Josh sat in the unremarkable waiting area, nervously jiggling his leg. In his hand, a clipboard with a signed consent sheet, the second one he had filled out - they wanted to be completely sure that he was up for what he had signed up for. And, understandably so - it was especially niche.
He was in his late twenties - short black hair and green eyes. Not the type to go to the gym, but also not overweight.
One particular aspect was that he was to undergo the experience with a stranger of the opposite sex. This had led to quite a long waiting time, whilst they found another participant in the scenario in question - over a year, in fact. However, one day he finally received an email letting him know that this requirement had been fulfilled and requesting he confirm the dates on which he would be available, so they could arrange a time where they are both available.
The production values were high. The company running the production was extremely well funded and highly skilled in creating a fully immersive, but safe experience. Given the amount he paid, he hoped they lived up to the expectation. Certainly, it was not the kind of experience he would want in real life ... and he felt bad for the people who had to undergo it without consent, or safety measures. But, this was his fantasy.
A man in shorts, a t-shirt and a radio headset walked into the waiting area. He explained that the experience was about to start, and he and the other participant would be brought to the first area shortly.
The briefing pack explained the mechanism for emergency exit. Second, whenever the cast or participants needed to break from the scenario, a blue light would be shown around the room. The cast or the participants could turn this light on, using blue buttons that would be within a hands reach. And, in any case that mechanism wasn't available, he were to say "blue", to have the same effect. The man in the shorts reiterated this, to be completely sure that it was understood. He even had one of the buttons on hand to show Josh what they looked like.
This reassured Josh, although, he was still a little nervous. Why did they need so many ways of escaping the scenario?
They both exited the waiting room, and went into another room - this one completely plain, with black walls, an unsealed concrete floor, and two fold out chairs. They asked him to sit down, and put on the blindfold and wait - and that he may be a little while.
As the world went dark, he had a shiver run through him. This was the most exciting thing he had ever done.
* * * * *
Maria had butterflies in her stomach. Confirming the consent checklist again, she was reminded again what kind of a crazy scenario she had signed up for. It was a dream and a nightmare at the same time, and her number one fantasy. Although, she'd never admit it to anyone, not even a partner, normally.
She sat tousling her curly, voluminous light brown hair, her brown eyes gazing into space in the waiting room, imaging what might come next. She bit her lip. She was quite tall, for a girl - almost 5 foot 11 inches - and was often the subject of ridicule. Which she didn't fully understand why this was worthy of such treatment, but was weirdly turned on by people degrading her for a physical feature she had no control over.
All of the forms they filled assured them that through their experience they would not sustain any permanent injury. She was reassured by this, as they obviously have spent a lot of time making the scenario as intense as possible without damaging their participants.
The man with the radio came in to collect her - reading all of the information required, before asking her to join her fellow participant in the room adjacent and put on the blindfold.
As she glanced her fellow participant for the first time, sitting there blindfolded, her heart skipped a beat. This was really happening, and she couldn't wait.
* * * * *
As they both sat, blindfolded in the second waiting area, a woman addressed them.
"Thank you for participating, this is your formal notice that from this point, the scenario is in progress. You've both been briefed on how to escape it if necessary, but I hope that that's not required as we have tailored your experience to bring you to the very edge of your tolerances. The next time you'll hear when you reach the end of your scenario, when I'll say the safe word three times to let you know the scenario has ended."
The woman exited the room.
Josh and Maria both stayed silent. This wasn't a requirement, there just wasn't much to be said.
Suddenly the temperature in the room dropped, and they felt a rush of wind across them, and the smell of automotive air freshener. The sounds of the inside of a van filled the air - the muffled sound of the engine, bump of the wheels over the road. They became aware of a presence near them just as someone took each of their wrists and handcuffed them. The ambiance continued for a moment, until the sounds of the van suggested it was coming to a stop. The click of a wide door being opened, and a man mumbling something.
They each had their handcuffs yanked, forcing them to stand up. They were led from their chairs, and through what felt like a doorway into another area. Gravel crunched under their feet. The air was cold, fresh and smelt of a pine forest. They seemed to walk for a while, turning left and right, until they eventually stepped into another area.
They heard a squeaky metal door close shut as they were led into the area - the floor this time was cold, hard concrete. Their captors had apparently reached their destination and they both stopped - before their hands were pulled up above their heads, and the link between handcuffs clipped into some kind of hook from the ceiling.
* * * * *
Maria stood, hands held up by the handcuffs now attached to the ceiling. The captors were moving around, but she was still blindfolded so she couldn't see what was happening. She could hear Josh's breathing suddenly getting heavier. Then, her blindfold was quickly pulled off - showing the face of one of her captors - an older, larger man, large nose and a bushy mustache and intense dark brown eyes. He made eye contact as soon as the blindfold was removed, pulling her attention to him instantly. After fixing a gaze for a few moments, he walked away. The rest of the room was coming into focus. Stippled cream walls, and an unsealed concrete floor. There were two small, high, barred windows through which only darkness was visible. The room was lit with a single incandescent light bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling.
There were two people were in the room, by a small table to their left. One man, and one woman - both wearing camouflage, possibly military, clothes. The man was rummaging through a box, and soon found what he was looking for - two pairs of heavy duty bandage scissors. The woman, quite short and petite with a long red ponytail, was moving some other items around out of sight.
The man walked over to Maria, and the woman to Josh. They worked quickly - first cutting through the top upper arms of their shirts, leaving them to flop down exposing their chests. Then, the sides of the shirts, allowing them to be completely removed - and them both topless - without needing to remove any restraints. Their clothes were then thrown into a bin in the corner of the room. Next, they went to work on their pants - cutting a long line from the waistband, down the outer leg to the cuff - after doing this on both sides, their pants fell away.
They now both stood only in their underwear and shoes. The fact they were still wearing shoes was, if anything, making the sensation of the cool air on their freshly exposed skin even weirder. At this point, the captors walked away for a moment. Maria took a moment to look at Josh - he was shivering slightly, and obviously very excited, and his face was turning a little red with shyness.