Murder at the DreamLab ( english )

Room 5

-"Hello, I'd like two 'Basic' tickets for Room 1, please." 

-"Don't you have a membership card?" 

-"No, no, just two tickets, please." 

-"And is the second person arriving soon? Double bookings aren't allowed, and I'm quite busy today, so if you—" 

-"Yes, yes, no, she'll be here in less than two minutes, sir."

- "Alright, alright, step to the side then. Do you want your receipt?" 

-"Right, no thank you, that will be all."

This was Adam's third time here. The first time, he had come out of curiosity, like everyone else, but he had loathed it. The second time, he waited six months before returning. He kept reading nothing but positive reviews; the whole world heralded their results as miracles. Several centers began opening across the globe—thousands of them. So, he wanted to give it another try. Just in case. But he hated it even more, and he promised himself he would never return. This time, therefore, he went reluctantly. There was this girl he had started seeing, Amelia, and she was wild about it. Practically an addict. For her sake, he told himself he would try again, just one more time.

-"Look, sir, there she is!" 

-"Ah, yes, I know her. She's a regular. Here, go to VIP Room 5, it's on the house. Right this way, at the end of the hallway."

The gentleman opened the door for him. At that exact moment, Amelia arrived behind him and threw herself into Adam's arms, squeezing him so tightly that he dropped the tickets to the floor.

This Dream Lab was the very first center to open, a year and a half ago. It was a place where people paid to come and dream. It had been said in recent years that humans no longer dreamed. And it had become true. That our brains were too exhausted by the lack of sleep, excessive work, and screens. It was said that screens were gradually eroding our imagination, until our brains could no longer generate images. The newer generations had never even dreamed naturally. So, they created "The Dream Lab." It was a beautiful, rather expensive place where you could come to dream. Where you were invited to sit or lie down in specially chosen rooms with various ambiances, alone or accompanied, and simply dream. It was like a cinema where the screens were imported into your brain via a tiny, minuscule wire. And as for the movie, nothing could be simpler: you chose it, or rather, your brain chose it for you. Like a real dream.

-"I'm so glad you agreed to come with me, you'll see, you're going to love it!"

Amelia walked slightly ahead of him, holding his hand. Adam felt as though he were being swept away by her. She was everything he had ever looked for in a woman; she was perfect. Except for this obsession with paid dreams, which did not appeal to him at all. But when she asked him to come with her, with that little wry smile and those feline eyes, he could not refuse. He would do anything to please her, even if he found no joy in it himself.

-"You know, Adam, they say that couples who do sessions together often can actually connect their dreams, dream together! Can you imagine? It's crazy! I'm sure we'll manage it, it's going to be magical."

Yes, Adam had heard that rumor. Along with plenty of others. After his first session, he had experienced a horrific ordeal and was left more or less traumatized. So, he began searching for information, for testimonies, perhaps someone else had gone through the same experience? The more he searched, the more various accounts he uncovered. People who suffered from nightmares just like him, but they were all forced to remain silent. Some had even published articles of all kinds, but they were all deleted rather swiftly. He ended up reading hundreds of messages from conspiracy theorists of every stripe: people who dreamed together, others who never made it out alive, others who simply vanished. Adam had to tell himself that truth no longer existed, and that extremists of all sides were taking advantage of this novelty to say just about anything. And so, he replied to Amelia in a light tone, completely captivated by her eyes full of curiosity: 

-"Do you think so?"

They validated their tickets at an automated kiosk and entered Room 5. Adam could hardly believe his eyes; the place was immense.