The Glitch

A sudden rush of panic washed over me as I awoke.

My heart was about to burst through my chest. Harsh, ragged breaths escaped my throat. I came to the terrifying realization that I had no clue where I was.

I frantically checked my surroundings. The street was empty. Streetlamps ahead created a dim glow. The bushes lining the walkway were dusted with a thin layer of snow. They swayed gently in the cool, gentle breaths of the wind. The faint sound of horns and engines lingered in the distance and bounced off the walls of the tall, looming skyscrapers that watched over me.

I patted the sidewalk around me, trying to feel for a dry patch. Instead, all I felt was the slick grip of ice beneath me.

“Must have slipped,” I muttered to myself. I carefully pushed myself to my feet and continued on my trek.

But where was I going?

I combed through my brain, desperately trying to find an answer.

I touched the back of my scalp with my hand in an attempt to determine the severity of my fall. There was no blood; my hand remained dry and pale.

As my mind spun with endless possibilities about the fall, my stomach unleashed a monstrous growl.

I laughed; all of my questions had been answered.

I wanted to go get food.

In our fridge at home, no food remained. It was barren, a wasteland. While my parents were asleep, I had decided to use the cover of darkness to sneak out and obtain the gold my stomach craved.

As I turned the corner, something caught my eye.

Ahead stood a beautiful, glowing, cyan rose.

I ran, letting the rose bathe me in all of its ethereal glory.

Particles were emitted from the rose; they almost looked like pixels. In this place, it strangely appeared to be snowing backwards. Almost like it was snowing into the sky. If I stared at the rose long enough, it seemed to glitch.

Instinctively, I reached out to touch this strange flower. Upon touching it, a surge of electricity raced through my arm, causing me to shriek.

“Holy,” I cussed, shaking my arm. A flower that could emit... electricity?

I stared at the flower in awe and fear. What was this thing?

Before I even had time to get a closer look, a strong pair of arms wrapped around my torso and threw me into what appeared to be a van.

Bang!

I didn’t even have enough time to scream as the doors were shut. The click of a lock sent a wave of panic through me.

As the vehicle lurched forward, I could hear the rough, muffled voice of a male.

“We found the glitch... Yes, we did get her... Yes, she was the only one involved.”

I focused all my attention on his words.

“We’ll be there soon.” There was the familiar beep of a call being hung up.

I shivered. What should I do? I couldn’t die yet!

I pulled out a strand of my long, amber-coloured hair. If things got worse, at least the police would have some evidence.

The vehicle screeched to a halt, and the doors flew open.

Outside stood a tall, pale, slender woman. She wore black business attire and had her ebony hair tied up into a tight, slick bun.

“Come with me, Aubrey,” she said. Her voice was smooth and silky.

The man from earlier grabbed my wrist and dragged me along. He was extremely buff; the shadow of muscles could be seen from under his suit.

“How do you know my name?” I stuttered.

The girl let out a chuckle as we entered a huge building that was filled with numerous people wearing white lab coats. Television screens sat on a wall, on each screen was footage of a person.

“Dear, I know everything."

A wave of shivers ran down my spine.

“Now, please, sit. I need to talk to you.”

I was led to another room and seated in a dark velvet chair that was connected to a strange metal device. The room reminded me of a jail cell; it was dark and smelt musty. Stools and numerous small, metal machines were crowded in a corner.

“This won’t hurt,” the woman promised. She brought down the machine and attached two cold, square metal plates to the side of my head.

“It’s to stop the pain,” she mentioned. “I heard you hit your head pretty hard; this machine will provide some comfort.”

She wheeled out something that looked similar to an IV drip. She forcefully turned my palm upwards, then stuck the needle into one of the veins in my arm.

At the shrill shriek that escaped my lips, she released a comforting smile.

“Don’t worry, hunny; this will help the painkillers get into your body faster.”

I smiled, signaling to her that I understood.

“Now,” she started, “I bet you’re wondering why you’re here. That is what I’m here to educate you on.”

She brought over a stool, then continued.

“What you witnessed is considered a glitch in our system. Our system is the world. The world is simply nothing more than a carefully controlled and moderated simulation. When you touched the rose, it alerted our system. That is how we found you. If you were to tell someone about what you saw, our credibility would be on the line. I can’t have that. So, simply put, we’re going to perform a little operation."

If I were sane, I would have flared to life and gotten out of that hell. No matter how much I wanted to at that moment, I couldn’t. My body and mind were in some drugged sense of comfort. I wanted nothing more than sleep.

“You won’t even remember being here, and you won’t even remember this conversation. We’ll just go into your hippocampus and remove the memories.”

The woman smiled as my reality turned dark.

“Goodnight, Aubrey. Stay warm and sweet dreams.”