Free The Many by Nathan Field Page B

a strange, metallic voice.
    “A plain white room,” Dr. Ramirez repeated. “Can you describe it to me?”
    “It’s long, not very wide. White plaster walls, bare wood floors. It looks like a showroom at an art gallery.”
    “What else can you see?”
    “There’s a double bed on my right. White sheets. That’s the only furniture, along with the chair I’m sitting on. No windows, just a door at the far end of the room. It feels like I’m underground.”
    “Any fixtures, fittings?”
    “Fluorescent lights on the ceiling. And there’s a camera above the door. It looks like a security camera.”
    “A security camera. Are you sure?”
    “Yes, I can see the lens. It’s pointed right at me.”
    Dr. Ramirez frowned. “What else can you tell me? Use your other senses.”
    “I can smell pine detergent, like the floors have just been scrubbed.”
    “What about sounds? Can you hear anything?
    “Only the hum of the lights.” She breathed deeply. “I’m all alone down here.”
    “Where’s Adam?”
    “I don’t know. But he’s the one who brought me here. I should’ve taken a taxi when I had the chance…”
    “Don’t worry about that now, Stacey. Just concentrate on the present. So you’ve woken up an unfamiliar white room that appears to be a basement. And while you can’t remember how you got there, you’re certain Adam is responsible.”
    “Yes.”
    “ “ Are you still fully clothed?” Dr. Ramirez asked next.
    “No, I’m in my underwear. My feet are bare. He must’ve stripped me down.”
    Dr. Ramirez paused, her posture changing. “This all sounds very unusual, Stacey. Are you sure this is your conscious memory?”
    “Yes,” she confirmed.
    “But why don’t you try the door?”
    “Because I’m tied up.”
    Karl glanced anxiously at Dr. Ramirez. He felt reassured by the doctor’s skeptical expression. He wondered if she believed Stacey’s memory had descended into pure fantasy.
    “Tied up?” Dr. Ramirez prodded.
    “Yes. My legs and waist are strapped to the chair. My hands have been tied behind my back, and there’s tape over my mouth. I can’t move a muscle.”
    There was silence for a moment. Then Dr. Ramirez asked, “How long do you sit there alone?”
    “Just a few minutes. Then Adam walks in.”
    “So it’s his place.”
    “I don’t know.”
    “And what is Adam doing?”
    “He’s leaning over me, shining a pen light into my eyes. Making sure I’m awake. He needs me wide awake.”
    “Does he say anything?”
    “Only to himself. After he checks my eyes, he says – “ Yes, you’re nice and alert now, aren’t you. ” And I’m crying and pleading with my eyes, but his expression never changes. He just looks at me like I’m a biology experiment.” 
    “He’s not touching you?”
    “No.” There was a long pause. “It’s not him I have to worry about.”
    Karl swallowed back a hard lump in his throat. He looked again at Dr. Ramirez, but this time her expression wasn’t reassuring. Her nostrils had flared, and there was a hint of alarm in her eyes. Like she knew where this was leading.
    “Who do you have to worry about, Stacey?” she asked softly.
    Stacey was silent, her body tense again.
    “Is Adam still in the room?” Dr. Ramirez tried.
    “No. He left and turned the lights out behind him. I should be relieved but…”
    “Go on, Stacey. You need to be brave now.”
    “The room’s dark except for a faint light somewhere above my head. My eyes can’t roll back far enough to see, but it must be a tiny bulb, like a single fairy light. There’s a gray glow hanging over my chair and I can see maybe twenty feet in front of me. But the edges of the room are black. It’s like I’m the main attraction. On display. And suddenly I wish Adam would come back through the door. I start screaming into the gag, screaming with everything I have even though no one can hear me. My head feels like it’s going to explode and my throat is being ripped to shreds but it’s