The light squeaking of flesh on glass and a low gurgle filled the room. A male, obviously no older than thirty, stared blankly through the glass as he clawed at the wall helplessly. His fingernails were ground down to the point of barely touching the wall, but he continued to try, even though his gaze revealed that he had lost hope long ago.

Sitting in the pure white room, he looked very out of place.  His dark, wild hair and crazed eyes contrasted the calm, serene feel of the room. His clothes were ripped scraps of fabric that barely remained on his body, while the room around him was carefully put together, like a hospital room. The only indication that someone had lived in the room was the blankets tossed on the floor and the broken tubes hanging around the bed, having been ripped from the man’s weak body.

Another gurgle sounded from the man’s stomach; however, he continued on like a mindless machine. Scratch, pause, repeat, scratch, pause, repeat. He was hoping for a response to his scratching, but only heard the low grumbles from his stomach, which could have tricked him into thinking someone was coming if not for the intense hunger he felt. He could not remember the last time he had food or even moved from that spot.
He finally leaned his head against the glass wall and inhaled deeply, staring at the world around him. Outside of his small cell, the room was very dimly lit and he could see flashing lights on the distant walls. He could vaguely remember that room being filled with men and women, giving him reassuring smiles as they repeated for the millionth time that there was no chance of the experiment failing.

“You’ll be perfectly safe,” they’d say cheerily as they watched him through the glass, poking at the flashing lights and screens around the room.

The screens had all stopped turning on long ago. He wasn’t sure if the lights were even still flashing or if his mind was just playing tricks on him.

As he began to doze off with his face pressed to the glass, something terrifying happened. The room was suddenly shrouded in complete darkness and he heard a noise he barely recognized after so many years. He fumbled in the darkness for the emergency flashlight he had never even touched before. When the light hit where there was once a glass door, he found that the door had slid open.

He stared in awe for a moment before his stomach growled in protest at his hesitation. When had he eaten last? Would there even be food in the facility after not seeing anyone for so long?

His legs were wobbly as if he were learning to walk all over again. He gripped at the glass door, trying to comprehend that it had finally opened and he could leave. The power must have failed and let him escape that horrible prison.

The orb of light swept over the room until it reached the door that led to the rest of the facility. He hadn’t seen it in years, but nothing could have prepared him for what he was faced with. The facility was filled with plants, where Earth was reclaiming its land. Had the men and women all abandoned him there? Was this a part of their experiment? Or had they met a much crueler fate?

He did not give himself any time to think on that as he tried to remember where the exit was located. He stepped over the plants that littered the floor, mostly dead from lack of sunlight. He felt like he could sink into the floorboards along with them and be indistinguishable from the dying flowers.

His footsteps began to sound louder in his head, to the point of making him believe he was not the only one walking in that building. His shadow followed behind him and matched his stride as it chased him along the corridor. The man was glad for rooms with little light; he felt as if it was this dangerous beast trying to pull him back to the room.

“Turn back.”

The voice echoed throughout the room and he clasped his hands over his ears in hopes of blocking it out. He ran aimlessly as the voice continued to fill the room, growing louder by the second. He tried desperately to drown it out with his own screams as his feet pounded on the dirty tile floor. His head was spinning. The voice sounded familiar and it struck fear into his heart, though he could only remember hearing the voice echo through his empty cell late at night and being grateful for a voice to comfort him. It no longer provided any comfort; it sounded villainous now as it instructed him to do exactly what he didn’t want.

“Stop now.”

He couldn’t help but listen to the voice. His body shook and his face was covered in tears that must have appeared while he was running. He let out a strangled sob as he stood there until his legs collapsed under him. Where was the exit? He needed to continue on.

His gaze moved to where the flashlight was pointing to find that it led to the most brilliant light he had ever seen in his life. The sun had flown down to show him the way. The rays of light extended like arms into the room to try to pull him out the door. He reached out for it, trying to ignore the disapproving voice that filled his head.
Then the room went black.

When his eyes opened again, he was lying in a field of pure gold. He ran his fingers over the crops surrounding him, wheat reaching towards the clear blue sky. He basked in the warmth of the sunlight that beat down on the field. It was something he had not felt in years.

The torturous pain in his stomach had ceased and his body felt stronger than it had ever been. He finally pulled himself from the hard ground to stare out. He could see gold for miles and miles; he couldn’t stop his feet as they began to pull him forwards. He ran through the magnificent field with his arms spread wide and relished the feeling of freedom. He was no longer confined to that cell.  His body was no longer limited by his previous ailments from the experiment.

The man was no longer controlled by the voice that lived in his head. He was truly free at last.