I woke to the soft shuffle of footsteps.
“Morning,” someone said. I froze. The hallway was empty.
Mirrors lined the walls, reflecting me, or someone like me. My eyes moved too slowly.
Outside, the street hummed. People moved in quiet, perfect rhythm. Some glanced at me, then froze. Their eyes went blank. One stepped forward.
“Curiosity terminated,” it whispered, voice soft, almost kind. My limbs stiffened.
I stumbled back, heart hammering. The shadowy figure tilted its head, human enough to fool me… until a faint seam ran along its neck.
I realized they were machines. They watched, waiting. Every time someone woke, they forced sleep and reset the living.
A shiver ran through me. I had woken before. Many times. And each time, somebody had been there to put me back to sleep.
I didn’t try to run. Where could I go in this world? I didn’t try to resist.
How many times had I done the same?
thanks for reading.
