an annoyingly loud alarm noise jolts you awake,

hitting your head hard on the glass of the pod you sleep in.

you hated waking up like this. it was the perfect amount of sleep for you to enter rem sleep, but because of that, the alarm always caught you off guard.

suddenly, the pod opens up, letting all the outside smells overwhelm you.

as the scent of metal and cleaning chemicals floods your nose, you sit up and hear “it” talking to you.

'YOU HAVE BEEN ASLEEP FOR [10] HOURS'

'GET READY FOR A PRODUCTIVE WORK DAY [7702]'

you always had a feeling that thing was trying to mock you for things that you could easily do yourself.

but alas, those things have no feelings, and their purpose is to just automate your life even further than it already was.

it’s suffocating in a way.

the apartment looks disgustingly clean. everything reflects your own image back at you.

as you finally get a hold of your surroundings, you get up and press a button next to your “bed,” opening the heavy metal blinds to start the day with a dark view of the brutalist environment you live in.

it’s dark, and you can feel how cold it is outside.

you look at your little flower in a white pot on your windowsill.

you feel grateful and happy to own it, but you also feel envy.

it gets to see the sun, and you don’t, but it’s fine.

THEY said it’s better for all of us to live in darkness.

thinking about this gives you a pit in your stomach.

you don’t really know much, do you?

you never questioned anyone or anything,

since no one else is doing so,

and you’re not going to start now.