What Can Flesh Do to Me?

The 'opening night' concluded in the main area of the Dome, and all citizens and guests - all who were registered upon entry or when purchasing items in a shop, had a designated sleeping area, like suites in a hotel. He started considering the Dome as an endless hotel/shopping mall/show stage, open to all who wanted to stay in and wait the harsh sun out, all necessary facilities in one. He went to the information desk in the entrance area to satisfy some questions he had been pondering on. He went up the escalators again and was hit with a taste of the extreme heatwave that was raging outside, as he approached the guy at the front desk. He was fiddling with a pen and began tapping it in the desk. He seemed bored.

"Hey, you're that 'bear dude' from before! Almost did not recognize you in that... Well, outfit", he blurted out, super-stoked to have someone to talk to, while simultaneously making fun of his fashion sense. "Yeah, you snuck in here all 'stealthy' before, it was practically impossible to not see you. We could all see you! The cleaning lady had a good laugh after we realized you weren't actually a grizzly bear", he said, snickering. He instantly pulled himself together. "Sorry, sir. Can I help you in any way?", he asked in a professional manner, while adjusting his uniform and his slick, blond, half-long hair. He subtly picked up his phone, and held it upwards on the counter, probably trying to take his picture without him noticing.

"First, please do not take my picture", he said, trying to hold everything together and not viciously assault him. He was more than a little embarrassed, and silently put away his phone again. "Second - please tell me what room I am in". The dude - 'Jackson', his name plate said - asked him to see his wrist to scan it. A few seconds passed by.

"Mister... 'Xi'. Room 'EG8992' is yours", he informed. "You sure do not look like a 'Xi'...", he muttered under his breath, clearly meant to annoy him, or maybe this peculiar guy simply took pleasure in offending or having pokes at people. "You are on a 'Fire Opal' membership, and your breakfast will be on the 2nd floor", he said.

He looked at him, clearly confused, and then looked past him, at the interactive map of the building behind him, but it did no tell him how to find his room, or even where on the 2nd floor the breakfast area was. Or what the different levels of memberships were.

"Yes? Anything else?", the snarky receptionist asked, looking back up at his counterpart across the service desk from whatever he was doing on his PC.

"Yes, where is the...", he stopped. "Nevermind, I'll figure it out myself", he sighed, and walked back to the escalators, embarking on yet another mission. He then went over to a stand that looked like it served street food of some kind, as he knew he needed to put something in his belly - as the last thing he had eaten, was a dry sandwich at the holding cell. His stomach was practically screaming for nutrition.

"Hello, miss...", he got out to one of the cashiers, before he heard the sound of a voice that sounded familiar. So familiar he froze and looked over at where the voice came from, and it was another of the cashiers - she was attending to another customer. "Matilda..?", he asked, both surprised and carefully, stuttering, as if he had to check if she was who he thought she was. She was, seemingly, equally shocked, and looked right at him over the shoulder of the old guy purchasing a small tub of lamb stew.

"Peik..?", she stuttered, before she smiled the warmest smile, and took off her visor. Then she looked around anxiously, inspecting her surroundings carefully. Peik was up next in the queue, and he was rendered speechless. She tried waving at him to reestablish their contact, and he snapped out of it. "Sir", she said with a formal tone. "What would you like?", she asked him, and showed him the pasta carbonara, pastries with fillings, as well as what the old guy from before had ordered.

"Tilda? What are you doing here? Do you work here?", he asked, still in shock. She smiled professionally, maintained a straight posture, and insisted on keeping up the formal tone in their conversation.

"Sir, please order if you intend to remain in the line. We have other customers after you, and we close up soon", she informed. He looked at her with disappointment but realized he had to get something, and - hopefully - speak to her after her shift.

"Yes, I'll have the stew, please", he said, and had her get him some grub. He awkwardly put his underarm up on the counter, and she scanned it to take the payment. Then, he went to sit down at a table, all alone, one eye on Tilda. She was wiping her brow, putting pastries in a quick oven, smiling her sweet smile at all customers, and, finally, she and her colleagues began cleaning ovens, dishes and open surfaces.

He finished up his meal, which was delightful. Bell peppers, bamboo sprouts and rice, covered in a nice pepper sauce. He ate it all, and then, became aware of the ink that was smudged out on his one hand. He was confused for a second, but then, he began inspecting the side of the plate. And yes, there was something in writing there. He had held the plate with that left hand, and he had smudged the writing out, but he could clearly tell what was written: "Room T133 at 11:15". And she had gone somewhere now, without him noticing, which could mean she had gone to that room to wait for him. The small food stand was dark and empty now.

He got up and rushed to a map of the floors he had spotted earlier, and he found room T133 after some eager searching and walked to a long hallway, where most doors said "Staff only", and he got to the correct room. It said the same thing, but still he went in there. It was a small lounge that looked like a lunch break area. Tilda was in there, removing her make-up.

"H-hello..?", he asked cautiously, expecting to meet other people as well. But she answered, and told him to come in, and assured them they were alone. He sat down in a hard chair, and she finished up to come and join him. They said their 'hellos' again, and she hugged him hard.

"What are you doing here?", she asked, still surprised, and cutting right to the chase.

"I could ask you the same. I haven't seen you in, what - 11 or 12 years, right?", Peik said. "I'll tell you more, but can you please tell me what is going on here? I understand that all the people in town have to come here because of the radiation outside of here, but why are they doing game shows?", he asked intensely, wanting answers. She held her index finger to her mouth, and asked him to whisper.

"I am not quite sure what actually happens to the 'participants' that are in them, but they do it to entertain the people", she said. "In the rooms, there is a live reality game show being held, that follows all chosen contestants constantly. The entire Complex is rigged with cameras and other surveillance equipment, and they pick their contestants at random, following them through the entire week in all they do - for all we know, you could be one of them. They change the contest every year - last year, it concluded with a gigantic obstacle course in the middle of the contest and show area", she told him.

He looked confused and felt as though someone else was watching him and listening in on their conversation. "Ok, but when does it start? Has it begun already?", he asked, now shaking a bit.

"We won't know. Maybe", she said, shrugging her shoulders. Red lights came on, and they were flashing constantly, growing stronger and stronger. "That means it's bedtime, everyone has to make their way to their rooms", she said and hurried them out. The lights were flashing all through the corridor and in the main area.

"What happens if I stay up all night?", he asked, as she was trying to find his room to help him out.

"You will be caught, and they will make you go to bed", she answered, in a concerned tone. They found his room, they said their 'goodbyes' and 'good nights'. He went in and found a quite spacious bedroom, an integrated kitchen with fridge, a clean and new bathroom, light blue walls and tiles all over. He got undressed and went straight to bed.

Then, he heard a creak in the floor. The entire bed began moving ever-so-slightly towards the opposite wall. He got up on his knees in the bed, which was still moving, like it was being pushed. He put a hand to the wall behind the bed and found the entire wall was moving in on him and the bed, and the bedframe was now being crushed between the two walls. He ran to the door, where the chip reader was blinking a furious red. It would not react at all to his wrist chip, and the wall was soon beginning to cover the door too, and coming in on him as well, there was almost no room to move. The bed got crushed to splinters and pieces, and he looked into the bathroom. The walls stood still in there, and he jumped in and just about managed to close the door behind him.

A voice sounded: "Congratulations, contestant. You have been chosen. Find the lock and the key to complete the first challenge. Good luck!", it said, and went silent again. He was caught again, this time being held in a hotel bathroom, turned 'escape room'. At least there was water.