“Yulia Andervina Cherning,” the general’s mouth stretches around the rubbery Russian vowels as he reads from the file before him, “Right this way. Your room will have a change of clothes and a bracelet that holds all of the information we need. Please put them on and wait till we need you.”

As I walked through empty halls, I heard hissing noises coming from behind the tall, steel doors. Water dropped onto the cement floors at a constant rhythm. I began to walk to the sound of the constant plopping noise. After approximately two minutes of walking, we reached my room. The steel door pushes open with such force that it seems you could get trapped in and never be seen again. A bolted down bed and storage containers zip-tied together first caught my eye. After looking behind my door, I noticed a smaller door that emitted a horrendous odor. The carpet lined walls, screwed down bed, and decaying body smell only encouraged suspicion.

I looked around the room and muttered to myself, “This is not what I signed up for.”  

After quickly changing clothes, I was approached by an older man whose hands were held together. He began to laugh and kept mumbling to himself. He kept repeating himself and saying, “Get out while you can. They will get you. Yes, they will. Get out while you can. They will get you. Yes, they will.”

The sight of the man confused me so I asked the guard, “Aren’t we here for testing?”

“Yes, of course!” he responded without eye contact.

His panic was tangible after I asked the question. I knew something wasn’t right. He picked up his pace, and we hurried down the hall soon stopping at the third door on the left. The room was empty, except for a single bed that laid in the center of the room. The walls, the sheets, and the tray that sat on the bed, were all a spotless, shining white. The room filled me with a sense of foreboding that I couldn’t seem to overcome. I stood in the doorway, not moving, not breathing.

“No need to fear,” the man said as if he were trying to reassure me, “This is where you will take your first test. Yulia, remember you were chosen for this moment. Russia needs you.”

I didn’t move. I stood frozen on the spot.

“Let’s go, now!” yelled the general.

Still, in a daze, the guard pushed me into the room and tied me down to the bed. I laid in the white room for what felt like hours. The time of waiting for someone’s return began to drive me crazy. My mind was racing, and I lost all the sense that had made me feel normal. I usually have a good sense of time, but I didn’t anymore.

A tall man entered the room, pushing in a cart that held a computer. His name tag read, Martin. He started to ask me questions like, “Have you eaten today?” and “What was the last dream you had?” Many of the questions he asked were left unanswered because of my fear of saying something wrong. I felt vulnerable and betrayed since the only person that made me feel safe pushed me into this room, into danger. The man, Martin, left the room after answering a call that came from his computer. When he came back into the room he seemed to show that he cared for me more than before, telling me that everything would be just fine, and more importantly, there is no danger as long as you follow orders. His last comment surprised me, “If you have a chance to escape, don’t hesitate to take it.”

After the first test was over, the general came back into the room and gave me a list of directions. I memorized all the rules, just an OCD habit of mine, and did everything he told me to do. Martin brought me the sense of safety that had left me shortly before.

The sense of being safe did not last long. When I reached my room, I jumped onto my bed and began to think about the other test subjects that lived here. After being here for a while, I realized that this was our new name, test subjects. We are all the same and interaction is not permitted. “If I’m only here for tests, then why can I not make friends?” I thought to myself. As I laid on my bed staring at the blank canvas ceiling, I thought of how much my family must want me at home. If only they knew what went on in here, they would quickly rescue me. I began to doze off to the consistent rhythm of dripping water.

“Wake up! Hurry! They are coming!” warned the strange man  as he shook my arms, “I found a way out. Follow me!”

I jumped out of the bed and looked at the strange kid whose name tag read, test subject 176. “How did you get in here? Who is coming?”

“I am Henry. Just come. Follow me!” Henry exclaims in a frenzy.

I ran down the halls following Henry. He led me to a ladder that extended into the roof. He told me to quietly enter the roof and wait for his command. I climbed up each rung carefully and waited for the message from Henry. Soon after, I heard footsteps running away. I thought to myself, “Did he just leave me by myself?” I looked down through the black hole in the roof and saw Henry laughing and talking to himself.

“Gotcha. Ahaha, you fell for my tricks!” Henry giggled from the ground.

“Wait, what? Are they still coming?” I asked, but he was already gone.

I stood in the hallway, having climbed down the ladder, feeling helpless. I just went back to my room for the night. What else could I do?

As my clock read 5:48, I was awoken by commands being yelled by the generals. They told all the subjects in my hall to put on new robes and enter the cafeteria. This is the first day that I was allowed to eat and see new people. The first time I saw actual people, not just test subjects.

We walked down the hall to the sight from when I first entered, and then followed a flight of stairs downward. As new commands were given, I heard commotion growing louder and louder. The sense of safety came over me again, covering me like a big blanket. We reached the line and were handed a white tray, white forks, white spoons, and a white cup. As we filed down the side of the containers that held each food choice, they filled each section of the trays with proportional scoops of every food option. I grew anxious when I didn’t know where to sit or who to sit with. I chose a girl who looked my age, 12.

“Can I sit here?” I asked anxiously.

“Yes, I need someone to talk to.” the girl responded.

“What is your name? Mine is Yulia.”

“It’s Sophia De Henmare, but you can call me Sophie.”

“Sophie it is.”

“What is your issue?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Why are you here? Did your parents send you here? Or the school?”

“I wasn’t sent here. I was chosen. Many people say I am incredibly smart so they have asked me to come here and take tests to further my knowledge. This is a testing center, right?”

“Oh, I see. They played the ole trick on you. They did the same thing to me. Filling me with a sense of potential and making me feel wanted. They know where we come from and how hurt we really are. You aren’t here for tests, this is a mental hospital. The kids that go to your school or live down the street that may cause harm to themselves or face strange problems are brought here. We are broken people.”

I looked at Sophie full of shock. I was terrified, espically of myself. How could they do this to me? Should I call my mom? How do I get out? Question after question entered my head and none had answers.

“Many of the people here aren’t that different. We just face very tough problems and want the pain to stop. I am here because I almost drank myself to death. My family was never there for me, and school was hell. After a day of girls causing me pain, and the boys using me as an object, I would go home and drink my worries away.” explained Sophie.

I had no words to respond to Sophie and her story. I sat there and looked at my untouched food thinking about how people could be so cruel to others.

“That kid over there is Joseph. He has been here for longer than me. He suffers from social anxiety and was abandoned by his parents because they couldn’t handle his mistakes any longer. Although Joseph doesn't know how to talk to others, he has the biggest heart. He never lets anyone sit alone.”

The bell rang, and guards came rushing in. They yelled at us and told us to stand in order by hall numbers. Some guards used force when they thought someone was taking too long to put up their tray. As each subject filed into the lines, Sophie looked back at me and said, “Everyone here is not who you think they are. You need to get out of here so we can all be saved! You have fresh faith and determination, the two things we don’t have. You're not broken like us, please make a change. ”

As we walked back through the concrete halls, unusual sounds rang through the hollow walls. Guards continued to yell and I wondered about what Sophie said.

For the next three months, we would follow the same schedule that was taped to our wall. The paper read:

5:48- wake up, change clothes, and go to breakfast quarters

6:48- leave breakfast quarters and go back to the room

11:47- line up, enter testing room, wait on the white bed

2:47- leave testing room and go to lunch quarters

3:32- leave lunch quarters and go back to the room

4:00- call home

4:25 to 6:58- free time (stay in room. you will receive punishment if you leave.)

7:00- eat dinner in room and talk to counselor

9:00- counselor leaves, dinner is taken up, change clothes, and go to bed

The repeating pattern of yelling commands, answering personal questions, and overthinking for hours took its toll, I began to go insane. This is what Sophie was talking about. She told me that she wasn’t any different than me, and now I finally see it. Sophie has been here for two years and eight months. I can be her escape. I can be Martin’s escape. I can be everyone’s escape.

----- Two Months Later -----

I woke up at 3:28. I began to put on the clothes that Martin had slipped under my door when he said that he would help me escape. Martin wanted me to save himself and all the others so he was all in for my plan. He told me to keep my head down and run. For two months, I paid extra attention to the halls and where they led. I memorized how many steps each hall had and which one held the most guards. I picked out the sound and rhythm of each generals walks and how they sound. To escape, I needed to change my clothes and my identity.

I grabbed the sack that I was given on my first day five months earlier and put my journal, letters Sophie wrote for me, and the wristband that held my identity. As I was putting on my clothes, I was pricked by something sharp. I looked down at my blood tipped finger and saw a shot that held some type of clear liquid. I knew that I needed it for my escape so I dropped it carefully into my bag and waited for the call. The moment of silence was full of unbearable nerves.

Chapter 2- Martin

The bag that I picked up from our last victim contained a journal that held many secrets. How did she get so close to this Sophie girl? We always separate our subjects so that they can’t share their stories. How could she take off her wristband? They are implanted in patients so that others only know what we want them to know. Yulia was, by far, the smartest subject we have ever had. She learned quickly of our plans and wanted to save others. Although she was smart, she couldn’t escape me. From the first time I helped her, I knew that I could get under her skin and get my reward. I picked up the journal from her bag and read about how much I helped her. I could use this to my advantage.

At 3:28 a.m. on the 152nd day of Yulia’s testing, I brought her the suit she needed. I opened the door and walked away. I waited in my office until she reached the entry door. She used the shot I provided her with and waited until I heard the guards rhyming footsteps and collapse of the guard standing by the door. When Yulia stepped outside the threshold of the door, I watched her take her first breath of fresh air. After Yulia had stepped outside, I followed her close behind. As she took a step forward, I stabbed her with a shot that held my dangerous mixture. She quickly fell to the ground, beginning to lose feeling in her legs. I watched Yulia lay helpless and crying for someone. I felt just like my general by hurting others and gaining the feeling of superiority. This is what I have been waiting for. Yulia fell for my trick and I knew I could turn against her when I gained her trust. I stepped over her and watched as she struggled for air, grasping her chest as she lost all feeling from her shoulders down. With the loss of Yulia, no one would be able to escape again and I would get my reward. The guards would no longer yell at me. I would be treated just the same as the other superiors, only because I had killed. They all mistreated the innocent subjects and killed in order to become higher in rank. I would not be brought down and have the feeling of not being equal. My reward would be freedom from all the hospital's terrors  and no longer being mistreated like a subject.

Yulia slowly slipped away from the world. Her breathing stopped and she was now free. Free from all the terror this hospital held. Not only had Yulia escaped, so had I.