They paid me $12,000 to go through hell

The world was in economic ruin when I received the call from Industrial Research and Development. 13 trillion dollars in debt, no savings, no retirement. My 61-year-old neighbor, Mrs. Lovett, had just been evicted from her house by the government, because they needed it for someone else. Someone who could pay taxes on it. That’s why I took the job. “I’m looking for someone willing to go through… a test.” Said the man on the phone. He didn’t tell me his name, and I didn’t ask. I was already breaking about a dozen laws by agreeing to speak with him in the first place. “Oh?” I said. “What kind of test?” “Are you interested or not, miss? I don’t have all day.” He sounded like a busy man. “I’m sorry, what was that?” He sounded like he had a paper bag over his head. “I said I am.” “Good. There are many people who have taken this test before you, and all have come out successful. You will be put through several simulations. You may be asked to do things that will seem unpleasant.” “I said I am.” “Very well. Here are the rules. In the house you will be placed in, you will find several rooms. Your primary objective is to complete the simulations in the rooms. You will be monitored by us at all times.” “Okay, got it.” “Do not try to exit the house or call for help. The walls and doors are impenetrable. If you try to do so, your family will be hurt.” “That’s okay. I won’t try to leave. How are my family involved in this test anyway?” “You don’t need to know that. Just be assured that nothing bad will happen to them. They will be completely unharmed at the end of this test.” “Alright. I have another question.” “Go on.” “How does this test work?” “We use a special machine that simulates all of the unpleasant things you might experience. Nothing in our machine is real. It is all just pretend. The simulations will seem very real to you, but they are not.” “I understand.” I didn’t. But I had to take the job. “Very well. Your simulations will begin shortly. You will be picked up in fifteen minutes. Also, please be warned that you will experience some side effects from the drug that will be given to you. You may see some strange things.” “Strange things?” “The machine may show you some things that aren’t real.” “I see.” “That’s all. Good luck.” “Thank you.” I hung up the phone and went into the living room. My kids were sitting on the couch, and my husband was lying on the recliner. We lived in a three bedroom apartment, with our youngest sister living with us. My family was all I had. I couldn’t let anything happen to them. My oldest sister, Kate, was 25. She was a college student. She was going to finish her degree this semester, and would hopefully find a good job after graduation. She was dating a boy named Tim. I loved Tim. He was so kind, always giving her money and taking her on dates. I worried about Kate a lot, because she was so poor. She lived in a dorm, and had to walk to class every morning, even in the rain. I worried about her catching pneumonia. Then there was my other sister, Rachel. Rachel was only 13, but I took care of her. I would buy her food, and I’d make sure she went to bed on time every night. I’d help her with her homework. I loved Rachel. I had to protect her. And of course, there was my parents. My father is 51. He has a very stressful job, working for a large insurance company. He works 8 hours a day, and sometimes even stays late at the office. He earns well, and provides for us. But he’s getting older, and he’ll soon have to retire. I couldn’t let anything happen to him, or we would be ruined. My mother was 49. She’s a stay at home mom, but she used to work as a nurse. She still worked part-time at the hospital, just a few hours a week, to help pay the bills. She’s kind to everyone, always volunteering at charity events and donating money to people who need it. She’s always been a hard worker, and she deserves a break. So that’s my family. That’s who I was protecting when I agreed to the test. I had to save them. A car pulled up in the parking lot in front of our apartment. I got up and peeked through the window. It was a black van with tinted windows. A man in a suit was standing next to it. “I’ll bet that’s them.” Said my husband. I nodded. I picked up my purse and walked into my parents’ room. My mother and father were lying in bed. “Goodbye, honey.” Said my mother. “Be careful.” “I will.” I said. “I know you’ll be fine. You’re very smart.” “I hope so.” I smiled at them. I came back into the living room, where my husband was standing. My sisters were still sitting on the couch. “I’ll call you when I get there.” I said. “Okay.” Said my husband. “I love you all.” “We love you.” Said Kate. I opened the front door and walked out into the hallway. The man in the suit was standing next to the elevator. He smiled at me. “I’m here to take you somewhere.” He said. “Okay.” I stepped into the elevator. He followed me in and pushed a button for the ground floor. “Where are we going?” I asked. “We’re picking up the others.” He said. The elevator doors slid open, and we stepped out into the ground floor. We walked outside to the van, where the other man was waiting. There were two other people standing next to him. One man, one woman. They smiled at me. “Hi.” Said the man. “My name is Mr. Jenkins. This is Ms. Jenkins.” I nodded at them. The two men walked over to the other car that was parked in the parking lot. It was a red convertible. A girl was sitting in the car. She smiled at me. “Hi.” Said the girl. “Hi.” I said back. The men opened the doors to our cars and got into them. Mr. Jenkins started the van and backed it up. The convertible drove out of the parking lot, and the van followed it. “What are your names?” I asked the girl. “Liz.” Said the girl. “Sarah.” I said. We chatted for a while, talking about our lives and our families. Liz was from a wealthy family, so she and I had some big differences. But she was a kind girl. I liked her. After a while, we came to a big street. It was lined on both sides with houses. In one of the houses, a light was flashing. “Stop the car.” Said Mr. Jenkins. The convertible stopped, and we both got out of the cars. The two men got out of their cars and walked towards the house. We followed them. The front door opened, and a woman was standing in the doorway. “Welcome.” Said the woman. “Please come in.” We all walked towards her, and she stepped out of the way. We all walked into the house. Inside, the house was decorated nicely. There were flowers everywhere, and the walls were painted white. The woman closed the front door and turned around to face us. “I am Dr. Marlene Fletcher.” She said. “Nice to meet you.” Said Mr. Jenkins. “The others are in the living room.” Said Dr. Fletcher. “Please come this way.” She turned around and walked down a hallway. We all followed her. At the end of the hallway was a big door. Dr. Fletcher opened the door and stepped inside. We all followed her in. The room was decorated nicely. There was a fireplace at one end of the room, and a piano at the other. The walls were painted white, and there were flowers everywhere. There were several chairs lined up against the walls of the room. Eight chairs, to be exact. Ours were the last two people to show up. The eight other people in the room smiled at us. There were four men, and four women. They smiled at us, then turned their attention to the chairs. “I suppose we have everyone now.” Said Dr. Fletcher. “Please sit in the chairs.” We both walked over to the chairs, then sat down. The other eight people had already sat down. There were eight chairs occupied, leaving just two empty chairs. Dr. Fletcher smiled at us. “The two of you, come here, please.” She said. Liz and I stood up, then walked over to Dr. Fletcher. The other eight people all looked at us as we passed by them. “Who are these people?” I whispered to Liz. “I don’t know.” She whispered back. “I’m going to give each of you a brief description of the test.” Said Dr. Fletcher. “Please listen carefully.” She walked over to a chair and sat down in it. She placed her elbows on the armrests and put her hands together. She placed her chin on her hands and looked at us. “The first simulation

They paid me $12,000 to go through hell

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