The Piedmont Performance
The monster maker.
Act One:
Volunteer #3’s experience didn’t last too long, but we learned a great deal from him. After exiting the stage, he found himself standing on the long side of a rectangular lot of neatly mowed land. Then the camera picked up an amazing sight. The scene changed and Volunteer #3 was driving on a country road. Later participants report that this road seems, somehow, to be familiar, although no one could identify it.
The landscape then changes again, all around, and now the participant is in a very busy city. It is night, but by no means dark. Many artificial lights are here, from vehicle lights to multi-colored (and neon) lights on buildings. The streets, though very congested, are nondescript. The vehicles that one encounters seem to be blurry. They display a “tail” like a comet does.
At this time, your vehicle (which you really don’t seem to control) comes to a red light. It stops. There is no left turn. You have a choice. You can turn right, or you can go straight ahead.
If you continue straight the camera concealed on your person will begin to take pictures of nothingness—sheer darkness. As for you, you will immediately die and be transported to the Piedmont Distribution Center. Unfortunately, Volunteer #3 attempted to go straight.
The Colonel later told me that Volunteer #3, because of his valuable assistance, was going to be pardoned. He was also going to receive some military medal, posthumously, for (ostensibly) his service overseas. At any rate, his contribution ensured that Volunteer #4 had a better chance of making it to Act Two.
Therefore, if you follow instructions at this point and turn right, you may proceed to:
Act Two:
Volunteer #4 was a female military death row inmate. She was participating so that her sentence might be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. This volunteer was the first participant who, on the Colonel’s command, was given a 9 MM pistol and a mild sedative.
This participant seemed to be a pitiful and delicate creature, one who was certainly not worthy of any harsh punishment. She attempted to radiate goodness, even purity, and she did—until you remembered that she was a murderess. Volunteer #4 memorized the information that we had collected, and then allowed the building to take her into the other realm:
There have been no landmarks up to now, but suddenly you are parked beside the curb of a building along a very busy street. It’s a well-lit skyscraper. You can’t see the top of it. You can’t guess how many floors there might be.
You may attempt to drive away, find a parking garage, or you may get out of the vehicle. If you attempt to drive away, or if you attempt to find a place to park, you will immediately die and be transported to the Piedmont Distribution Center. Volunteer #4 died and was recovered after she attempted to find a parking area. A check of the body revealed that the pistol was still intact and unfired. The autopsy determined that the sedative (zolpidem) was not present in the body. How this came to be is not known and remains unexplained.
Volunteer #5 attempted to drive away. His camera ceased to function. Within a few short minutes, he had passed away and reappeared inside the Piedmont Distribution Center.
Volunteer #6 revealed to us that if you get out of the vehicle, the scene will change. You are now inside the tall building, which seems to be featureless. You seem to be visiting someone in a small apartment. We call this “The Visit.”
One of three scenarios takes place. First, you may be visiting an African American female. Second, you might be visiting a Caucasian male. Third, you might be visiting both persons at the same time, as though they were a couple. You have no control over the visit. Though you appear to be visiting, no words are spoken (or at least the camera didn’t record anything). After the skyscraper visit, you will instantly proceed to the vehicle.
At this point, there seems to be no test and the journey, for a short time, will be linear. You will be made to visit someone in the apartment complex. You will leave and return to your vehicle, unmolested. You will move on to Act Three.
© 2023-2026 Ren Adama
