That blasted door. The second I stepped far enough in I could hear the heavy metal door slam and the lock secure. Why did they have to lock it? It’s not like I can move that door on my own. This small, cinderblock-walled room with the aged, off-white paint. When I walked in here I was taken aback by the emptiness, just a chair in the center of the room. After I sat down, I looked around and noticed a small black dome on the ceiling in the corner near the door. Is that a camera? I think I remember Big Brother talking about how to avoid those by hiding near the floor next to shelves at stores. He would tell me that if one of those saw us, we would be taken away from the rest of our brothers.

Down the hall, I can hear some of my brothers screaming and shouting for them to be let out… I can’t believe that they are still here, they were “received” nearly eight days ago. How long are they going to keep me? Am I going to die in here? Have they been fed? Given water? A bucket to relieve themselves in at the very least? What if they are being experimented on? We didn’t do anything wrong. We just did what we had to do to survive. Since when is living a crime?

My body is aching, trembling, anticipating what is going to happen to me. Am I going to make it out of here alive? Is this one of those places that torture you for “science?” What's going to happen to the girls? They're all alone at home, waiting for me to come back, the victorious hero, with our brothers in tow. They could be starving, freezing, or worse… Big Brother always warned me to never leave them alone, because of what the Uncles would do to them. If they get hurt it's going to be all my fault. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to them… but what was I supposed to do? It's not like I could scavenge alone? Leaving them to fend for themselves every day, waiting for me to come back with what should have been 20 people's worth of supplies.

My anxiety worsened. Going down this downward spiral into a panic attack thanks to the years of stress and barely staying alive. I could feel the tremors getting worse. I had to tighten my grip on my legs to keep from losing control of them. I can't let whoever is watching that camera know that I have something I care about. I have to stay strong.

I was finally able to calm enough to put on a stoic face and sit completely still, staring at that cursed door, keeping me from saving the poor souls that are now screaming louder and louder, waiting for some guard or orderly to walk by with what I pray are what they call meals. But that's when I heard it. Or rather, didn't hear it... outside was completely silent. There was nothing. No more screaming. No more banging on the doors, desperate for escape, or even a taste of freedom.

That's when it happened. From that tiny gap under the door, I noticed a fog come inside from under it. My vision began to blur and I was struggling to keep sitting, or even keep my eyes open. I swayed until I fell out of my chair. My head slammed against the concrete floor and only then did that unforgiving metal door open. Two sets of feet making their way in and the last thing I see being two gas-mask covered faces leaning down to grab me. And that's when it went dark.