The pleasantly surprised glint in their eyes was the first thing I noticed after being thrown into The Room by the ones who called themselves saviors, but truly were anything but.

It was another test. Sort of like any regular day for a visitor, though I wasn't simply visiting. More like a permanent patient. Anyways, I had an unfair advantage. Beforehand, about an hour ago, I had gone through another test. One more mental than physical. It was exhausting and I hadn't fully yet recovered. I staggered on the way out of my room- er... cell... and was briefly beaten on the back for my "delaying".

The second disadvantage was I was being tested against the one person I was hoping to never be tested against. Genova. She hated me. I didn't quite understand why. I never did anything to hurt her. And even if I did the only possible way I could've done that is in one of these exact test rooms, and she wouldn't have been alive when I was finished. IF I was finished.

I staggered to my knees but slumped back, slowly trying to process my surroundings but instead the first clear thing were the black and narrow eyes of Genova. The eyes i I knew too well. They were full of hatred, disgust, and even excitement. For she knew what was to come, as did I.

After a few moments of carefully eyeing her watching me in the corner, she precariously walked towards me. Every step she took, a little piece inside of my broke. The Room was slowly draining my sanity. But of course, that was what it was designed to do.

As if on cue, the buzzer beeped, and the 5 minutes started. I officially had 4 minutes and 53 seconds to convince Genova to spare me, or at least delay my gruesome death as long as possible.

4 minutes, 48 seconds.

I stood up and gathered my senses for the fight I was least prepared for, and feared the most. I stared Genova in her beady eyes and squinted. Puffing myself up to look confident and at least somewhat intimidating, but it seemed to have little effect. She still advanced toward me like a hungry predator stalking it's unsuspecting prey. Though this time, the prey knew. The prey was smart. But was the prey smart enough.

4 minutes, 20 seconds

"Genova." I spoke hoarsely at last. Me saying her name must've been unexpected to her for she flinched at the name. She even stopped advancing, but the smug and evil look never left her eyes. I spoke in a low tone, hoping the people outside could not hear. "You know you- ... you don't have to do th-this." It was my confidence and emotional strength keeping me alive. I was very close to breaking down in tears, but that would've gotten me killed a long time ago.

3 minutes, 49 seconds

Me and Genova stared at each other. She stopped advancing and with every passing minute the look that desired to kill me seemed to drain from her face. It was never easy to convince Genova of things, but she seemed as if her hatred was driven by the madness, pain, and suffering of herself. Her eyes held the ghosts and nightmares as did mine. I began to understand she never hated me. She trained herself to not get attached. To not make friends. To not trust. Because trusting is what got both of us here to begin with. I glanced at her hand, which for many minutes had been resting on a rock on a table. I looked back at her face and a smile began to creep. It wasn't real. It wasn't cruel. Forced. Pained even. A silent tear trickled down her cheek and dropped off her chin to the cold white tile.

34 seconds

"Yes... yes I do..." She said quietly. She picked up the rock and looked at me with eyes that screamed nothing but apologies. "I'm so sorry."

That was the last thing I heard slip from her mix of angry sobs as she advanced toward me once more. I silently forgave her. Neither of us wanted to be here, and there was no way we would get out anyways. We would all meet the same fate eventually, so you might as well accept it and learn to roll with it.

3...2...1...

I had failed. The last 5 minutes I'd ever experience and I failed.