unlocked, he pushed the door open and exhaled. The level of tension he felt was much more than he expected it to be. Excitedly, he opened the steel door and peered inside.
“Have we made a decision, I’ll allow sixty seconds for the response,” his voice echoed into the concrete room.
As three women cried, Dana stood from the bench. Surprised, Ryan waited for someone to speak. Slowly and methodically, Dana walked toward the door.
“Stop,” Ryan said as she reached a distance of a few feet from the door.
“Is this the decision? Dana? You’re the volunteer?” Ryan asked with concern in his voice as he glared at the three ladies sitting on the respective benches opposite each other.
Dana nodded without speaking.
“ Interesting . Please turn and place your hands behind your back, I am going to handcuff you, but I will attempt to make it as comfortable as I can, okay?” Ryan smiled as he spoke.
Dana shuffled her feet in a circular motion and faced away from Ryan. As she placed her hands behind her back, Ryan affixed the handcuffs lightly to her wrists and pulled on the chain.
“Step through the door, Dana,” Ryan said as he motioned to the doorway.
As Dana walked through the door, Ryan placed his hand on her shoulder and looked into the room. The women, staring down at the floor, continued to cry. None faced the door or watched as Dana was handcuffed. As the women sobbed, Ryan interrupted.
“Ladies,” Ryan paused and waited for them to look up. None did. “Ladies, your attention please .”
As the women looked up and toward the door, Ryan spoke, “Tomorrow. Same time same rules. I need another volunteer. Have a fabulous day. Zero eight hundred. Let us not forget.”
Ryan pulled the door closed. A soon as the metallic sound of the lock clicked, he checked the door to ensure it was locked. After confirming the security of the door, he placed his hand on Dana’s shoulder and escorted her to a room on the opposite side of the basement.
Once in the room, Ryan assisted Dana to a table located in the center of the room, and pulled out a chair.
“Please, have a seat,” Ryan said as he held the chair for her.
“Be careful with your arms, I know that can be uncomfortable,” Ryan continued as he motioned toward the handcuffs.
“Now, are you comfortable?” Ryan asked as he sat at a chair on the opposite side of the table.
Quietly, Dana nodded her head and looked around the room.
“Oh my. Your lips? What happened to your lips?” Ryan asked as he noticed Dana’s swollen lips.
“I fell,” Dana lied, not wanting to potentially cause grief for any of the other women in the room.
Ryan shook his head from side to side, “I doubt that, but fine. Stick to that story for now.”
“First, I have a question,” Ryan paused, “up until this moment we have before us, what is one memory you wish you could remove from your memory bank? Only one.”
Dana studied Ryan, took a slow breath and wondered. She contemplated her answer, and opted to be honest in her response.
“The memory of these events - and more specifically - the memory of having chosen to die. At that moment, the feeling… the letting go , it was excruciating,” Dana began to cry as she spoke.
“How did or does it feel? Explain in one sentence,” Ryan placed his chin in his hand and waited.
Dana again thought, considered what to say, and responded.
“I feel as though I am dead already,” Dana admitted as the tears ran down her cheeks.
“Very interesting. Certainly what one would assume, I suppose. Very interesting to know for certain. Let’s get on with this, shall we?” Ryan asked as he reached for the remote control.
“As you can see, there’s a camera on the tripod beside me. The light will come on just about now ,” Ryan said as he pressed the button on a remote control that sat on top of the table.
A green light on the face of the camera illuminated. The camera was facing Dana’s seat. As Ryan finished speaking, Dana
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