It was way too early in the morning. Darkness or light outside, it was indeterminable in there under the bright tubes and spots that covered the ceiling. Way too early.
The ones without routine got engulfed within their own uncomfortableness as they were padded down. Getting touched by another human being in a way that you wouldn’t allow normally. To get so close and grant access to the place where they only go for pleasure or perversion. That unease against the human gate machine. After being booted through and getting immersed in the swamp of uneasy humans who are trying to get back to their supposed decency, right there at the front porch of having way too much time to do that later, there in the same overlit hall everybody was cropped up in their conquered square meter. Guarding their possessions like everybody else would be the reason to validate their own paranoia. When the spaces, all those small squares ran out, then some strangers emerge and try out the nomadic way of waiting.
The signal comes and every stranger get’s up, get’s in line to get processed once more. No eye contact as we get shoved into the big tube where we get even more cropped up.
Next to each other, tied to the chairs we sit on. No chance to run or hide. I close my eyes and five minutes later I am gone, somewhere totally else. For good or ill.