"I might die, but I must find out!"

  Joseph shocked himself with a special device.

  He awakened, twisted, pushed, and yanked until he was free of the straps, sensors, tubes that fed, and hoses that extracted.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The room he sat in smelled musty. Passing through a hallway, he turned on lights, then observed two elders strapped in.

  "My parents … I didn't remember them. Do we forget everything while inside?"

  He opened curtains and a sliding glass door to a high-rise balcony.

  The silence was deafening while he stared at the lifeless cityscape outside.

  "Oh my! What are we doing?"