[ WP ] You die and everything goes dark . Then you see a red blinking light and hear a voice : `` Hello again , Inmate 32561 . Your simulated correctional experience is now complete . Welcome back to 2236 . ''

Whenever I slept, I saw a faint red light. Blinking. Just blinking in the distance. Yet throughout my years, that light has grown closer, stronger. At first I wasn ’ t afraid – everyone has dreams. 
 Then the nightmares came. A cold cell, with walls of cinderblock slathered in white paint. A voice – nonhuman – requesting that I “ emerge from the simulation. ” The sights would flicker back and forth from the red blinking light to the cell like a computer ’ s faulty screen. 
 As I aged, the experiences I had with these nightmares became more real. The light grew brighter, the voice more demanding. Those nightmares followed me for the rest of my life; I hoped for death to claim me, if only to rid me of these visions. 
 In the end, I laid in my hospital bed – my family surrounding me. My wife, our children and grandchildren had looked on for too long. They had seen me wither under the force of the nightmares; they had seen the insanity grip me. I faded from them, finally at peace. 
 However, as I faded, I saw again the blinking red light. It pulsated that damned red light through my conscious mind until finally, I heard the voice again. 
 “ Hello again, Inmate 32561. Your simulated correctional experience is now complete. Welcome back to 2236. ” 
 I sit up, sweat dripping down my face and neck into my jumpsuit. A simulation? Another simulation? “ Why? ” I finally scream, clutching the wisps of hair that still hang from my scalp. “ Why would you give me a simulation like that? ” 
 “ Compose yourself, Inmate 32561. This was your last simulation. ” 
 I jump off the metal table I had laid on, wires draped from my chest. “ You think that my last simulation should be of my downfall? You think that lifetime needs to be relived? ” 
 “ I only follow my orders, Inmate 32561. ” 
 “ Your boss can go to Hell, ” I spit, ripping the camera that has been trained on me for who knows how long off the wall. The red light ceases to blink as I crush the aperture within my fist. 
 “ Welcome back. ” I mimic the voice of the AI system as I fall to my knees. “ Welcome back. ” 

