The Sleep Experiment Novels & Stories

I ordered the bottle, and I did not mention it to Alana, who had moved to a different state for her own graduate program and was therefore not available to witness my behavioral decline in person. The package arrived at the apartment on a Thursday afternoon. I sliced the cardboard open, took the glass bottle out, and held the nozzle directly to my nose. I felt the bond immediately respond with a sharp, specific recognition of something it associated directly with what it wanted. I put a single drop of the liquid onto the collar of the Providence jersey, turned off the lamp, and went to bed. I slept for seven hours straight without waking up a single time, which was the longest period of unin

11. Brent didn't feel half relieved. Forcing himself to look away from the monitor, he didn't even want to continue the experiment, so he went back to his bedroom, swallowed two sleeping pills and closed his eyes. As in the past, the drug-induced drowsiness and Brent's consciousness pulled him toward the endless darkness. He went to sleep exhausted and was awakened the next morning by the commotion of walking around outside. "Morning, sir." The woman was taking the baked bread out of the toaster when Brent went out in his wheelchair and smiled at him in greeting.

Some nights it’s all I can do to aim three fans at my bed, throw my bedroom window open wide, and lay cool, soaked towels on my skin. Doesn’t help that I’m obsessing over Mr. Hampton. Raising my core temperature with thoughts of his rumbly voice calling me honey. “Well, if you want to make a quick buck off your misery, there’s a new sleep study starting next month.” I jerk my chin at the community noticeboard on the far wall; the cork plastered with job requests and missing items and a call out for the library’s seniors book club. Buried somewhere in all those papers is an ad for sleep study participants. “They run it a few times a year. Apparently, the lab has the best air conditioning in t

The precision of his movements, the way he uses his strength, he looked recharged with a power nap after a long week of sleep deprivation. Days come and go until it's been three days since we first did a sleeping together trial. "It really helped, huh?" I said with a long sigh. It's day three and we just had our dinner. We agreed to have some coffee, so we're still sitting at the table outside. "Mm-mm." He agreed with a nod, sipping on his cup. "Well? What were your observations? I'd like to know." He placed the cup down and looked at me. "Sleeping together--"

Even if I did not have one, there was no way I could be with my stepbrother, Boris. The mention of Boris reminded me of my mother's wedding night with my stepfather, Titus Wagner. I had been sleeping in my room then. At night, a man slipped into my bed while no one was paying attention. Feeling the figure of about 200 pounds press down on me, I woke up right away and struggled underneath his heavy body. His smelly, sweaty hand covered my mouth while his other hand groped me beneath the covers as he tried to take off my clothes.

Chapter 222: The Threshold Experiment La Paz. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the lab glowed faintly from the rows of monitors still streaming residual data. Sophia stood before the mirror again, this time not as a scientist staring into the unknown, but as someone who had crossed its edge and come back changed. Elise was already there, her hair tied back, dark circles beneath her eyes. “You didn’t sleep,” she said without looking up from the data board. Sophia gave a faint smile. “Neither did you.”

Sunlight streamed through the window. The clock on the wall read nine in the morning. I pushed myself up in bed, unable to remember a single thing. We had been conducting an experiment in the laboratory… hadn’t we? Or had I imagined it? I was clean, dressed in my favorite pajamas. What had happened? I tried to slip out from under the blanket but realized something was blocking me. Or someone. Behind me, Ruslan slept soundly, his arm carelessly draped over my waist.

The words he was about to say died in his throat, and he instinctively quieted his breathing. They had taken turns resting through the night, but Nyla had stayed awake the entire time, overseeing the experiment. She must have been exhausted. Ruby Jenner gently draped a lab coat over Nyla, her movements unusually tender for someone typically so energetic and direct. She whispered to Leon, "Let Nyla sleep for a bit. We'll wake her around seven." Leon nodded. "Got it." The two sat down and quietly began analyzing the experiment data. The only sounds in the lab were the soft scratching of pens against paper and Nyla's faint breathing as she slept.