I stood there for a moment thinking about that. 

The word "master" had unleashed a wave of thoughts and emotions that I couldn't place. It wasn't because the Metallica song that can get horribly stuck in your head. 

I heard Carl's voice echo in my mind. The only right way for a slave to address his master, is  with"Master". I had heard that long ago, back when I was still a child. I didn't know where or when exactly, because the memory was foggy, but it was now horribly clear to me what I was doing here. 

I felt like I was choking. I hooked my thumbs behind my collar and stretched it to give my throat some room, and I tried to not hyperventilate. I imagined the sound of power chords on a distorted electric guitar to calm down. Then I took off my boots and placed in my bedroom, and closed the door behind them. 

There were nine doors on each side of the hallway. The end I was standing the closest to also had a door and the other end had the door to the garage. I didn't know through what door Carl had gone, but I expected the door on the closest end, becauseI thought it was most logical for the living room to be there.

I didn't go to the bathroom and I didn't go to my bedroom. Instead, I sneaked on my socks through the hall, back to the garage door. I tried it, but it was locked. Then I went to the first door on the right. It was also locked. I wondered what Carl was hiding behind there. 

Maybe all doors are locked, I thought when I found the fifth door locked. I went to the third door on the left. And as you'll always see, just when you formed a theory, you see it proved wrong; the door opened easily. Inside the room was a white table. I didn't have to look further into the room, because as soon as I saw the straps on the table I knew what room it was. I quickly closed the door again. I heard the lock close automatically. Probably Carl thinks this door was locked. I sneaked on to the fourth door on the right. But I didn't have to open it- because it was already opened from the inside, by Carl. 

"Still awake?" he asked, "It surprises me that you haven't dropped halfway the hall."