It was a Saturday night in October when Matt got the letter in the mail. His small, cluttered apartment stood out in stark contrast to the carefully detailed formal letter resting in between his fingers. Matt walked back up his broken stairs and carefully unwrapped his letter. The letter had no mailing address, but Matt didn’t think twice about it. He believed that it was simply a mistake and that such a perfect letter could not be for someone as Boeing and average as himself. The letter fell open and in it the words read, “Dinner. 7:00 PM November 9th. Driver will be waiting outside. $1000 will be gifted to you upon arrival”. Normally Matt would’ve snatched the lettering off the floor by now and stuffed it as deep down into his kitchen trash can as it could go, but for some reason. Matt was intrigued. His dry life had begun to wear on him. He was 32 and unemployed, living in a apartment off the lower east side that his parents had rented out for him. He had no name for himself or a job. It was a lonely life with nothing to show for it. Matt decided in that moment that he had had enough, he desperately needed money and this could be the perfect out. He put the letter on the table and marked the date in his calendar. Rebecca received the letter Tuesday night in late October. She believed that her letter was simply for a blind date. She thought the man was probably wealthy and had took notice to her when she was out and about. Rebecca lived a elegant lifestyle full of porcelain and gold, so she was used to money as a form of flattery. With her love life seemingly in a roadblock, she thought this was the perfect opportunity to meet the man of her dreams. She believed that the letter was archaic in a way, but didn’t think much of it. She supposed it could be a old friend she ran into at the grocery store earlier, but then again she wasn’t sure about this either. Her curiosity got the best of her and she immediately got out her phone and marked her calendar.
Mallory was next on the sequences to get a letter. When she got it, she was going for her daily run and coffee break before a long day at work started up. Mallory was a seamstress and owned her own small little seamstress store on Main Street. She was in her mid forties and lived a pretty calm life. Her husband worked for a big hardware company before retiring early. Mallory decided against kids, stating to her friends that they were simply not for her. Mallory doesn’t seem to have anything that would cause her to want to attend a dinner with a strange person, but she is sick of her boring lifestyle. The letter, like the others, contained no handwritten writing or addresses on it.
November 9th
Matt suspiciously stepped out of his house dressed for leisure in a hoodie and sweatpants. He seemed not to care about the importance of the occasion and more about how hard it would be to obtain the money. Outside of his ramshackle apartment, a shiny limousine is waiting on the side of the road, across from his house. Matt had never seen a limousine up close. He had always believed limousines were for the wealthy in New York. Tentatively, he opened the limos door and climbed into the back. The driver, dressed in a red velvet and black tux and black sunglasses said nothing to Matt, just glanced at his outfit and made a “tsk” of disapproval. The limo lurched into gear and began down the busy New York street.
Rebecca left her house that night in a long fitted black gown with pearls draped around her neck. She noticed the limo parked outside of her large Victorian house, that sits in upstate New York. She carefully waltzed down the porch steps and to the doors of the car. She stood outside of the vehicle for a couple minutes, waiting to see a head bob out of the car and open the door ever-so-nicely for her. Nobody came out from the car. She eventually gave up and swung open the glossy door and sat inside the leather seats. His silence irked her and she couldn’t sit still for the rest of the ride.
Mallory wore a plain black cardigan with jeans for her supposed “night out”. She wasn’t fully sure what she was getting herself into, but it gave her a adrenaline rush, unlikes anything any of her runs had given her. She felt young, spontaneous, and adventurous as she stepped out of her cape styled house and trotted to the limousine. The driver quickly glanced back and then sped off with a terrified Mallory in the back.
The individuals all arrived at the mansion in time for dinner. They all exited their limousines and were greeted by extravagant fountains and a manicured lawn. All of them gasped out of disbelief and shock. Nothing in New York is even comparable to this gargantuan house. They began to wonder what exactly was there purpose for going there. All three arrived at different times and all of them met each-other inside the mansion. Mallory, Matt, and Rebecca all searched up and down the house trying to find another would, but nobody could be found. Mallory was confused as the why exactly she out of all people was invited here. She simply didn’t fit in with Matt and Rebecca. Matt and Rebecca were questioning the whole experience as well. Matt looked down and noticed that his watch only read 6:55. The group still had five minutes to determine if this was a sick prank or a actual dinner.
“Why me?” Mallory sighed quietly in the entryway.
“Why you? More like why me?! This is a really sick joke if we get framed for breaking and entering or trespassing into a random’s house!” Rebecca whined back.
“It’s still 6:57 Rebecca, we have 3 more minutes until the dinner begins” Mallory snaps back.
“I can’t wait any longer. This is ridiculous and a complete lie!” Screams Rebecca.
Just as Rebecca finished her sentence, the intercom within the house booms instructions. It says “Go to your seat at the dinner table and wait there.”. Mallory, Matt, and Rebecca both share a nervous glance, but nobody leads into the fact that all of them are completely terrified. Mallory takes a seat at her chair, Rebecca at hers, and Matt at his chair. Suddenly, a black screen emerges from a panel in the wall.
“Hello Mallory, Matt, Rebecca. How nice of you to join us. This is the United States Government.” The black screen bellows.
The trio looks at each-other in fear and confusion is in the air.
“We have carefully selected groups of 3 people around the country with average backgrounds to be our test subjects. You all live fairly normal and uninteresting lives therefore this will provide you with the money you need to succeed. All that we ask is for you to watch our house. Nothing more, nothing less. We will give you $5000 each for every room you have to cover. This will be used as a experiment to test our latest new technology as well as housesit.
If you choose yes you can pick up the box in front of you and attach the chip to your neck” The machine read.
Mallory had already booked it to the door and back into the limousine by the time the television was even done talking. She was close to home and had accepted that being there was not for her.
Matt, though, grabs the box in the center table and slowly opens it. Inside, sits a small microchip with metal rods sticking out the right side of it. Matt quickly dug the metal rods into his flesh and planting the chip into his neck. He yelped out of pain and shock.
“Thank you for your time, Matt” the machine rumbled.
Rebecca looked horrified as she ran out of the dining room and out the door to her own limo. She had simply came for a date and had to experience way more than a rich girl should have to.
The machine began counting down from ten and each time the number dropped Matt swore to himself that he heard voices in the hallway talking. He was ecstatic, maybe it was other humans other than Mallory and Rebecca. When he rounded the corner though, a million beetles flew out of the vent on the far left side of the room. The insects darted up and down the walls and straight onto him. One of his worst fears, beetles, had finally came true. He choked as beetles swarmed around him and took comfort in landing on the ceiling. He shut his eyes and then opened them to see a large swimming pool resting right in the middle of the living room. Matt can not believe his eyes and is full of fear and hatred after the beetles situation. The only thing that keeps Matt in the game is the money. He knows that he needs to get these $5000 checks in order to support himself and move out of his moms apartment. The pool looked like a average below ground kid attraction. Matt got closer out of curiosity and a old hand reached out and latched onto his neck. He fell forwards, face first into the cold and deep waters of the pools deep end. The hand around his neck gripped tighter and tighter together, causing Matt to squirm and break free of the grasp. He closed his eyes at the surface of the water and gasped for breath. The next thing he new he woke up on the couch. Matt had had enough. His two biggest fears had come alive with the help of that ear piece. Matt ripped the metal wires out of his neck with both hands, chasing blood to spurt all over the white marble floors. He collected his jacket and sprinted through the mansion and out of the door. The limo was waiting in the exact same sport as earlier. When Matt got in, the limo driver sighed and said “I couldn’t watch the house either.”
Mallory was next on the sequences to get a letter. When she got it, she was going for her daily run and coffee break before a long day at work started up. Mallory was a seamstress and owned her own small little seamstress store on Main Street. She was in her mid forties and lived a pretty calm life. Her husband worked for a big hardware company before retiring early. Mallory decided against kids, stating to her friends that they were simply not for her. Mallory doesn’t seem to have anything that would cause her to want to attend a dinner with a strange person, but she is sick of her boring lifestyle. The letter, like the others, contained no handwritten writing or addresses on it.
November 9th
Matt suspiciously stepped out of his house dressed for leisure in a hoodie and sweatpants. He seemed not to care about the importance of the occasion and more about how hard it would be to obtain the money. Outside of his ramshackle apartment, a shiny limousine is waiting on the side of the road, across from his house. Matt had never seen a limousine up close. He had always believed limousines were for the wealthy in New York. Tentatively, he opened the limos door and climbed into the back. The driver, dressed in a red velvet and black tux and black sunglasses said nothing to Matt, just glanced at his outfit and made a “tsk” of disapproval. The limo lurched into gear and began down the busy New York street.
Rebecca left her house that night in a long fitted black gown with pearls draped around her neck. She noticed the limo parked outside of her large Victorian house, that sits in upstate New York. She carefully waltzed down the porch steps and to the doors of the car. She stood outside of the vehicle for a couple minutes, waiting to see a head bob out of the car and open the door ever-so-nicely for her. Nobody came out from the car. She eventually gave up and swung open the glossy door and sat inside the leather seats. His silence irked her and she couldn’t sit still for the rest of the ride.
Mallory wore a plain black cardigan with jeans for her supposed “night out”. She wasn’t fully sure what she was getting herself into, but it gave her a adrenaline rush, unlikes anything any of her runs had given her. She felt young, spontaneous, and adventurous as she stepped out of her cape styled house and trotted to the limousine. The driver quickly glanced back and then sped off with a terrified Mallory in the back.
The individuals all arrived at the mansion in time for dinner. They all exited their limousines and were greeted by extravagant fountains and a manicured lawn. All of them gasped out of disbelief and shock. Nothing in New York is even comparable to this gargantuan house. They began to wonder what exactly was there purpose for going there. All three arrived at different times and all of them met each-other inside the mansion. Mallory, Matt, and Rebecca all searched up and down the house trying to find another would, but nobody could be found. Mallory was confused as the why exactly she out of all people was invited here. She simply didn’t fit in with Matt and Rebecca. Matt and Rebecca were questioning the whole experience as well. Matt looked down and noticed that his watch only read 6:55. The group still had five minutes to determine if this was a sick prank or a actual dinner.
“Why me?” Mallory sighed quietly in the entryway.
“Why you? More like why me?! This is a really sick joke if we get framed for breaking and entering or trespassing into a random’s house!” Rebecca whined back.
“It’s still 6:57 Rebecca, we have 3 more minutes until the dinner begins” Mallory snaps back.
“I can’t wait any longer. This is ridiculous and a complete lie!” Screams Rebecca.
Just as Rebecca finished her sentence, the intercom within the house booms instructions. It says “Go to your seat at the dinner table and wait there.”. Mallory, Matt, and Rebecca both share a nervous glance, but nobody leads into the fact that all of them are completely terrified. Mallory takes a seat at her chair, Rebecca at hers, and Matt at his chair. Suddenly, a black screen emerges from a panel in the wall.
“Hello Mallory, Matt, Rebecca. How nice of you to join us. This is the United States Government.” The black screen bellows.
The trio looks at each-other in fear and confusion is in the air.
“We have carefully selected groups of 3 people around the country with average backgrounds to be our test subjects. You all live fairly normal and uninteresting lives therefore this will provide you with the money you need to succeed. All that we ask is for you to watch our house. Nothing more, nothing less. We will give you $5000 each for every room you have to cover. This will be used as a experiment to test our latest new technology as well as housesit.
If you choose yes you can pick up the box in front of you and attach the chip to your neck” The machine read.
Mallory had already booked it to the door and back into the limousine by the time the television was even done talking. She was close to home and had accepted that being there was not for her.
Matt, though, grabs the box in the center table and slowly opens it. Inside, sits a small microchip with metal rods sticking out the right side of it. Matt quickly dug the metal rods into his flesh and planting the chip into his neck. He yelped out of pain and shock.
“Thank you for your time, Matt” the machine rumbled.
Rebecca looked horrified as she ran out of the dining room and out the door to her own limo. She had simply came for a date and had to experience way more than a rich girl should have to.
The machine began counting down from ten and each time the number dropped Matt swore to himself that he heard voices in the hallway talking. He was ecstatic, maybe it was other humans other than Mallory and Rebecca. When he rounded the corner though, a million beetles flew out of the vent on the far left side of the room. The insects darted up and down the walls and straight onto him. One of his worst fears, beetles, had finally came true. He choked as beetles swarmed around him and took comfort in landing on the ceiling. He shut his eyes and then opened them to see a large swimming pool resting right in the middle of the living room. Matt can not believe his eyes and is full of fear and hatred after the beetles situation. The only thing that keeps Matt in the game is the money. He knows that he needs to get these $5000 checks in order to support himself and move out of his moms apartment. The pool looked like a average below ground kid attraction. Matt got closer out of curiosity and a old hand reached out and latched onto his neck. He fell forwards, face first into the cold and deep waters of the pools deep end. The hand around his neck gripped tighter and tighter together, causing Matt to squirm and break free of the grasp. He closed his eyes at the surface of the water and gasped for breath. The next thing he new he woke up on the couch. Matt had had enough. His two biggest fears had come alive with the help of that ear piece. Matt ripped the metal wires out of his neck with both hands, chasing blood to spurt all over the white marble floors. He collected his jacket and sprinted through the mansion and out of the door. The limo was waiting in the exact same sport as earlier. When Matt got in, the limo driver sighed and said “I couldn’t watch the house either.”