The ROOMS

Episode 1

The train is coming, fast, closer and closer. It’s almost here. Lights are shining so bright, “choo, choo, choo, chug, chug, chug, chug”.

11:00 p.m. on a mystical Halloween night in Evanston, Illinois, asleep in an old, rusty constructed 1920’s orphanage train. Traveling to the next station, but I was never told our next destination to be dropped off at a new orphanage home. In the chimney, the train smoke whistled and rushed out into the glistening wind. The smoke flowed through the dark midnight sky, without a cloud in sight. I fell into a trance-like feeling. Sitting contently on the window seat alone, watching the smoke glide through the wind, I started to feel like the smoke flowing through my veins. The smoke phased through my face and I closed my eyes.

As I opened my eyes, the mountains that were in the distance became an underground tunnel that I did not know where it led to. No where to look and nowhere to hide, I started running and running. The faster I ran, the more the walls morphed into hospital hallways. Slowing down to a stop, I noticed dry as dust rooms with empty beds in them. Not a single person in any direction.

“Hello, hello! Can anyone hear me? Is anyone here?”

In a soft tone cackling as I started to tear up in agony, “please..someone hear me” as I stood there scared and frightened.

I started to feel like I was hallucinating for a second as I saw a figure of 2 people in the far direction, slowly walking down the hallway to my left.

Coming towards me, they had bright smiles on their faces. “Emma, Emma Thompson, we will take good care of you,” the woman dressed in nursing scrubs said to me.

“What do you mean take care of me? Where are you taking me?”

The 2 nurses grabbed both my arms as I was being restrained. Dragging me into a hidden, structured lab hallway, I questioned them in a sour tone, “I dont give a damn who you are, let me go.”

The anxiety slowly was catching up to me as I was being pulled down the hallway to a laboratory center.

I slowly rose up as they picked me up to a standing point. I turned the corner seeing two scientists coming towards me to guide me to a secluded room. Weak in the knees and treading my feet, feeling the coldness in the air touch my skin, I heard banging on the walls. The banging began to fade and rumble back again. The hallway was a straight line of white doors and clean cut walls with no decorations. Patients almost sounded like rattling cages filled with gorillas.

Walking step by step, I turned my head.

I wish I wouldn’t have.

These patients had no self-control with no hesitations to their actions. Every head turn I made, became a sight of an inhumane person. For I was there, trying to fight the will to block out everyone. Every person I saw was shaking in a curled up ball in the corner, having attacks upon themselves, speaking out loud without a way to think to themselves, staring at me through the thick glass on the patient's door, and ultimately not knowing who they were. They were not human.

. . .

Room 1 “Reserved”, the sign read.

Glazing my eyes over the two scientists name tags as they turned to greet me in my room, I read Ruby and Blaze. Ruby looked directly at me, with a faint look in her eyes and said, “we will take care of you, this is scientifically proven to help your immune system, hormones, adrenaline, psychological well-being and mental state. This can test your limits. This injection will help you learn how to stabilize your feelings, mindset and well…that’s all you need to know, heh”.

The guards let go of me in a harsh manner. Hearing footsteps coming close behind me. Coming closer and rushed, Blaze grabbed my left arm to hold me down. A sudden prick that increased a sensational, heated pain in my neck. The blood that ran through my veins felt as if there were fire ants running through them. Through and through my veins, I was heated as Ruby injected a shot into my neck. In the reflection of my room window, I saw a purple light shining, beep, beep...beep, beep, in a constant pattern.

As they both let go of me, I made a split second run towards the nearest exit I saw. Turning to the right there was a far exit sign. Running through the hallway that felt like it was never ending, my eyesight became foggy instantly. My hands felt clammy and shaky with irritation along the lining of my neck.

In a hushed tone, “what’s happening to me!”.

I thought to myself, “just run”. As they blew through my hair, I looked behind me as I heard heavy footsteps chugging towards me. Ruby and Blaze were chasing me. No guards in sight so I just kept running, maybe I could make it. I kept running. My eyes opened wide, ‘gasp’, “there’s a..a room at the end of the hallway”, I said to myself slowly, barely able to catch my breath.

In an ordinary, outdated desk area for hospital ERs. I rushed to the desk, jumping on top and over it like adrenaline had rushed through my body. As it rushed through my veins, I could feel my body becoming uncontrollable. Under the receptionist desk I curled up under and stayed still. My mind started to play tricks on me. I couldn't tell what I was specifically thinking, almost like there were several voices in my head. I was not strong enough to realize what it was doing to me. This injection flowing through me hijacked my mind.

My mind wasn’t focused or steady anymore. I knew one thing, I have to get a forsaken place.

“Where is there a way out of here? This is hell! Am I in hell? Relax, relax this isn’t you,” I thought to myself. Total outrage masked me from who I was. Even by even the slightest sound of the scientist's voice or footsteps which led to the idea of ripping their heads off was a good idea. My mind did not feel the same anymore.

I felt completely lost.

I’ve lost control.

Episode 2

The sudden footsteps in the far distance down the hallway made my body freeze up as chills grew from my skin. As tears dripped down my soft, light skin, I could feel the pressure of the injection rush through my body. The pain was striking my every move.

I couldn't feel or move without something bothering me inside. What felt like poison running through my veins, it became hard to fight it.

This became hard to fight the pain and fight the urge to tear myself apart; tear someone apart.

“Emma, come out. Everything is okay. We're only here to help you. Make you better and stronger. We're doing this so that you can be stronger.” the nurse said, what sounded like Blaze calling to me.

Heavily breathing as I sat, curled up underneath the desk in the dark area you pull in your desk chair. My bare feet warming the ice cold floor, I thought to myself..

“Maybe if I make myself seem intensely crazy and inhumane, he will back down. He will leave me alone and set me free. I don't want anything to do with this place. I don't know where I am. Nothing about this horrific place reminds me of somewhere I have visited.” Knowing my family and ancestors have been in and out of hospitals in the past, I’ve never come here.

Boosting my adrenaline, I could feel it rushing as I breathed intensely. Pulling out from under the desk his footsteps were close to the desk. Turning around hiding behind the desk, I had my life in my hands. I had to break away and fight back, but the insanity of the injection into my bloodstream took over me. I slightly looked up at the desk surrounding me and saw a purple matte note that read:

“ - Methanol

-MAOI”

“Wha..Gasp!!” My eyes opened wide as my eyebrows raised up in shock of what they might have combined. Shaking, as my body started to rock back and forth while squating down. A sudden rush made me jump up on the top of the desk, “Hello Blaze, come, come here I’ll show you how you can help me.” Smiling in encouragement for me to jump down to go with him quietly, he was sadly mistaken. As he walked closer, coming a few inches between us, pouncing onto him. Jumping as high as I could, I released all my force and anger into a forward punch to his face. I lunged forward, full force into this punch I could feel the crack of his nose.

His head pulled back in distress with blood dripping from his nose into his leather tennis shoes. He looked up at me in madness. I made my break for the nearest exit. Looking in the distance, I ran quickly into the darkness, opening the doors that led to a moldy hallway that was picked apart through the furniture, pieced apart walls, and creaking doorways that creaked through the coldness of the wind that blew through the muggy hallway.

I was in another place, but still being folded. I could hear his footsteps and heavy breathing behind me as he chased me. Running faster, I was running through the hallway that was dark and cold, almost like there were dark entities left in this place from the tragedy of past patients. I could almost hear the voices in the background calling out to me, but I couldn't tell what was real. This drug in me is going to lead me to a place I don't want to continue to be in. The faster I run, the closer he gets.

A rush of footsteps behind me came closer, AHH!! A sudden pull from behind me grabbing my arm with force.

“Let’s go.”

Episode 3

For a second my heart and mind went into shock. It was a strenuous feeling I could not carve away to relieve me from these people. I felt like my body could not move, but had hefty adrenaline running through my soul like a lit candle that would burn till dawn. Until I would wake up to what was happening.

“Clear all the voices. Out of my head. Heavy..breathing.”

I looked up in confidence, turning my head to look into his eyes. I knew if I created an insane character he would back off a bit and lose sight of catching me in the grasp of his hands.

I have to go far, find a way out.

Slam, Slam, Slam!

I heard at the end of the hallways in the far end, doors started to automatically slam on their own. This union of people had this place wired. Doubt that I could not bare to hold in, I threw myself at him in rage. “AHHHH!!” to the top of my lungs and vocal cords.

I flipped out into a tantrum. Hitting my hands that were curled into fists and feet in my Sunday morning church shoes continuously hit the ground. Creasing her shoes as they hit the ground, Blaze creeped up on me quickly coming up behind me, but my reflexes almost turned into hyper alert. I spun my whole body around. He stopped. Froze. I could hear him rapidly breathing, “Emma. Get up.”

His irritating voice made me twitch in disgust. My face pressed up against the cold tile floor in aggravation, I shouted out to him, “Leave me alone!”

“I can't you see, you need to come with us. We have already given you the injection. Your best thing to do is to come with me.”

I raised my head and looked at him, raising my voice while I gradually stood up, “Oh should I? You know best? You think you know what’s best for me or your ‘patients’ to do? Answer me,” the flame inside me rippled inside through the anger I was feeling towards him. ‘Seems like no one here can see into our eyes to comprehend how we feel inside because of what YOU DID TO US! They just say to get past what you're struggling with.’ His fists curled as a little vein spiked seemingly through to the middle of his forehead. I told him, ‘Look at me! Feel what I’m feeling. You go through hell and tell me how to come back from it. No one knows what I'm going through.”

He forcefully lunged towards me grabbing both my arms, jerking me back and forth yelling at me in torment “you will regret this behavior. You don’t know what you’ve done.”

“Nurse!! Ruby!!” Blaze shouted until Ruby or someone came to take a hold of my disoriented mind and body.

I could not think straight to save my life.

Anything that came to mind I could not make my mind relax and set itself straight.

I wanted to go back to being able to think for myself.

In this state of mind, I was trapped in as the injection coursed through my body.

Creating different phases that my mind went through.

For one second, it felt like a summer's day when I could relax and feel the happiness fill me.

The next minute, one person looks into my eyes and I want to destroy their soul.

I couldn't shake the feeling I needed to wake, leave, but I didint know how.

Episode 4

A figure dressed down in navy blue started pacing towards me. Looking through the tears in eyes, I couldn't tell whom it was till they came closer. Ruby’s hair swishing in the wind rushing towards me. As she grabbed onto my arm, her and Blaze started to drag me down the hallway, she pulled me closer and closer to the lab. I felt like I was the rope in a tug of war contest being pulled side to side as I was trying to break free from both of them.

Dragging me back to the lab, we entered into the hallway which first looked like different sets of rooms for certain experiments, but the concept for each room was to distinguish the progression of the injection that affected the patients which indicated the rooms they were placed in.

“What..who are these people!” I questioned them in an agitated temper.

“The injection causes a serious case of psychosis, but each human is raised in different ways.’ Ruby answered in a calm, drained tone, ‘their neutralized mind from the drug has transitioned and programmed itself to train their thoughts, giving mixed emotions of hatred. The slightest thought or sight of another human makes them tick. For example, the first few you see have been transformed into mentally thinking like serial killers, but with the maximum thoughts of how they could torture there victims.” Our brains are concentrated with the thought of knowing right from wrong, this sort of drug changes your thoughts into dissolving those known characteristics of a human being.

“What sense is there to test for this?” I asked in confusion. “Why challenge a human's mind in such a way?”

She continues to explain, “We want to generally look for the patterns when in this mental state of mind.”

I said in agony, “You're ruining these people’s lives…and mine”. Feeling indescribable pain like my soul was leaving my body. Aching. I had these rational, conscious thoughts but almost like a little demon inside made me want to surrender. As if I threw out my feelings and lost complete hope.

Chug, chug the train shifts. As the tracks shifted my head bumped back and forth from the window to the train seat head rest. Nothing woke me, I was almost in a trance I couldn’t get out of. Not realizing, I was jerking in my seat within seconds throughout the train ride, but I was helpless as the other children had fallen asleep.

Arriving back to my room, “come on!” Ruby said angrily as they tried to plop me onto the bed. “We are going to hook you up to these machines to check for any changes in your levels and any brain wave changes. As the injection progresses, it will become irritating or the irritation will pass. Other symptoms are not psychologically feel okay. You may feel fidgety, heaviness in your chest, rushes of adrenaline, intense thoughts, and other symptoms. Please refrain from unplugging yourself as signals will go off and we will know.”

“Please don’t leave me in here. I don’t want to be here,” I begged.

“The injection is complete, we have to contain you at this point.” Blaze responded.

“Let me go!” I screamed in a horrified manor.

Blaze and Ruby started to walk out the door as I started having significant anxiety I couldn’t refrain from.

“Please! Help me!”, I started to cry in an anxious tone. “What’s happening!”

Blaze smiled and looked at Ruby, “it’s working”.

“What? HELP ME!” I screamed as they turned the lights off and closed the door shut. The door shut like a vault. There was no noise I could hear, but my own breathing. The machines did not tick or make any monitory sounds. No outside noise came in of the other patients except the noise of my thoughts that clouded my mind.

I lost myself in this silence.

The silence in the room became deafening. The pain inside was stirring. My whole body was caving in. It was as if my lungs were incapacitated. One more inch of oxygen, one more movement I made felt like my body would shatter. The air became thinner; too thin to gasp one last breath of air.

I never want to feel this pain again. It took a toll on me.

I felt like my soul escaped and was destroyed into pieces.

I try to hold onto any spare feeling of happiness, but as time passes I can’t find a glimpse of even the slightest smile anymore. The injection, this loneliness is like an anchor. Maybe, I’m in a dream and can disappear. I closed my eyes as a tear slipped away to the side of my cheek. In a dark place, dream or not, I needed to stay brave through the night. “Please let this be a dream,’ I said to myself in misery, ‘someone help me please.” I laid down slowly.

Falling into a sleepless night that was almost intoxicating, I rested my head on the bed that made you feel like you were on spiky, tiny needles in the cotton that cushioned the bed. Taking a deep breath, I took in every feeling and slowly exhaled.

Tap, tap on my shoulder making me cringe my fists, “Emma come on! They’re leaving!”

I popped up gasping for air!

One of the children yelled at me to exit the train after arriving to the new orphanage.

Trying to control myself, my breathing trembled. “It was a dream” I commented to myself in relief.

“It was a dream..”, I looked down at my hands that we’re still shaking in anxiety. Small, circular bruises appeared at my temples, ankles, chest and forearms.

“How..how could this be? How could this be here? Where..gasp!

“There’s no possible way, how! It was a dream, am I infected with the injection still?”

“Am I?”