Climb to Dominion

The sky was blue, the sun was blazing, and the air was fresh. The perfect day for a run through the park. I lifted my head from my hands and took in the scenery. The trees were green, but some leaves had started to turn orange. The ground was covered in multiple shades of brown and red, as well as a healthy amount of green grass.

I stood up and stretched my arms above my head. “Time to start work,” I said to myself. “Time to make money and earn those global promotions.” I streaked across the lawn, effortlessly leaping over small rocks or holes in the ground. I came to a stop at the fountain in the center of the park and looked up at it with pride. It had been installed less than six months ago, after all that hard work of mine had finally paid off. With my promotion today I would be able to get a lot more done quickly, including upgrading that fountain.

My eye caught movement out of the corner of my vision and I turned around to see some men approaching me. They were in their early twenties, dressed in black suits with dark sunglasses on their faces.

“You’re coming with us,” one of them said gruffly. He reached out to grab me by my shoulder, but I pulled away from him before he could touch me.

“What do mean? You got a warrant or something?” I asked angrily.

The second man reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked like a gun with an oddly shaped barrel. My eyes widened in surprise and fear as he pointed it directly at me. “Just come quietly, please sir,” he said politely but firmly. He looked like he was about to sneeze but suppressed it just long enough to say the sentence without stuttering or coughing.

I reluctantly followed them out of the park and down the street towards a building with dark windows on one side and slanted lines running across its walls on top of each other like they were painted by children on drugs who were ordered to create something abstract by their parents as punishment for not studying last night before bedtime. The men led me inside into an elevator where there was only space for two people standing close together with no room for luggage or anything else that might take up precious vertical storage space space-time continuum space it's going to be okay you'll be fine just breathe okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay oh god please don't let this break down please don't let this break down please don't let this break down please don't let this break down please don't let this- -