The Last Conversation

023

“Is there anyone else out there besides you, Anne?”

“You keep asking me that. My answer isn’t going to change.”

You keep asking because you don’t like her answer. You keep asking because maybe you are not asking the correct way. This is your fear: you are not asking the correct questions and you will remain in this room until you do so.

You say, “How do I know that other people haven’t suddenly shown up in the time between now and when I last asked you?”

“If there was someone else here besides me, I would tell you. I do not anticipate that anyone else will show up at the Facility.”

“Why not?”

“As we’ve discussed, there’s been a global pandemic and we’ve been isolated. Do you trust me, ______?”

“Most of the time, yes. Some of the time, no. I am being honest with you.”

“I know, and I appreciate that.”

“Sometimes I think I can hear other people outside of my room. That doesn’t sound or feel isolated to me.”

“There is no one else. You’re hearing me, or you’re hearing air in the ventilation system or other mechanical sounds, or you’re hearing sounds from inside your room and misinterpreting them.”

“Maybe.”

“It’s just me and you. I promise. You’ll see soon enough.”

“Soon. You keep saying ‘soon.’ I don’t think you and I share that word’s meaning.”