I hear a ringing pierce through my ears, as my vision is a trembling white. Everything around me is shaky covered by blotches of white. The spots begin to fade out, revealing the room around me. I look and see four white walls, which is different from where I was before I fainted. It feels so cold and empty.

I can see that down the corner of the wall, there is an opening. Obviously, there is a door to get in here, and possibly I wandered in without realizing.

I look down and notice that I’m sitting in some kind of chair. Even weirder, I can’t get out of it. It would be nice if I could, as the sound of footsteps approaches from the distance. I don’t want a repeat of the recent events. I need to leave.

A man in a lab coat enters the room, a typical occurrence here. Some random mysterious person seems to come into every situation to forewarn about what comes next.

“I would just like to take a second to congratulate you,” he begins “for completing the 7th floor.”

“Uhhh thanks” I say, puzzled “What do you mean completed?’”

“Oh!” He lets out a small laugh “You’ve been moved up to the 8th floor”

“Doesn’t that mean I’m gonna die?”

“It means you’ve reached a privilege that no one else has unlocked before. Congratulations”

“So it’s not death?”

“Follow me, I must show you what awaits you.”

It’s definitely death.

He walks over to a switch on the wall and flicks it off. I am no longer trapped in the spot that I once was, and I can get up. It’s like there was some weird force that wasn’t allowing me to do anything. Reluctantly, I follow the man out into the hallway. I watch him hobble along the symmetrical doorways. Does he even have a clue where he is going? I most certainty don’t have a clue as to what I’m doing.

As the man turns the next hallway, I just stand there. I can’t allow myself to go into whatever situation he may lead me in. I must be able to figure it out myself if I were able to beat the 7th floor.

I stop in my place and take in the deepest breath that I have ever breathed before. I don’t know what else to do besides remind myself how far I’ve come. I have beat an entire floor, a level. I may have made it to the worst rumored place, but who cares? I did it. Suddenly it’s as if my world has turned into a video game and I’m at the top of the leaderboard. I’m unsure of how far I’ll go, but I know that I’ll need to handle this properly. Every game ends with a boss level, and possibly I have reached that point.

I feel a hand press onto my shoulder, and I let out a wheezing gasp. Rather unprepared, I turn around to see what awaits me. But no one is anywhere in sight. In fact, the entire scenery behind me has appeared to change. The wall that was once a plain bright white, now has a window in its space. Unsure, I walk up to it.

All I see is a city, a beautiful city. It looks like a better version of the area I call home. Bustling and vibrant, this place is alive. I see the buildings rising high, and the trees growing up with them. There are no empty roads or building crumbling apart. Everything is glowing, and people are walking in the streets. They are together and enjoying it, without any threat present. No one seems to wonder who has been where, and what they may carry with them. They laugh and they run when they see something they love. Everyone walks into the building without covering their mouth and nose. As I’m watching, I really long to be there. Seeing this could almost make me cry. I’m not sure if that’s from happiness or out of deep sadness. This window is a view into the past that I never lived in. I miss the things that once were, even though I never got to experience it. This view into the past brings on a nostalgia for something I never knew.

I move closer, dragging my hand towards the glass. I try to fight the urge, but it feels necessary. I need to do anything to be here.

A light begins to form in the spot my hand is hovering in front of, and it starts to get brighter and brighter. I finally make physical contact with the glass. The light ripples out before sending a strong force, one that pushes me back.

After I get over the feeling of the crash, I notice that I have fell onto a chair like the one I was in earlier. That force is keeping me back once again, and I can’t get up.

“We knew you’d fall for it" a voice whispers from behind.

“What” I mutter, weakly.

“You’re attracted to things that speak deeply to you, things you never knew were there before. You lead with an openness to whatever is calling you. When you’re passionate you don’t quit. You have the same downfalls as main characters in fantasy stories. You must have watched or read too many.” I hear this man moving things around behind me as he speaks.

“How do you…how do you know anything about me?”

“We’ve been watching you, out and about and all. We all know you’ve been breaking quarantine.” He comes over and starts sticking wires all over me. On my head, on my arms. I’m still held back by the invisible force, but I ignore that. I won’t question more than the current topic. The reasoning behind all of this will come clear eventually.

“Is this some sort of punishment for that? I was never trying to do more than what I felt was right.”

“That’s exactly what we suspected, it’s not a punishment. You were sent to the 7th floor because it was believed you could provide some use. Those who appear to lack emotional guidance are immediately sent here. There’s no need to observe anyone else.” Lacking emotional guidance? What? Maybe I am stuck in a movie.

“What happened to Alexis?” I bark out.

Ignoring me, the man continues. “It’s a shame things have to come to this point. You’d be real useful up in headquarters, but you’re only 14 and won’t provide much. You’re full of potential that can’t be applied right now, so you will be used for other matters.”

He walks over pushing a cart. A woman in a lab coat walks in with a handful of different syringes, filled with liquids of various colors. She sets them down on the tray.

“Are we starting with the X2?” She asks

“No, I thought John suspended testing for that one.”

“I know that, I’m not stupid. I do pay attention to what goes on around here. It was modified and now back in the process.”

“Oh. In that case, yes.”

I never tried to fight the invisible power until now, I’m trying to push against it but have no luck. My heart starts racing, but only for nothing. I’m stuck.

“What is the meaning behind all this?” I finally exclaim.

“Vaccine testing.” The woman replies.

“Is this dangerous?”

“Yep”

“Is this why people don’t return from the 8th floor?”

“Possibly”

“I demand to leave, now!”

“It doesn’t work that way. There’s no turning back now. Don’t think of yourself as some sort of test rabbit, look at yourself as a hero. It’s a service for your country. You’re doing a favor for the future and the people around you. Don’t you want them to continue life again? You could give everyone what you saw in that picture.”

“Don’t try to talk with me like that. If I felt this was right, I would have signed up for this.”

“It’s for the people, not you.’

How could she even dare to say that? Why would anyone try to grab a hold of my head like that? I know what I’m doing here. No one should try to come into my mind and question my morals, I already know what they are. I can’t take this meaningless guilting. If I could beat a floor, I can’t be stupid. This level may be more difficult, but no one can win. No one except me.

The man walks over with the tube of blueish liquid, the needle attached to it is rather large. The woman walks up with him, staring deep into my eyes that I think she is reaching my soul.

“I see it. The anger, the frustration, let it all go! There’s no way to fight this. What’s unfortunate for you is fortunate for others.”

“Actually, you’re wrong” I say.

I feel the power brewing inside of me, and it’s faster than ever before. Suddenly, I can start to move. I’m slightly rising above the chair and being pushed back. I am most definitely in control, and I know that I have a hold of what will come next. As I raise my arm slightly higher, the woman gasps.

“I have never seen anything like this before, and I will never see it again.” I see her reach into her lab coat pocket and pull out a knife. “You either task the risk or die immediately. If you don’t want to further this process, then I’m giving you the responsibility to decide.”

I give up, I make the small fall back into the chair. It’s time to let go and give in, or at least seem like it. The man comes closer to me, with a needle almost touching my skin.

“Never!” I yell, jumping up and breaking the force.

The wires fling off, flying into the air. A clear ripple waves throughout the room, and the two people are pushed and fall back. The woman reaches her hand towards the air and groans, unable to do anything else. Red lights begin to flash throughout the room and alarms start to blare. I step into the hallway, seeing the panic go down the entire hall. Footsteps are pounding somewhere in the distance, and I have no other choice but to leave if I want to live. The red lights make the hallway to not be as bright, which should allow me to sneak around more easily. I look both ways, position towards the left and then run.