As my eyes slowly opened, they focused on the white abyss that surrounded me. I blinked, trying to clear my vision and see my surroundings. I leaned my head forwards, a faint pain pulsating at the back of my mind, and tried raising my hand. I grunted in pain as I struggled to lift it. Frowning, I looked down and my eyes widened. Leather straps were wrapped around my chest and legs. The straps were hard and tough, they were a dark shade of brown and had clearly been used before. As my eyes trailed over the strap that covered my belly, I noticed teeth marks. With fear starting to set in my mind, I started thrashing against the straps. I screamed, but my cries were echoed back into my ears. Slowly, my sobs grew quiet until the room was silent. I waited for what felt like an eternity, waiting for something to happen. I looked around myself again, but there was nothing to see. The white abyss surrounding me didn’t seem to have an end, as if the earth’s curvature didn’t exist. Tears had fallen down my face and left a waterfall falling from my chin. Hopelessness consumed me, leaving me shivering alone.

 

“Hello Richard,” a sudden voice said. I screamed and threw my head frantically from side to side, desperately searching for the source. “How are you feeling?”

 

“What the fuck!” I shouted. “Where are you?” I shouted again. “Where…?”

 

“There’s no need for that,” the voice said gently, a maternal tone weaved through its words. “What seems to be your distress?”

 

“I'm tied to a fucking table in a white…place,” I stumbled, still searching for the voice, “with no idea how I got here!” I thrashed against the straps, desperately pulling my feet and hands towards and away from the leather. “Where are you?”

 

“All in due time,” the voice sighed, not a hint of malice in its tone, “anyway, how are you feeling?”

 

“Fucking terrified!” I screamed, tears falling down my face, my skin sore and red from the friction. I relaxed, allowing the tears to fall down my face. “Please let me out.” The voice was silent, as if pondering the request. I sighed and closed my eyes, exhausted.

 

“Alright then,” the voice finally said. Perked up, I lifted my head and opened my eyes and yelled in surprise. In front of me was a man, dressed in pure white, a dramatic contrast against his dark skin. He had a black, neatly trimmed beard and was bald. His brown eyes met mine and there was a gleam behind them. I checked my wrists, bringing my arm to my face and smiling with joy as I lifted myself from the chair that I was now sitting in. Miraculously, my skin was no longer red and pulsing with pain, but smooth and painless. I grinned and looked back at the mysterious man, who was now stirring a cup of tea.

 

“Tea?” he asked. I opened my mouth to respond, but my horror flashed across my mind and anger filled me.

“Where, the fuck, am I?” I growled, eyes narrowed and fists balled. The man sighed and set his tea down, the teaspoon clinking against the china as he did. He crossed his legs and placed his hands over his lap, his smile still plastered on his face.

 

“All in good time,” he responded. I huffed and tightened my fists.

 

“I want to know now,” I argued. The man sighed, but there was still no sign of irritation.

 

“All in good time, Richard,” he said, gesturing to the chair I had leapt from. Cautiously, I sat. The man smiled and picked his cup back up, sipping it lightly. I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t form the words. We sat in silence until he finished his tea. Once the liquid was gone, he pulled the cup from his lips and sighed happily. Then, as I blinked, the cup disappeared from his hand, leaving it suspended in mid-air, as if he were still holding it. I threw myself backwards in shock, eyes wide and adrenaline pumping.

 

“What the…?” I started. The man smiled at me.

 

“Time for your explanation,” he said calmly. I raised a shaky hand at the man, words unable to make it to my mouth. He gestured to the chair again, but I didn’t return to it, leaving it on its back on the floor. The man tutted, as if amused by my reaction. I frowned further and allowed the man’s smile to grow. “You're dead.” He said bluntly. My heart dropped and pulse quickened. I looked around, blinking furiously, my hope the room would change starting again. The man chuckled and I snapped to look at him, anger and confusion boiling in my chest.

 

“What?” I snarled.

 

“I know it’s an odd thing to hear,” the man said, standing. As I blinked, the table and chair before me vanished, leaving the single knocked over chair in front of me as the man circled me. “But I'm afraid it's true,” he placed a hand on my shoulder and sighed. “I'm sorry.” I sat in silence, my mind racing for questions. Slowly, tears rolled down my face and I opened my dry mouth.

 

“Wha…?” I tried, but the words were caught in my throat. The man patted my shoulder and sighed again.

 

“My job is to help you move on…” he trailed off and closed his eyes, as if trying to remember something. “And to help you figure out what you want.” I looked up at him. He looked calm, as if the news weren’t life-changing, although, not anymore it seemed. I shook my head in disbelief.

 

“How…?” I quivered, swallowing hard and sighing deeply, the question slowly forming in my mind. “How did I die?”

 

“That’s all to come,” the man said suddenly, startling me from my hunched posture. “Now, it may be weird, but we tend to halt a person’s memories during the transition phase, it helps keep the mind relaxed and motivated.” The man’s smile tired me, his words barely registering in my mind. Then they clicked.

 

“My memories?” I questioned. I forced my mind back, trying to see any of my families faces, but I couldn’t see anything.

 

“Shit,” the man muttered under his breath. “That’s not in the script.” He turned to me, smile somehow wider, and laughed.

 

“Don’t worry!” he said, “just a procedure, nothing to worry about.”

 

“I want my memories back,” I said, “I want to see my father’s and mother’s faces. And my wife’s and children’s, if I had them! But I don’t remember, because you took them!” I screamed. The man sighed and stepped backwards, hands raised in defence.

 

“Richard,” he pleaded, his calm demeanour slowly fading, “please, it's fine, you have nothing to…”

 

“Where am I?” I screamed, “Who are you? What is this?” I gestured to the room, briefly noting my chair had vanished. I looked back at the man, and my anger evaporated. He stood, smile gone, face blank. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 

“Tony,” he said. I braced myself, searching around for anyone to appear. Then, the white abyss vanished and I slowly opened my blurry eyes. I looked at the room around me. The room was dark and grey. The ceiling had a dim shade of green light stretching over my head, darting out towards a series of monitors. I narrowed my eyes and tried to focus my vision. To my horror, there stood the man, this time dressed in a suit and tie, glaring at the monitors in front of him, beside him was an older man, bald and thin. After muttering to each other for a moment, the man grabbed the radio on the table in front of him and raised it to his lips.

 

“Subject nine, experiment fourteen,” his voice echoed, “subject failed. Moving on to experiment fifteen.” I narrowed my eyes further as he looked at me, his blank face and emotionless eyes staring at me. I looked around wildly, trying to see some way out. To my left was a ceiling tall glass pane, that seemed to look directly out into a warehouse. The warehouse was stacked with boxes, each on a different level, each with the same monitor layout as the monitors in front of mine. My eyes widened and heart dropped. I could see nearly one hundred boxes, and I was only subject nine. As panic started to rise in my chest, I desperately continued my search for a way out. I looked back up at the man, who was still staring at me, face unmoving. I looked away and back at the window, eyes slightly blurred from the tears forming in my eyes. As my eyes unfocused, I felt my head get heavy as drowsiness started to fill me. Just as my eyelids fluttered closed, I saw my reflection in the glass. I was strapped to the same table that I had woken up to, straps across my chest, legs and arms. Wires hung from my head, a pain suddenly noticeable. I noticed dried blood covering my chin and chest, dripping down the table and the straps and onto the grey floor below. Then, the last thing I saw as my eyes closed, was my mouth. It had been sewn shut.

​

As my eyes slowly opened, they focused on the white abyss that surrounded me. I blinked, trying to clear my vision and see my surroundings. I leaned my head forwards, a faint pain pulsating at the back of my mind, and tried raising my hand…