Paint, electricity and a human being

 

She was standing in a room. In a poorly lit room.

As her eyes got used to the gloom, she could see some pillars forming a circle around a built-in basin. A few pale, dark lights shone out of it, spreading a veil of mystery.

To one side stood an object that looked like a transparent shower cubicle. Two glass spheres were linked above the basin and attached to a mixing console.

Curious, she risked a step on the lukewarm floor to get a better look of thee unfamiliar room. Many questions buzzed in her head. She screwed up her eyes, trying to come up with a logical explanation.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, two strong arms enclosed her body. She felt that the stranger was clearly taller and more powerful than her. Nevertheless, she tried to hit back at him, but there was no chance to wiggle free. He forced her into the glass cabinet and closed it. Now she was standing face to face to her assailant. He was tall, muscular and was wearing a pair of thick black glasses. On the lenses, shiny silver circles danced, like ripples on a pond. An ebony hand, printed upside down, stood out on his white lab coat. His dark trousers matched his plain shoes perfectly.

Desperately, the girl banged her firsts on the glass door, but the man just stared back, unmoved. A few seconds later, he averted his eyes and went with leisurely steps toward the mixing console, where he switched on an extra light and pressed some buttons.

Her pulse began to race, she could not control her heartbeat anymore. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

Then the cabinet rose up and moved atop of the basin. The base, which she was standing on, opened and she splashed down into the cold, icy water. At the same time a grid slid out of the floor, closing the pool and making it impossible for her to escape. Panic gripped the helpless girl. As soon as the grid was in place, it began to charge up with electricity and the noise of the machines grew louder with every second. Eyes wide with terror, she noticed the glass spheres fillinf up with viscous, pitch black paint. She heard a click, as if a lever would have been thrown back, and in a moment the glass spheres were electrified too. Almost immediately, the water began to etch her skin. She screamed again and again, yet she knew he would not lift a finger. The frantic flapping of her arms grew weaker. Exhausted from trying to stay afloat, she knew her energy was soon going to be used up. Outside, the man responded with a theatrical yawn.

All at one, she was lifteg and leviated above the boiling broth, as if it was magic. Unexpectedly, the two glass spheres exploded to set the paint free. They cannoned into her and because of the strength of the current, the paint entered by force. Before she was able to any reaction, before she could fall again into the water, the girl woke up from her nightmare, gasping and sweating. She was safe in bed. But then she noticed on her wrist the same dark imprint, as she had seen on the man's blouse.

The panic returned.