The Project

Chapter One: Opportunity

I woke up to a light shining in my face. I scowled at the man and he gave me a pearly white smile. "Mr. Mcloughlin. Glad you could join us." The man reaches his tanned hand out for me to shake and I roll my eyes. 

"Ah.. not one for formalities, I see." He retracts his hand and takes out a notepad and pen. "So.. I came here today to try and get you to talk." 

I rolled my eyes at the man once again. He's going to have a grand time tryin' to get me to talk. "Not fond of the idea, are you?" He smiled again and wrote something onto that damn notepad. "Then I guess we could try another method." 

A petite woman with long brown hair walks through the open door and shuts it tight, revealing a small metal box with wired attachments. 

The man beckons her over and she gives him the metal box. "So.. this tiny machine will project your thoughts so I can hear them." I sighed at him. He's not going to like what I'm thinking. "Ah.. So you're not a fan of this idea?" I just stared at him and he wrote down my reaction into that small pad.

 He grabs two small, metal rings from the side of the box and places them on each side of my head. I flinch at the cold metal. He presses a button on a remote and small static noises fill the room.

"So, Mr. Mcloughlin, tell us what you're thinking." The man leans back into the rusted chair and places his hands on the back of his head in a relaxed manner. "I'm thinking thoughts." A monotone voice rings around us from the box and the man jumps at the sudden noise. 

It's not my actual voice.. but it works it's purpose. The man frowns and leans forward. "Continue." Is all he says. 

"I'm thinking that I want to take that pen right out of your hand and shove it up your-" The monotone voice was cut off by the mans hand striking the side of my face.

 His face is red with anger and he immediately stands, taking the rings off the side of my head and back onto the box. The small static noise slowly dissipates and all that's left is silence. 

I rubbed my jaw and before he could move to leave, I get up and move in front of him, clenching my fists until they turn white from the pressure. "Move, now. I've had enough of your games, boy!" The man tries to push me out of the way and I stand strong, tilting my head toward the ground. 

I could feel the man tense at my posture and I grab him by the collar, staring at him straight in the face. The woman is frozen still in fear while the man is struggling to get out of my grip. His face pales as I raise my fist to punch him.

 "Marzia! Call the guard!" The woman hesitates but nods at his command and opens the door to rush out, leaving it wide open. 

I look toward the door then back at the man. His eyes dart from me to the open door. I consider dropping him to make a run for it. "Y-You won't get far!" It's as if he's trying to dissuade me from getting out. I let out a dry chuckle, barely noticeable. 

I grab the box from his pocket and stick it into mine. I wink at him before punching his lights out. The man crumples to the floor as I bolt towards the door. My heart is racing and I'm met with a long, narrow hallway. White in color with barely any place to go other then forward. I close the door quietly behind me and start to run.

 Faster and faster. Heavy footsteps reverberate all around me, breaking the silence. I dart to the left. Barely any light illuminates the hallway now, so I squeeze my body between two close walls, closing my eyes halfway, listening.

 Agonizingly slow footsteps approach me from all sides and I slow my breathing considerably. Black dots swarm my vision and I'm forced to draw in more breath. The footsteps cease and I'm met with unbearable stillness. All I can hear is my own breathing, which I'm sure they're listening for. 

"Shh.. Can you hear that?" My heart skips a beat as a woman with shoulder length blonde hair looks into the spot where I'm hiding. "Wait I think I can-" A man cuts her off by grabbing her shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing, Aimz." She nodded and retracted her outstretched hand from the shadow of the enclosed walls.

 "No one could fit themselves in there unless they were a woman." The man laughs and the woman known as Aimz glares at him. They both retreat down the hall I came from, pushing and shoving each other. I let out a relieved sigh as soon as their footsteps couldn't be heard. 

Wait.. did he just insult me? Fuckin' prick. I rolled my eyes and popped my head out from the shadows to look around. I squeezed back out into the hall and felt fatigue take over almost instantly. The adrenaline must have worn off. Unless..

I held my hand against the wall and steadied myself. Black dots swarmed my vision again as I became dizzy, the back of my head getting cold. What the hell is this? I could feel a headache coming on as I focused my eyes on the long corridor in front of me.

I held tight to the wall as I continued slapping my bare feet against the cold floor. How big is this place? There has to be an opening somewhere. A white door caught my attention and I gripped the handle with my free hand. 

I opened the door slowly as to not make any sound and attract attention. My blood runs cold at the sight before my blue eyes.