The door closed.

The lock clicked.

I stood in the hall.

The dust motes danced.

They were fat and slow.

They did not care.

I looked at my hands.

They were white.

They were still.

The house breathed.

It was a deep sound.

A wet sound.

Like lungs.

I am the caretaker.

I keep the lights on.

I sweep the floors.

I am small.

The house is big.

It eats me.

It is okay.

I like the dark.

I like the walls.

They hold me up.

My spine is weak.

The house is strong.

I am its bone.

I am its skin.

I am the sweat.

I am the stain.

I am the rot.

It is beautiful.

It is true.

I went to the kitchen.

The floor was cold.

It bit my feet.

I liked the pain.

It woke me up.

I made tea.

The water boiled.

It screamed.

I poured the cup.

The steam rose.

It looked like a ghost.

I drank.

It was hot.

It burned my tongue.

I did not care.

I went to the office.

The desk was oak.

It was heavy.

I sat down.

The chair creaked.

I opened the file.

The paper was old.

It was yellow.

It smelled of mold.

I read the name.

Thomas.

He was guilty.

The law said so.

The judge said so.

I signed the paper.

I stamped it.

Red ink.

Like blood.

It was done.

He is gone.

I am here.

The house is here.

The house is happy.

The phone rang.

It was loud.

It shook the wall.

I picked up.

It was a voice.

It was soft.

It was kind.

It was not the law.

It was a woman.

Her name was Sarah.

She was his sister.

She wanted to talk.

I said no.

I was busy.

I was with the house.

I hung up.

The silence returned.

It was thick.

It pressed on my ears.

I felt the pressure.

It was good.

It was a hug.

The house hugged me.

I closed my eyes.

I saw the red ink.

It was bright.

It was alive.

It moved.

It crawled.

It formed a shape.

It was a hand.

It reached for me.

I let it.

I let it take me.

I am the hand.

I am the ink.

I am the crime.

I am the punishment.

It is fair.

It is just.

The system works.

The wheel turns.

We are all gears.

We grind.

We wear.

We break.

It is necessary.

It is clean.

It is pure.

The night came.

The stars were out.

They were cold.

They were far.

They did not see.

They did not care.

I walked to the basement.

The stairs were dark.

I felt my way.

My hand touched the wall.

The wall was warm.

It was pulsing.

I felt a heartbeat.

It was slow.

It was steady.

It was my heart.

It was the house’s heart.

They were one.

I went down.

The air was thick.

It was heavy.

It tasted of iron.

I saw the machine.

It was old.

It was rusted.

It hummed.

It was the chair.

It was the table.

It was the truth.

I sat on it.

The leather was cold.

I put on the restraints.

I tightened the straps.

They bit into my wrists.

They bit into my ankles.

I felt the tightness.

I felt the squeeze.

I felt the pain.

It was sweet.

It was right.

I was the prisoner.

I was the warden.

I was the judge.

I was the jury.

I was the executioner.

I was the victim.

I was everything.

I was nothing.

The house watched.

The house smiled.

The house waited.

The voice came again.

It was not the phone.

It was in my head.

It was Thomas.

He was not dead.

He was in the walls.

He was in the floor.

He was in the air.

He whispered.

He said I was wrong.

He said I was broken.

He said I was lost.

I denied it.

I shook my head.

I bit my lip.

I tasted blood.

I am not wrong.

The law is law.

The law is right.

The law is good.

The law saves us.

The law saves the house.

The house needs order.

The house needs control.

The house needs me.

I am the anchor.

I am the root.

I am the stone.

I will not move.

I will not yield.

I will not break.

I am strong.

I am firm.

I am true.

The lights flickered.

The bulbs buzzed.

The shadows danced.

They grew long.

They stretched.

They reached.

They touched my feet.

They climbed my legs.

They wrapped my waist.

They squeezed.

I gasped.

I could not breathe.

The air was gone.

The house was breathing.

It was taking my breath.

It was taking my life.

I fought.

I kicked.

I pulled.

The straps held.

The house held.

The system held.

It was so strong.

It was so big.

I was so small.

I was so weak.

I am tired.

I am so tired.

I want to stop.

I want to rest.

I want to sleep.

The sleep is coming.

The dark is coming.

The end is coming.

It is peaceful.

It is quiet.

It is clean.

I am clean.

I am pure.

I am free.

I opened my eyes.

I was in the chair.

The straps were loose.

The machine was off.

The room was empty.

The walls were still.

The dust was still.

I was alone.

I was free.

I stood up.

My legs shook.

My hands shook.

I looked at my arms.

The marks were red.

They were deep.

They were scars.

They were maps.

They were stories.

I touched them.

I felt the pain.

I felt the truth.

I was not the prisoner.

I was the house.

I was the wall.

I was the floor.

I was the roof.

I was the lock.

I was the key.

I was the door.

I opened the door.

The light came in.

It was bright.

It was white.

It was blinding.

I walked out.

The air was cold.

The grass was wet.

The sky was gray.

The world was there.

It was real.

It was hard.

It was cruel.

It was unjust.

I knew it now.

The law was a lie.

The justice was a mask.

The system was a beast.

It ate the weak.

It ate the poor.

It ate the truth.

It ate me.

I was the meat.

I was the bone.

I was the dust.

I am nothing.

I am free.

I am nothing.

I am free.

I walked.

I walked away.

I did not look back.

The house was behind me.

It was small.

It was gray.

It was dead.

I am alive.

I am empty.

I am full.

I am gone.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

I am here.

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I am here.

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