Chapter Text
Nothing. An absolute nothing. That was my memory. I couldn't remember anything from before I woke up. Sure, I still knew my name and age, I still knew how to speak and think and write, and I remember expressions and analogies, but nothing from before that. I couldn't remember my family, if I even had one. I couldn't remember if I had siblings or if I was an only child. Was I adopted or an orphan? Did I have a happy family before this? I couldn't be certain about any of it.
What I do know, is that I woke up in a completely white room, a room with no doors or windows, a room that seemed to be perfectly square. There were no decorations or furniture, only a single, small cot. It had a white frame and a white sheet over the mattress. No pillows or blankets, however. The walls and the floor all seemed to be made of the same material, and there were no signs of any seams in the room, it was all a single, smooth, solid mass that made up the cube.
To match the room, I was in a plain white loose t-shirt, with a pair of loose white pants, the bottoms of which dragged across the floor. They felt soft, and like they were made up of the same type of fabric, but I wouldn't tell if it was cotton or silk, it just felt different from any other type of fabric I've felt, that I had the vaguest memory of.
Feeling along the walls, everything felt just too smooth, impossibly flat. Not a single bump or scratch adorned the colorless room. A single flat light fixture was attached in the middle of the ceiling. It was inlaid into the material that made up the room, and no string hung from it, and there were no light switches to turn it off. The light made the white room seem blinding, and soon, it was starting to give me a headache.
I would tap along the walls, trying to find out if anything sounded hollow. I knocked along each of the four walls, all sounding solid until I got to the last one, only a small area of it sounded hollow. But besides that, there was nothing else. I tried to punch the hollow-sounding spot, but nothing happened, minus the pounding in my knuckles and wrist, though I didn't punch hard enough to cause my hand any damage, only some slight pain.
With no sense of time or space, I simply sat down on the cot and waited. Spacing out into my thoughts seemed to help pass the time, but it felt grueling and slow. I wished that there at the very least was a clock, just something that could give me a vague idea of time. I could have sat there for 10 minutes or 10 hours, I couldn't be sure.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a loud hissing sound echoed through the room, sounding deafening in the utter silence of the cube. I jumped to my feet, whipping my head around until my eyes landed on one of the walls. The material seemed to melt in a line, forming a rectangle-shaped seam, like that of a doorway. There was another hissing sound, followed by a soft clanking, and the rectangle began to move, rising up and melting into the material of the wall above it. Standing in the new doorway was a woman. She was tall with dark skin, her amber eyes piercing into my own eyes, seeming like she was staring into my soul. Her curly hair was pulled back tight into a bun, and a pair of white-framed glasses sat on her nose.
She seemed rather muscular from what I could tell, though most of her body was covered by an entirely white uniform. She wore a simple button-up blouse and what seemed to be a lab coat, with a pair of straight pants that were rolled up at the bottom, just above her pure white sneakers. Her clothes were free from only wrinkles or stitching seams, they seemed to have been molded straight onto her body. She looked so dangerously beautiful, and it made my skin crawl. In one hand, she held a white clipboard, while her other hand was placed on the wall next to the now open doorway, which soon fell to her side, holding what seemed to be a keycard, and around her wrist was a bracelet with keys and other cards dangling from it. Pinned to her coat was a silver name tag, with stark black writing on it, though from the distance between us, I couldn't make out her name.
"Follow me." Her voice sounded empty, void of any emotion, but it held so much authority in it. My body felt rigid, but considering what would be in my best interest, I did as she told me. I took a careful step forward, the cold of the floor soaking into my feet, then another step, slowly approaching her. She turned on her heels, her sneakers squeaking on the floor. Her walk was brisk and fast, her long legs carrying her far. I had to speed walk to catch up to her, and behind me, another hissing sound grabbed my attention. Turning my head, I watched as the wall melted back together, becoming solid once again, but next to the door was a stark black keypad, with a glassy panel above it.
We were walking through an empty hallway, although a few times we would pass by a few of those same black keypads. The hallway was mostly straight, though a few times it would split off into different directions, but rarely did we turn down a new hall. The lady never spoke, and the only sound was the squeak of her shoes and the slapping of my bare feet on the floor as I tried to keep up with her. It wasn't long before we came upon a rather large wall, solid like the walls of everything else, with yet another keypad. She stood in front of it, turning to glance at me with her icy orange eyes before looking back to the pad. She hid it from my view, though I could still partially see what she was doing. She help up a card to the pad, and a beep sounded out. On the top part of the wall, a green light lit up from underneath the white material. She then fiddled with the keys on her bracelet before raising one, and another beep sounded, followed by another green light sparking to life next to the first two. She then placed the palm of her hand flat on the glassy screen above the pad, and another light lit up. She then got closer to the pad, hunching around it to cover it more, small clicks sounding out in a long code, and the final and fourth green light came to light.
All the green lights blinked in unison before fading away and allowing a familiar hissing sound to ring out. A large seam appeared on the wall, that soon melted and began to move up into the wall, forming a rather large doorway. I barely got a peek of the room before a hand gripped my arm roughly and I was thrown in, my body flinging onto the ground and sliding across slightly. I heard a slight clatter followed by a loud thud, and when I looked back to where the doorway was, it was now only a wall, flat and seamless. I pushed myself into a sitting position, looking around, my eyes falling on the clipboard that the lady was once holding, landing only a few feet from my head. I could already tell that this new room was so much larger than the one that I had woken up in.
Turning to look behind me I was quick to see the plain white desk with yet another plain white object scooted into it, a chair. I groaned in slight pain from being tossed on the ground before moving to finally stand back up. I could now see a bit better rather than looking around from the floor. Sat on the desk was a cream-colored manilla file, closed and set perfectly straight. Next to it was another white object that seemed to resemble a remote of some kind. On the corner of the desk was a white mesh cup, filled with an assortment of black pens and pencils, and next to the cup was an electric pencil sharpener, though the cord to it seemed to melt into the floor, hidden away from any source of power. On the other corner of the desk was a stack of papers with black ink printed on them, sitting in a white container so that they didn't fall and scatter about. They seemed to be forms that needed to be filled in.
What was the most shocking thing about the room, however, was the wall that was opposite of the doorway that I had come through, a wall that the chair was facing towards, was made entirely of glass, though it looked thick and impossible to break, free of any dust or smudges on it. Through the glass was a gap that dropped into a black void, and on the other side of that gap was a white cube room, like the room I had been in. The glass wall didn't reach the ceiling though, it had a strip of the normal wall material across it, and in the middle of the strip was a long black rectangle that seemed to be a display for a label or something similar, though currently, it displayed nothing.
I looked back down to the clipboard on the floor and bent down to pick it up. It held a single piece of paper with black ink on it, looking exactly like the stack of papers on the desk. On the top was text that stated 'Subject's Name' followed by a line that seemed to allow someone to write on it. Underneath it were other words that all had lines following them. One said 'Motives', another said 'Cause of Death If Applicable', and another was 'Methods'. I was so confused and was reeling from the words that were written down. My brows were furrowed and my dry lips pursed. What was all this? It was already confusing but now I felt more concerned than anything. A crackling sound echoed through the room, causing me to almost drop the clipboard.
"Take a seat at the desk." I looked around, trying to find a source for the feminine voice.
"Sit at the desk." I was turning in circles now, trying to find anything that could be making the noise. I lurched forward and screamed when a fuzzy, electrical pain shot through my feet and across my whole body, though it was only momentarily.
"Don't make me repeat myself. Sit." I gasped out for air from the momentary pain before deciding to finally listen to the voice. I was quick to pull out the white chair, quickly sitting down before I was shocked again.
"Good, not open the file and read it." I swallowed hard and licked my lips, setting the clipboard still in my hands down on the desk, my hands slightly shaking. I moved to the folder, opening it up and feeling my blood run cold. Inside it was a few papers, but on the top, the first page, it had a picture of me. My hair looked dirty and ragged, deep bags hung heavy under my eyes, I looked so tired, defeated and beaten down by life. Next to the photo was my full name, first, middle, and last. Underneath that was my birthday and current age, followed by descriptions of me. My race, skin color, hair color and type, eye color, gender, height, weight, and even my body type was written down. All of the descriptions were detailed to a horrific degree, with specific colors and using words that an average person wouldn't use to describe someone. Below that was written out 'Parents/Guardians' but the two names and all of their information had black boxes printed over them, redacted.
Under all of that was a wall of text, describing my life, school life and college, my jobs and experiences, what hospital I was born in, absolutely everything. My pets, alive and dead, relatives, friends, past partners and lovers, not one detail was amiss, though I wouldn't know if any of this was true or not, I simply couldn't remember, but it was so detailed that I truly believed it. I moved the paper, looking at the next page. More details about me, all my good and bad deeds, how I did in school, which seemed to be that I was a top student, passing all my classes exceptionally, taking advanced placement classes, going to college for psychology, and to be a therapist. I flipped through the pages until I got to the last one, one that made my stomach flip, a single piece of paper that made me want to vomit.
'On the early morning of June 24th, 2021, the promising college student, (Y/n) (L/n), went missing, seeming to have simply disappeared into thin air from her dorm room. Her roommate has claimed that she couldn't recall hearing or seeing (Y/n) or anyone else entering or leaving the dorm room. The campus cameras were all turned off that night, and all previous footage was deleted, and since then has been unable to be recovered. Police are stating that she may have ran away and that it was a coincidence that the security system failed, though many people, including (Y/n)'s roommate and her parents, have claimed that she would never run away or throw away her promising life of success.
The search is still ongoing, however, no leads have been found, and anyone who was suspected of kidnapping (Y/n) have been cleared by the authorities. There have been no signs of a break-in into the dorm room, however, both the window and door were locked, with the door having a deadbolt locked on the inside of the room, making it nearly impossible for (Y/n) to do so on her own from outside. Many search parties have been organized to find the young woman, but all have failed in finding (Y/n) or any evidence of her ever being anywhere.'
It was a printed screenshot of a news article. An article about me. I was missing, people knew, people were looking for me. Below the article was printed text.
'That was in the year 2021, it is now 2022.' I was missing for a year. A full year of people fruitlessly searching for me and finding no trace of my existence. Where the hell even was I? Who took me? For all I know I did run away, but I simply couldn't remember.
"Pick up the remote." The voice, it was back, echoing around the room. I was still shaking, but not wanting to be electrocuted again, I did as the voice told me, still mentally reeling from what I read. The remote was white and slick, with no seams for a battery compartment of any kind, and it only had a few buttons on it that were thankfully labeled with small black text. On the top of the remote was a small dome for a light, but it was currently turned off. Some of the buttons were labeled 'next' and 'previous', the others said 'detention', 'mute', 'unmute', 'open', 'close', 'favorite', 'shock', 'specific', and on the very bottom was one that simply stated 'done'.
"Now press the button labeled 'next'." I shakily hovered my thumb over the button before pressing it, watching as the cube that was close to the glass began to shake. First, it began to slowly recede, moving back away from the glass, and with the distance between me and it growing, I could see more of the large empty space that the cube occupied. It was being pulled back to a large white cylinder that looked like it stretched infinitely up and down. Across the cylinder, in perfect rows, were other cubes, and I could only assume they were all rooms. I watched as the cube finally stopped moving, having fully been pulled back towards the cylinder, before it began to rotate to the right, and everything started shifting down, all the rooms and cylinder moving down until it cycled all the way back to the very top row of cubes. I watched as it spun slowly until it finally halted at one room, which I could only assume was the very first one amongst the hundreds of others. Soon after it stopped rotating, the cube facing towards the glass began to shake slightly before it was pushed forward, all the way until it was only a couple of inches away from the glass.
I watched carefully as the cube finally stopped moving, and soon, a faint hissing sound echoed out. My eyes widened as the entire wall that was facing towards me started to change, getting clearer and more transparent until the entire wall of the cube was glass. The room looked exactly the same as the one I had woken up in, however, the single cot in this room did have a pillow and blanket, along with a small desk and chair that looked exactly like my own. Standing in the room was a little girl, she couldn't have been any older than 8 years old. She wore a dirty and tattered pink nightgown, and her long, dark chocolate-colored hair was a tangled mess. She was close enough for me to see her sparkling emerald green eyes, but what was startling was the blood that covered her. Her face, her clothes and dirty white socks, and even the stuffed bear she clutched in her arms, it was all covered in dark, dried blood.
"Now, press the button that says 'unmute', pick up the clipboard, and ask the questions." The voice spoke once again, and before I would know, for the last time. I looked down at the remote and clicked the unmute button. There was a small crackling sound that only lasted for a second. I looked at the desk and grabbed the clipboard again, looking down at it, then back up. The black rectangle that was above my side of the glass wall was now lit up, saying the name 'Sally'. My eyes drifted back down to the little girl, but I couldn't find my voice.
"Hello?" She spoke first, her voice sounding quiet and scared. I blinked and tried to shake off my unease, finally finding my voice for the first time.
"Oh, um, hi. Is your name..." I looked back up at the label above the glass before looking back at her.
"Sally?" She nodded and I looked down at the clipboard. I picked up a pen from the mesh cup on the desk and wrote 'Sally' on the 'Subject's Name' line. Then I read 'Cause of Death If Applicable'. I grimaced and looked back up at the girl.
"Um, Sally?"
"Hmm?" I paused, deciding what I even wanted to ask, the question written down or my own.
"Do...do you know where we are?" She seemed a bit shocked, her eyes widening slightly before her face relaxed again.
"Kinda, but we're not really sure."
"We?" Shock again, but this time staying.
"Yeah, didn't you meet the others?" I furrowed my brows now. Others?
"Uh, no, I-I don't think so. Besides the lady that brought me here, you're the first person I've met and talked to." Sally nodded, seeming to think for a moment.
"I can tell you what I do know. I think this is a facility, that's what we call it. People like you talk to us and ask us a lot of questions, and we have to answer. Some are really mean to us, but some are nice. But there's only ever one person until they get replaced, you're the new one." I nodded, listening to her carefully, she, and in turn, the 'others', might just be my only source of information.
"It's always the same questions, but sometimes they ask new questions. We kinda know why we're here, but the others don't tell me much about what they know." I bit my lip. If they don't tell her, would they tell me information? She seemed to have some sort of relationship with these 'others'. Maybe the things they wouldn't tell her would be too gruesome for such a little child? I couldn't be sure, but something about all of this felt more wrong than it normally should have been.
"Oh, alright. I guess I have to ask you these questions then?" She nodded, her hair waving around slightly.
"Okay then, um, hmm...do you know what 'cause of death if applicable' means?" She looked down, and her eyes trailed down to the floor, kicking the floor lightly with her foot.
"Yes..." She paused and I stayed silent, waiting.
"I don't wanna talk about it..." I nodded, not wanting to pry in case I upset her.
"Okay, we can skip that one then. Um, motives?"
"Anyone who was like my uncle." Her voice now had a bitterness to it, one I wasn't expecting to ever hear from a child. It sent a chill down my spine, and I wrote down what she said, word for word, but continuing not to pry.
"Methods?" She paused for a moment before shrugging.
"I don't have anything specific." I wrote it down before looking back at her.
"You don't have to answer, but...are you okay?" Her head whipped up from staring at the floor back to me, looking a bit taken aback by the question.
"What?"
"Oh...no ones ever asked any of us that..." That made something in my heart twist. No one would ask if they were okay? For f*cks sake there was this tiny child covered in blood in a room with no toys or coloring books or any kind of mental stimulation, in an unknown location, held captive by unknown people, and no one ever dared to ask if she was okay?! I felt a twist of rage and sympathy, this poor child has been through god knows what, and no one has asked to see how she was doing?! With the condition, she was in I couldn't imagine what the 'others' were like, and no one ever checked on them?! I took a breath, trying to calm myself down.
"I'm sorry, Sally."
"N-no, it's fine. I guess I'm okay, it's nice to talk to someone." God, that f*cking hurts to hear. I tried to think of something before an idea popped into my mind.
"Hey, do you know how to play rock, paper, scissors?" Her eyes lit up, and she nodded her head vigorously. I smiled at her.
"Wanna play?" Another happy nod. She moved her teddy bear to sit on the floor in front of her before she held out her hands, one balled into a fist sitting atop of her hand, her hand held flat with her palm up. I repeated the action, my fist resting in my palm.
"Ready?"
"Yeah!" I smiled, seeing the child-like nature blooming to life on her face.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" I spoke out, both of us lightly hitting our fists to our palms before we picked our 'weapon' of choice. She held her hand out flat in a 'paper' signal, and I kept my fist as 'rock'. She hollered, jumping up and down and grinning widely.
"I win! Paper beats rock!" I grinned, feeling joy from seeing her so happy.
"Wanna play again?"
"Yes please!"
We played again, then again and again and again. She seemed ecstatic to have something to do, to play a game with someone, anyone, to have some sort of stimuli for her developing mind. We each had our fair share of wins and ties, but to her, it didn't matter if she won or not, she was just filled with joy to play.
"Miss?"
"Yes?"
"What's your name?" I smiled at her, feeling happy that her mood had improved.
"My name's (Y/n). It's so good to meet you, Sally." She grinned too, giggling and jumping up and down again.
"Nice to meet you Miss (Y/n)! I think the others will like you like I do! I don't wanna go but you should talk to them too." I nodded to her, looking down at the paper, ignoring the questions that went unanswered. I plucked the remote back up, looking up the buttons and spotting the 'favorite' one, grinning, and pressing it. A small ding sounded out, and now on the black rectangle, next to Sally's name was a white star. Sally seemed to understand what I did and clapped her hands happily, grinning widely.
"Oh wow! No one ever gave me a favorite before! Thank you, Miss (Y/n)!"
"Sally you don't have to call me Miss, just (Y/n) is fine, and of course you're a favorite, you're absolutely precious!" I couldn't believe it but her grin got bigger.
"Yay! Okay, (Y/n)! Bye-bye!"
"Buh-bye, Sally." I didn't want to leave her all alone again, but if she said I should talk to others then I suppose I should. I clicked the 'next' button, and gave Sally one last wave goodbye as the glass of her cube turned opaque and solid once again, before the cube was pulled back and the cylinder began to rotate, bringing forward the next room to the right of hers. I watched as this room's wall too turned to glass, showing a room just like Sally's, but instead of a little girl inside, sitting on the bed was a man, one who looked absolutely done with life. I looked up and read the name, Tim. The man, Tim, continued to just sit there, staring at the wall across from him, not once looking at me.
"Hello, your name's Tim?" He grunted but otherwise stayed quiet. I'll take that as a yes. I moved Sally's paper out of the clipboard and set it to the side, grabbing a blank one from the stack of forms and writing 'Tim' in the name section. I decided for now to skip the form questions.
"Do you know Sally? She said I should talk to the others here." That seemed to grab his attention, his head lazily bobbing to the side to finally look at me, giving me a cold stare. He looked like he may have been in his twenties, with messy brown hair that faded into sideburns, and like Sally, his hair too was an utter mess. He wore an orange jacket and faded blue jeans with a pair of black sneakers. It was a bit hard to tell, but I could assume that he was tall and had broad shoulders. He wasn't covered in blood like Sally, and that made something in me feel sick. What would that poor little girl be subjected to to be covered in blood?
"You talked to Sally?" He finally spoke. His voice was gruff and sounded tired, but it held anger behind it.
"Yeah, she was the first person I talked to. She's so sweet, is she your sister or something?" He raised an eyebrow but shrugged.
"We all consider her our little sister I guess." I nodded, feeling some accomplishment in getting the man to converse.
"Sally kept saying there were others here, do you know how many?" Another shrug.
"Can't tell, there's a lot of us."
"If you were to guess?" He hummed and seemed to sneer a bit.
"I dunno, probably hundreds. You talk too much."
"Oh...I'm sorry." I kept my response short, but his answer felt jarring. Hundreds? Good god, how many people were held in this place? And how did they know so many people? The rooms fell into silence for a few minutes, but this time Tim spoke up.
"Aren't ya going to ask questions?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess I should, sorry, I didn't want to bother you." He raised an eyebrow again, this time looking rather confused.
"You...didn't want to bother me?" I shake my head.
"No. I don't know where we are, I only know what Sally told me. From what I can tell, it's hard for everyone here, so if I have to ask questions, then I want everyone to be comfortable. I skipped one of the questions that Sally didn't want to answer, then we talked and played some games." He looked even more confused now but didn't say anything, just furrowing his brows deeply. I looked down at the new paper form.
"Um, cause of death if applicable?"
"I never died." I nearly fell out of my chair. I sputtered slightly, my eyes growing wide. That's what that meant?!
"W-what?!" My voice raised in pitch slightly, and the man only chuckled darkly.
"You really don't know anything do you?" I could only shake my head, my jaw nearly on the floor. He sighed and stood up from the bed, before walking closer to the glass of his room, his expression looked dark.
"So Sally didn't tell you? Wanna know why we're here? All of us?" He didn't wait for my response.
"We're here because we simply shouldn't exist, but we do. Sally died, but you saw her, she looked alive just like anyone else, right? Well, she's dead. Not like some stupid ghost or zombie bullsh*t like everyone else in your position thought. She died, but she's still alive, and she shouldn't be. Some of us are like her, they died yet they still breathe and bleed, they were killed. Others of us just shouldn't exist, they don't follow the physics of this world or the laws of nature, they simply just should notexist. But we all exist, and that's why we're all here, to be watched, examined, experimented on, tested, and interrogated."
I didn't want to believe what he was saying, it didn't make sense. If they shouldn't exist, then they just wouldn't, right? None of it made sense, I talked to Sally, played a game with her, she was just as alive as me and him and everyone else. He grinned, it was twisted, but his eyes didn't smile, they stayed blank and cold.
"You don't believe me? Fine, most don't, not until they see who I'm talking about. Take one of your papers there and write this down," I snapped out of my shock, grabbing a blank paper, and turning it over, seeing a blank white page, gripping my pen tightly as I listened to him.
"Eyeless Jack, Ben, Smile, The Operator, The Rake, Laughing Jack, Jeff, Seed Eater, Grinny. They should be proof enough for you." I scribbled down the names hastily before looking back at him. His sick grin was gone, and he looked just as tired as before. I swallowed hard under his stare, it felt like he wanted to kill me.
"Why are you here?" I was a bit thrown off by the question, still trying to grip to the information he just told me.
"I-I don't know." Confusion took over his face once again.
"You don't know? Didn't they tell you in your file?" I shook my head, picking up the manilla folder that he was referring to.
"No, it just says that I went missing last year and haven't been found yet. It didn't say why I was here." He hummed, shifting his weight and seeming to think.
"They usually tell you why you're here. Heh, you must've done something downright evil, or your innocent and just happened to catch this place's attention." That cruel grin was back, and it made me feel sick. I tried to push away what he said, but I couldn't shake it. I did something bad? 'Downright evil'? Like what?
"Hey." My eyes refocused from my deep thought and landed back on Tim.
"When the day is over they give you a paper to put requests on. Can you get me a cigarette?" This man must have been absolutely crazy, he went from telling me that 'things that shouldn't exist do exist', to implying I did something horrible, then asking for a cigarette? What in the ever-loving f*ck?
"Uh, sure?" I looked back down to the paper that I had scribbled names down on, writing his name followed by cigarettes, then I remembered Sally. I wrote down her name too, followed by toys, a coloring book, and crayons, a brush, a bath, then I added a brush and bath to Tim's requests too.
"What are you writing?"
"Your requests. I wanna get Sally some toys and a bath and brush, and I guess you'd like that too? That poor girl needs something to entertain her. Do you want or need anything else?" I looked back at him. Sure he looked like he wanted to kill me and was being maybe a bit rude, but we were all in the same position of being captive and isolated, the least I could do was try and get these people something to help the boredom and monotony. Like Sally had when I showed her kindness, he looked surprised. It took him a few seconds to speak.
"Oh, uh, yeah sure. Maybe a book?" I nodded, my own surprise setting in when his voice changed to be a bit more gentle. I wrote down 'book' next to his name before setting the paper next to Sally's form, my attention falling back to Tim's paper.
"Can I keep asking the questions?"
"Yeah, you kinda have to." I nodded.
"Motives?"
"Whatever The Operator tells me I need to do." I wrote it down.
"Methods?"
"I usually use a gun, but sometimes I have to use what's around me, rocks, knives, ropes, that stuff." I hesitate before writing it down, swallowing hard.
"Um, wh-what do you mean by that..?"
"To kill. We all kill, part of why we're here." I wanted to vomit, but I knew I couldn't, I was hungry, and there was nothing in my stomach for me to wretch out. I didn't want to keep asking questions about that.
"One last question," I move his paper to the side of the desk, wanting to keep individual piles for everyone.
"Are you doing okay?" He had the exact same reaction as Sally to the question, though his reaction was a lot more toned down compared to the little girls. He paused for a while before speaking.
"Huh, yeah, I guess I'm okay." I nod to him, offering a hesitant yet gentle smile.
"Well, it was nice to meet you, Tim. I guess I need to talk to whoever's next." He only nodded, still seeming to reel from my unexpected kindness. Sally wasn't exaggerating when she said that others in my position would usually be mean. I picked up the remote, clicking the favorite button as I had done with Sally, another surprise for the man, before I clicked the next button, waving to Tim as the glass turned to wall, and the cycle repeated. I waited a few seconds as the rooms turned and cycled to the next one, extending forward to the glass of my room. I watched as the cube's wall turned transparent, and a scream nearly ripped itself from my throat.
This room was quite different from the other two, it was larger and taller, and now I knew why. Standing in the room was something that Tim was right about, something that simply should not exist. He wasn't lying. Standing there with immaculate posture was a horrifically thin being that was easily 9 feet tall. It wore a pristine black suit, with a white undershirt and a black tie. The clothes were free of any wrinkle or tears or dirt, absolutely clean to an impossible degree. Its skin was the whitest white I ever could have imagined, it made the white of the facility seem like a dull, dark gray. It had a bald head, clear from any specks of dust or hair, and even facial features. It looked almost like a second layer of skin had stretched over its face. It had contours and shadows of vague features, cheekbones, a ridge where a nose would be, sunken in divets where eyes should be, but it was utterly smooth where a mouth would have been. Its face was free of all and any wrinkles, it just all smoothly blended together into stark white skin, not a single splotch of color that would show that blood even pumped through this thing's body.
I had to slap a hand over my mouth, quieting any noise that tried to claw passed my lips. I could only stare wide-eyed at the thing, not daring to look away from it. I could only assume that if it could see, that it was staring right at me, standing as close to the glass as it could without pressing against it. We both only stared at each other as seconds ticked by into minutes. It wasn't long until a voice called out, but not in the room like the person who was ordering me to do things, and not like how Sally and Tim spoke to me, this voice was talking directly into my brain, and for a moment, I thought that whatever I was looking at had driven me to the brink of insanity.
"Hello there. I suppose you are the new interrogator. What is your name?" It spoke out in many voices, all male, with all sorts of accents, even some voices speaking in languages I didn't know. The voices sounded polite yet held authority to them, and they echoed through my mind even after they finished speaking. I still couldn't speak, all I could do was point to the being, silently asking if that was him that spoke, and it nodded. I had to swallow the lump in my throat, feeling as if barbed wire was wrapped around my neck. I slowly lowered my hand from my mouth, struggling to find my voice for a moment.
"H-hi...I...yeah I guess I am the new person. My name's (Y/n)...uh, what's y-your name?" My voice was meek, but I didn't care, I was terrified.
"I go by many names, The Operater, some call me Boss or Sir, but the name that most call me is Slenderman, though some simply call me Slender for short." I could only nod as the voices echoed in my head, though as he spoke, the many voices died down into a singular voice. He spoke eloquently, which I found a bit shocking. Looking up at the black name bar, it was entirely filled with static, buzzing lowly.
My hands were shaking as I grabbed a fresh paper form, writing down both The Operater and Slenderman on the name line, adding a slash between the two names.
"I see you have already talked to dear Sally and Tim." I could only nod, still finding it a struggle to even speak in his presence.
"You were very kind to them, genuine too. If I recall correctly, none of the others in your position have been so friendly to us. I must thank you for your kindness and politeness." I wasn't sure how he knew I already talked to them, but I didn't question it, after all, he had no face and was speaking directly into my mind.
"Y-yeah, well they seem like good people, everyone need-needs some kindness. It's just basic re-respect." I had to clear my throat, trying hard not to stutter but finding it difficult not to.
"I do agree, it is a basic respect, but I still thank you for showing us that respect, we do not get much here regardless, it's...refreshing." I nodded again, and finding some courage, I straighten my posture and let my eyes move from the blank paper back up to the being, feeling my skin crawl, though this time, I tried to keep looking at him, trying to not let the very fiber of my being take over to try and run away.
"Umm, I'm s-sorry if this seems out of line, I don't want to b-be rude, but uh, can I not be called an i-interrogator? That sounds bad..." He seemed to pause for a moment in thought before nodding his head.
"Of course, (Y/n). I suppose it does sound harsh, I shall let the others know that, though I do apologize if some do still call you that, all of us are quite bitter to be here, and the previous interrogators have been quite cruel. You do appear to be very kind, so I shall give you that respect back."
"Thank you, I-I really appreciate that. If you don't-don't mind me asking, how can you tell the others if you're trapped in there?" I was finally starting to feel calmer, and my stuttering was finally getting less frequent.
"In the same way that I am speaking to you currently, telepathy. I use it to keep us all connected, they can talk with each other and with me, and I speak to them as all. You can compare it to the hivemind of ants or bees, though make no mistake, we are not just some insects." I nod my head, finally feeling free of fear, with curiosity now taking over.
"That's actually pretty cool, and I could never compare any of you to insects."
"I know, but it is still something I wish to be clear about. The last person who made that comparison was taught a valuable lesson." Never mind, I felt some fear again, and I didn't want to know what happened.
"That's understandable I suppose, I wouldn't want to be compared to a bug either. Is it okay if I ask the questions?"
"Of course, it is your job after all."
"Thank you. Umm, cause of death?"
"Not applicable. I have been alive since the first sparks of humanity appeared." I believed him. With Tim, I was skeptical, but now I know that I wasn't just interviewing people, but absolutely anything, whether it should exist or not. I wrote down his answer.
"Motives?" He hummed, a buzzing that rumbled around in my brain.
"For me, it is how I survive. I do not need to eat or drink, but taking someone's life, in turn, gives me the life force to continue living, and by extension, it keeps us all alive, and when they kill, it adds to that life force for all of us. Like a reserve of life force." I scribble down his words, feeling my curiosity pique again, but now it was a morbid curiosity.
"Like a collective source of life?"
"Indeed."
"So Sally, even though she died, is this the life force that brought her back? And keeps her alive?"
"That is correct, however, it is a bit more complicated than that, but to put it simply, yes. You are quick to piece things together."
"Oh, um, thank you. Uh, let's see...methods?"
"Usually my presence, if I wish it to, can knock someone unconscious, then I try to strike quickly, pain isn't my motive, unless, of course, they deserve it." I hum as I listen to him, my curiosity swirling from a small pool into a tsunami.
"You said that the others kill too? Do all of them?"
"Yes, however, some of them do not enjoy taking lives, so they only kill once a month to meet their quota. If they go too long without taking a life, then they start to deteriorate. Those ones will spend their time scouting out those who they believe deserve to be killed." I nodded my head, trying to imagine what I would do in that situation.
"That's fair, at least it's to bad people. Oh, before I forget, is there anything you would like from the request form?"
"Thank you for asking. I think a few books would be nice. I don't always understand you humans, but I do enjoy the literature and creative arts." I nod, grabbing the paper that I was now using to write down requests so I wouldn't forget them, writing down his name and his polite ask.
"If it's not a bother to you, can we talk a bit longer?"
"Of course, I am quite enjoying this conversation."
"Thank you! I tried asking Sally this but she said she didn't really know, but I think you might have a better answer. Do you know where we are?"
"I do have a vague idea, however, this place was so well hidden that even I did not know of it until I was trapped here. It is a facility of sorts, dedicated to trapping those like us. Creatures, beings, cryptids, as Tim had stated, those that should not exist. Some who have died and were brought back by what you humans call supernatural means. The unexplainable and unknown are trapped here in these cells, with little to no interactions or outside stimuli, though we are kept alive so that the facility may continue to observe and experiment on us. The location of this facility, however, I do not know. I do know that many, many of us are here, the unknown and humans."
"Do you know why I'm here?"
"I can guess, but it is only that, a guess. Usually, the interrogators are people who are greatly hated in your society, the truly abhorrent that receive death row in prisons, those who, if the system fails, will be killed on sight by average civilians. I can only assume you must have done something awful, but from this short conversation, and from what Tim and Sally tell me, you seem to be too kind and meek for that. I do not mean to offend you by that, it is just an observation, and I hope you don't mind, but from picking around in your brain, it is easy to tell." I shivered and grimaced slightly.
"Picking at my brain?"
"Yes, I am able to do that. You may not remember, and some of your memories are blank, but nothing in your mind shows that you were a bad person. My best guess is that you were sought out by the facility due to your wits." I furrow my brows, chewing the inside of my cheek slightly. My wits? There are thousands of people so much smarter than me, so why was I taken? Only the facility would know that I suppose.
"Thank you, any information is honestly helpful, even if we don't have all the answers."
"Of course. Sally has taken a likening to you, and I see why. You are very different from the past interrogators. I look forward to our future interactions and conversations. But now you should continue on to the next room."
"I look forward to that too, it was nice meeting you, but one last question?"
"Yes, I am doing alright. I thank you for not only me, but for your concern for the others. Now move along, little one." I couldn't help but smile, I wasn't too sure why, but it felt comforting knowing that this being, Slender, who seemed to be the head honcho, seemed to have me in his good favors. I gave him a wave, before doing as I did before with the remote, clicking favorite, then next. He returned the wave before the glass faded into wall, and the cycle continued. As I waited, I picked up all the papers I had written on so far, moving from my chair and to the side of my desk, laying them out in their own piles, minus the paper full of requests, which stayed situated on my desk. I pushed my own folder under the desk, not caring much for it at this point and wanting to give all of my attention to those I would be talking to. Just as I was about to sit back down, the new cube's wall was turning to glass and had fully become transparent when I sat down, pulling a new blank paper in front of me.
In this new room was another man, one who looked like an average person, like Tim. The only notable feature where that his skin was a lot paler and had a grayish undertone to it, and a large scar across one of his cheeks. He had short brown hair that was fluffy and wild, sticking out in all directions. He had dark bags under his eyes, looking horribly tired, and every now and then, he would twitch, and a bone or joint would pop, or make a sort of ticking sound. He wore a beige hoodie with light and dark brown stripes on the sleeves, with a grayish-blue hood. He, like Tim, wore a pair of jeans, with black sneakers. I looked up at the name box, seeing that the man's name was Toby. I jotted down the name on the paper before looking back at the man and offering him a small smile.
"Hello, your name is Toby, yeah? It's nice to meet you." He stayed silent for a moment, staring at me through the glass, twitching once, then finally speaking.
"H-hi." That was it. Just a simple greeting. Remembering back to what I was told by Tim and the Operator, I could only assume that everyone I would meet would be wary of me, or hesitant at the very least to converse. I would have to try to build some trust with each one of them. It would take some time, as Slender had said, some are bitter and may not be as kind to me as he and Sally were. It would be a repetitive cycle, talking to each one, trying to get on their good sides. I wasn't sure why I wanted to know each one of these people, but something small, almost barely existent that was nestled deep in the back of my mind told me that I needed to, and not because the facility wanted me to.
"If it's okay with you, can I ask you some questions?" I was starting to see a pattern now. Every time I asked if I could ask questions or just try to be polite, they would always look confused or shocked, and every time the expression crossed their faces, it made my heart twist painfully in such a sickening way.
"Uh, ye-yeah." I nodded to him, by now already having the basic questions memorized. There were more questions, but I didn't want to bombard anyone with all of them at once or stress them out, so for now I was just sticking with the first three.
"Cause of death?"
"N-n-none."
"Motives?"
"What the bo-boss tells me to-to do."
"Methods?"
"Using my hatch-hatchets or a rock. Bl-bludgeoning."
"Alrighty, and that's it, all done with questions." I offered him a gentle smile again, and again, he looked confused.
"R-r-really? There's usually m-more." I shrugged.
"Yeah, but I don't really wanna upset or stress anyone out, so it's only the three today. If the facility doesn't like it then they can suck it." My small joke managed to get a chuckle from him, and I felt some victory in that. He was standoffish like Tim was, but he was definitely a lot more quiet, more cautious.
"I don't thi-think they'd like you say-saying that."
"Oh well, they put me here to ask questions, I'll use my own methods, kindness, and respect." He nodded, and his shoulders fell slightly, seeming to relax. I moved Toby's form to the side of the desk and pulled the self-made request paper to now sit in front of me, clicking my pen a few times before writing down his name, writing down 'brush' and 'bath' next to it, seeing as he might want one. From what I could see so far, everyone, minus Slender, was dirty and unkempt, I'm certain some of them would like the chance to have some hygiene.
"Before I forget, is there anything you want or need? I'm writing down requests for everyone." For the third time, he looked utterly bewildered by my offer, and finally, he smiled, only a little, but it was another victory for me.
"Oh, shh-shh-sure. Could I get some waffles and ba-bacon? The food here-here is gross. Maybe a puzzle too, or some kind of game?"
"Of course, anything else?" I jotted down the request before looking back up at him, but he only shook his head.
"N-no, thanks though."
"It's no problem." We fell back into silence for a few moments until he spoke up again.
"N-no ones offered to get us-us stuff before. Only thing-things for themselves."
"Seriously?" I felt dumbfounded. I was told no one before me was nice, but not a single one asked them if they wanted anything? He shook his head again, even looking a bit sad that, after god knows how long, someone was finally treating them decently.
"I'm sorry, I really am."
"N-no it's fine, that ho-how the facility works."
"Still, that's just cruel." He shrugged. I looked around his room, my eyes landing on the pathetic cot, a sad excuse for a bed.
"Hey, are those blankets warm enough?"
"Umm n-no, not really, why?" I pursued my lips, writing down 'warm blankets' for each person's request.
"That's some bullsh*t. You're all getting better blankets too. More pillows?" He paused again before speaking.
"Y-yes, please." I nodded, writing down pillows as well. Another thought. Everything in this god-forsaken facility was colorless, just pure, disgusting white. Some color in their rooms might be enjoyable, so with each 'pillow' and 'blanket' I wrote down, I wrote colors next to them. Sally would get pink, Slender red, orange for Tim, and beige for Toby. Just something that wasn't this hellish, blinding white.
"Wh-why are you being so nice?" I looked back up at Toby and smiled.
"Because I know that if I was in one of those cells, I would want someone to help me out in any way possible. Besides, you all still deserve respect and kindness. I was told you all have to do what you do to survive, so I can't blame you for that. Survival is the most basic instinct, after all, human, animal, creature, and everything in between. We all want to live, so who am I to play God and make that survival harder or more miserable? If I have any power here, it's to make you all more comfortable and happy, even if I am just one person. If I can do something helpful, then I am going to do it." He once again looked shocked at my response, but soon, a new, and much wider smile appeared across his face.
"S-Sally and Boss were right, you-you are nice."
"I'm glad that I can prove that. I was told some of you might be not so nice to me, but I promise every single one of you that I am going to do my best to help out in any way possible." I did feel proud, it felt like I had a mission to help, whether it made life more comfortable or the seemingly impossible task to escape with them all, it felt like a nice life purpose.
Sure, something in me felt sad for the life I left behind me, sad for the friends and family searching for me or crying for me, but it was hard to feel too sad about it. I couldn't remember any of them, or if I had any at all, it was hard to form that connection with a previous life I had no knowledge of, so why roll around in self-pity about it when I could help out those who needed it more than me?
Toby stayed silent, his eyes trailing off into the distance, seeming lost in thought, but I didn't try to grab his attention back, I let him think. It took a few minutes until he finally looked back at me again.
"Some of the oth-others are excited to meet you, bu-but one of them sa-says he doesn't like you." I raise an eyebrow.
"Someone doesn't like me? Did I meet him yet?"
"N-no, but he's always li-like that, just be me-me-mean back."
"I rather not be rude, is that safe for me?" He chuckled and nodded his head.
"Yeah! If it make-makes you feel better, the bo-boss gave you permission to beat his assss-ass." It was my turn to laugh.
"I don't think I can do that, but I'll hold my own. Who do I need to be on the look for?"
"J-Jeff, big smile, looks like an ass t-too, can't mi-miss him." Another laugh.
"Alrighty, I'll beware the big bad Jeff." He chuckled again, and I was happy to finally get him talking and seemingly relaxed. Before we could continue ragging on Jeff, a loud beep sounded out before a robotic-sounding voice echoed through the room.
"Break time. Lunch is being served."
"G-gross. Oh well, by-bye, see ya later." Toby gave me a wave before the glass of his room once again became a solid wall of white, and his room began to slide back towards the cylinder, not even giving me a chance to wave back or say my own goodbye. To the right of my own room, a familiar hissing sound grabbed my attention. A small slit opened up in the wall, just large enough for a white cafeteria tray to be slid in on the floor. The food looked bland, mashed potato and chicken with some noodles to the side and a single foam cup of water. All the food was white and void of any specks of pepper or seasonings, even the noodles, which were simply boiled and then placed on the plate. I grimaced, and my growling stomach demanded me to eat. I scooted my chair back, standing, and walking over to the wall, picking up the tray and cup. I made my way back over to my desk, setting down the sad excuse of lunch before sitting back down.
My observation was correct, it was all bland and lacked any seasoning. I scrunched up my nose was the slimy texture of the noodles that tasted barely of anything. I sighed and decided my best bet would to be to just scarf down the food as fast as possible before downing the water. The chicken was dry and crumbly, and the potato was so overcooked that the skin was rock hard while the insides were basically pudding. I ate as fast as I could without choking before drinking down the water, not realizing just how thirsty I was until that moment. I licked my dry lips, wetting them with the much-needed hydration before gathering up the now empty tray, tossing the cub and plastic fork onto it, walking back over to the wall where I found the items, seeing the small opening still there, and pushing the tray through it. I watched as the wall melted back together, sealing away the small rectangular hole.
I quickly sat back down at my desk, seeing the black rectangle above the glass blinking with white text, showing a time countdown, showing that there were 25 minutes left. I sighed, tapping my hands on the desk, trying to figure out how to entertain myself. I grabbed another piece of paper, turning it over, and grabbing a pencil from the cup, starting to doodle. I couldn't think of anything specific to draw, so I simply started drawing those who I met so far. Sally, Tim, Slender, and Toby. It was all I could think to draw, but it passed by the time.
Before long, another loud beep sounded, followed by the same robotic voice.
"Break over. Resume." I stretched out my arms, feeling my shoulders pop before sighing, setting the doodles to the side, grabbing a new paper, and clicking next on the remote, forgetting that I never hit the favorite button for Toby and feeling bad. The cylinder rotated and the next room was pushed forward, and like always, the wall turned to glass and the next person was revealed.
