5 February, 2065
The ability to forget, isn’t that what people wished for?
Doubt.
John took a deep breath and finally decided to explore the rest of the space before settling down to piece together what was going on.
The space he was in wasn’t big. It was enough for a bed, a computer desk, a mini fridge, a standing mirror and enough room to pace around. The walls were thickly covered with erratically placed notes and journal entries that John didn’t understand. The room was meek, the air heavy. There were no windows, only something that seemed to be once a skylight replaced the ceiling, but it was covered and seemingly well hidden. Only a wee, warm light bulb illuminated the whole room.
There was a desk lamp too, only John didn’t bother to see if it worked. The desk had a desk top computer that seemed a little too old for this era, but John’s guts told him it must still be functioning well, especially since gadgets and tech were surprisingly long lasting. Well, at least they lasted longer than memory spans. Some pens sprawled across the table and papers overspilled from the drawers John decided to explore later.
Right outside the room was a tiny square space, just enough room for one person. Maybe two people, if they stood close enough. There wasn’t much choices to choose where you can go. Directly in front of the room was a bathroom, turning right from the room was a staircase that lead upwards. Racks filled the last wall of the square space.
John ventured into the bathroom. It wasn’t the cleanest, but at least it didn’t smell. There was a small, squeaky ventilation fan that let in some light. A lightbulb hung right off the wall. A sink, cabinet mirror, toilet bowl and shower. It was a rather regular bathroom.
There are no notes in here. John thought in relieve.
He also noticed that all the signs showed that he was living by himself. Not surprising for a small space like this. His thoughts drifted to the first note he saw and he wondered if he has a family.
His attention quickly snapped back as he surveyed the Routine Cards along the stairway. They were strangely different, but seemed to be deliberately placed in order. From the bottom of the staircase were cards that seemed to be the oldest, most yellowed and crumpled. The cards got newer and whiter as he ascended the staircase. All of them had different content and different routines, the only similarity being their assignment to the same name: John Dayers.
Except for one card, it was assigned to someone called Wendy Dayers.
Sister? Wife? Whoever she was, John had no clue, and wasn’t even sure if she was still in his life.
The staircase lead to a square metal door hatch. A paper that was attached wrote:
Coordinates and entry passcode tattooed on right forearm. A = 3.
He looked down his forearms and to his surprise, he easily deciphered the code.
With some difficulty, he turned to unlock the tightly locked hatch. It was for sure only unlock-able from the inside. John confirms that this place is a secret that is probably only meant for him.
He took a peek at the outside world and sunlight flooded his sight. He lived beyond a fence. Across the fence was a variety of buildings which all seemed pretty normal. Maybe… Just a bit too normal. It was a fine day in California, but it wasn’t the day John was going to go out, not just yet.
He stepped back into the room and heaved a sigh, wondering what went on with him when he last pasted a piece of journal on the wall.
