Chapter 2: Chapter 2

John stared at the door, the only way out. I need to go out, I need air. This place is suffocating me.' He stepped to the door, pushed his way through the crowd of people in the hallway, and made his way out into the sunshine.The air was so clear, so clean, it was almost painful to breathe in. He walked down the sidewalk, past the coffee shop, past the bookstore, past the bank, and stopped at the park. There were flowers in the planters, luscious greenery twining around the lampposts, and birds chirping in the trees.It was a beautiful day, and John felt like taking a walk. He didn't know where he'd go, or what he'd do, but he needed to leave this building. It was making him crazy, this place and the people in it. They were all clones of each other, carbon-based life forms that took turns pretending they were unique.He needed fresh air, and maybe some exercise.

He turned to look back at the building, to see if anyone was watching him as he walked away. He caught the eye of one of the receptionists, a middle-aged woman with auburn hair and a kind face