𝔹𝕖𝕕𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 (ℍ𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕣 𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤)

The Sleep Experiment

<What's happening to the patients?> the scientist hurried into the surveillance booth. He saw a distressing sight in the hospital: two of the experimental subjects were dead, the other two were dying. Nonetheless, the latter's vocal cords were still healthy, and they kept screaming "more!" "more!" as if there were no tomorrow.

Russia, late 1940s, at the dawn of the Soviet empire.

They walked slowly, in white clothes, towards what was soon to be their deathbed.There were five of them, all prisoners of war.

The guards, pointing their rifles behind them, led them into a white room.

<You will be locked in this room with stimulant gas to keep you from falling asleep. The aim is to see the effect of humans if they don't sleep for a certain amount of time.> said one of the scientists from the loudspeaker <Trust me. This experiment is temporary, after thirty days we will release and detoxify you from the gases. At the moment you will be watched by surveillance cameras and by men in a room, which will be separated by a window.>

Subjects looked to their left. There were a scientist and three military men behind him.

<You will be brought food and water> the scientist said again from the loudspeaker. <Now, let's begin the experiment.>

The stimulating gas was released. Subjects began coughing, but were not killed by the substance.

<What assholes, they left us the beds.> said one of the five subjects.

<At least we can lie down and relax our muscles.> said another.

<You know, this thought of staying awake for thirty nights doesn't excite me. We'll run out of 

strength.> said another subject.

<Scientists gave us the gas on purpose.> answered another.

Five days passed. The subjects remained in an almost normal state of mind. They had dark circles under their eyes, they had lost a lot of weight.

<I'm not liking all this. I miss sleeping.> said a subject.

<Don't worry, they'll release us in about twenty days.>

The first got up from the bed on which he was sitting, nervous. then he answered him aloud.

<Look at what condition we are in! In my opinion they won't even release us.>

<What the fuck are you talking about? You're delirious.> answered the other.

<Of course, by the time we get out of here we'll all be mad or dead!>

<YOU are mad!> the other one pushed him backwards.

<Hey, calm down guys. Scientists will take care of our mental conditions.> another subject said, stepping between the two litigants.

<Well, do as you please.> The madman sat on the bed with his arms folded.

From the ninth day, the situation became twice as critical.

All was silent in the cell. The scientists had not yet turned the stimulant gas back on. The subjects were seated in the corners of the room, huddled up and with their hands on their heads.

One of them got up, and suddenly he was screaming and running around the room. The screams were deafening, calling for cries of pain and despair. The screams went out, like a candle with a gust of wind. For three days there was no sound, although the microphones worked perfectly.