There was only me

Mac Mcdonald. A man of poor upbringing who has worked hard his whole life. He has a beautiful family of his own, which consists of his wife and their son, Tom McDonald. His hard work has paid off as he has risen through the ranks of the military he works for and is now tasked with a special job, which to him means he is now recognised as being amongst the top of the list. He walked out a green door, as behind him the building he was just in would shrink into the form of a dark grey cube, which he picked up and passed to a person in a white coat akin to the outfit of a scientist.

"I'm ready."

Mac said to the person who took the cube, and in response to his words, they nodded. Mac started walking straight on. The current environment was one of sand and heat. A desert where usually nothing of real significance happens; however, today that was about to change as he was about to enter the structure known as Clockwork.

"Remember Mac. This is a chance to build up our reputation even further."

He said to himself to keep his eyes on the prize and make sure he was focused on the goal he had in mind. Eventually Mac would stop before a large wooden door, and above said door was a large clock that moved anti-clockwise. This clock was the reason this massive structure that had a door was called Clockwork.

"I was told to simply wait? Is that really all?"

A few moments after he spoke, the large wooden door would open outward, and without even realising it, Mac was now inside. Immediately, he noted there were many walls set up in a maze-like pattern.

"As strange as this is, there doesn't seem to be much."

Mac heard something and turned, seeing what could only be described as himself standing just outside the entrance, and they seemed to mouth something; however, what Mac realised too late was that the doors were slowly closing as he sprinted with all his might, but unfortunately crashed into the wooden frame and fell backwards.

"I….what?"

He was not told that anything like this would happen, and he attempted several times to push open the door to no avail. He turned around, and with the little amount of light that just seems to defy physics by somehow existing even though there is no way for light to enter this large structure, he would sigh.

"I've got to keep calm. I would`ve brought weapons, but I was told not to by those damn comrades of mine. Maybe this is all a prank? But then again, that does not seem to be the case. There has to be an exit somewhere. Right?"

Mac started walking as he followed along the dull walls and came upon twists and turns every few minutes. Walking and walking were all that he could do until he stopped.

"Hang on. How long has it been now? I feel like a few hours have already passed, but I don't really feel hungry or tired. While that may be a good thing, I cannot help but think that the shadows just outside my sight are moving. Are they moving? Am I moving? Yes. Maybe?"

He took a moment to breathe and calm down before walking once more. As time passed, he felt that the light itself was getting dimmer and that the darkness was reaching towards him. He thought about his family, but something was strange. At the start of this entire thing, he thought he had a perfect family; however, he now realised that his obsession with his job, rankings, and all that stuff may have clouded his mind and that he had not been spending enough time with his family.

"I….was foolish."

He said this as he dropped to the floor. Suddenly, in front of him, a beam of light fired outward, and he saw himself walking into the building. It seemed he had reached the entrance once more.

"....I see."

He made his way just outside the now-opened entrance and was now acting out what he had seen at the start.

"I'm sorry. This is for your own good."

He mouthed to himself before the door shut. Once back at headquarters, he explained the situation and then quit his job, as he had decided to spend more time with the family he was not taking care of as he should have.

Some say clockwork is purgatory in the physical world, while others argue it's a place where you are given another look at yourself and a chance to repent, but in the end, they are all theories.