"Haa…"
;
:
.
,
..
.
A breathy sigh, as gentle as a spring breeze, grazed his ears, adorning his nose with the soft scent of a delicate rose.
Approach—
—ing…
The sigh drew ever closer.
"Haa…"
It's lovely.
Isn't this a chance?
Slowly, ever slowly so as not to frighten something so beautiful, he lifted his—
Gnash!
Biting his tongue, Andrew hurriedly lowered his head, craning away from the sound.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
My head.
Whatever was out there was getting into his
Head.
His thoughts drew away…
Funneling out of the hole to reach no one—
Not even himself.
…
He closed his eyes and simply stopped thinking.
"Haa…"
The cold breath of a shy animal brushed against the nape of his neck, causing his hairs to stand on end and reach towards the sound.
Rustle
Petals, palms, paws, claws, fins, vines, something brushed against his spine, slowwwwllly coiling itself around his body.
An appendage.
No, he was closer to a pollinator—one of many lured in by the scent of sweet nectar.
Una flor.
Aterrizó en la flor y, como una avispa atraída por un higo, vivió su ciclo de vida y simplemente—
He landed on the flower, and like a wasp drawn into a fig, he lived out his life cycle and simply—
Clang!
A sound, too abrupt to be accidental, and too far to be anything but a lure, echoed from the furthest end of the tunnel—deep within the darkness he'd come from.
Clatter, kshhhh
A metal can, clattered and broke, releasing air.
Fwump
Thud!
…
And he fell.
…
Andrew didn't move immediately.
…
Thud
Thud
Kssshhhh
The vine, ivy, petal, palm, tendril—grasp slipped away, uncoiling his body without leaving a mark.
.
.
.
Silence had never felt so loud.
Thump… thump…
His heart, ever steady as an arrow, closed around itself, hiding its presence.
Thump… thump…
As distant sounds—sighing, dragging, welding, creaking—
Creeee…Creeee…
Echoed in his ears.
Thump…
Was it gone?
Thump.
Could he move?
Thump.
…
Did he need to?
…
What was he waiting for?
.
;
:
.
..
,
.
Was he asleep, or was the darkness so complete that it made his eyes feel shut? He reached up, his hands making movements that should've been familiar as he rubbed his eyelids…his eyes.
He tore his hand away, blinking away the dryness and the dirt that found its way inside.
His eyes had not been closed.
Hack…
His ears perked up, naturally attuned to sound even when sound could be so—
Hack.
Deadly.
Hack!
It was unpleasant.
Hack!
It was just loud enough to irritate.
Hack!
But what was he listening to?
A blade? An axe? Something metallic that came down
Over
and
Over?
Hacking away at something soft, wet, metallic, wooden, airy, thick, fleshy—
Andrew moved his stiffened arms and covered his ears.
He wasn't listening to anything.
Hack
He couldn't smell anything.
Hack
He closed his eyes.
He didn't see anything.
Shhhk
Shhhk
Shhhk
Something was dragged through the darkness.
Shhhk
Short, intermittent spurts of exertion.
Shhhk
Thud
It was by the exit.
.
;
:
,
..
.
Screak!
Clang!
The rusty metal door, stained with green light that barely reached the tiny gap between the wall and the tarp hiding him away from the outside, creaked open—The metal bolts straining to remain in place.
Shhhk
The light above the door turned blue.
Krrrrrr
Static echoed through the silent corridor.
And soon, a lighthearted chime—like one you'd hear at the closing of a supermarket, filled the abandoned halls, the sound of gas exchanging through metal pipes doing nothing to mute the white noise.
♪♬~♩♬~♩♪~!
An automated message followed suit.
"Attention all service staff, you may now return to your standard duties. 'O' staff, proceed with caution—"
Crackle!
The message cut off.
「军人 (soldier), your designation is 'O.' You may leave once the light turns red.」
Crackle!
The speakers turned off.
"…"
Andrew slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the blue light hovering above the door.
…
Designation 'O'…
"If applicable, follow the additional instructions available at your post."
The… post.. La oficina(The office).
Andrew massaged his temples. Slowly scraping himself off the ground with support from the wall, he took a moment to catch his breath.
His brain felt like melted butter.
…
Andrew pulled out the service worker pamphlet. After a moment, he pulled out the can as well.
The reflective doberman sticker started back at him.
The emergency had ended.
The emergency had…
Emergency..?
He tilted his head, a strange dullness redirecting his attention to the heat creeping up his body.
?
He pocketed the can.
As a scent like pungent rot on roses—watered with bloody rain fallen from a late evening sky—lingered in his nose, Andrew massaged his temples again.
Harder.
…
He needed to move.
Pushing the 'wall' away, he crawled out of the hole and stared at the door. The red glow, the green glow, now replaced with a soft, almost inviting blue.
…
It was just open… wasn't it?
…
He walked towards the light.
.
.
.
Squelch
As he settled by the door, neither attempting to stare at it nor attempting to open it, he opened the service worker pamphlet and stared at the message written in blood one more time.
"We made a mistake."
At least here he could see.
He raised his gaze.
The sole corpse that somehow managed to get away from the rest, the one creating the puddle lying at his feet, was visible too.
…
Under the cover of blue light, Andrew flipped to the second page.
"Service Worker Manual pg. 2
Please proceed according to the indicator above your doors.
Opening Instructions
Red
Finding the Opening Mechanism
Zoom Identity Pass (ZIP) is a simple and easy to use security process meant to ensure absolute safety and surety amongst our trusted guests and staff, but where is it?
Where's my Zoommate?
The ZIP module will hide when out of use and move after every 5 uses. In order to locate the module:
- Scan the area with your wristwatch until you find our spider-like friend.
- Lock eyes with ZIP for 5 seconds.
- Wait patiently as ZIP prepares for your entry.
ZIP is now ready to welcome you.
Asserting Identity
To ensure the safety of our staff and guests, forgery of identity in any capacity will be met with hostility, but the verification process is easy.
- Introduce yourself. (Name(s), Age, Date of Birth, Affiliation, Designation, Purpose.)
- Present your ID OR allow ZIP to bite you and take your picture.
- Verification only takes a second. Once the verification process has been completed and access approved, ZIP will present its limbs to you and you may proceed with the final step.
*'O' staff must double check the light before proceeding. If the light has turned blue, follow the additional instructions listed under the 'Blue' section below.
Making a Trade
To keep our friend happy, please leave behind a gift for ZIP. You may offer anything, but you must offer something that belongs to you.
Thank you for working with our ZIP module.
*The door will open 3 minutes after completion and remain open for 30 seconds. Please keep a minimum of 5 feet from the entryway when the door is in operation.
Blue
'B,' 'N,' 'E,' and 'S' staff may proceed as above, however, E and S staff must have their approval documents signed before exiting through the Migratory Pathway.
O Staff
- In order to ensure safety for our valued staff members, we ask that you complete the following tasks:
- Inform ZIP that you will return with gifts after completing the additional procedures.
- Proceed to your work station and request 'Pathway Diagnostics' from the Monitor. If the Monitor is missing, you may request the information from the Staff Manager or file a request through your watch with another Serviceway's Monitor.
- Complete the Migratory Conditions Check In as instructed.
- If cleared, pick up a ZIP kit from the staff lobby and return to complete the final step in the opening procedure.
*If no kits are available, return to ZIP and offer a piece as collateral until a kit can be procured. ZIP will return the item once the trade has been completed properly and proceed with the opening."
Andrew reread the two procedures a few times, committing the information to memory as he pressed out the mild fever creeping into his body. The instructions were surprisingly… pictorial.
Example cartoons were pasted into the margins, and though it wasn't currently functioning, it was clear that the few lists on the page were printed in such a way that they could be interacted with like the pop up mechanisms on a birthday card.
¿Sirvió? (Did it work?)
He looked into the darkness of the corridor.
Whether their attempts to soothe the people working here in the dark worked or not, there was no way to tell.
Andrew turned his head and stared at the tarped box to his right, his heart beating rhythmically in his ears.
But he did feel a kind of kinship for their plight regardless of the answer.
Turning away from the tarped office he had no intention of ever returning to, he glanced at the light.
Still blue.
For how much longer, he couldn't be sure, but he had to be ready as soon as the light turned red. Scanning the body of the corpse at his feet, Andrew reached down and carefully removed the watch sitting on its melted wrist.
This, for instance, was something he desperately needed in the current scenario.
He didn't have the luxury to be courteous if it was his only way out.
Tapping the screen a few times to see if it still worked, Andrew brushed away the discomfort from seeing the last date the watch was turned on.
"XXII'47, 4/13"
19 years ago.
How it had been charged, why it was relatively clean compared to the rest of the body, and why the body was even by the door to begin with—were not things he felt necessary to consider at the current moment.
K3
He would settle with that answer for now and move on.
Skimming over the next page in the manual, Andrew settled on the final message at the bottom of the page.
"Service Worker Manual pg. 3
Opening Instructions (cont.)
Yellow
"————"
"————"
"————"
"————"
"————"
Green
"————"
*Note, there are NO opening mechanisms on the door itself. Any attempts to open it without following the guidelines outlined above WILL result in a bind being placed on your account followed by disciplinary action.
□□□□□ NSCI will not be held liable for damaged items or bodily injuries."
More warnings.
Massaging his head, he sighed.
Flip
The next page too.
Scanning the page for anything important to his… task, Andrew leaned his head against the wall, his eyes still fixed to the ravaged booklet in his lap. There was practically nothing in this place without a warning, though at least this one was vaguely familiar.
He was just glad he'd left Cello at that daycare center.
"Service Worker Manual pg. 13
Fire Escapes
As you might have noticed during Orientation, there are no glowing Emergency Exit signs within the underground segments of the Serviceways. This is because of our 'low luminescence policy' outlining that all sources of light be below 1 lux, and so, outlined below are alternative procedures to follow in order to comply with Federal Safety Guidelines—"
It was information he didn't need, but a few of the subheadings made him raise a brow.
Fire intensity and Color
"———"
Caution: Oxygen Pipes
"———"
Suspended Darkness
"———"
"..."
Andrew slowly turned to the final available page.
"Service Worker Manual Pg. 44
Emergency Lockdown Procedures—"
And quickly shut the pamphlet without reading the rest.
THUMP THUMP THUMP!!
Shutting his eyes while shoving the pamphlet into his pocket—the image burned into his retinas—he abruptly stood up and planted his head on the wall. It was an action that barely managed to calm his beating heart.
"…"
He was starting to understand why this place was abandoned.
Blinking away the spots in his vision as he opened his eyes, he raised his head.
Bzzzzz
Thankfully, the light had changed.