Russia walked into the observation room, greeting the different scientists. After the pleasantries got out of the way, Russia got to the point.
"Explain the experiment." Russia demanded.
"We wish to test the effects an experimental gas." One said simply, "The gas is meant to keep the participants awake. We are going to test for side affects."
Russia nodded. It was enough to appease him. He really didn't care for the participants. They had been declared enemies to him, to Russia, he just needed to be able to tell the others in the union something if they asked. He soon settled in to be one of the observers.
The first day was uneventful. As was the next four. Russia was beginning to think the gas a success and the subjects might just end up free after all. Of course, Russia noted the increasingly depressing topics. On the fifth day they're conversations were disturbing enough for even Russia to be put off somewhat.
The days after that the participants seemed to suffer from slowly increasing paranoia and started complaining how they ended up in the sealed room, but not to each other. No. They were whispering to themselves and occasionally into the microphones, supposedly to the observers. Russia was confused. If he understood them right…the subjects seemed to think that they could win over the experimenters by turning over the others. The scientists passed it off as a symptom of the gas.
The ninth day was the next big change. That was when the screaming started. One of the participants started running the length of the chamber. Screaming. Just screaming. Not saying anything just yelling straight for three hours. Even after that he seemed to be trying to scream but the only sound that came out was small squeaks. And none of the others did anything. Not a single reaction.
"He broke his vocal cords." One of the scientists said in shock.
"By screaming?" Russia asked.
"Yes…he put so much stress on them they snapped…" a different scientist stated.
Another started to scream. Then they started to move. The subjects plastered the pages of books over the portholes using their feces to keep the pages on glass. That took them a day.
Then…there was no sound. None. Not a single peep or scratch or sound of feet on the floor. They checked the microphones hourly. Every hour they were working but they still heard nothing. Russia was curious more than anything, wondering how the microphones could be working but not a sound came from a room full of five men. They were alive too. And according to their oxygen intake they were breathing heavily, like they were running a marathon or playing hockey rather than just sitting in a room.
After the experiment had been underway for fourteen days, the scientists sent a message into the room, afraid that the subjects were either dead or vegetables.
"We are opening the chamber to test the microphones step away from the doors and lie flat on the floor or you will be shot. Compliance will earn one of you your immediate freedom."
Then one of the subjects finally said something after five days.
"We no longer want to be freed."
This confused Russia. When this started the subject's whole goal was to gain freedom. Now they didn't want to be free. This wasn't right, and it was setting Russia on edge. He'd been around for years, centuries, and people didn't change their mind like that without reason. It wasn't right.
"We need to check on them." Russia said.
"No," One of the military leaders stated firmly, "The experiment will be continued."
"At the very least we have to see how the subjects look, while we're in there we can clear the windows." The head of the project told them. There was more debate between them, but in the end, Russia ended up pulling the lever to clear the gas. The reaction was immediate.
"Turn it back on!"
"Stop it! Stop it!"
"We need the gas!"
"TURN IT BACK ON!" All three voices that had started to yell unified in this one scream.
Then the doors were opened and soldiers, with Russia among their ranks, were sent into retrieve the subjects.
The scene was gruesome.
No, gruesome didn't cover it. The soldiers around Russia screamed at what they saw, one even ran away in fear. Not to say Russia was unmoved. No he was very disturbed by this, but he had long, long ago perfected his 'poker face'. However, he could still feel the acidic bile rising in his throat. He observed that only one of the five had died, but…he couldn't say the other four were 'alive'.
Looking around the room, Russia noticed the meat stuffed into the drain in the floor, and the 'water' (Russia believed it was mostly blood) that had built up around the subjects. Looking at the dead subject Russia presumed he was the one used to stuff the drain.
Though, looking at the 'surviving' test subjects, they were a possibility too. They all had chunks of meat missing from their bodies. Their abdominal organs were spread out over the floor, and half the reason Russia could tell the four were 'alive' is he could see their heart beating in their chests.
The group of soldiers left, most running in a panic. The very few that would willingly go back to the room were given the order to collect the subjects so they could be…reassembled…
The subjects didn't want to be collected.
As one of the soldiers when to move a subject on to a gurney, the subject reached up and ripped out the man's throat. After that the soldiers were much more careful. Russia balked at the brutality the subjects showed as his men tried to remove them. Russia himself needed the help of two other men to secure one of the subjects, and even then there was an injury. Russia winced at the sight of the soldier's testicles lying on the floor and the man's thigh bleeding.
When the subjects were finally subdued, Russia looked around to see three men dead on the floor. (later the nation would learn of two more committing suicide because of this incident). He also saw one of the subjects lying on the floor screaming and flailing with a ruptured spleen and unmoving heart. Russia sighed at the loss before leading the living men to the medical facilities. The whole time the two subjects who still had working vocal cords were begging to be kept awake.
When they reached the medical facilities the most injured of the three was immediately taken to surgery. Russia looked worriedly at his sister as she came in to take the man to be put under Russia saw Ukraine gulp but school her face into one of calm indifference. Russia followed, having been charged to observe as much as he can, as he was apparently the least disturbed of all the observers. If he were to be honest he was just as disturbed, he had just had centuries to learn to hide such things. But even Russia gapped at how much sedative they ended up putting into the man, and he was still wide awake. When they brought out the anesthetic gas the subject started thrashing. Russia and another man held his arms down as the anesthetic was administered. After only a little longer than normal the man was asleep, and the moment he eyes closed his heart stopped. Russia breathed deeply when he saw that the four inch leather strap that was holding down the wrist he had been keeping down was nearly ripped in two. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his sister staring at him with obvious worry.
The second survivor was brought in then. He, Russia noted was the first to start screaming. He shook his head violently when the anesthetic was brought out.
"Maybe…We should…skip the anesthetic?" Ukraine said, reluctance obvious in her voice. She saw what happened last time one of these men had fallen asleep.
The mute responded with an…enthusiastic nod of approval.
So they didn't use anesthetic. And the subject didn't move for the six hour procedure of replacing his entrails. But Ukraine swore when she was telling her brother that anytime the man would look at her, he would smile. When the surgery was done, though most of the doctors agreed the subject should not be alive, the mute began to wheeze loudly. The surgeon had a pen and paper brought, thinking the message to be important. It was simple…
Keep Cutting.
The last test subject was given the same surgery, though they were forced to give him a paralytic. The surgeon couldn't operate while the man was laughing. The paralytic cleared his system in a short time, and soon he was once again attempting to escape his bonds asking for the gas.
The subjects were asked why they were so desperate to escape there bonds and have the gas re-administered. There was only one response.
"I must stay awake."
Russia ordered his men to strengthen the subject's bonds until their futures were decided.
When Russia had joined the soldiers and scientists to discuss the project's fate. The researchers were considering euthanizing the remaining subjects, but an ex-KGB wanted to see what would happen if the subjects were put back on the gas. (For his part, Russia just wanted to stop the experiment, but he'd never state that aloud. He had to keep up a fearless image around his people). The researchers objected, but were overruled by the military benefactors.
The subjects were to be put back on the gas, and in preparation they were hooked up to an EEG monitor, and they had their restraints were padded for long term confinement. One of the soldiers binding them in the padded restraints let it slip that they were going back on the gas, and all struggling ceased immediately.
It was obvious at this point that the subjects were struggling to stay awake. One of the subject that could speak was humming loudly and continuously, and the mute was straining his legs, first left, then right, then left again, for something to focus on. The last subject was holding his head up off the pillow and blinking rapidly. He was the first to be hooked up to the EEG, and the researchers were studying his brainwaves with interest. They were normal for the most part, but would suddenly flat-line before returning to normal. The researchers and an intrigued Russia were so interested in the paper coming out of the EEG, that only one nurse, Ukraine, saw the subject's eyes slip shut. The EEG immediately showed the brain waves of deep sleep, before flat-lining for the last time.
The remaining subject that could speak started screaming to be sealed in immediately. The military commander ordered the chamber to be sealed with both remaining subjects, along with Russia, a terrified Ukraine, and another researcher, inside. The researcher worried what would happen to himself, pulled out a revolver and shot the commander. Then he turned and shot the mute subject and shot his brains out as well. He then turned to the remaining subject, and as Russia rushed his sister out of the room he heard the researcher yell, "I won't be locked in here with you, not with these things, not with you!"
Russia loitered outside the chamber, though he urged his sister to continue running.
"What are you? I must know!" Russia heard the man continue.
"Have you forgotten so easily?" The subject asked, laughing, "We are you! We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be freed at any moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate in to silence when you go to that nocturnal haven in which we cannot tread."
There was a pause. Russia peaked into the chamber just before the researcher shot the remaining subject.
The nation barely caught the subject's last words.
"So nearly free."
Russia shot up from his bed and gasped. He checked his clock. The red numbers read 4:36. He shook his head before getting out of his bed and walking to his kitchen. He pulled a glass from his cupboards and filled it with water. He placed the glass on the counter next to the sink, and stared at it a while, trying to calm down his erratic heartbeat, least it fall out. After a minute, Ivan grabbed the glass roughly and chugged it. He sighed, and jumped as the words echoed in his ears again. So nearly free. A second later he heard a crash. Ivan stared down at the pile of glass on the floor. He crouched down to pick up the pieces he could grab.
We will be free.
He jumped again as the new whisper flew past his ears. He looked around, and was so busy trying to see where it came from that it took a moment for the pain in his hand to register. Ivan sighed as he saw his fingers bleed. He carefully stepped around the broken glass before heading towards his bathroom, flicking on every light he came across on the way. When he reached the bathroom, he pulled out the antiseptic and bandages. He quickly cleaned and covered the cut before walking out of the bathroom towards their storage closet.
He pulled out a hand broom and dustpan before going back to the kitchen and sweeping up the glass. Sure, if he wanted to he could wake one of the Baltics…but he didn't think it was worth the questioning he would have to sit through, as to why the glass had been broken and what he was doing up as early as this when usually they had to carefully persuade him to leave his bed in the morning.
He checked the clock on the wall. Now it was five in the morning. There was a meeting today, meaning he'd have to be up in an hour's time anyway to get ready. Russia sighed, then went back to his room, and the adjoining bathroom, to prepare for the day, stubbornly ignoring the echoing laugh he heard ringing through his house.
So...a few months ago...okay more than a few, but...my friend showed me the Creepy Pasta 'Russian Sleep Experiment'. A week after that I figured that I'd do this. The sleep experiment from Russia's POV. It ended up evolving into this. I hope you liked it. Reveiw please~
Nakita Braginski-Williams