The room echoed with the sounds of moving chains and soft groans. Orion’s location was systematically changed, and he didn’t even know if it always occurred within a single building. He was moved while unconscious, and this time he awoke on a metal bed.

  He returned several times to the room where he had woken up after being kidnapped, but Byton’s body had long since been removed from his sight. That room then remained mostly unchanged. However, he occasionally noticed new traces of blood on the walls. He had enough time to memorize the shape and position of each one within his line of sight, but he couldn’t tell if he hadn’t caused them.

  During his stay here, Orion had already explored numerous rooms. Some looked medieval, others like futuristic hospital or laboratory interiors, and there were also some hybrid ones; half-wooden, with ancient torture instruments, yet featuring a large mirror as a wall.

  He noticed at least one camera in each room. At this moment, he wouldn’t be surprised if his entire stay here was not only monitored but also recorded and made available in the dark corners of the internet.

  He also assumed he wasn’t the only prisoner. Every room was soundproofed, and he wouldn’t be surprised if just now someone was being transported through the corridors. It was possible that the people inflicting him pain were just two of many working here full-time. He could imagine a scenario where they were profiting from recordings of his tortures, especially considering they sometimes employed new, strange methods. He wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out there were comfortable chairs hidden behind the mirrors of those hybrid rooms, reserved for wealthy guests sipping expensive drinks and enjoying the spectacle.

  People and their sick desires, he thought grimly. He knew such people existed and were willing to pay to witness things like this. Abandoning the unpleasant thought, he tried to shift his position on the bed while not moving too much. Currently, there was skin missing from many places on his body, other parts were burned, frostbitten, doused with some corrosive liquids, or injured in other ways.

  With nothing better to do, he pondered what the day would bring. Today, however, he was only visited briefly for feeding, and for the rest of the day; or at least until he again felt drowsy and fell asleep; he was at peace. Sometimes he received such ‘days off’ to recover some strength. Usually, the following day was even worse.

  Orion didn’t know how it was done, but even on these ‘days off,’ after falling asleep on his own, he would wake up in a different room. Terrifying motherfuckers, he thought. This time, after a day of rest, he awoke once again in the room where it all began, but this time there was a change. He had a television in front of him.

  No one came for a while, so he wondered what was going on this time. At one point, he recalled an old film in which a man tied up in a robe was forced to watch macabre recordings.

  He was aware that he was being abused mentally as well. Not only by voicing all those accusations, but his entire stay seemed to be riddled with carefully planned elements designed to influence his mind. Orion had to admit that while the physical pain was truly so horrific as to be almost indescribable, he still feared that no big guns had been brought out in the mental realm yet.

  After a while, he heard the sound of keys and the door opened again. The friendly guy entered the room, this time smiling differently than usual.

  “We thought you’d like to hear the news. Maybe we can celebrate together?” he said, going behind Orion as usual. This time he pulled his chair up next to his iron one.

  He approached the television and switched it on, immediately rushing back to his chair. Orion’s biggest fear at that moment was that he would see his family or his coworkers. He worried they, too, had been drawn into this shit, and that he’d see them implicated in some imagined crime, only to be informed of new neighbors.

  He knew he wasn’t special in any way. There were probably thousands, tens of thousands, or more of those who suffered like him. The world was big, and people were people. He knew that what he was going through was far more common than the average person was led to believe. But the last thing he wanted to know was that one of the people he had grown attached to was going through something similar.

  Today, however, Orion actually felt like celebrating. He still didn’t show it in any way, but inside he was relieved. He had prepared himself for the worst, but all he was shown was a media event. In it, a man appeared, whom he recognized by his look, though he didn’t know from where. The man spoke with enthusiasm about how he and his team had made a great technological breakthrough.

  Of course, it was about his project. Orion listened as they proudly talked about the features, and, as predicted, they divided it into a limited free version and paid subscriptions like gold or platinum. Although he felt a pang of sadness seeing all this, relief still dominated. The fact that the program would be used for profit was so obvious, after all. Orion was glad that it was assumed, as if today’s show was going to be the final nail in the coffin for him. He could see it in the friendly guy’s smile.

  Apart from the overwhelming relief, he also felt disgust as he watched the guy bragging about ‘his’ achievements.

  Pathetic… he thought.

  He feared that if his responses didn’t meet their expectations, his torture would escalate, though he had no idea how they could achieve this. He nevertheless decided to play along, believing that if he got under their skin, they might actually use his family just to cause him more pain. Orion simply lowered his head and fixed his gaze on the floor, remaining silent. He tried to make his expression more blank than usual. He didn’t want to overact, but fortunately, the subtle reaction did the trick.

  “Something wrong?” the friendly guy asked, looking at him. “Why ain’t you happy?”

  Even though he seemed sulky, Orion knew it was an act. Indeed, during his time here, he had said things to the friendly guy that weren’t simple answers to questions. Sometimes they even had longer conversations, discussing lively or laughing at each other’s jokes. Before this whole situation, Orion rarely laughed aloud, but going through it all, inevitable changes had taken place in his psyche. However, he did everything in his power to keep his mind capable of logical thinking.

  This time, however, he decided not to respond. Either way, it would end in pain, so he just made sure not to say anything that could betray him or offend them.

  The friendly guy switched off the television and, acting offended, started the session of torment.

  “If you’re not having fun watching TV together, we’ll find a better way to amuse ourselves, yes?” he said.

  On that day, Orion lost his right eye.

  His suffering continued. Orion’s body began to look less and less human as time passed. Each time they made sure to squeeze as much suffering out of him as possible. Every day they made sure that the risk of him not surviving was minimal.

  This way, ten months of his stay in this place have passed.

  ***

  Today was the day of the standard office meeting. Initially, after the news of Big Anna’s death and Orion’s arrest, morale was naturally at its lowest. By then, life had returned to normal for the employees, at least for the most part. Some still missed the family atmosphere that had once reigned there.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Employees reacted differently to the news. Little Anna, previously known for being the first to engage in gossip, mostly sat quietly, staring at her phone. Arthur left a week after receiving the news, and a new person was hired in his place. Aaron, who was annoyed by the silence, attempted to play the role of office clown to lighten the mood at the workplace, but this had mixed results, and he reverted to his former self, joining the already established conversations.

  After leaving the company, Arthur didn’t know what to do with himself for a long time. As if it were yesterday, he remembered how Orion had entered the office on his first day and had tried to hide his usually motionless face. His version of a ‘friendly smile’ almost made Arthur spit in his face with laughter. However, he stopped himself when he saw how stressed his new colleague was about the situation. It didn’t take him long to convince the others that it wasn’t that Orion didn’t give a damn about everyone, but that it was just the way he was. Over time, he had grown to like this Stoic guy and even started to treat him like a younger brother.

  What he liked most about Orion was his passion. He knew he was working on something else, having asked him for his opinion a few times, but it was only in his gaze that he noticed the gravity of the situation. It wasn’t just blank staring into space, but heavy concentration. Arthur could almost see the gears moving in Orion’s mind every time.

  Once, when Orion had settled into the company, a new graphic designer was hired. Arthur remembered feeling a little disappointed in himself, for not being the one, to point out the new guy’s slackness. This silent guy simply went up to him and, in front of everyone, gave an oddly long rant about everyone relying on each other and that if the new guy slacked off, everyone would suffer. Honestly, Arthur hadn’t believed the whole Orion-guilt story. He’d seen pictures of what was left of Anna, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe that everything was as they’d been told.

  From the office, however, the current manager of the company was the most affected by the situation. Previously, as someone who treated employees almost like his children, he was devastated. For a long time, he had believed that he could judge people well, but now his faith was shattered. He was still there for others, still came up with stupid nicknames, and still tried not to show it, but inside, he was still boiling with emotions. The situation was not helped by the silence when he entered the office. Even after all this time, he expected to hear Anna’s giggling as he walked through the door, but every time he did, there was silence. He was afraid that if he saw that bastard again, he would strangle him with his own hands.

  ***

  In a distant city, the woman was just finishing her shift. After making sure everything was taken care of, she slid down the security bar and padlocked it. The store she worked at was in a town slightly smaller than the one Orion lived in. The buildings in this part were a bit run-down, though authorities still kept an eye out for any dangers. Sighing, she made her way to her apartment.

  This autumn night was rather cold and mostly quiet. Occasionally, one could hear the sounds of passing cars or the laughter of people partying in the distance. As she walked, the laughter slowly grew louder. She had never liked walking through this area, so to feel safer, she carried a stun gun in the bag. After a few minutes, having already finished the walk through the worst part, Martha relaxed, putting headphones in her ears. It was a kind of ritual she had been doing for several years when she came home from work.

  Her thoughts turned to the nasty client she had to deal with today. That hag threw worn-out underwear at her, as if it were her fault they’d come apart. Unfortunately, being nice didn’t help. Some people caused trouble as if it were their life’s purpose, while others behaved as though they could do whatever they wanted or were entitled to everything. Martha decided that before going to bed tonight, she’d check the internet in search of better job offers.

  When she was already a few hundred meters from the apartment, she felt a strong pull on her arm. She lost her balance and didn’t have time to pull out the stun gun or make a sound, as her mouth was quickly covered. From what she managed to register, there were two people with her and a third was hastily opening the sliding door of a car, into which she was pushed a moment later. Once inside the car, she felt a sting, and after a moment everything began to blur.

  She woke up in a filthy, boarded-up room with the exit covered with some material. Chaotic noise and the stale smell of vomit and excrements filled her senses. She was still dizzy, and her vision was slightly blurry. She tried to rub her eyes but noticed that she couldn’t move her arms at all. After a moment of further awakening, she realized that she was chained to a disgusting bed. Rags were strewn randomly around the room, and in one corner she noticed a nightstand with several bottles and syringes on it.

  Martha still had difficulty collecting and formulating logical thoughts. She didn’t know if it was a dream, and the last thing she remembered was the sliding grille of a shop and fragments of the return home. A terrible headache slowly came to her, and she felt her dry, chapped lips.

  After a while, the material covering the exit from the room moved and someone stuck their head in. Martha noticed that a relatively young woman was looking at her. When she noticed that Martha was awake, she went out for a moment and returned with a glass of water. She went inside and gave it to Martha, which she drank greedily. Choking on the cold water, Martha tried to say something, but she still couldn’t. However, the woman, seeing her struggle, nodded gently, conveying that she understood. After a moment, the woman stood up.

  As she left the room, she shouted, “Eight’s open!”

  A moment later, the first of many ‘customers’ appeared.

  ***

  Early in the evening, he was packed into a bag. Even on the last day, they didn’t miss a session. By that point Orion had lost his sight and hearing, so even if he had been sane, he wouldn’t have known if they were still talking to him. If he’d still been aware of his surroundings and had the strength to think, he would probably have wondered why they were still keeping tabs on him being alive at all.

  Considering the scope of the whole undertaking and the attention to detail, the place where he was supposed to die was, one might say, disappointing. He was simply transported to some remote area. A few rocks were added to the bag he was stuffed in. At this point, Orion’s body didn’t take up much space, so the bag wasn’t big either. His arms and legs had been dealt with separately earlier.

  The bag was unceremoniously thrown into the lake, and the man who did it lit a cigarette and enjoyed the thought of the coming night off. The other one recorded the lake surface for a while longer, then got into the passenger seat.

  Orion sank to the bottom. He felt the cold and the water pushing into his throat and lungs. It brought him back to enough awareness that he knew he was drowning, but he didn’t care.

  He wanted to rest.

  At that moment, a dozen or so miles away, an unwitting couple was cuddling by a similar lake, admiring a magnificent sunset. In another place, the young man was leafing through stacks of newspapers, searching for any information about last winter's prison escape. Somewhere else, the businessman was enjoying his profits. Elsewhere, the middle-aged woman was putting out another cigarette, thinking about divorce, and a few blocks away, the man was getting drunk in a bar.

  Even though it was evening in this part of the world, it was already late elsewhere. In other places, people were enjoying their morning coffee, and in others, children were eagerly awaiting the bell signaling the end of school.

  Regardless of their location in the world, the time of day, or a person’s age, no one knew that the entire world; and with it, the lives of all people, was about to change.

  At that same moment, all over the world, all those who were currently functioning heard a short but loud sound signal in their heads, like a microwave ending its work, and strange notifications began to appear before their eyes.

  [Essence Isolated],

  [Scan],

  [Soul Analyzed],

  [Race with Most Match: Human].

  Moments later, every person in the world found themselves surrounded by pure light, floating in a white void. Those who were currently asleep were just waking up, as if after a full night’s sleep. The sick in hospitals, regardless of their condition, opened their eyes, and even the blind were greeted by white nothingness. The only exception were children under the age of four, regardless of where they were or what condition they were in, they were currently disappearing from the face of the planet, immediately falling asleep.

  In the void in which people found themselves, they reacted differently. Some thrashed in shock, others tried to scream or called for their loved ones, but it was quickly noticed that they couldn’t make a sound. Each person had their own void, in which a strange, calming atmosphere reigned. People eventually stopped panicking and everyone was brought to an optimal state. As a result, ones who had been gravely ill just moments before were already praying and giving thanks for the miracle; though the gratitude was expressed only in their minds.

  A few moments after calming down in the void, a strange hologram appeared before each person’s eyes again, with inscriptions that changed when read. Although the hologram didn’t follow the gaze, if someone turned, after a moment it appeared directly in the line of sight. A few curious people tried to touch it, but it was out of arm’s reach.

  [Installation | Please wait | 7%],

  [Installation | Please wait | 42%],

  [Installation | Please wait | 88%],

  [Installation complete].