You stand at the edge of the steel table. The air is cold. It smells of bleach. It smells of iron. You are a soldier. You wear the grey tunic. The tunic is stiff. It chafes your neck. You do not scratch. You do not move. You hold the tray. The tray is silver. It holds the medicine. The medicine is in vials. The vials are glass. The glass is clear. The liquid inside is red. It looks like wine. It looks like blood. It is not wine. It is not blood. It is order. It is law.

The room is white. The walls are white. The floor is white. There is no shadow. There is no corner. The light comes from nowhere. It is total. It is absolute. You are in the Institution. The Institution is everywhere. You are here to serve. You are here to fix. The fix is simple. The patient is broken. You must make them whole. You must make them fit. The fit is perfect. The fit is final.

You walk forward. Your boots click. Click. Click. The sound is loud. The sound is hard. The sound is wrong. You stop. You look at your hands. They are steady. They are clean. They are yours. You are James. You remember your name. You remember the mud. You remember the rain. You remember the field. The field was green. The field was wild. The field was free. That was before. That was the war. The war is over. The war is in your head. The war is in your body. The body is the enemy. The body is the traitor.

You enter the chamber. The door closes. The door is heavy. The door is silent. You see her. She is on the bed. She is small. She is still. Her eyes are closed. Her face is pale. Her lips are dry. She is Margaret. You know her name. You know her face. You know her voice. You knew her in the field. You knew her in the mud. You knew her in the rain. She was brave. She was kind. She was you. She is you. She is the mirror. The mirror is cracked. The mirror is broken. You must mend it. You must break it again.

You place the tray on the side table. The metal hums. The hum is low. The hum is deep. The hum is in your bones. You reach for the vial. Your fingers touch the glass. The glass is cold. The cold burns. The cold bites. You lift the vial. You hold it up. You look at the red liquid. It swirls. It moves. It lives. It is not life. It is death. It is peace. It is justice. Justice is red. Justice is quiet. Justice is end.

You think of the law. The law is strict. The law is fair. The law does not care. The law does not feel. The law is the machine. The machine is you. You are the gear. You are the tooth. You turn. You bite. You hold. You break. You are the weapon. You are the hand. You are the will. You are the choice. You chose this. You chose the grey. You chose the white. You chose the red. You chose to be clean. You chose to be strong. You chose to be just.

But the red is not clean. The red is not strong. The red is not just. The red is a lie. The red is a trick. The red is a trap. You see it now. You see the crack. The crack is in the glass. The crack is in the wall. The crack is in the air. The crack is in you. The crack is in her. The crack is in the world. The world is a temple. The temple is empty. The temple is full. The temple is a cage. The cage is the body. The body is the cage.

You look at Margaret. Her eyes open. She sees you. She does not speak. She does not move. She looks at you. Her eyes are grey. Her eyes are kind. Her eyes are sad. She knows. She knows what you are. She knows what you have become. She knows what you are about to do. She does not fear. She does not beg. She waits. She waits for you. She waits for the end. She waits for the justice.

You feel the heat. The heat rises. The heat is in your chest. The heat is in your throat. The heat is in your hands. The heat is the rage. The rage is the old war. The rage is the old self. The old self is a beast. The beast is hungry. The beast is angry. The beast is you. You are the beast. You are the monster. You are the traitor. You betrayed the field. You betrayed the rain. You betrayed the green. You betrayed the life. You betrayed the soul.

You raise the vial. Your arm is steady. Your arm is strong. Your arm is the arm of the law. The law requires this. The law demands this. The law commands this. You must pour. You must give. You must heal. You must save. You must end. The end is the beginning. The beginning is the end. The circle is closed. The circle is tight. The circle is a noose. The noose is around your neck. The noose is around her throat. You are bound. She is bound. You are one.

You bring the vial to her lips. The glass touches her mouth. The cold touches the warm. The red touches the pink. You tilt the glass. The liquid spills. The liquid falls. The liquid is a thread. The thread is fine. The thread is strong. The thread is unbreakable. The thread is a chain. The chain is gold. The chain is iron. The chain is love. The chain is hate. The chain is devotion. The devotion is obsessive. The devotion is mad. The devotion is blind.

You watch her drink. She drinks. She swallows. She does not choke. She does not cough. She accepts. She accepts the poison. She accepts the cure. She accepts the death. She accepts the life. She accepts the justice. She accepts the lie. She accepts you. She accepts the traitor. She accepts the soldier. She accepts the friend. The friend is gone. The friend is dead. The friend is you. You are the ghost. You are the shadow. You are the echo.

The vial is empty. You hold it up. It is clear. It is clean. It is finished. You set it down. The sound is soft. The sound is final. The sound is a bell. The bell rings. The bell is for the dead. The bell is for the lost. The bell is for the found. The bell is for the free. The free are not here. The free are in the field. The free are in the rain. The free are in the green. The free are in the memory. The memory is a wound. The wound is open. The wound is bleeding. The blood is red. The blood is the medicine. The medicine is the truth. The truth is the lie. The lie is the truth.

You look at her. Her eyes close. Her face relaxes. Her lips move. She says a word. The word is soft. The word is sweet. The word is your name. James. She says your name. She does not shout. She does not call. She whispers. The whisper is a prayer. The prayer is a curse. The curse is a blessing. The blessing is a debt. The debt is paid. The debt is owed. The debt is never paid. The debt is forever. The forever is now. The now is always. The always is a moment. The moment is a second. The second is an eternity.

You feel the shift. The shift is in your mind. The shift is in your soul. The shift is the turn. The turn is the surrender. The surrender is the victory. The victory is the defeat. The defeat is the freedom. The freedom is the pain. The pain is the joy. The joy is the sorrow. The sorrow is the peace. The peace is the war. The war is over. The war is beginning. The war is inside. The war is outside. The war is everywhere. The war is nowhere.

You turn away. You walk to the door. Your steps are slow. Your steps are heavy. Your steps are light. You open the door. The light floods in. The light is blinding. The light is white. The light is the void. The void is the home. The home is the cage. The cage is the temple. The temple is the body. The body is the self. The self is the other. The other is you. You are the other. You are the self. You are the body. You are the temple. You are the cage. You are the home. You are the void. You are the light.

You step out. You leave the chamber. You leave the white. You leave the red. You leave the grey. You leave the silence. You enter the hall. The hall is long. The hall is empty. The hall is cold. The hall is quiet. You walk. You walk. You walk. You do not stop. You do not look back. You do not turn. You do not speak. You do not cry. You do not feel. You feel everything. You feel nothing. You are nothing. You are everything. You are the soldier. You are the traitor. You are the friend. You are the love. You are the hate. You are the justice. You are the injustice. You are the end. You are the beginning.

The story is done. The story is not done. The story is a loop. The loop is a circle. The circle is a spiral. The spiral is a descent. The descent is a fall. The fall is a rise. The rise is a flight. The flight is a dream. The dream is a wake. The wake is a sleep. The sleep is a death. The death is a birth. The birth is a life. The life is a death. The death is a life.

You are James. You are Margaret. You are the medicine. You are the disease. You are the cure. You are the poison. You are the glass. You are the crack. You are the red. You are the white. You are the grey. You are the cold. You are the heat. You are the silence. You are the sound. You are the word. You are the name. You are the nothing. You are the something. You are the all. You are the none. You are the here. You are the there. You are the now. You are the then. You are the when. You are the where. You are the why. You are the how. You are the what. You are the who. You are the I. You are the You. You are the We. You are the They. You are the It. You are the Nothing. You are the Everything. You are the End.