(Viewpoint: Ela)
The corridor seemed longer than before.
Or maybe it was me.
My legs move slowly forward behind the white silhouettes. The fabric of that thing still glides across my field of vision, right in front of me. Slow. Fluid. Silent.
I don't like walking behind her.
Every time I look at her back, I get the impression that there's nothing beneath those layers of fabric. No body. No skin. Just emptiness wrapped in white.
The ceiling always diffuses this perfect light. Without heat. Without shadows.
Even the air looks artificial.
I run a hand along my arm and rub it.
The silence here is so pure that it ends up hurting your ears.
I have a headache.
No footsteps echo from her. No machines creak. No voices pass through the walls.
I feel alone despite all these people
As if this place refused the very existence of disorder.
I lower my eyes slightly.
In the pit, silence never existed.
There was always something. Shouts. Blows. Groans. Bodies being dragged across the wet concrete. Arguments over a scrap of food. The sound of generators slowly dying in the depths.
Despite the darkness, it wasn't dark at our house.
Here…
I only see it now, with time, everything is the same even this time seems dead.
My fingers tense up slightly.
I was blinded by appearances.
That's why you hate this place.
This thought hits me so suddenly that my chest tightens again.
I slow down without realizing it.
The white figure in front of me continues to move forward. Without checking if I'm still there.
As if she were on it.
A movement, at the intersection of this corridor.
I immediately look up.
Pink hair.
My heart skips a beat.
Same height. Same build. Same way of walking.
– …Beta-2…?
My voice comes out on its own.
The person continues to move forward.
My breathing suddenly quickens.
– BETA-2!
I immediately leave the trajectory imposed by the white machines.
Their hands try to grab me but I dodge almost by reflex and run down the corridor.
The sound of my footsteps finally breaks through in this silent place.
I chased the silhouette like a madwoman, she half turned around.
And I catch it.
My fingers close around her arm and I force her to face me.
– Beta-2, listen to me, we have to find Roum, they've been lying to us for–
The words die in my throat.
It's not her.
My body completely froze.
Same hair. Same height, almost the same face.
But not the eyes.
They are empty.
Not cold. Not aggressive.
Just… Absent.
Like those of a doll that had learned to breathe.
I remain motionless, my hand still clinging to his arm.
The person looks at me expressionlessly. Without reacting.
A blue light briefly crossed his throat.
An interface.
I recognize that signal.
Communication blocked.
Her lips moved slightly. As if she were trying to answer.
No sound comes out.
Nothing.
I immediately feel something break inside my chest.
– …non…
My voice is trembling.
I take a step back.
The person tilts their head slightly.
This is definitely not Beta-2
My gaze slowly descends around us.
And I see them.
Behind the windows. Sitting at the back in straight rows.
Dozens.
Identical silhouettes.
Pale hair. Calm faces.
And none of them seem to be speaking.
My eyes widen slightly, I rush forward and knock on the window.
I had never really watched it.
Never really paid attention.
… I was following orders, it was beautiful.
I am suddenly enveloped in a horrible sensation.
It was as if something immense had been watching me from the beginning.
It was as if this whole place was populated by copies.
Living beings… empty.
A hand brutally grabbed my arm.
I immediately jumped.
The white machines.
They found me.
– Let go of me!
I try to pull my arm away, but their fingers tighten their grip.
The fake Beta-2 remains motionless in front of me as if it sees nothing.
The machines dragged me along without emotion, without anger.
Without even curiosity.
for a second…
I really thought I'd found someone.
My eyes feel burning, I feel heavy and embarrassed.
The machines are already starting to pull me down the corridor.
- Wait- !
I gently extend my hand towards her.
– Add me to your community…
No response.
Only that empty stare.
Then its interface flashes once more.
Limited access.
External communication prohibited.
The phrase appears even larger against the transparent wall next to it.
My stomach is in knots.
I slowly lower my hand.
The machines keep pulling me.
And the further we go…
The more I see these silhouettes.
Everywhere.
They all look like humans. Almost perfectly.
But something is still missing.
Their eyes are lifeless.
I feel nausea slowly rising.
– That's strange…
No one is answering.
Obviously, I wasn't talking to anyone.
The white fabric of that thing reappears before me.
She was already waiting for us further down the corridor...
Her long arms hung down along her body like dead branches.
The mask slowly turns towards me.
– N.
I immediately clench my teeth.
– Stop…
My voice breaks slightly.
She tilts her head.
– Are you suffering?
The words pierce me like a cold blade.
Because deep down…
She's right.
Before… I didn't watch.
I was simply surviving.
But now…
I see the details.
This fear is growing inside me.
A slow, deep fear. Thick.
My legs finally slowed down in front of my bedroom door.
The machines are opening.
The coin appears again.
I remain motionless for a few seconds before entering.
I don't want to go back there.
I don't want to be alone with my thoughts anymore.
But the machines are gently pushing me inside.
The door is already starting to close.
And just before it closed completely
This long silhouette infiltrates, this white thing settles in.
Immobile.
To look at me.
Then her voice travels up my back, soft, slow.
– we will stay together, N.
CLACK ! .
The door closes.
And silence returns immediately.
Heavier than before.
I remain standing in the center of the room.
Without moving.
Then slowly…
My legs give way.
I fall and sit on the floor.
My hands are trembling slightly.
And for the first time in a long time…
The dome scares me.