Perfect (Rewrite)

Chapter Four

Chloe left the small white padded room with Melanie inside, shutting the door behind her, wishing she didn't have to leave her only friend behind. Finally she understood why Melanie was so insistent on following the rules. She only had one strike left until the worst would happen to her. Chloe didn't know why, but the thought of losing Melanie hurt her. Even though she barely knew her, she didn't want to lose a friend, her only friend, the only sane person left in this world she knew of.

The hallway was exactly how she had left it. Empty and creepy with a red door waiting at the end, and the other end couldn't even be seen from where she was standing, an endless path in a strange hallway. Nothing good could come from it. This hall seemed too ominous to be true; the kind of sight used in horror films stood before her very eyes. Chloe knew what was on the other side, but the thought of it still frightened her. She didn't want to fill out another one of those forms, she didn't want to get in line and put on an ear piece, and she didn't want to find out what was on the other side of the door she was ordered to enter. Her life was full of didn'ts, and she wanted nothing more than to just wake up from this horrifying nightmare. If only wishes actually came true.

After Chloe reached the door, she grabbed the knob and pulled, revealing the rows of chairs and the few girls waiting on the other side. The hologram lady appeared for a moment and then disappeared once she had gauged the room, checking to see if all attendees had successfully reached their designated destinations. Chloe didn't have to look long before she found her chair sitting in the same spot as the other day. She took her seat and waited for the lady to reappear, but she didn't until three other girls entered the room and took their places. Two of them did so without a word, but one of them stumbled in crying. It was her first time, Chloe didn't need to be told. She saw the fear of the unknown in the girls eyes, up until the moment she sat in the chair right beside her. It made Chloe wonder if she had looked as frightened as her the day before, if she had looked as silly, crying and looking around frantically. The other girls seemed well adjusted to this process; it was strange to think this surreal process could ever become a normal habit.

"Where are we?" The girl asked as she frantically looked around the room and glanced at each of the others. The desperation in her voice was unbearable; Chloe didn't want to answer, but she knew that eventually she would, so she decided the sooner the better. No one had been so kind as to actually explain what was happening to her. Maybe it would've been easier to process if someone had; she needed to help this new girl in any way she could.

"I've been told it's hell," Chloe replied with her eyes focused forward, so maybe no one would see them talking. Even though it wasn't an actual answer, the kind the girl was looking for, it seemed to give her a bit of confidence in knowing that not everyone in the room was a mindless zombie.

"Sh," Someone behind them said, but it only made the girl's curiosity and fear thrive. It was like watching wildfire catch wind. She jumped up from her chair, turned, and stared at everyone in the room, before she started shouting, "Where are we? I want out of here. I want to go home!" No one said anything in response. Chloe thought for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak; then she stopped when the red door swung open violently  and three of guards entered the room. They approached the young girl who had backed herself into a corner of the room. Chloe looked back to the front of the room, to the spot where the hologram lady would appear shortly. She couldn't watch this go down; it would've only tempted her to jump in and save her, the helpless frightened girl hadn't done anything wrong, but Chloe knew what would happen to her. Strike one was her fate after that outbreak, and strike two, probably, wasn't far behind.

It only took the guards a matter of minutes before they had the girl subdued and were carrying her back through the red door and into the hallway beyond it. Then the hologram lady appeared and Chloe suddenly rose to her feet. The girls sitting behind her gasped, but she didn't turn around to give them satisfaction. She already knew what she was doing was wrong. Chloe looked at the hologram and waited, but the lady didn't speak, instead she stared directly back at her. Her smile was no more. Chloe gulped and scratched the back of her head before sitting back down in her chair. She didn't want to be taken back to the white padded room. She didn't want to receive a strike on her wrist, she never wanted to.

The lady finally said the same thing as the day before, and Chloe didn't need someone to tell her twice, at least, not this time. She took the form out from under her chair and filled it out with the pen. It was exactly the same as the day before and so were her answers. Except for the last question:

After this, how many times have you filled out this form?

2

Once again, the waiting game began. This time she hadn't been the last one to finish her form though. Apparently a couple other girls in the room were newer than her, because they were staring down at their forms blankly as she had yesterday. They weren't like the other girl though, or like how she had been, they were calm and collected. Instead of being a deer frozen in the headlights, they were more like a bear chasing after the car that had swerved to miss it. She wished she had had the strength to be more like them, to face the unknown with an act of courage.

Chloe looked back to the front of the room. It tore her heart apart to know there were so many people here, all afraid and confused whether they wanted to admit it or not. She wanted to say something to help, but she knew that wasn't possible. Chloe didn't even know what this place was or what it held. There had to be a reason for all of this, it seemed ridiculous for someone to put them through all of this just for their own personal amusement, but that reality wouldn't have shocked Chloe either. Some people were just plain cruel. She had learned that lesson the hard way.

The lady hologram reappeared and once again gave the same orders as the day before, only this time, Chloe was in the front of the line. The fear of the unknown crept across her skin as she walked down the hallway towards the desk. What was in the rooms behind the doors? Were they other tricks like the one at the end of the hallway? They couldn't all be, could they? What would've been the point if they were?

She set her papers on the counter, grabbed an earpiece, and placed it over her ear before she glanced back at the others and waited for her name to be called. It seemed to take an eternity, but finally her name was whispered into her ear, "Chloe." This was what she had been waiting for. The thought of running came into her mind again, but she knew it was pointless. Melanie said it wasn't sunlight, it must've been a trick to see what she would do. Of course, like the normal person, she had made a run for it only to find out later she'd been tricked. At least she hadn't been the only one to fall for the illusion of freedom. At least she hadn't made it to the room only to be disappointed by the horrible truth on the other side.

Chloe walked forward with a gulp and watched as she passed door after door, until she was told to stop and turn to her left. It was the same door as the day before. Whatever horrors she was supposed to face was beyond this piece of wood, and she wanted to make every second of being in this poorly lit creepy hallway last. The last thing she wanted was to open the door and discover the secrets further than what she wanted to know.

"Open the door," The voice whispered into her ear, and then she reached for the knob. There was no avoiding this. It was now or never, the inevitable horrors were about to be revealed. Chloe took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and swung the door open before entering the room. She turned back to the hallway and closed the door before she rested her head on the now closed piece of wood. The sound of a click reached her ears; she opened her eyes. Chloe already knew that the door had been locked. The only question was who had locked it? She certainly hadn't done it. More questions spiraled through her mind, but Chloe knew this wasn't the time for them. 

People were behind her. She could hear them breathing. After she turned around, she jumped back and banged her head against the door. Four other teenagers were sitting on a couch, staring at her, smiling the same smile the hologram lady and Melanie had given her. The creepiness of them all gave her an unsettling feeling.

"Hi there," One of the boys said. He stood up and approached her, held his hand out, offering a handshake. She took his hand and shook. "I'm David, your father."