Young Writers Society

Pel shuddered. “I’d prefer not to think about it until we-“

“Temperature Brie and Appalled Morn.”

Pel raised an eyebrow. “Is that- is it calling us?”

Tempest Briar snorted. “I think so. A bit of humor before we get launched to Hell.” He bowed slightly and held out his hand to Pel. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Pel took Tempest Briar’s hand and walked to the doorway, trying his best not to feel like they were heading to their executions.

Tempest Briar followed easily. “Alright. No matter what happens, we stick together.”

“Right.” Besides Pel not knowing anyone besides Tempest Briar here, she seemed like a capable person… And there was safety in numbers, right?

The door opened to a hallway with— what else?— black walls. Pel nervously walked down it to another room, where a person greeted them.

“Greetings. Your experiment will be a shock-based one.”

Tempest Briar frowned. “Well, I can’t see what can be more shocking than being viciously dragged down to an underground prison where the currency is how long you let people be awful to you.”

The person seemed unamused. They adjusted their long black coat and gestured towards a room off to the side, with a lone chair in the middle. Wires and electrodes were dangling from it.

“Now then, who will be receiving the shock?”

Tempest Briar glanced warily at Pel. He was already an anxious wreck. He couldn't take too much more. "I will. I'll be receiving."

Pel looked at Tempest Briar. “Y-you sure?” On the one hand, Pel felt like he should be noble and volunteer to take the shocks. But on the other— shocks were painful. He was a coward, he admitted it.

The poor thing looke terrified at the idea, so she just nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Please step this way,” the lab-coat person intoned, gesturing for Tempest Briar to enter the room with the chair. Then they turned to Pel. “You will be administering the shocks.”

Pel blinked. What?

Tempest Briar entered the room with the chair, frowning slightly. “Okay. What next?”

The person pointed Pel to a different chair in front of a large lever. “When you pull this lever, the other test subject will get shocked. The more you pull, the greater the voltage. Now then, make sure to only shock them if they answer a question incorrectly.”

Pel sputtered. “What? I— I don’t—“

Tempest Briar circled the chair. “Do I sit down? What is this little headband with string connected to it? Hello?”

A couple of aides rushed over to help Tempest Briar into the chair. Meanwhile, Pel was still gaping at the lever.

“It is necessary for the experiment that you pull the lever,” the person said calmly. “Now, please review the questions before you begin.” They handed Pel a stack of flashcards with questions on one side and answers on the other.