“Identification, please.”

I fumble for my fake ID card, my hands so sweaty it slips out of my hand a couple times before I can yank it out of my too-small pocket. I’m wearing a business suit that makes me look like some kind of boss-woman. It’s extremely uncomfortable.

I press the card to the scanner, my heart beating so loud in my head I can hardly hear the approving beep. The doors slide open and I’m faced with yet another long hallway.

Gratitude wells up in me for some more time before I get to my destination. I don’t know behind which door the people I’m supposed to see will be — my tiny gps only tells me which turns to take, not anything as advanced as how far I have left to go.

I stride through the hallway with my nerves just about bubbling out of me, but I mask it with a fake confidence. I glance out the windows to the left lining the hallway, and I can see the city sparkling with the sunset. I look higher and I can see cameras lining the top of the walls. Seeing the cameras I get even more nervous.

“KEEEEEAAAAWWWW”

I wince a little as the screeching sound fills my right ear. I try to stop my hand from flying up to touch my earpiece too quickly. I tap it once and pretend I was scratching my neck.

“Hello???” I whisper, moving my lips as little as possible.

Some static, and then a familiar voice:

“You alright, Falessia?”

A small sigh of relief escapes me, and I almost laugh. Not visibly though, I’m sure. The tension in my body leaves as suddenly as it came 10 minutes ago.

“Glad you’re back,” I mumble, “would’a been toast without you.”

“Yeah sorry about disappearing like that; something cut off our signal, but we’re all good now.”

I’m almost at the end of the hallway, taking the last few steps with genuine confidence rather than fake now. I glance out the windows again and see a small drone fly by at my level, surprising me a bit. Interesting.

_ _I reach the end of the hallway and there’s another door with an ID scanner. I tap my earpiece.

“Naomi?” I breathe.

Her voice blares into my ear, breaking up a bit: “Behind this— ~s another hallway; you’ll come to a turn, and when you get there, I’ll ~ell you wha— next.”

I tap my card to the scanner. As the doors slide open, I can see that the hallway ahead is much darker than the ones I’ve walked through so far. Some of the windows are even shaded. I take a step through the door.

“The hallway’s dark,” I mumble, “should I —“

Before I can finish my sentence, the doors slam closed behind me.

I almost jump out of my skin; the doors never slammed like that. They always eased closed, smoothly. It also became darker without the light from the previous hallway leaking into this one.

“What was that, are you ok?” Naomi asks.

“Yep I’m fine.” I breathe, steadying my nerves.

“Ok just keep going to the turn.”

I cautiously start walking through, quickening my steps gradually. A few of the windows let the sunlight in, but there are no lights on inside. Strange.

And then all the light disappears from the hallway simultaneously. Every window somehow gets blocked.

I freeze.

“The lights gone,” panick starts to rise in me again.

“Wha— you mea—? How—“

The rest I don’t hear, because something hits the side of my head so hard I fall to the floor on my knees. The hit had painfully jammed my earpiece into my ear, and when I tap it I can feel it’s been crushed.

My heart begins to race, and I can’t see a thing. I look around wildly but all there is is black. How is it so dark? Who hit me? Where are they now???

I crawl over to what I think is the left until I feel a wall. I try to feel for the window so I can uncover it, but suddenly a hand covers my mouth and someone grabs and holds me down.

I can’t help some tears begin to form in my eyes. My heart is beating so fast. I’m beginning to feel dizzy. I’m bracing for the worst, and then my attacker says something unexpected:

“Calm down, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Their voice is low and terrifying. “I’m gonna explain everything later, I promise, but right now we have to go.”

My mind is racing, and I don’t know what to think. The person is behind me, their one arm somehow not allowing me to move both of mine. My body is pinned the wall and the floor, and I can hardly move. I feel suffocated.

“Trust me, please…”

They release their hand from my mouth.

“What d’ya want?” I say in a quiet but savage tone.

“It’s too much to explain right now, but all you need to know is that who you’re working for is dangerous. And you’re in danger. So you can either come with me willingly or I’ll drag you out, but I’m not gonna let you die today.” He whispers this really fast close to my ear. “So will you make this easier for me or do I have to force you?”

“I don’t know who the heck you are! You think I’m stupid!?” I whisper-shout, my voice quivering. I try to struggle free while his grip is loosened, but he shoves his hand in my face again.

My captor sighs sadly. “Alright then”

It’s still completely dark, and I realize he’s shoved a cloth to my nose. It smells strange, and I feel my nerves fade away. I kind of feel relaxed. My eyes droop. My head spins. So sleepy…

A light appears, and I’m being carried into the wall…

Too sleepy…

I don’t dream of anything at all.