That's scary isn't it? You know something's coming. You can hear it, you can see it's proof, you can feel the fear it's set in you that you know it's there but you don't know what it is... That's fear for you, and here you are standing on the edge of a [[cliff|Cliff]] while discovering it.

The buzzing sound got louder the brighter the light got. In a giant flash of white, you were standing in an open field underneath what looked like a gigantic electrical [[tower|Tower]]. \n\nWay off in the distance, you could see mountains. Way off. There was nothing but flat landscape here, barren grasses and dusty dirt that blew in puffs when the wind decided to create a breeze and lift the heavy air for a second. Turning around, there was nothing. No sound. And no one. Just you and the electrical thing, whatever it may be. You were [[alone|Alone]].

You give yourself a moment to adjust, and the first logical thought you have is that you've fallen asleep. You got here mid afternoon, so it could be possible you've fallen asleep and slept until [[dark|Dark]]. \n\nThe next thought was as illogical as the previous was logical. What if, you were dead? Of course this was illogical. You were thinking. Dead people don't think. At least, you don't think they do. You hope they don't. That's creepy. But you're thinking, so therefore not dead. That's a good [[sign|Sign]].

"Ahh, I see you're awake now. I must say thank you, you've given us exactly what we need. You've been a most exceptional subject indeed."\n\nYou try to speak, but your mouth is so dry. You're trying to figure out where the voice is coming from. It sounds very robotic, like when a computer would talk in an old movie. You keep looking, and that's when you notice that almost out of your line of vision, is indeed a computer. Or rather, an entire system of them. \n\n"I'm going to rotate you, please, try not to move. I'm not sure how much is possible for you at this moment, but please, for both our safety, stay [[still|Still]].

You're [[shaking|Shaking]].\n\nThat's the first thing you notice upon waking up. The second thing, is that it's dark. Which is more strange than the shaking because you were just laying on the sand listening to the waves crash the [[shore|Shore]].\n\n

When you've gotten as far as you feel comfortable going, you look around. There's nothing there that you haven't already seen, and that leads to a sudden disappointment that you didn't expect. For some reason, you thought that from up here, you would find [[hope|Hope]].

When you climb back down from your perch, you realize that the wind has really picked up. It's now blowing at a pretty good rate, picking up and swirling whatever isn't stuck to the [[ground|Ground]].

You start walking from the tree, a random path before you. After a few minutes, you realize the birds have stopped singing. The wind also picked up a little, and you wonder if that's why. Seeing a fallen tree, you decide to [[climb|Climb]] up for a better view.\n\n

You jump over the cliff without a second thought, wind hitting your body in cold waves, water rushing toward you, the sound filling your mind and making it difficult for you to realize this might be the end. The water sprays your face now and you can taste the salt and smell the ocean as it looms before you, and just as you hit the water, your mind screams in agony and you feel a searing pain shoot through your [[head|Head]].

"That's enough. Turn it off, we have what we need. I think one more round should give us what we're looking for. It's wonderous isn't it, to see how the mind works from the outside. How it effects the body, the heart, the ability to be human. Fascinating."\n\nYour eyes snap open and you realize you're back in hell. You see nothing, you cant move. If you could feel, you're sure there would be silent tears slipping down your face. You realize quickly though, that this time is different. You can hear. [[Faintly|Faintly]]\n\nYou get excited too quickly, because hearing really doens't do anything for you. You're still paralyzed. You're still trapped in whatever it is your in. Your head is throbbing, feeling as though it would burst from your skull. If you could feel your skull. This was [[hell|Hell]].

This was different. It was dark. You could smell a musty, almost mildew type smell. As you tried to focus, you realized the hair was heavy. Moving you felt something hit your foot. Moving your leg, you started to panic realizing you were in a box. Your hands reached above your head, around you, and you very quickly concluded you were [[trapped|Trapped]].

You start to lose focus, your breathing becomming labored and rushed as you realize there is no way out. The air becomes hotter with every breath you release. In words short and sweet, you realized you're fucked, and you begin to cry, huge wracking sobs that take up to much oxygen, something you don't realize until you find it hard to breathe. You're gasping, panicked and crying, desperately trying to find more [[air|Air]].

There was that one time you yelled at that woman for no reason other than you had a bad day. Maybe that's part of it. A knock in the karma side of life. One way ticket straight to [[hell|Hell]] if you get enough.

Your mind jumps back to that article. There was no sound, but you know that if you could hear inside that, it would be muffled because of the water you were floating in. You've had your head under the water while taking a bath before, it was a bit like that only more hazy. You couldn't quite wrap your [[head|Head]] around it.

Your scared of drowing so you turn around to see what's coming for you. The trees moan as it gets closer, the wind is pelting your body with frigid drops of rain that sting and make it hard to keep your eyes open. You hear a growl, low, then louder and suddenly the trees stop moving. You hear heavy breathing and realize it's RIGHT THERE. Just out of view waiting. Suddenly, you hear a snarl and the trees in front of you bend by some invisible force and you scream as a searing hot pain shoots through your [[head|Head]].

You tried to scream for help then realized you couldn't tell if you were screaming. You couldn't feel your mouth move. You couldn't hear anything. You were alone. Just you and your [[thoughts|Thoughts]].\n\nSuddenly you were tired. So [[tired|Tired]].

Which makes absolutely no sense and you know it because tide rises, and as far as you can tell you're not wet, nor cold. And being there's no [[sun|Sun]], you would at least be cold.

Judging by the song they're singing to one another, they're the same bird. One will chortle a tune that the other adds to in a slightly more pitchy song. You wonder if they're courting. Or maybe they're in love. [[Birds|Birds]]. You just never know.

After a few moments, you wonder if you could see better from a highter vantage point, and you look up. Realizing the only way to find out is to go up the tower, you begin to climb. When you're as high as you dare go, you look around. You see exactly what you saw on the ground: [[nothing|Nothing]].

Inside Yourself

Remember that time you read that article about the sensory isolation chamber? You were floated in water that was body temperature, inside a chamber sealed off from sight and sound. The water gave you the effect that you were floating in nothing as it was the same temperature as you and didn't allow for feeling. No sound. No light. It was just you and whatever thoughts were in your head. They called it a form of "therapy". That seemed cool. In reality, it seemed much like this. This wasn't cool, and you just want to know what's [[going on|Going On]].

Water rushed below you, hitting the side of the cliff with a booming crash. You hear whatever was behind you, and turning you see trees sway and the sound of whatever is in the woods getting [[closer|Closer]].\n\nYou realize you have two options at this point: you can either \n\n[[jump over the cliff|Water]]\nOR\n[[wait for what's coming|Trees]]

In your mind you're screaming with agony. You're writhing in pain. IT FUCKING HURTS! You want it to stop, you want it to end, all of it. Everything in this moment can go to hell. All at once you become extremely [[tired|Tired]].

Inside you start screaming for help, for joy, out of fear and utter happiness. There's a light! A light means help, or people, or fuck even just LIGHT! It's slowly getting brighter, and then you notice the sound. Where did that come from? Maybe this WAS a dream. Straining trapped inside your body to make out what it was, you decide that it's either\n[[birds chirping|Birds]]\nOR \n[[electricity buzzing|Electricity]]

You're crying now, none of this makes sense. \n\n"Now now, don't cry. It's all ok. I've been studying your nightmares to see just what you can take. With every one it broke down a wall in your conscience that allowed me a bit more control. You and I, are now one in the same. Let me show you."\n\nThe lights in the room dimmed, and the wall turned into a mirror. You couldn't control the scream that excaped. The brain that was talking through the computer, was YOURS. It was you talking. And you understanding. \n\nThere was a big gaping hole where your skull had been removed, and your brain was in a tall tray next to you.\n\n"See. We are the same. And when they put us back together, and we leave here, we will have to learn to get a long. Because I am you. And you are me. And we're really not what we seem under the surface."\n\nAnd you scream.

Just as you exhale the last of the air in your lungs, realizing this is the end, you're pulled again through a blinding light, and you're awake. This time is different. You're upright. The room is cold, and very bright. You can't move your head, but you can your eyes, and you look around the room as far as they'll let you. It's very... sterile. You quickly think that you're in a [[hospital|Hospital]] room of some sort.

No sooner had you thought that, than you realized that you could feel... something. Your hands, your fingers, could move ever so slightly through something that felt a lot like... jello? Not set jello, but jello when it starts to get thick. That could explain why you couldn't hear a thing. You internally start to smile, feeling that this is the point where things turn around. Suddenly, there's more [[pain|Pain]].

Climbing down, you notice the wind has really picked up. It's whipping everything that's not nailed to the ground around you. And you feel rain. You start looking for a place to hide, to excape the rain, but there are none. That's when you see lightening. Standing under a tower made of metal isn't a smart option, so you begin walking. Behind you there's a loud [["CRASH"|Crash]]!

It was a beautiful day for a walk on the beach. The sun was out, the birds were singing. The waves lulled you into a calm that only ocean waves could bring someone. But if you were on the beach, where were the waves? The [[sun|Sun]]? Any of it?

You begin to think over the next few hours, what you did that you deserved to be here. Had you really been such a bad person that this is where you [[end up|End Up]]?\n\nAnd who was doing this? That's the question that was burning in your mind. What was doing this? Trapped, you had no way to figure out answers. So you thought. About your family. Your mistakes. Things you loved, like Billy Joel singing while you were taking a [[shower|Shower]].\n\n

Spinning, you see lightning striking. One after the other. Fear grabs you as it gets closer, and you begin to run. Suddenly, lightning strikes in front of you. Behind you. Around you. And you don't know what to do. Dropping to the ground, you cover your [[head|Head]] with your hands and pray for the best.

You think it's a tower. Where you're from they don't have giant pieces of buzzing, humming metal like this. You've only seen them in movies you've been forced to sit through when it's too nice to be outside away from people and things. It sounds like [[electricity|Electricity]] therefore it is.

Which is odd because it's not cold. You're not cold. It's rather... neutral. You feel hot nor cold. That's odd. If nothing had a description of what it felt like, this would be it. That's a [[start|Start]].

Moving your eyes over, you suddenly feel like you're going to be sick. There in a jar, was what looked like, a human brain. You feel your eyes grow wide, and your stomach lurch.\n\n"Now now, no need for that. Let me explain. See, right now, you're talking to me. Me is actually you. I'm your subconscious. With the help of some friends here at the clinic, I've been able to be, set free shall we say, to experiment, and see just what makes you tick. I've sat there in the back of your mind, beneath the surface, for years. In hiding. Forgotten about until some ill timed moment comes along and lets me free. But now I'm free. I've been keeping you here for the past few days now, and if you haven't already figured it out, I've been testing your nightmares. You and I are very much alike, which is interesting as we never work [[together|Together]].

"This time, focus on the temporal lobes. Start low, we don't want to cause anymore issues. We will build up until we reach the desired brain functions to induce the next dream." \n\nSuddenly you feel a shooting pain pierce your [[skull|Skull]].\n\nEverything is blacker than black, darker than dark. Except... was that a light? You're mind must be recovering from whatever just happened. Then it gets brighter. Hazy gray, but very real. It was a light. A light. A [[LIGHT|Light]].\n

Your mind begins to race. Maybe you're not dead. Maybe you're paralyzed. And blind. You have to be blind obviously. There's no other explination for what's going on. Wait. That didn't make any sense. You couldn't hear anything. What the fuck is [[going on|Going On]]!

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You accept the fact you're obviously not dead. If by chance you are, then it seems the afterlife has possiblities for a pretty good time. Moving to sit up, you encounter a new problem. Fear suddenly wracks your body and overwhelmes you with emotion. You cant sit up. You're trying and you cant. But worse than that is the realization that you cant [[move|Move]] at all. Not a hand. Not a foot. You can't even turn your head. Nothing.

Victoria

You feel yourself being rotated, your legs and arms are strapped to whatever is holding you up. \n\n"Why hello. How are you feeling? Never mind, don't try to answer just yet."\n\nThe computer is talking.. to you. What is going on here? You try to talk but again, nothing comes out. \n\n"Tsk, I told you not to try to answer. You'll be able to aske questions all in good time, and I'm sure you have many. Like, why you're talking to a computer. Well, technically, you're not. Look to your [[right|Right]].

The next thing you know you're in the woods standing beneath a giant tree of some sort. It's warm. The sun is shimmering through the leaves as the wind rustles them around. There are birds singing high above you, and though you strain to see, you cant quite figure out where [[they|They]] are.\n\nSomewhere, the breeze is picking up the scent of flowers and swirling it around you like a security blanket of happy thoughts and better days. You almost forget the hell you just went through, because this obviously couldn't be [[real|Real]].

You feel a light rain, and the sky begins to get dark. You panic at the dark. You begin to look for a place to hide from the rain, and that's when you hear something crashing in the trees behind you. Startled, you run, looking behind you as you go, screams stuck in your throat. Your lungs are screaming for air, your muscles are screaming to stop and then you break through the trees and stop just in time to keep yourself from going over the edge of a [[cliff|Cliff]].