Darien signed up for the experiment, when he arrived he was guided to an empty room and told to touch the computer screen, read the instructions and agree to conditions of the test.
He touched the screen. It lit up and after asking for his personal identification number and gender, it scrolled along with a description that he was going to be testing the effect of a specific climate on his body. Darien clicked the understand button and it went on to inform him that he would have a choice of the environment, but that for testing purposes he would have to be naked. Two buttons showed up, one read 'Click here when you have removed your clothing', and the other one said, 'I no longer wish to be part of this experiment.'
Darien clicked agree, and read that the exit door would lead him to the options room and from there he would be able to select what environment he wanted to test. His clothing would be on other side and then he would be required to fill out a short simple survey about his experience. There were safeguards and he would never be in any danger.
He opened the door seeing a wide range of doors in front of him. A soft neutral voice intoned that doors with red lettering were for female participants, blue lettering for male participants, and gray lettering were in active or already in use. He walked along the doors noticing a balance of red and blue lettering, and several in gray. He went back to the beginning focusing on blue letters and touched a door that said D: Dark. He had been afraid of the dark as a child and felt a tremble go down his spine as the neutral voice intoned, "Environment selected, enjoy your experience."
Darien stepped into the darkness, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim lighting of what appeared to be a mausoleum. He stepped carefully, the air was chill and he swore he could hear someone watching him. He wished he had a flashlight or something as he stepped on unseen soft moss and other things he didn’t wish to think about.
It was creepy in here and he could feel his pulse racing, and was imagining all sorts of things that could be hiding in the dark. Could they see him, even though he couldn’t see them?
Darla was cloaked in black and was monitoring his responses. She had excellent night vision and preferred working at night. His heartbeat was rapid, and his breathing shallow. She puzzled over the readings, until she realized he was scared. She wanted to reassure him, to make him feel at home in the dark as she was. “Relax,” her throat was dry and the words came out as a hiss of sound.
“Whose there?” he nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to the sound. There deep in the shadows he thought he could make out the outline of a figure.
His body tensed, his blood pounding in his veins, feeling the adrenaline rush through his body. He watched as she emerged from the shadows. She was cute, he thought, petite and clad in a form fitting black garment.
She smiled, forgetting about how her vampire like teeth affected people.
Darien’s eyes went wide as she flashed her white teeth, seeing the sharp canines. He wasn’t supposed to be in any danger, his body responded even as he knew she wasn’t real, was she? His mind asked as she stepped closer and closer.
Damn, she cursed herself, when she had signed on for this; she had not considered all the potential for shit like this to happen. He was frozen like a deer caught by headlights.
