Have you ever wondered exactly how long can a person go without eating? A few weeks maybe? Or a little more ? Or a little less? But even if they go this span of time without eating, what happens to them at the end of these few weeks? Do they turn into blood sucking vampires or flesh eating zombies? Let’s find that out through the experience of Hannah, a girl of 20.
Hannah used to work till very late at night. She was in the second year of college. Just the ripe age of 20 yet tonnes of problems securing a comfortable place on her delicate shoulders. Actually she was the sole earner of the family. She lived with her paralysed grandmother and her stubborn younger brother. Her parents passed away 5 years ago in a train accident. She was just 15 and her brother was 12 at the time. Well coming back to Hannah now she works at a café after college. Then she comes home to cater to her
family needs. Her brother who is 17, on the other hand, plays in a rock band. Nothing special. Just a group of “not so cool” high school kids trying to be cool. His time of returning home was never fixed. “ I’am turning into an adult next year”, that’s what he said to anyone trying to command him. The typical spoilt brat kind. Hannah’s grandmother however never seemed to acknowledge the fact. She always felt he is suffering from PTSD from his parents’ loss.
Hannah in her personal life had another noteworthy problem, which she never accepted . She was always chubby as a kid. When she was really young everyone told her she was cute and she loved the attention. But as she grew up and paved her way towards adolescence, her love for attention changed to extreme body dysmorphia. Sometimes she even starved herself for long periods of time.
Hannah was tall, around 5’7”, lean, weighed around 48kilos, slightly wheatish skin with freckles all over her face. Her long brown hair came till her waist and she always like to tie it in a ponytail.
One day as she was returning home from work she noticed a pamphlet stuck on the wall outside her house. It was about an organisation who was looking for people aged between 18-25 to participate for a science experiment and they will be paid handsomely. It was the money that attracted her eyes. $20000 was the sum. Her family was going through some financial issues and she thought of improving their condition. She decided to call the number the next day.
First thing in the morning next day she called the number. She found out the address and went to meet them. The location was far away from her house. It was in the downtown. When finally she reached there, she found a dilapidated building. She entered, took multiple turns and finally reached a series of stairs which took her to the basement, where she found a room at the end of a corridor. White flourescent lights glowed from every corner of the room. The room looked like a laboratory. There she found 3 other people, approximately of her age, sitting at a square table. 2 boys and 1 girl. The girl was pretty well dressed, mid figured, with sharp features. Her short hair rested loosely on her shoulders. One of the boys looked younger than her. He seemed nervous. He repeatedly fixed his glasses above his nose. The other boy, muscular and tall, sat there staring at her. She sat next to the girl. Then a woman, probably 35, came and handed them a form each. They all filled it in silence.
Suddenly a scientist-looking person came. He started “Hello everyone, I am Dr.William. As you all know you have all voluntarily participated for an experiment. In this experiment you’ll will have to starve. Yes, that will be your primary duty. It will be divided into 4 stages. Stage 1 will be of 3 days, stage 2 of 4, stage 3 of 6 and stage 4 of 7 days. During this entire time a chip will be inserted in your arm which will calculate the Ghrelin level in your body. Ghrelin is a hormone which increases when our stomach is empty. The chip inserted cannot tolerate a decrease in Ghrelin, and it will stop your heart within 60 seconds. All the best guys.”
There spread a wave of silence as soon as the doctor stopped talking. Everyone was astonished. But nobody dared to say a word keeping in mind the sum the organisation was offering. “I just have to starve a little longer than usual”, Hannah thought to herself. Then the doctor made a small incision in each of their arms and inserted a tiny chip. The organisation had also explained to keep this experiment confidential.
After they were dismissed they came out and introduced themselves. The other girl’s name was Claire. The boys were Josh and Ricky respectively.
Stage 1 of the experiment was pretty easy for each of them. After 3days they reported to the centre. The inserted chip was taken out and another one was inserted. Then began stage 2. “This really never happened before but yesterday I started retching in the morning “, said Claire after 4days when stage 2 ended. Hannah didn’t face any problem whatsoever. The electrolytes she was consuming was enough for her. “I plan to survive on coconut water”, said Ricky. Josh, the youngest, seemed hesitant to share his thoughts.
Then began stage 3. 6days! A really long time to go without eating. After the first 2days Hannah started feeling dizzy. First thing she did was throw up in the morning. She couldn’t concentrate in her studies. Her mind felt foggy. She was irritated easily. Felt weak and sleepy… On the 5th day she even spilled coffee on a customer while serving. “Do your work diligently or leave my café!”, scorned her boss. At the end of the 6th day she had no strength left in her body. When she reached the centre everyone looked sluggish
and fragile. All of them had dark circles under their eyes. After all the procedure, they decided to spend the evening together.
“I am just doing it for the money. $20000 is a lot”, cried Josh. “1st thing I’ll do after completing this is to go to every fast food chain and eat my heart out”, said Claire. Hannah was quite. She didn’t even have the energy to speak. She just thought to herself “when will this end? Where did I trap myself”. Then they made a pact of spending as much time possible together for the next 7days. They would always look out for each other.
From day 5 of stage 4, Hannah went into a frenzy. It was impossible for her to continue this. She started hallucinating. She heard voices and saw things.
After class she went to meet the others at the local park. Already everyone was sitting when she reached there. “My urine has turned dark brown “, said Ricky. “I can barely hold my paintbrush anymore”, complained Josh. Most of the things they were saying seemed to have just touched Hannah. She couldn’t register most of the things in her mind.
Then 2 young girls came sat in the bench next to them with fries in their hand. On spur of moment, Josh unable to control himself, sprung from his seat, snatch some fries from the girls and stuffed them into his mouth. All the others watched him munching on those fries, stunned. They couldn’t move, being afraid of the consequences.
Suddenly Josh fell to the ground. Thud! He lay there still, motionless. The other three rushed to him. They tried everything to bring him back to his senses. They splashed water on his face, shook him, but nothing worked. After enough trying they understood their friend was no more. The doctor’s warning came true. Alas they immediately reported to his parents that Josh suddenly had a cardiac arrest. Everyone was utterly shocked to hear a 18 year old boy suffering a cardiac arrest but no one knew the real reason behind it.
As soon as all the funerary rituals were completed they decided to not to bear this mess anymore and get themselves out of the trap that greed led them into. All the 3 of them rushed to the police station. They explained everything to the cop. The cop heard them in utter astonishment and immediately suspected foul play. The police force decided to visit the building. With the help of the cop they also contacted a surgeon to get those chips out of their bodies.
Hannah after all these days had her first full wholesome meal. It was as if no meal tasted this good anytime in her life before. She had all kinds of junk food that was afraid to have before. She didn’t fear of gaining weight or having pimples. Her heart had this strange feeling of euphoria with every bite she took of her food.
Finally the day came when they were about to go to the centre with the cops. They all followed the cops in silent anticipation. Not daring to imagine what could happen next. Then the door to the laboratory came at the end of the corridor. The head officer banged the door with a loud noise and went in. As soon as Hannah stepped in, those bright flourescent lights glowed causing her an immediate headache. Hearing the noise the doctor and his nurse rushed out. Their eyes bulged out in fear as soon as they saw the cops. But they had no escape. They got arrested.
Five days later Hannah got a call from Claire. “They were not actually doctors. They were psychopathic smugglers trying to sell our organs or something after we died of starvation. It sounds so creepy right?!”, informed Claire. It indeed sounded creepy. Hannah couldn’t believe what she had let herself into. What would have happened to her family if she died! The thought troubled her.
But at the end of the day she just happy that nothing happened to her and her friends. She immediately remembered Josh. What a quite calm soul he was! But regrettably nothing could be done about that. She just knew she would need time to overcome what just happened in her life in the past few weeks. But nevertheless her life will go on.