She examines the hatch in the wall

I look around the room for anything else I missed; for any small detail which might mean freedom.

The hatch on the wall appears as sturdy as the door, yet an indented handle suggests it might slide open. A small white bulb is built into the wall a few inches to the hatch's right, however unlike that blinding lights above me: it is turned off.

I grasp the hatch handle and pull with all my strength, my muscles straining. “Come on, you stupid fucking hatch!” I groan in frustration. My voice cracks, and tears well up, streaming down my cheeks as my efforts go unrewarded. I’m on the verge of collapse, my heels slipping across the tiles, leaving me dangling from the handle, inches from the floor.

I let go, finding myself now sat on the floor, and I sob.

'I don't know where I am.', I ****. 'I don't know why I am here, and I don't know how to get out.'

Time passes. Perhaps thirty minutes; maybe a little longer. I rub the last of the tears from my reddened eyes as the panic settles. Looking up, I see the same beady camera staring down at me.

I imagine that surely someone will walk through that door soon. The thought brings as much terror as it does hope. Would answers be worth whatever will come next?

I turn on the tap at the sink, splashing water on my face. I fill my hands and drink. There is a cabinet beneath the sink, but its interior reveals nothing but a dozen rolls of toilet paper.

'They plan on me being here for a while then.', I think solemnly to myself.

It doesn't take long before any sense of dread is replaced by an overwhelming boredom. All I can do is potter around within the same four blank walls. As the hours pass I long for my phone, or a TV, or a book. Any book.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, as when I wake, I notice that the light at the hatch is now lit. Its dull, white glow only seems to mock me for expecting anything different.

A flicker of hope mingles with my trepidation. I reach for the handle, my fingers gripping it with a mix of anxiety and cautious optimism.

I open the hatch.