The tension in the room clung to us like a suffocating blanket after the girl was taken away. For what felt like an eternity, we sat in heavy silence, each of us trapped in our own thoughts. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and with every passing minute, the unease dug deeper into my bones. The atmosphere was thick with uncertainty, pressing down on us until the door finally swung open with a sharp creak, cutting through the oppressive quiet.
"Get up," a guard barked, his voice as cold as the air in the corridor beyond. We shuffled out, our movements slow and hesitant, as if unsure of what to expect next. Confusion and dread flickered across every face as we were led through the dimly lit halls, the remnants of what had just transpired still clinging to our minds.
Aiden fell into step beside me, his voice low. "Are you okay?"
I glanced at him, annoyance bubbling beneath the surface. "Are you?"
He frowned, clearly not expecting the question to be turned back on him. "You never really answer questions about yourself, do you?"
I turned my gaze away, my patience thinning. His ability to read me in that moment was irritating. "I'm fine," I muttered, dismissive.
He sighed softly, sensing my mood. "Sorry," he whispered.
As we walked, a voice from the speakers crackled to life, announcing our next destination: the cafeteria. The sterile halls eventually opened up into a large, echoing room filled with people. The once-thriving crowd had been thinned out.
We grabbed trays of food in silence, our eyes scanning the unfamiliar crowd. The air here was thick with confusion, much like the hallway we had just left. The earlier events still weighed heavily, but no one had the energy to voice it outright.
After collecting our food, we wove through the mass of people, spotting the rest of the guys from our facility seated at a nearby table. Aiden pointed them out, and we joined them, the tension in the air thickening as soon as we sat down. Almost immediately, the dam broke.
"What the hell just happened back there?" one of the guys asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "What are we doing here? Since when did this part of the facility even exist?"
The questions flew around the table, each laced with urgency. They were unraveling, panicking, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I should be too. But instead of panic, all I felt was… nothing.
I glanced around, noticing how this was the most we'd ever spoken to each other. It was strange, realizing how little I actually knew about any of them. These were just faces I shared space with. No stories, no backgrounds—just people trying to survive like everyone else. I had no desire to learn more.
"Is this some kind of experiment?" Aiden asked, raising his voice above the murmurs. "What do they want from us?"
I shrugged, my words hollow. "Who knows."
They were freaking out, but I couldn't muster the energy to care. I should've felt something—fear, confusion, anger—but all I felt was a dull flicker of irritation. Instead, I focused on my junk food, the sugary sweetness grounding me in a way that the rest of this chaos couldn't.
"You know," Jonah said, breaking the momentary silence, "they probably want to turn us into some kind of weapon. The government tosses out people like us, you know? People they see as dead weight. We're just here for them to figure out what to do with us."
Kai snorted, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Didn't take you for a conspiracy theorist, Jonah."
Despite the levity, the undercurrent of unease remained. The conversations around me blended together, a constant swirl of uncertainty. Everyone else was on edge, clinging to whatever explanations they could muster, but all I felt was indifference.
"Whatever this is," Jonah said after a long pause, his voice quiet but firm, "we need to have each other's backs."
I stood up, more out of frustration than anything else. I wasn't interested in bonding or forming alliances. The idea of needing protection, of relying on this group, was grating. I didn't want their camaraderie, didn't care for their sudden desire to stick together.
I didn't need any of them.
As I stood up, the screech of the metal chair against the floor echoed in the cafeteria, briefly catching the attention of a few people at nearby tables. I turned to leave, not bothering to offer an explanation.
"Hey, where are you going?" Aiden's voice cut through the low hum of conversation. His concern was palpable, but I didn't turn around to answer. I had no interest in doing so.
I continued to turn my back ignoring the question, Nicos distinct voice echoed in the background.
"Just let her be," he said, his voice low, dismissive. Aiden didn't argue, and I didn't slow my pace.
I walked past the tables, the fluorescent lights flickering above like a sickly heartbeat, making everything feel like an impeding doom. My feet carried me through the lower end of the cafeteria. Acknowledging surroundings used to be white surfaced walls have now become grey metal dark walls. The familiar mechanical hum of the ventilation system buzzed in the background. I knew where I was going—towards the desert area, I sighed at the thought of my tiny oasis of artificial freedom in this strange, clinical prison.
The desert section was oddly quiet, the cool night air leaking in from vents in the wall. I faced the array of choices to pick from. A candy bar clattered down, followed by a bag of chips. I tore open the candy bar and took a bite, the sugar filling a void that nothing else seemed able to touch.
But just as I was about to lose myself in the dull routine of junk food, a sudden announcement blared over the speakers. The distorted voice cut through the air, making everyone freeze, even out here in the deserted stretch.
"Attention," the voice crackled, unnervingly calm.
"Participants. prepare yourselves to be taken to your new rooms. This is not a request."
There goes that voice again. The distant. Robotic. Vague, emotionless tone tugged at the back of my mind, unsettling in its flatness.
With the candy bar still half-eaten in my hand, I quickly stuffed a few more candy bars into my pockets. As I glanced around at the few unfamiliar faces nearby, I noted their expressions—etched with fear and confusion. I scanned the room, catching sight of the guys from my facility. Aiden's eyes met mine, but I ignored the silent question lurking there and pushed through the growing crowd by the entrance.
The guards gestured for us to form lines, their expressions unreadable. One by one, we were handed a number. By the end of the count, it seemed there were only 170 of us left, but we were split into groups of twenty, each group assigned to new shared rooms.
The announcer's voice crackled to life again, monotone and unnervingly calm. "You will be handed your new uniforms. This will identify you from here on out."
As the guards distributed our outfits—grey, dark, and identical—
"Great, just what I wanted: a fashion statement straight out of a dystopian nightmare."
We were motioned to change into our drab uniforms, a stranger beside me chuckled softly, breaking the silence. "Well, at least now we can start our own boy band," he said with a lopsided grin.
I shot him a strange look, one that clearly said, Why on earth are you talking to me? I turned away, ignoring him as he stood there awkwardly, his smile faltering.
Undeterred, he reached out his hand. "I'm Leo, by the way," he introduced himself, the grin returning.
I hesitated, staring at his hand like it was a live wire. "Great," I muttered under my breath, "I get to know my fellow prisoners now."
He seemed to take that in stride, and I wondered if I had just given him a gold star for perseverance. But I wasn't here to make friends. I just wanted to get back to my junk food in peace.
"Nice to meet you," he said, still holding out his hand, clearly expecting me to shake it.
With an eye roll, I finally replied, "Yeah, whatever," and turned away again.
As I looked around, I noticed the other participants were also trying to process the absurdity of our situation, some exchanging nervous glances, others attempting humor to ease the tension. It was a strange blend of camaraderie and isolation, and I couldn't help but feel like I was stuck in some bizarre reality show—except there were no prizes, just survival.
I looked around for a bit and to my surprise, I couldn't find a single one of the boys from my facility. It's probably better this way, I thought. Who knew how this could turn out anyway?
The announcer's voice crackled through the speakers once again, cutting through my thoughts.
"Now I will get into more detail about what you will be experiencing here in this second phase of the program. Challenges will take place once a week. During the week leading up to each challenge, you will participate in various training sessions and classes."
Jonah's earlier words about us being turned into super soldiers flashed briefly in my mind. I shook my head at the ridiculous thought. This place is way too dramatic, I mused, struggling to suppress a snort of laughter at the absurdity of it all.
"Look around and don't get comfortable," the announcer continued, his tone as monotonous as ever. "These are not permanent sleeping arrangements; you will be shuffled around as deemed necessary."
Great. Just what I needed—my living space as unpredictable as the challenges ahead.
The weight of the situation settled in again, the reality of our confinement pressing down like a heavy blanket. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were all just pawns in a game orchestrated by someone who thrived on the confusion and fear of others.
"How did I get stuck in the middle of this?"
I took a deep breath, stretching my arms overhead and scratching my head in exasperation.
"What a drag.." I muttered in frustration.