You ever see those ads online, sometimes on craigslist, sometimes in the newspaper, where you can sign up for college psychology experiments? Of course, they aren’t as common anymore; laws, rules, or whatever don’t seem to allow them as much, but they still happen if you keep your eye out. And you can still even get paid for some. Sometimes even as much as $500.00.
So when I was down on cash and saw the ad for just that amount, I figured it was worth a shot rather than donating plasma. My eyes read the bold letters blaring at the top of the post.
THINK YOU CAN RESIST USING A PHONE?
I chuckled at the thought of such a strange experiment. Maybe something about how we can’t avoid distractions in modern times. When I called, they told me I would be sitting in a plain room, with only a telephone in front of me, one of those old landline-style phones. They said I would hear noises from the other room and all I would have to do was sit there. Ignore the sounds.
I could do anything I wanted to; I just couldn’t use the telephone. Seemed easy enough.
So not even an hour later, there I was, standing in front of a plain white building, the type you see temporary stores and businesses go into, with a white sheet of paper taped to the door.
Excorio Clinic - Appointment Only.
I walked toward the door and pulled briefly, but nothing happened. Locked. I pressed my hands against the glass and stared inside the dim interior, only to see a man staring back at me. I jumped back, startled as I heard the door unlock.
“Sorry, Sir, did I scare you?”
“Just surprised, is all; I didn’t expect to see a face that close to the glass.”
“Sure. Sure. We have to keep all the prying eyes out, you understand. Only serious applicants only.”
“Makes sense to me.”
He waved his hand, beckoning me to follow, and we entered the clinic, walking toward a table with a line of clipboards set up, papers on each. He handed me one without saying anything, and I glanced down and saw a typical information sheet. I grabbed a pen attached to the board, wrote away my name, address, and other contact information, waived some rights, and was ready to go.
Another man walked up that almost looked identical to the first, not quite twins, but close enough you could practically mix them up from a distance. They glanced at each other and smiled, and the new man held out a Ziploc bag.
“What’s that for?”
“We need all of your belongings in the bag, please. Nothing can interrupt the experiment.”
I shrugged and dropped my phone and wallet in there. Not that they were of much value anyway. One man disappeared with the bag, and the other led me toward a room at the end of a hall. There was another door not much further down from it. We entered the first, and I saw a small empty room, plain white, with a table in the middle and a chair just to the side. A red telephone was on the table.
The man gestured to me, and I entered and sat down, hearing the door click behind me. I sat there for several moments as nothing happened, just a simple, quiet room. I was already bored sitting there staring at the wall when I heard strange mechanical clicking.
Part of the wall slid away, and I could see a glass pane between the rooms, a man and woman sitting at a similar table. They each had a plate in front of them and were slowly eating and chatting, but I couldn’t hear anything. Sound crackled above my head, and I glanced up, realizing a dome camera and microphone were on the ceiling. Not only had they not mentioned I would see what was going on, but they also forgot to mention any recording devices.
I didn’t mind the recording, but I did mind them withholding information about the extent of the experiment. I shook my head and decided to focus, and started to listen to the conversation that was taking place.
“…Jane left the folder in the copy room, and the business that shares an office with us took it. Can you believe it!”
“mmhmm.”
“And they did nothing to her like usual, just let her get away with making mistakes. So do you think they are ever going to fire her?”
“…who knows…”
A typical, even stereotypical, conversation between a man and woman, though the man seemed to be paying even less attention than usual. It was clear the experiment would lead to an argument. The woman’s face was red, and only seemed to be getting redder as it was clear she was upset. The man was completely oblivious. Suddenly she was standing and screaming at him.
“YOU NEVER PAY ANY ATTENTION TO ME; WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? ISN’T MY LIFE IMPORTANT TO YOU?”
The man had a startled look on his face and almost fell out of his chair as he stared at her. She continued to scream into his face as she moved closer and closer.
“YOU DON’T APPRECIATE ME, DON’T APPRECIATE WHAT I DO FOR US, THE SACRIFICES I MAKE!”
I felt myself jump when she struck the man in the face, knocking him unconscious with a single blow. That didn’t stop her rage, however. She repeatedly attacked him, punching his face, flecks of red liquid flying freely in the air as the bruising darkened. I ran over toward the glass and banged on it.
“Hey…HEY…”
The woman didn’t seem to hear me and pushed the unconscious man onto the ground, kicking him in the stomach. There was no way this was part of the experiment; it was too real. She was trying to hurt him. Maybe even kill him.
I ran toward the door at the exit and pulled on the knob, only to find it locked. My head shot back toward the glass as I realized the room was silent. I momentarily froze when I saw the female holding a knife and walking toward the man, who was still unconscious on the ground. A wide, twisted smile stretched across her face, and I could swear I heard a chuckling laugh escape her bent lips.
She grabbed his arm and began to drag the blade across it. His screams forced me to cover my ears as she cut deeper, digging the knife around. She almost seemed to turn her head toward me, smiling through the glass as if she wanted me to watch. She wanted me to react. Well, wish granted.
I ran over and grabbed the phone, quickly dialing 911 when I heard a strange tone coming through the glass. A ringing phone on the other side, now blaring as the woman dropped the man’s arm and went to answer it. She smiled as she breathed into the receiver on her end until finally, I broke and spoke.
“…stop…stop it. Stop…alright…I give up. You win. I used the phone.”
She smiled as she spoke back to me, still staring through the glass. A red tongue trailed out and licked her lips like a lizard.
“Alright, dear. Just remember, you did this.”
She set the phone down, and I could hear her heels clicking as she walked back toward the man, both through the phone and the sounds output into the room. She looked at me before slowly pushing the knife through his neck. His screams echoed between the phone and the room, and I dropped the receiver, covering my ears, closing my eyes, and trying to look away. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could hear the thumping in my ears as I pressed harder, trying to muffle the screams.
And then silence.
I opened my eyes, peeked out, and saw that the wall was closed again. Something turned the sounds off, and I was alone. I dashed toward the exit and found that They had now unlocked it. It felt like I nearly ripped the door off the hinges as I sped through, heading down the hall. I froze as I saw the two men who had greeted me at the entrance blocking my path.
They said nothing, only held out my bag of belongings, with a check sitting inside the bag. They moved aside, and I grabbed the bag. I ran as fast as possible, glancing back only after I was free from the building. The two men stood shoulder to shoulder, smiling and waving at me as I left the parking lot.
My first thought was to call the police, my phone already in my hand when I froze. I had put down my address on the information sheet for the experiment. I had no idea what I was dealing with, what the police could do, and if it would mean I was safe. There was nothing I could do except leave. They must have known that; it’s why I was allowed to leave in the first place.
I just wanted to get these thoughts out of my head, forget the experiment and move on. But they wouldn’t let me forget. I knew they wouldn’t let me forget. My hands were shaking as I stared at the letter in my hand almost a week later. It was addressed to me from the Excorio Clinic, bold words filling up most of the page.
WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT YOUR SECOND VISIT TO OUR CLINIC, WHERE WE CAN DOCUMENT THE RESULTS OF OUR STUDY. YOUR APPOINTMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 13TH; PLEASE, DON’T BE LATE.