Akio sat in his room, the silence punctuated only by the faint hum of the air conditioning. The sparse furnishings—a bed, a table, and a chair—transformed the space into a cell rather than a room. The door, leading to a small bathroom, offered no comfort or distraction. Above the door, the ever-watchful CCTV camera served as a constant reminder of his confinement. There were no televisions, no books, no devices to occupy his mind.
Each morning began the same way. When the door finally opened, Akio would step into the hallway, a corridor of identical white doors stretching endlessly. The only marker of his room was the number 092, a number etched into his memory. The door could only be opened from the outside, reinforcing the feeling of imprisonment. The air conditioning hummed incessantly, keeping the environment uncomfortably cool.
To reach the dining area, Akio would turn right, walking down the hallway until he reached a door of a slightly different hue, marking a change in destination. The hallway, like everything else, was stark white, and CCTV cameras dotted the ceiling, their lenses tracking his every movement. Turning left from his room led to a labyrinthine series of corridors, each branching out like a complex web. Only one path would lead beyond the first compartment, but Akio had never ventured that far.
The facility, often referred to as a prison rather than a hospital, was divided into five compartments. Each compartment was like a building nested within another, the innermost being where Akio and others like him resided. Moving outward, the compartments grew larger and more enigmatic. Rumor had it that the fifth compartment led to the outside world and housed the masterminds behind the operation. Stories among the residents spoke of demons and monstrous experiments. Akio knew only the confines of his immediate surroundings.
One morning, Jiyu woke up, prepared for the day's exercise routine. The dining area, where everyone gathered, had a door that appeared to lead outside, but it was an illusion—the skies were artificial, and the space was enclosed. The exercise area, with its real grass, harmless squirrels, and a lake for swimming, created an impression of a normal world. Most participants embraced the activities—running laps, playing badminton, participating in relay races—oblivious to their true situation. However, Jiyu saw these activities as a chance to build strength and strategize for potential escape.
During the exercise session, Akio and Jiyu crossed paths. They exchanged glances, but words were unnecessary; their previous conversation lingered unspoken. Jiyu was known for his friendliness and exceptional memory, making him one of the top performers in mental skills. Yet beneath his approachable exterior, he was an enigma—difficult to predict and impossible to fully understand.
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In a room deep within the third compartment, a blonde man observed the hospital's inhabitants on a large screen, displaying footage from all rooms and hallways. Beside him stood another man with a menacing presence. The screens flickered, showing various rooms and individuals under their surveillance.
"They seem to be growing well," the intimidating man commented, his gaze fixed on the screens.
The blonde man responded with a calm, almost cheerful tone, "Not yet, but when the time comes, I know exactly where to begin." His eyes lingered on the screens showing Akio, Jiyu, and a few others. There was a subtle hint of a plan, something brewing beneath the surface, but it remained unspoken.
Later, as the exercise session ended and the participants prepared to leave, Jiyu made a deliberate decision to hide. He slipped away to a part of the field outside the camera's view—a hidden underground bunker concealed beneath rocks and fake grass. Pulling the grass aside, he retrieved a crumpled map from his sock, whispering, "This should be it." His clothes were stained with dust and leaves, but he paid no mind. Concealed in the nearby bushes, he was lucky to evade detection by guards and cameras. He removed the fake grass, opened the door, and descended into the darkness, carefully covering and sealing the entrance behind him. "I will find a way out," he vowed to himself as he ventured into the unknown.
That night, after dinner, the maids began their cleanup in the dining area. Clara, one of the maids introduced earlier, was finishing her tasks alone when the lights suddenly went out. Startled, she noticed a shadowy figure sitting at one of the tables. Summoning her courage, she approached the figure, her heart racing.
"Aren't you supposed to be in your room?" Clara asked, her voice trembling in the darkness. The figure was barely visible, but she could discern that it was of the children.
The unknown person replied in a calm yet resolute tone, "I need answers." Clara's eyes widened in fear, her hands trembling as sweat beaded on her forehead. Her internal thoughts raced, "Why am I so unfortunate?" The tension in the room grew palpable as the two stared at each other, engulfed in darkness.
Meanwhile, in his room, Akio lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The day's events and the cryptic interactions weighed heavily on his mind. Conversations overheard and the enigmatic behavior of those around him fueled his anxiety and curiosity. Realizing that the facility harbored deeper secrets than he had imagined, he felt a surge of both fear and determination. Understanding the true nature of the other compartments was crucial for his survival and escape.
The facility was a maze of secrets, each corridor and compartment holding its own mysteries. As Akio's mind raced with questions and theories, his resolve hardened. The shadows seemed to close in around him, but his determination remained unshaken. The journey to uncover the hospital's secrets had only just begun.
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