Abnormalities in a Broken Society

Big Decisions, Even Bigger Consequences

It was still dark when the nightmare forced me awake. I shot up, my breathing shallow and erratic, sweat dripped down my back. I hugged myself as I forced the terror and panic away. This nightmare, like all the others, featured Doctor Miller as the main star. But unlike the others, this time I wasn't the victim of his torture or the one torturing him. No, this time I was strapped to a chair and forced to watch as he did the most heinous things to someone in front of me. The person had no clear face, but they seemed to switch between people I knew and did not know. The most familiar face being that of Olive. In the dream, I had begged Doctor Miller to stop, but he barely noticed me. I struggled to get to them, but it was only once I looked down that I realized I wasn't actually bound to the chair. I was free to move as much as I wanted. The terror set in when I realized I didn't help the person in front of me by choice. I allowed them to be tortured. I sat back and did nothing.

It was only once my breathing had returned to normal when I uncurled myself and dropped back onto the bed. I glanced out of the window in front of my bed to see a dark, cloudy sky. I had no idea what time it was, my best guess was early morning. A quick glance at the small alarm clock on one of the bedside tables told me that my hunch was correct. It was 4 am. Lovely. 

I tried closing my eyes and forcing myself to fall back asleep, but I felt as awake as ever.  With a deeply annoyed sigh, I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower. If I'm awake now I might as well get ready for the day ahead. 

I allowed the almost boiling hot water to run over me, pretending like I was able to wash off the remnants of the nightmare as though it was stuck to my skin. 

I barely glanced at myself in the mirror as I got dressed did my hair. By that I mean I brushed the wet strands and pulled them together into a bun. I tried relaxing on my bed for a while, trying to kill the time by thinking of what I was actually going to do today. But I was too restless, I could barely lie down long enough to come up with a concrete thought, much less a whole plan.

It was around 4:55 when I finally decided I had had enough and needed to get out of this room. The greenhouse immediately came to mind as I jumped up and put on my pair of sneakers. I slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. I stepped out into the darkness of the hallway, softly shutting the door behind me. I used the wall to guide me towards the stairs, as I inwardly thanked Stewart for giving me a room close to the stairwell. I would be wandering around here for hours otherwise. 

It didn't take me long to reach the stairwell, I sighed in relief when light flooded through as I opened the door. It must be on all night, probably for safety. there weren't any windows so it's not like they needed to be careful. I quickly began making my way up the stairs and it wasn't long before I found myself stepping into the greenhouse. It was pleasantly warm, the moon cast its gloomy, silvery light through the glass ceiling, lighting up the path to the small table and chair in the center of the room. 

It was so peaceful. So quiet. I sat down in the chair, sighing as the tension eased from my muscles. 

I was finally able to think about the decision I had to make. What my answer would mean for those living here. What it would mean for me. I couldn't help but think about V, how much she already seems to hate me. I didn't hold it against her, especially after everything they've gone through recently. I grunted in frustration, shifting in my seat as I allowed my mind to ponder what would happen if I said no and left. What would happen if I stayed. 

Slowly, as the birds on the rafters began to wake, so did the world around us. Smears of soft pink, orange, and purple painted the skies, brightening it with every passing second. The sun would be up soon, I wondered if anyone else was awake yet.