The Survey

The heavy metal door squealed as a well dressed man pushed it open to reveal what looked to be an empty warehouse. It definitely wasn't deserted— he could tell from the lack of dust and the faint sound of footsteps. Other than that, the building was nothing more than a cold, empty space with a single mirror (that he refused to even acknowledge) on the back wall and four chairs placed in a circle.

This was the right place. When he typed the address into his GPS, it had led him here. He let the door shut behind him as he walked further into the room, dress shoes clicking against the white floor. "Hello?!"

The sound of feedback echoed around the room as a hidden intercom crackled to life. "We are aware of your presence. Please sit in one of the chairs provided and await further instruction. Thank you." The voice was neither male nor female, young nor old. It was practically unable to be described…or duplicated by human vocal chords.

He tried to be as subtle as he could while looking for the intercom, but he could not find it. The silver haired man rubbed at his arms as he took a seat in the white, metal chair. This was an odd place to take part in a community survey. He…didn't even know why he had decided to do this survey. It paid, but he didn't need the money. There was nothing in this town that his family didn't already own.

Several long minutes passed by with him sitting in awkward silence before the screaming door welcomed another survey taker. This was a man with an odd style of chocolate brown hair and a pair of electric ocean eyes. He peeked inside first, then entered casually once he realized someone else was there. He was well dressed as well, though his clothes probably weren't designer like the other man's. "Hi, my name's Sora. I'm here for the survey."

"Same here. I was told to sit and wait for instructions, so I guess the same applies to you? Riku, by the way."

The two men shook hands right before the brunet took his seat. He looked around with a curious, hopeful expression. "Weird place to take a survey, huh?"

"Yeah…it's not a little creepy to you, though?"

The brunet shrugged. "It has potential. I can see this being a huge party space for a quinceanera or something. With the right decorations and a little adjustment to the temperature, we could have a blast," he laughed.

Riku laughed as well, taking another look around the room. He could definitely see it as more of a murder/torture room, but he didn't want to make the conversation weird with a guy he'd only know for five seconds.

They indulged in a bit of light conversation until the screaming door opened one last time. Both of the final two survey takers entered the building and looked around with curious eyes. The first was a short blond man with a style of hair and eyes similar to Sora's. The second was a tall, slim man with peridot eyes and a shock of wild flames for hair. Each of them took their time approaching the former two men, then sat down in the remaining chairs.

Instead of introducing himself, the redhead leaned back in his seat and sighed. "This'll be a nice set up for my band to make music videos in. HELLO!" He paused to listen to the echo, grinning once it finally faded. "Oh yeah, I could definitely use this."

The blond rolled his eyes as he stood and walked around the room making abstract noises. "I'm Roxas. I can't provide a name for the obvious bonehead over here. I assume you're all here for the survey?"

"Yup! I'm Sora, and this is Riku. We were just talking about the room too. I think it'd be great to throw parties in, but he thinks it's creepy. Wouldn't the atmosphere be a lot nicer with a deejay, some food, and a bunch of family and friends."

Roxas shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "It's just a room to me."

The three men jumped when they heard the redhead pound on the mirror. "Hey! I know this is a two-way mirror! You think I could rent this place out sometime?!"

The intercom gave more feedback, making the four survey takers cover their ears. When it was over, they could hear the static as the voice spoke. "Please refrain from touching the mirror. Thank you. Please return to your seat to begin the survey. Thank you."

Sora looked up at the ceiling with a small smile. "You're very polite!"

Again, they heard the irritating sound of feedback. "Thank you."

Riku grimaced as he rubbed his arms again. "That's mad weird, man. I haven't seen anything this freaky since those old Saw movies. No one's that polite without an ulterior motive."

"At least they know manners. Maybe they're nice people…nice people who could rent this place to me. What do you think, Blondie?" the nameless redhead spoke as he dropped down into his chair.

"I don't really care. They're probably just doing their job," he answered with a shrug.

More feedback. It was quickly starting to grate on their nerves. "Your surveys will be brought to you momentarily. Please fill out each section to the best of your knowledge. Thank you. Please do not leave any section of the survey blank. Thank you. Please make sure that you print your answers legibly. Thank you."

The intercom shut off as a door that none of them had noticed before opened. They could see a faint blue hue inside what appeared to be a room made out of metal. Surprise, surprise. One tall man dressed in an all white body suit and a tuxedo approached them with clip boards and pens. Each of them were handed a specific survey and pen: one white, one black, one gray, and one that you could see the ink through. Riku and Roxas found it odd that he wore the mask that went along with the suit, but he was on his way back to the room before they could ask about it.

"Okay?" he muttered as he touched the tip of his black pen to the paper. The first portion asked about the survey taker. What is your name, age, height, weight, do you consider yourself healthy, et cetera. That was the first page, front and back. The next two pages asked about the community they lived in. Do you enjoy living where you are, is the community doing well in your opinion, what steps can be taken to better the community, and things like that. The next page asked about the survey taker's likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, and profession, and the page after that inquired about their opinion on local political figures, local law enforcement, crime, and what the city should and should not do with its finances. The very last page only had one question in bold print.

What is your biggest fear? Please be honest in your answer. Thank you.

"Biggest fear?" Axel asked incredulously. They had only learned his name from spelling it out as he filled in that blank. Riku quickly learned that Axel was one of those obnoxious people who read aloud during tests. He'd rolled his eyes more in twenty minutes than he had in a single week because of him. "That's weird."

Riku agreed. He didn't like a single thing about thus survey. He had a bad feeling deep in his gut that this would, in one way or another, turn into some corny teen slasher movie. Still, he wrote down his very embarrassing secret: I'm afraid of mirrors.

"That's nice. They wanna help us overcome our fears," Sora smiled as he wrote his answer with his white pen.

"Or it's just a question," Roxas mumbled, scribbling with his gray pen "They could be gathering a consensus to see which fear is the most common. We can't be the only ones taking this survey."

Axel grinned as he slapped his clear pen on top of his finished survey. "Who cares? They're paying a hundred dollars for it. I can use the money to go replace my guitar strings."

The door opened again and the same man stepped out to collect the clipboards as the intercom came to life with a higher pitch of feedback. "Thank you for participating in this survey. Please wait patiently while the team analyzes your data. Thank you." The door shut behind the oddly dressed man and the four were left alone. Conversation was weird between them. Riku was constantly waiting for something bad to happen, Sora was trying to find the good in everything, Roxas was nonchalant about the whole thing and Axel was just waiting to get paid and/or ask for permission to use the space.

The intercom came back on approximately twenty minutes later; Riku had been counting in his head. The feedback could have made their ears bleed. But this time, there was an odd hissing that accompanied it. "Your results have been analyzed. Please wait patiently for the next portion of your survey. Thank you."

The room was much colder than before, and was beginning to fog up. Riku, unlike the rest, quickly realized that they were being gassed. He covered his nose and made for the door, prompting the others to do the same. His eyelids had begun to close as he staggered towards the exit. The others were tripping over their own legs and the chairs, looking lifeless as they fell to the floor. Riku was the only one to make it to the door.

"Please wait patiently. Thank you. Please wait patiently. Thank you. Please wait patiently. Thank you."

His fingers wrapped around the handle of the door, and he heaved with the rest of his strength. The handle glowed a bright yellow and shot a burst of pain through his upper arm that sent him flying backwards. The pain was nearly unbearable, and he panted as a result. The gas that had filled the room was getting to him now. He heard another door open and turned towards the sound.

His heart leapt as he saw several men in the same attire as the man before drag the other survey takers away through blurred vision. He slipped out of consciousness just as two men approached him.

-.-

Roxas woke up abruptly with a splitting headache, as if he had been shocked or dropped onto the hard floor. His vision was blurred and doubled, but he was certain that he wouldn't know what he was looking at even if it wasn't. Instead of the white room he was previously in, he was laying on freezing hardwood floor with wood panel walls and two small, orange lights on either side of him. The ceiling appeared to be the same.

"Man…" he groaned. His vision was slowly returning to him as he attempted to sit up. His head hit the ceiling and he was forced to lay back down. He blindly reached his hands out and found that the ceiling was much closer than it should have been. "Hey! What the hell is this?!"

He heard that annoying intercom crackle to life, along with the screeching feedback from before. "Please remain calm. Thank you. You have been randomly selected to participate in this portion of the survey first. Since you listed your fear as being buried alive, your primary goal is to find a way out of this coffin. You'll notice that There's a small hole in the coffin near your feet."

Roxas felt around for the hole and found it almost instantly. He then realized that his shoes and accessories had been removed. His heart rate sped up as he looked around at the dimly lit space around him. His range of motion was severely limited and he could feel his brain shutting down.

"There is a steady supply of oxygen flowing into the coffin as we speak. Once the survey officially begins, you will have approximately an hour and forty-five minutes to escape before you asphyxiate. That time range is completely dependent upon how you choose to use your reserve oxygen."

"Oh no, please…" Roxas begged breathlessly. He was in the middle of having the worst panic attack of his life and there was nothing he could do or think about to calm himself. There was no way to tell if he was actually buried alive or if he was just laying in a coffin, but he would have to figure it out quickly. He would also have to calm his rapid breathing.

"Your time to deal with your taphophobia begins now. The oxygen will be cut off in three…two…one."

The blond closed his teary eyes and placed his hand on his chest. He could feel his heart beating out of control. A lump had started to form in his throat as a couple hot tears escaped from beneath his eyelids. What were the facts? What was the reality of the situation? He was in a coffin with no oxygen supply. That was all he had been told, besides the fact that he needed to escape, right? They had taken his shoes…so he obviously wouldn't need to kick anything too hard. And if they has taken away all his accessories, he wouldn't have to scratch at anything.

He opened his eyes and blinked the tears away. The first thing that came to mind was that this was a scare tactic. They wanted him to be afraid and panic. That was usually how people would react when placed into a difficult situation while severely unprepared. The intercom was also a factor. If he could hear it, that meant he was still inside the building and not underground.

He was in a coffin. Not buried alive, but in a coffin.

With a shaky breath, he lifted his arms and pushed against the lid. When that didn't work, he hit it as hard as he could. Although the top didn't move, he could hear the would give a little. Now which direction was it coming from?

He pushed the button hard with the flat of his feet. No luck. He pushed all of his weight against the sides, only to wind up disappointed. His last option was the part just above his head. He reached his arm up in an awkward position and pushed against the wood. It opened with little to no resistance, and he could even see light. Roxas let out a relieved laugh as he used the sides of the coffin to slide out of the top. Once his upper body was free, he quickly crawled out of the coffin and curled in on himself on the stainless white floor.

"Very well done," the voice spoke without any feedback to proceed it. "Thank you for participating in this survey. Please rate your experience on the sheet you will find on your way out."

Roxas could barely hear it over the sound of his own sobs.

-.-

The next to open his eyes to disorientation and nausea was the enthusiastic brunet. But…he couldn't see anything. He began to wonder if he had gone blind in his confusion, then stiffened up once he remembered the survey. They had asked him about his biggest fear and he answered truthfully; he was afraid of the dark. He was aware that his fear was childish and stupid, as well as irrational, but he had no control over what made him tick.

Sora was laying on the cold floor of a room that was pitch black, too afraid to call for help. What if he received an answer from an unwanted source? What if there was something else in the room with him, but it wasn't yet aware of his presence?

No, that couldn't be. This was just a test after all.

As he began to sit up, he felt his pocket grow heavy. He reached inside and found a cold, rectangular device with buttons on the side. A tape recorder? How old were these things? They couldn't have found a more modern way to— that wasn't at all important to the current situation, he realized. Inhaling deeply and quietly, he pressed what he assumed was the play button.

"Deal with your nyctophobia. Find a way to get light into the room. There is a way to get light into the room, but you will have to search for it. You have a limited amount of time to complete the objective before it is too late."

His heart dropped. What did they mean before it was too late? This was only a test right?

Of course, of course. It was only a test. This was supposed to scare him and he wasn't supposed to like it. Although he appreciated getting help with his fear, he wished they would have warned him first. But then, it may not have worked as effectively if he had been.

"Find a way out of the room," he whispered softly to himself as he stood. There obviously had to be walls. And where there were walls, there were light switches. All he had to do was find that switch and turn it on. Simple. There was nothing to fear. It was like…it was like going to get a glass of water in the middle of the night. Get the water and get back in the room. Quickly.

Sora walked with his hands stretched out in front of him, waving them around so that he could feel for the wall, or any other objects in the room. He was overjoyed once his hands made contact with a cold, flat surface. His hands searched the wall blindly for some type of button, switch, chain, dial, anything that could possibly be of use to him. He'd gone through all four corners of the room before realizing that there was nothing. The walls were completely bare.

He pressed his back against the wall exhaled deeply. This was just a test. Of course he would have to think outside the box to get light in the room. They wouldn't make it easy for him. Everything was fine. He wasn't in any real danger. That low growl in the middle of the room was just his imagination.

Sora shook his head and attempted to steel his nerves. That was probably it. The only way to get light into the room was to go to the middle. They must have put a recording of an animal's growl in the middle of the room to scare him even further.

"Get it together. There's nothing there," he spoke. His voice shook more than his hands as he tried to reassure himself that he was completely safe. What helped him to do that was knowing that there were four other people in the building who had taken the survey as well. It would look very suspicious if the four of them took the survey, and then suddenly disappeared. That meant there was no possible way he could have died in that room; because there was nothing actually in the dark room.

In fact, he was able to calm himself down to a point where he took a seat on the floor and patiently waited for someone to turn the lights on. He was confident that this was the point of putting him in a room without a light switch. He wasn't supposed to turn the lights on, but to get comfortable in the darkness that surrounded him. And he was comfortable in it. Sora was immensely thankful for this opportunity because without it, he never would have had the chance to see just how peaceful the dark was.

The quiet was interrupted by the jarring sound of gears shifting, accompanied by a loud mechanical groan. A feral growl rang out in the large room and it chilled the brunet to his core.

He was wrong.

-.-

He preferred being unconscious to his current situation.

Riku sat in the middle of the floor with his head tucked between his knees and his eyes screwed shut. He had only been away for five seconds before realizing that the room he was in was made of reflective surfaces; the entire room was a mirror. So he had to deal with the pounding headache and the fact that his heart was thumping away in his throat.

The worst of thoughts were already going through his head. This was some sort of cruel joke so that the people who came up with this fucked survey could laugh at his misery.

He quickly decided that he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of watching him suffer. Riku quickly stood and made his way to the nearest mirror, but stopped as he heard the intercom start to crackle.

"You are the participant with catoptrophobia, which is a very interesting fear. We are most excited to see how you deal with your fear." Riku rolled his eyes and folded his arms tightly over his chest, shaking from both fear and the cold air in the room. "You will find a hammer in the corner of the room. Do with it what you please. Your time starts in three…two…one."

The silver haired man glanced around the room in search of the hammer, being sure to avoid direct contact with the reflective surfaces of the walls. Sure enough, he saw the wooden handle in the far right corner.

He took slow, cautious steps towards it. There was no way it was this easy. They probably expected him to take the hammer and attempt to break the mirror walls, which would make him look like a fool. Riku knew good and well that he wasn't going to get out of there. They had practically kidnapped him. No way in hell were they going to let him walk free.

His hand tightened around the wooden base as he picked the hammer up, inhaling deeply.

He wasn't going to be stuck here.

There was an easier way.

The blow he dealt to his own head was, fortunately, the only one he needed to escape.

-.-

The last man to ungracefully awaken was the redhead with the colorful personality. The bright lights of the room seemed to purposely irritate the pulsing headache in the middle of his skull, causing him to groan and curl in on himself on the cold floor. He thought that getting the light out of his eyes would assuage the pain to some degree, but in several silent seconds, found out he was wrong.

The pain worsened when he heard the familiar sound of the intercom being used. It felt like the sound of it was slowly boiling his brain. "You are the last participant to be tested. Since you have such a simple fear, you will be given a test. In front of you is a podium with a brand new gun on top of it. It is loaded with exactly one bullet."

Axel slowly uncovered his eyes to glare at the podium a little ways away. It took him a while to gather himself onto steady feet, but he did so. Just as he was told, there was a polished, silver gun on top of the white podium. It reflected the light into his eyes as he picked it up, which he did not appreciate at all.

"In exactly one minute, we will release the cockroaches hidden inside a compartment of the podium into the room. How you choose to deal with your katsaridaphobia is up to you."

Axel rubbed his eyes with his free hand as the hand which held the gun dropped to his side. "If I win this stupid challenge or whatever, will you talk to me about letting me do something with this place?"

Seconds went by without an answer. He waited a bit impatiently before the voice came back. "If you successfully deal with your phobia, we will indeed discuss that matter with you."

That got the redhead smiling. Headache or no, he was thrilled to know that he would definitely be renting this place out for his band. He would play their little game and "confront his phobia" just like they wanted him to. It was no big deal, really.

As the cockroaches were released, Axel lazily stomped of most of them. There had to be a good hundred of them, but he didn't show an ounce of fear. Even as a couple of them flew around his head and crawled up his legs, he swatted them away and shook them off as if it were nothing. He was more interested in getting to the door in the corner. The gun— he figured —was obviously to shoot the lock to get the door open. After destroying the lock, he opened the door and casually stepped out into the metallic blue room the men had caught a glimpse of earlier.

Being inside was different. He was able to see several men with wide eyes and slack jaws staring at him in bewilderment instead of the multiple screens in front of them. It was a large room with a clear view into the large white room he had previously filled out the survey in. He knew it was a two-way mirror.

"So can I use the place or what?" he grinned.

They only stared at him, most likely wondering why they didn't get a single reaction out of him. Axel wasn't an idiot. He knew that something was fishy about that last question…so he lied. No, he wasn't afraid of cockroaches. He had no physical fears, unlike the other men. His one and only fear— the fear of being forgotten —was his secret alone, and he refused to let anyone manipulate that fear for their enjoyment.

Hell, everyone knows you're not supposed to be one hundred percent honest during surveys anyway.

-.-

A/N: This was my version of a thriller. Or horror or…whatever you want to classify this as. I'm not that good at writing them, but since I love the genre I decided I should practice it so that I could get better. For this reason, your feedback is very much appreciated. Please let me know your honest opinions, any plot holes you found, how I can improve, so on. Don't just tell me it's crap. Tell me why it's crap and what I could do to make it better. Be constructive, not a twat.

While you're at it, tell me your biggest fear. Or any fear at all. I'll go ahead and tell you that one of my worst fears is a slow, painful death. Just the thought unnerves me to all hell.

And also, thank you for putting up with my "thriller" of a fanfiction.