“Is the target in Venice being watched, Malaysia?” A voice on a speaker close to my ear asked slowly.

I hummed loudly to a song I barely remembered in response. The clamps that had been placed on my eyelashes painfully wrenched my eyes open.

The white wall that was comfortably three feet in front of me began to groan and whir. I couldn’t close my eyes.

The wall protested as it slowly began to rise, the whistling shriek of wind coming in through the growing crack. Horror began to course through my veins, infecting my heart.

The wall rose more and more, until it completely disappeared. Nothing replaced it and I could barely contain my screams. All I saw was sand and sky. Open space, so exposed and brutal. I was biting my lip so hard it bled.

“Is the target being watched, Malaysia?” The voice asked again, sounding like it was smiling.

I tried to force my eyes shut but the pain was too great. The wind and sand blasted into the room that had protected me.

“N-no.” I sobbed. “Close it. Close it, please!”