Kenneth sat in a leather seat with his head resting back and let out a deep exhale. A harness from above began to descend with a slight buzzing sound. Closing his eyes, he slowly breathes in and out.

“Thank you for you service “, a woman’s voice floats out from the walls, “You’re helping people around the world with your gesture”, the woman`s voice has the hint of French accent.

The harness pushes down and clamps into place, soft padded cushions smelling of disinfectant nestle around Kenneth’s neck and shoulders.

Once again the voice “Please relax as your new journey new life is about to begin. If you would like to hear the sound of thunder say 1, to hear water trickling say 2 or if you prefer say the name of a song you would like to hear. To sit in silence please say nothing”.

Kenneth preferred the silence, it`s such a rarity in life to sit in silence, the world is always so loud be it notifications from devices, banging from neighbours, planes overhead or the relentless buzzing sound from an army of mutant murder bees. No silence was the perfect prologue to his journey.

The lights in the room begin to fade. Despite the comfy seat and the silence, he could feel his heart rate rising.

“ Your journey will begin in T minus 5 minutes Kenneth and we would like you to know that you are loved very much by the Grand Empress Beatrice” the voice was sultry and almost felt like it was licking his ears. Warm air began to be filtered into the room starting at his feet and working its way up his naked legs.

“T-minus 4 minutes Kenneth, you’re a national…no worldwide hero”.

Kenneth imagined the French lady sat watching him lips ruby red mere millimetres from the microphone.

A small jab on both his arms as two needles injected a yellow liquid into his bloodstream. They said they should not be any side effects; in fact, some had claimed it was quite calming.

“Kenneth your inoculation injections have been administered. T-minus 60 seconds to your journey begins”.

The heat washed all over his naked body, his heartbeat began racing, the sound of her voice…. he was on the edge of greatness. The sound of the ceiling hatch opening made Kenneth look up, the light rushed in on him a spotlight of fame shining his way. Kenneth sat their smiling semi erect ready to welcome his destiny as the air around him became filled with a buzzing.

Mildred sat behind the safety scream sucking on a cigarette and watched as the mutant murder bees swarmed into the room stinging Kenneth all over. Slowly as Kenneth’s screams of agony faded into vomiting and bowl evacuation Kenneth’s vital flatlined and he fell silent.

Mildred loved the silence so much more than the screams. Then in her fake French accent she muttered into the microphone “Bee sting inoculation 386 failure. Resume testing”.