I walked up to the door and it slid open soundlessly, ushering me in. I stepped into the room with more than a heavy heart. But then again, there was nothing else I could do. What other choice do I have?

I bit my lower lip in nervousness, wondering what they had in store for me right there, right then. Everyday had just been a whole bundle of unpleasant surprises. Surprise after surprise after surprise. Even though we – as in Wil and I – are the ones who had to go through all of whatever they had planned. I understood that we were merely experiments to them, but we still have feelings and thoughts and insecurities of our own. We may not have a choice on the matter at hand, but I felt like they should, in the very least, have the courtesy to inform us. Sometimes, I felt like they’re not real data, real people, in the first place.

I sighed, my heart pounding so hard in my chest that I could hear it resound in my ears. The moment I stepped in the very centre of the room – it was indicated by a circle that was just big enough for a single person to stand in – the door slammed shut. Startled, I jumped a little, turning towards the only entrance or exit in the room. I could hear the lock as it slid into place, trapping me in. My hands trembled in fear, though I managed to suppress most of the movement. I did not intend to let them see my fear. I did not want to give them any satisfaction at all. So, instead, I plastered a fake smile on my face and hope that they could not see through it.

A loud unidentified sound blared through the seemingly non-existent speakers – they had to be installed in the room somewhere – resounding through my being. The forming pit in my stomach grew significantly, though I tried not to let it show. My eyes watered and I rubbed it away with my hands before they had a chance to fall. I couldn’t cry. I should – no, I must – be brave. I should be prepared. But, how? How do I prepare if I don’t know what to expect in the first place.

I never knew what to expect.

“Miri,” an emotionless, clearly computerised voice rang too loudly in my ears for it to be coming from my surroundings.

I pressed my palms on my ears in an attempt to lessen the sound.

“Miri,” the voice repeated, equally as loudly as it did merely seconds ago, as if it was coming from my ears themselves, proving my attempt to be futile.

Something clicked in my mind and I realised that neither Wil nor I have told them about the names we gave each other. No wonder I felt like something was off. If that was so, how was it possible that they were calling my name and not Experiment 782 as they always had. Something did not add up but I couldn’t seem to be able to put my finger on it.

“Miri.”

I sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to calm myself down, though failing miserably. I didn’t understand. Why was I getting so nervous and afraid by something as insignificant as the sound of my name? It’s my name after all. It’s what people were supposed to call me by. It’s almost as if they had given me some sort of chemical that was meant to instil fear in me. As far as I know, I had not been injected with any substance. I wondered how they were successfully controlling my emotions to a certain extent.

I wondered if Wil was experiencing the same thing as I was.

“Miri. Miri. Miri. Miri. Miri.”

The echoing sound grew significantly louder with each mention of my name. My whole being tensed up more with the repeat of my name until I couldn’t supress it anymore. It didn’t matter anyway. Anything that I do didn’t matter, not when they were concerned. I could feel it resound in my bones. My hands started to shake, almost as though they were vibrating, all because of the loud noise. My chest became constricted and my breaths grew shallower as the seconds passed by.

Even though I had greater things to worry about – such as how they were doing this, whatever it is they’re doing – my thoughts kept drifting back to the only person I can call friend: Wil. After all, the rest of the people whom I’ve met had only hurt in unimaginable ways, be it intentionally or unintentionally.

I wondered where Wil was. And what’s happening to him.

Whether they were doing the exact same thing to him as they were doing to me.

“Miri! Miri! Miri!”

Water pooled in my eyes and a single teardrop rolled down my cheek and onto my lips. I chewed on my bottom lip and I could taste the saltiness from the tear. Another tear escaped my eye and slid down my face. I swiped it away with my thumb, willing myself not to cry again, not to show any vulnerability. I had to stay strong, although I knew that I would not last much longer. I could feel myself slowly breaking apart. Almost like my heart was being ripped out and shattered into a million pieces.

I managed to remain calm for the next several minutes, successfully blocking out most of the emotions that were threatening to overflow. I suck in a deep breath of air and exhale. All of a sudden, I felt rather dizzy. My knees shook violently, knocking against each other. It gave way and I collapsed to the floor with a loud thud. The sound resounded through the near empty room.

“Miri!” It was no longer a single voice that was calling me, calling my name. Instead, it sounded like an angry mob of people that were chanting my name, almost like they wanted me dead.

“Stop!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, not able to bear it any longer. “Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop…” I trailed off. My eyes watered and I started to sob.

To my luck, the voices ceased all at once, an eerie silence quickly replacing it. It was almost as though the voices were not there in the first place. Almost as if they were coming from my head. Almost as if it was all just a hallucination.

But I know as well as they all do that it’s not.

I don’t know what they’re doing to me but I definitely do not like it.

My hands and knees were still shaking although the danger had come to pass, as an aftereffect of what had happened. I wondered what was going to happen next, if anything at all.

I didn’t have the strength to push myself up; my whole being was trembling from a sudden exhaustion. Instead, I brought my legs up, in front of me, wrapping my arms around them, rocking back and forth in a vain attempt to calm myself, to steady my racing heartbeat.

Out of the blues, the lights overhead flickered, slowly going off. The lights faded out so gradually that it did not startle me in the very least – I barely even noticed it – not until the room was completely dark with not as much as a single ray of light.

It was total darkness.

I swallowed a lump that was beginning to form in my throat, closing my eyes, even though there was little to no difference either way. It gave me a sense of comfort as I know I won’t be able to see anything with my eyes closed. It was just a way to trick myself into believing that it wasn’t actually dark. It made me, at least, the tiniest bit less afraid.

Even so, I could feel the darkness closing in on me, slowly but surely. If only I could—

“Wake up, Miri,” someone says urgently, shaking my limp body.

My eyes shoot open, darting around the room in slight panic, finally landing on the figure that was standing right before me. I breathe a sigh of relief as I realise who the person is, my shoulders sagging with relief.

“What happened?” I ask, barely louder than a whisper, paranoid that something terrible had occurred.

“You were crying and thrashing about.”

“Nightmare,” I reply, not wanting to elaborate further.

I close my eyes, a tear escapes my eye and rolls down my cheek, leaving a wet stain behind it as it falls my off my face and onto my shirt. I can feel Wil sit on the empty seat beside me. He wraps a strong arm around my shoulder and envelopes me in a comforting hug. He buries his nose in my hair and pulls me even closer to him than I even think is possible, giving me the impression that he does not to lose me. I rest my head on his chest, listening to the calming sound of his beating heart.

“Miri. It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright. Okay?” he whispers. I shake my head in reply.

I know as well as he does that there is not an ounce of truth in that statement.

It is almost as though he read my thoughts because he stops trying to comfort me with his words. Instead, he just holds me in his arms and we stay that way, neither of us shifting, not even a mere inch.

Having nothing to say or do, my mind drifts back to the dream. Or rather, the nightmare. But, you see, the worst thing about the dream is not that it’s scary to any extent. The worst thing about the dream is that it is an event that I have experienced before.

I remember every second of all the times I had in the simulation room. I have always wondered what the point of the whole thing was. I still do. Perhaps it’s because they want to study our reactions towards specific events. I don’t think I’ll ever find out.

Every time I step into a particular room, something different will happen. It’s never the same. Sometimes it’s a voice speaking to me, sometimes it’s like a scene from a movie, sometimes it’s almost like they’ve transported me to a whole different realm. Each time, I’m faced with different going on. Each time, I experience a different emotion.

And more often than not, that emotion is either utter terror or melancholy.

“Miri.” Wil’s voice draws me out of my thoughts and back into reality. “Do you want to talk about it?”

My eyelids flutter open. I tilt my head so that I am looking at him, directly into his eyes. They seem as though they are trying to tell me something important. Most of the time, Wil can speak to me with just his eyes. However, this time, I cannot seem to be able to understand them. Perhaps it’s because I’m upset at the moment.

“What is it?” I question.

Surprise flashes across his face, but it vanishes merely a second later, making it seem like I had just imagined it instead. “Nothing. Never mind,” he mutters, looking away, his cheeks tinged slightly pink with embarrassment.

I pull away from Wil, slightly embarrassed for no apparent reason. I gaze out the window, watching as the scenery slowly morphs from one to another as the hub moves along the rail at a steady pace.

I wonder where exactly we’re headed to.

It seems to me that we are headed to some place rather distant from our initial hiding place. I guess that it is the most logical thing to do. After all, I’m rather sure they will go back there and search the whole area for us, since we’re last spotted there. If we’re not going far away from there, I’d be worried.

A part of me can’t help but wish we could have stayed behind instead of having to flee to an unknown location miles away.

But then again, it’s not like I know any other place any better.

Except for the facility.

I shudder, pushing the thought away from my mind. I cannot think about that now. If I do, it will only resurface the many horrifying memories. I cannot have that, not now when we’re trying to run away from them.

I can’t have that, not now, not ever.

“Miri. Wil.”

My ears perk up at the sound of my name – or rather, our names – being called.

“What is it?” Wil asks, staring intently at Key who is standing before us, as if he is trying to predict her next move. Though I am sure he knows very well that it’s almost impossible to do so. Her moved are very calculated, planned in advance and, more importantly, unpredictable.

She looks at us, her eyes fierce with an emotion that I cannot identify. “There’s something we need to tell you.”

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I started watching Once Upon A Time and I couldn't do anything til I finished Season 3 which I recently did. But now, I started the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. You guys should watch it. It follows the Pride and Prejudice plotline and Hank Green is the executive producer. It's awesome. Also, watch out for the Circus Curse, a novel collaboration between myself and my friend. Until next time! :)