23 Success (1/2)
2034
ExplorerTech Industries, Coldstone
New Cinalia
150M
125M
100M
75M
50M
The closer Sia got to the building, the faster her heart began to beat. Unlike the city buildings, ExplorerTech Industries seems untouched by the destruction and frost that blanketed the city. It is located a bit outside the city with a high metal fence and guard booth separating it from the regular traffic. The fence is open and the lever that should block cars from entering is up.
”Okay, I can't be stupid about this. I have to take everything slow.” She says to herself as she stops at the empty guard booth.
She walks up to one of the wide windows and looks inside for any left behind materials.
”It's just like those videogames. Grab anything that can help us. Anything can end up being good loot.”
She didn't find anything in the guard booth. It seems like they weren't in a rush to leave.
”I wonder when they were attacked?” She mutters as she moves on down the empty road.
She walks uphill to see the parking areas and the glassy façade of the building. It looks very similar to her old workplace.
There are two parking lots. Multiple cars have been left in the parking lots. They are dusty but seem to be in good condition. She stops at one of the cars and touches a handle to pull on the door. It opens.
”Huh.”
She finds the keys in the ignition and a small flashlight attached to the keychain. She furrows her brows and turns the key. Nothing happens.
”Well, it's been 16 years,” She says before checking the rest of the car.
Spare change, papers, and wrappers, but nothing useful can be found. She goes row by row in the parking lot. Only two of the fifteen cars have locked doors. After searching half of the first parking lot, she leans against a car and looks up at the sky. It's starting to get late. She should go inside before she loses daylight. She decides to just walk through the parking lots, and if she doesn't see anything that is useful she will head to the front of the building.
Nothing sticks out to her in the rest of the first parking section, so she jogs across to the other parking section. Passing the first row, she sees a dark figure kneeling and abruptly stops and ducks down to hide. The van hides her well.
'Yoooo. Oh man. Did you see that?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'What is it?'
A CERVIDAE OF UNUSUAL SIZE
MOST COMMONLY KNOWN AS A DEER
'Yes. Okay. A deer.'
Sia isn't as frightened knowing that it is just a normal animal that she would see every once and a while before. She straightens up and walks out to examine what the deer is doing. She takes three steps, makes eye contact with the eating deer, and scrambles back behind the van.
She almost trips over a parking block as she jogs to the road and follows the path toward the front of the building.
'Oh my god! Why am I surprised?!'
She starts running and doesn't look back until she reaches the entrance doors. Looking back, she sees the deer has not followed her, but she can't trust that it won't later. The doors are not locked. Light from outside illuminates the entire lobby. There are papers scattered on the ground, but nothing living seems to be around. She stumbles inside, scurries to the lobby reception desk and sits behind the structure. It hides her from view.
Catching her breath, she thinks back to what she just saw.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several human bodies were laying on the ground in no discernable pattern. Their heads had been torn from their bodies. Their clothing was torn and opened to reveal the flesh within their bodies. It seemed as if their spines had been removed. Some weapons could be seen left on the ground.
Discarded because of lack of ammunition or dropped while they were consumed.
The deer was kneeling and eating a corpse. Its muzzle stained red as it nosed inside a body and chewed on pieces of flesh.
When Sia had walked out and made eye contact with the doe, it had raised its head a bit higher as it ruminated on the meat. It didn't seem to have been in a hurry to finish up or leave.
Sia excused herself from the feast and went to acquire a better understanding of the situation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Oh man. I almost pissed myself. What was going on? Deer don't eat people. Right?'
FALSE STATEMENT
Whaaat?!'
IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT UNGULATES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED TO EXHIBIT CARNIVOROUS BEHAVIOR WHEN FOOD FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL DIET BECOMES SCARCE
THEY WILL INGEST FLESH WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE
Sia knocks her head on the desk behind her and closes her eyes.
'Truth is stranger than fiction.' She thinks.
'So, it's not mutated?'
NEGATIVE
CERVIDAE DO NOT MATURE TO THAT SIZE WHILE IN CAPTIVITY OR THE WILD
'So, I should still avoid it…in case it's got more unusual qualities?'
AFFIRMATIVE
Sia rises and looks around the lobby. It's not very messy. The few papers that had been dropped seem to be one person's error and not the widespread chaos that an evacuation would usually produce. These people had a warning. Much more warning than Sia had.
The lobby has the same decorations as her old workplace. A chandelier hangs from the high ceiling, a dried-up waterfall is along the side wall, and a balcony overlooks the entire lobby. An escalator connects to the balcony and Sia is sure a long hallway is up there.
Down on the first level, there are 3 hallways. One side hallway, and two hallways going in opposite directions. The one on the left has a sign that says ”Café” in multiple languages. The one on the right has a sign that says ”Auditorium”, ”Labs”, and ”Research directory” in multiple languages.