Run

Chapter 9

 I walked up to the door and it slid open soundlessly, ushering me in. I stepped into the room with more than a heavy heart. But then again, there was nothing else I could do. What other choice do I have?

I bit my lower lip in nervousness, wondering what they had in store for me right there, right then. Everyday had just been a whole bundle of unpleasant surprises. Surprise after surprise after surprise. Even though we – as in Wil and I – are the ones who had to go through all of whatever they had planned. I understood that we were merely experiments to them, but we still have feelings and thoughts and insecurities of our own. We may not have a choice on the matter at hand, but I felt like they should, in the very least, have the courtesy to inform us. Sometimes, I felt like they’re not real data, real people, in the first place.

I sighed, my heart pounding so hard in my chest that I could hear it resound in my ears. The moment I stepped in the very centre of the room – it was indicated by a circle that was just big enough for a single person to stand in – the door slammed shut. Startled, I jumped a little, turning towards the only entrance or exit in the room. I could hear the lock as it slid into place, trapping me in. My hands trembled in fear, though I managed to suppress most of the movement. I did not intend to let them see my fear. I did not want to give them any satisfaction at all. So, instead, I plastered a fake smile on my face and hope that they could not see through it.

A loud unidentified sound blared through the seemingly non-existent speakers – they had to be installed in the room somewhere – resounding through my being. The forming pit in my stomach grew significantly, though I tried not to let it show. My eyes watered and I rubbed it away with my hands before they had a chance to fall. I couldn’t cry. I should – no, I must – be brave. I should be prepared. But, how? How do I prepare if I don’t know what to expect in the first place.

I never knew what to expect.

“Miri,” an emotionless, clearly computerised voice rang too loudly in my ears for it to be coming from my surroundings.

I pressed my palms on my ears in an attempt to lessen the sound.

“Miri,” the voice repeated, equally as loudly as it did merely seconds ago, as if it was coming from my ears themselves, proving my attempt to be futile.

Something clicked in my mind and I realised that neither Wil nor I have told them about the names we gave each other. No wonder I felt like something was off. If that was so, how was it possible that they were calling my name and not Experiment 782 as they always had. Something did not add up but I couldn’t seem to be able to put my finger on it.

“Miri.”

I sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to calm myself down, though failing miserably. I didn’t understand. Why was I getting so nervous and afraid by something as insignificant as the sound of my name? It’s my name after all. It’s what people were supposed to call me by. It’s almost as if they had given me some sort of chemical that was meant to instil fear in me. As far as I know, I had not been injected with any substance. I wondered how they were successfully controlling my emotions to a certain extent.

I wondered if Wil was experiencing the same thing as I was.

“Miri. Miri. Miri. Miri. Miri.”

The echoing sound grew significantly louder with each mention of my name. My whole being tensed up more with the repeat of my name until I couldn’t supress it anymore. It didn’t matter anyway. Anything that I do didn’t matter, not when they were concerned. I could feel it resound in my bones. My hands started to shake, almost as though they were vibrating, all because of the loud noise. My chest became constricted and my breaths grew shallower as the seconds passed by.