The Innocent Life of Valerie Vale

The White Room

The White Room

Valerie opened her eyes. She found herself in a white room. The floor, the ceiling, the walls – all lined with white tiles – polished, cold and hard. A white corridor lay beyond, separated from the room by a clear sheet of solid glass. The room was a cell. Valerie was trapped. She was a prisoner.

Valerie tried to move. She felt powerless – devoid of energy and drained from within. She lay on the floor, unable to stand. Her body was frail – her arms were heavy and her legs were weak. All she wanted to do was sleep – to drift off into a dream and to leave this hellish existence behind.

Looking up, Valerie noticed a bright white light, shining down upon her. She was disorientated and squinted down in disarray. Slowly she opened her eyes again. The room was too bright. The tiles burned in a vivid glare. It was almost painful.

Valerie was cold. She gazed down upon her body and realised at last – she was naked. Her skin was covered in a silver paint which coated her body completely. Silver arms with silver hands, a silver face with silver lips, silver legs and feet. Only her hair was its natural colour, dark and luscious – untouched and uncorrupted. Valerie tried to move again. That’s when she noticed a thick black chain, wrapped around her gentle neck. The black steel tied her down to the centre of the room. Like an animal, she was locked up and hidden away. The passing time meant nothing – for no longer was she free.

The corridor was wide. Opposite her room, similar cells lined the way. The closest one was empty. Inside the next was a man – a vampire like her, covered in silver paint, naked and chained to the ground below. He was barely moving. Valerie felt like getting sick. She was nauseous.

Suddenly Valerie heard a noise. It was the sound of heavy boots. They were coming her way. She pulled against the metal chain and crawled up to the glass. There she saw another man, a vampire naked with silver skin. Two tall men dressed in black, dragged the man between their arms. He was unconscious. Gas masks covered their face. Their eyes were hidden by pools of darkness. They looked cruel and menacing to the core. They took long deep breaths which filleted air into their lungs. The sound of the mouthpiece was ominous – it was sinister.

The men arrived at the empty cell. They pressed a button on the wall. Valerie watched as the sheet of glass rose into the air. They dumped the vampire on the ground and tied the chain around its neck. Stepping out, they closed the glass. Valerie watched it lower down and finally lock into place. That’s when the men turned to her. They noticed her looking. They saw the fear inside her eyes. They moved in closer to her cell and coldly stared down through the glass. Valerie realised – whatever torture that man had seen, now she was next.

Valerie tried to back away. She crawled across the ground. The men were silent. They didn’t speak. All they did was breath. They opened the glass to the white room and slowly stepped inside. Valerie tried to stand, she tried to fight – but she was too weak. All her strength was gone. They untied the chain around her neck and pulled her by her arms. They dragged her out and closed the glass. They were hard on her. They didn’t care. She was nothing to them.

Along the corridor they travelled together. Valerie had no choice. Powerless to do a thing, she finally accepted her fate. Her eyes were heavy and she wanted to sleep. She battled to keep them open. Slowly she passed a row of cells, occupied on either side. They were full. Vampires lay inside – painted in silver, too weak to move.

At the end of the corridor they reached a door. One of the men took out a card and scanned it through the lock. In the moment’s pause, Valerie looked to one side. Inside a cell was a vampire, leaning against the glass. He was old and was extremely thin with heavy and wrinkled shrived skin. He gazed into Valerie’s eyes. He looked hopeless. A tear dripped down his cheek.

The door opened. It was an elevator. On inside they went.

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