Delusional

Number 20

I needed to get out of here to go help her, I don't even know if she's alive. The only way out was the hatch, and why was there even a hatch, what purpose did it serve. Walking over to it I took off my shoes, I would have to find a way to shove my shoe in the hatch door when it got open enough, only it wouldn't get that open before it shot me back like it did Number 1. I took off my shoe laces on both shoes. Tying them together, I then wrapped the lace around my hand and tied one end to my belt ring on my pants. I walked over to the hatch and forced it under my nail stubs.

It hurt like hell, but I needed to keep going, I couldn't get a hold onto it with my stubs. Eventually it opened enough, my fingers were bleeding but I took the loose end of the lace and pulled it through the hole in the top of the hatch carefully tying it around. Without pulling the string, I slowly step back to see how far I would be able to go, I didn't quite reach the other wall, but I would when it was fully open. Taking a deep breath, I pulled on the string with a quick swift tug, opening over a foot. I hit the back wall with a loud thud, my ears rang, my arm burned, and my body tingled, it was like being electrocuted.

I slowly regained consciousness, the walls were normal brick walls again, and the lace was nearly burned into two pieces, but it was still hanging on attached to the hatch that was now much wider. I slowly turned onto my stomach and forced myself up with the unburnt arm. It looked like a bad case of road rash. When I stood up, it opened the hatch door all the way and I expected another burst of electricity, but nothing happened. I slowly wrapped the lace around my hand as I limped closer. Grabbing onto the hatch door I fell to my knees. I looked up and saw little sensors on the sides. I left the lace attached to the door but untied it from my belt ring, and removed it from my arm, it had melted onto my skin. I tried pulling it off but it hurt too bad, so I reached down with my mouth and ripped the ends off. Having some lace attached to certain spots on my arm felt strange, I couldn't bend it all the way up, or completely straighten it or else it began to tear my skin.

I put my shoes back on and looked through the hole. I saw a small light down below, I didn't know what would happen when I fell through, but it was worth a shot. I put my feet in first, being careful of the sensors, I didn't want to get shocked again. But, I ended up hitting them as I slid down, I could hear it following me, it was faster than I was, but when it hit my back and shoulders I shot down the long tube faster, it seemed to never end, and my back was in pain now, the longer I slid down the more painful it got. It felt like hours as I slid through. Eventually the light got larger and larger until it was right there, I slowed myself down by putting my arms out, my right arm felt like it was gonna fall off. I stopped a little short of the opening and slowly looked down, resting my feet on the solid white ground.

"Oh thank God." I whispered to myself.

I fell onto my knees and laid on the cold white ground for a few minutes, turning on my back to let it cool down, I wandered why the ground was cold now instead of hot. I needed to check to make sure my clothes hadn't burnt off, they had around the shoulders, and a little around the back of my knees, but everything else just looked burnt. I rested my head against the ground and looked up into the tube, it seemed so much longer than just looking down. I rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself up, looking up around the tube, but the tube disappeared, it was camouflaged by a white screen.

I pressed against it with my hand, which still burned, it didn't move, it didn't look any different, this was gonna be hard, I looked high up and saw the walls, they looked like tiny black squares. I looked to my right where Number 1 would have been, I couldn't see much, it looked like a tiny ant in the distance, much further than before. I began to walk, my legs didn't want to move but my will power made them. So when we were shut in, they stopped us up high, very up high, and it felt like hours coming down, just like Evelyn said.