The End Is A Lie

Maybe I should have returned to that room, she thought as soon as she regained consciousness. The woman propped herself up on her elbows and slowly stood up. Then she touched her temple with the tip of her finger and winced in pain. She had hit her head on an iron partition standing against the wall and covered with a piece of tarpaulin. Luckily, she managed not to fracture her skull by one of its sharp edges and only ended up with a bump and a light scratch. Well, that's some incredible luck, the woman thought, throwing a final gloomy glance at the partition. Escaped from one trap and immediately ended up in another. I just made this test more comlicated for myself and now... wait, what?.. This ...’test’? She was puzzled. She couldn't understand why she suddenly thought about that. What test? The woman had no slightest idea. It seemed like she completely forgot about something. It was something very important, wasn’t it? Something she had to do, make every effort for. Maybe she tried, but for some reason, everything went wrong. That was before I found myself in the Office, right? the woman asked herself.She had to remember. It was necessary. The woman looked around, as if trying to find a clue on the walls, door and boxes. It’s useless, she thought. This place had no connection to the past. Could it be...? The woman took off her plastic badge from her shirt and read her own name. “...My name is ‘Chell’?” she said aloud and immediately felt foolish. Of course, her name was Chell. How could she forget her own name? Even the thought itself seemed absurd! Was it because of the recent head injury? Perhaps it was strong enough to cause a mild form of amnesia? Chell didn't have a medical education, so she couldn't say for sure. Well, at least she remembered her name — not bad for a start. Now she needed to figure out how to get out of here. And for that, she had to decide where to go. Left? Right? Or that garage door over there? Chell turned around and approached the elevator she had descended in. She entered its cabin and pressed the button. Nothing happened. Apparently, the elevator could only go up to this point. The woman returned to the middle of the room. She stood there for a few minutes, contemplating which path to choose and, most importantly, where it would lead her. Chell began to pace in circles and jiggle every door. They were all locked. She had no choice but to head through the garage door. It was fortunate that Chell was skinny enough to squeeze through the wide gap between the floor and the partially open door. Descending the stairs, Chell found herself on an iron catwalk. It ended in a dead-end and hung at a great height. Jumping off would result in death for sure. She had no wish to die, so she just stood on the catwalk, gazing at the enormous panel with hundreds of glowing monitors. They displayed footage from surveillance cameras located in each office room. Could this be another laboratory? But these offices were too poorly equipped to be test chambers. What was this company really is about? And why did all its employees suddenly disappear?.. To hell with it, Chell thought, I'm more interested in how to escape from this shithole. She turned away from the monitors and approached the door. Locked. How could that be? "Haha, very funny," Chell muttered, "I don't give a damn who you are and why you are doing this! Just let me out of here!" The mysterious door remained silent. "I know you can hear me!" she shouted and began pounding on the door. "Open!" And once again, no one answered her. Chell remembered little about her life, habits, and personality, as she suffered from amnesia for unknown reasons. But one thing she knew for sure. A woman named Chell was patient and very stubborn. That's why she continued to knock on the door and call out for the stranger who locked her in here. Sooner or later, the door will open, she thought. You just have to wait and keep knocking. Someone will definitely hear her and release her from this dead end. Perhaps it won't happen right away. Maybe in ten minutes... or in fifteen minutes?.. Maybe after four hours?.. Or maybe never. Will she stay here forever? Fat chance! Chell tries to open the door. She breaks a hairpin, damages her nails and disfigures her gentle hands with bruises and scratches. Scratches and dents appear on the door. But the door doesn't yield. Maybe it's actually made of platinum. And the paint and wood are just a disguise for an ordinary door. Perhaps it simply can't be opened without a key. Chell sits down on the gridded floor of the iron catwalk and leans against the same door. She feels completely defeated. It's okay. Everything is fine... I just need to rest a bit, she thinks, closing her eyes, When I wake up, I'll think about what to do next. With a fresh mind, it will work better. I will definitely find a way out of here. Then everything goes dark.