The doors slammed shut and I was left alone for the first time in days. I heaved a sigh of relief, taking in the quiet, the whiteness of the walls, the bareness of it all. I took a step forward. My footstep echoed as if I were deep in a forest, trees watching me walk by. Yet, I was in a small, square room, and I could see the end of each wall before me. Hmm, I thought. It’d take a bit to get used to this.

I laid down, propping my back up against one of the walls. My heartbeat was louder now, and I could hear the silence. It was the first time in my life I heard silence … and then the ruptures began.