The Lab Rat: An Original Short Story

And so my soul was slowly drained away, trapping me in the midst of the negative zone, attempting to hold me captive forever, with only an older model cell phone to keep me company. *    *    * Though I received small food rations from my captors, my hunger hardly subsided. I plotted my escape. This barely-liveable place could not hold me forever. *    *    * At long last, I saw it: A chance to escape! The cell guard was vulnerable when he gave me my daily scraps of food. I had to eliminate him silently. As soon as the guard opened the door to give me my meal, I struck, snapping his neck and guiding his body silently to the floor. Now for the main guard. I waited for him to become suspicious at the cell guard's continued absence. I stayed around the corner, then struck when he walked past me. He fell without a sound. *    *    * I soon reached the outside of the prison. Multitudes of filth and decrepitude greeted me. I saw few living souls, most being lost within their own madness. What do I do now...? *    *    * I spotted a guard patrolling in his car. I hid in a nearby alleyway. I saw him park and enter the prison, so I knew the alarm would soon be raised. I cautiously made my way to his car. He had left it unlocked AND left the keys in the ignition! I opened the door and started the car. Suddenly, gunshots rang out! I ducked as low as I could. I heard glass shatter as the bullets blew through the car. I put it in drive and sped off, reaching the freeway in minutes. Good... *    *    * I drove for what seemed like days, though it can't have been more than an hour or so. I drove until I came to a small hotel, renting out a room with the money that the guard had left in the glove compartment. I slept fitfully that night. The escape... It seemed far too easy. Was there something that I was missing? *    *    * They found me. I don't know how, but they did. I'm trapped and out of options. Everything I did was for nothing. How can it end like this...? *    *    * I woke up, gasping for air. I was chained to a chair. The room was small and unlit, save for a small desk lamp. There was a man across from me, face in shadow. "Do you know why you're here?" he inquired. I simply stared, not daring to speak. "Do you happen to realize what you've been a part of? I continued to remain silent. "Well, I suppose that I wouldn't presume to act as though you were part of something big. You have been part of an experiment. You were simply my lab rat; Nothing more." He began to pace. "Humans become feral and revert to a primitive state under certain conditions. We set up these controlled testing environments and gave you limited tools in which  to accomplish your goal. Namely, your escape. Surprisingly, you didn't use the cell phone provided to you and instead relied on your quick wits and some physicality that you must've picked up from the previous tests." I was taken aback. Previous tests? "Your performance was more than satisfactory this time around. Now, however, we must start the trial again. Your mind will be wiped as standard protocol dictates and you'll be given an extra tool for this trial. Perhaps a pocket knife. Enjoy this set of memories while you can."  With that, a door behind me opened and I was dragged to a cell, awaiting my mind wipe. However, a plan occurred to me. *    *    * I'm writing this to myself. The time before my mind wipe is short. I've recorded this story on the phone given to me as the ultimate tool that you can use, so that you can know what's going on, what's going to happen. You can win this fight against this enemy and escape from their inhuman experiments. Now that you know, do whatever it takes to win, to beat them. Already my mind feels fuzzy... Hazy. I feel like my soul is being drained away... *    *    * How long I've been kept captive, I cannot say... END