many others enjoyed.

Store-owners of all kinds; food markets, electronic stores, clothing shopping; had no employees of any sort, and worked to themselves unless I was to buy something from them or even step a single foot into their nicely kept space.

At first, I didn't mind having some attention like a higher-up, but most of everything about it put me in an uncomfortable position, and the feeling didn't seem to leave me when even their kindest comportment they so willingly put me up to.

It was just barely I realized their smiles seemed strained, and they were forcibly treating me as if I was the one working and it wasn't them up night and day to hand me the respect I deserved - if I could even say that word.

Fact, I didn't deserve respect one bit after being bratty about the

opinions they'd offer me.

What's wrong with me?

I've always been humble - is that bratty? - and never acted so spoiled, so what was this sudden change I was going through?

Maybe the treatment they were handing me was infecting me like it does to every other kid raised like a royal.

It'd make sense, after all.

What was up with the strict time-setting anyways?

If I'm correct, a busy city wouldn't have everything in so much order without a bit of chaos, without some destruction or even a little rouge going around..

Something new was unlocking in my brain, memories I don't recall so good.

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The city was just down below me, 'sunset' - or the lights hanging off the railing I now stood atop of - would be soon, and this living

Hell will be burning like it's meant to be.

Fooling people like this, taking away their memory and filling it with nonsense that their lives were 'perfect' to take away the fantasy and make them brain-dead living robots to serve them for

all the rest of this stupid experimentation to 'renew' the world?

Screw this crap.

Just break that damn robot and this'll all be gone to an end- oh crap.

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Damn it, having to be stuck in some white room like a psychopath wasn't really part of my plan - not at all, actually.

Well, it's better than being shot down like those other guys, hopefully no one else more than they already killed's next.

Now, they're just staring back at me, or am I going insane already?

Can't be, too soon..

Bastards.

Hours later, the same people threatening to end everything I could have ever achieved entered my blank room, and without a knock - how rude.

They were wearing body suits as white as the walls, and holding.. needles?

Oh, hell​ no.

Pinching my skin like ants biting down was all I felt before I fell unconscious, and I awoke again laid down on a surgical bed.

Surgery was even worse than those damn needles.

There was a quite intimidating machine just above him, and a little too close for comfort, before those evil jackasses entered the room again, grinning just as ugly as they were cunning.

Before I could protest or even speak a word, something strapped around my mouth held be back.

Huh.. was that there before? - am I just as crazy as everyone claims I tend to be? I swear, oh-

Within those two seconds of realization, something sharp sank to the two different sides of my head, feeling like I was being drilled into.

The excruciating pain was somehow numbing, like it was too much to handle my body was shutting down..

This is too much.

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Just as sudden as the memory flashed in my mind, it suddenly stopped, and I felt conscious to everything this 'world' had to offer;

awakening from a dream I thought I had no escape of.

Back to the mission I was about to do, however, it seems I wasn't the only to realize the truth - there was knocking at my door the moment I regained myself.

What a coincidence, a visit when I'm just now becoming aware.

Maybe it was just Mariana, right?

The knocking became more forceful, a lot louder, and it was definitely not Mariana - if it was, I wouldn't be surprised, either.

Before I could actually do anything, the door went down and faces from the past in.

Again, with the needle in their hands.

I'm reliving the distant past.

I awoke just front of the machine again, and this time, panic was worse than before; shaking, screaming for all I could without the stupid mouthpiece.

I'm assuming I was most despised one here, because this time, I was stripped bare, and needles shot into me like the force of lightning.

This is all just a lie.

Hours and hours I spent in that same exact bed, in the same exact position, waiting until the pain that never left, would leave.

They never stopped looking down at me with their stupid, evil grins; not once faltering their assault.

Unconscious again, and I awoke somewhere strange - darkness and silence filling my senses.

Who am I?

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Inspired by Maze Runner ❦