What? What, what, what?
As the building finally protruded from the water, Ax stood rooted to the spot, completely in shock. The sight before her was beyond anything she had ever imagined.
At the very top of the new building, a giant white tulip bud blossomed, its petals unfurling in slow, graceful motion. The bloom seemed to pulse with a faint inner light.
Seriously, what is this place?
The shock of seeing another building rise from the depths was overwhelming for Ax.
Have I lost it?
But the sight was too vivid, too detailed to dismiss as a mere figment of her imagination.
That tulip.. Does my building have one?
Ax hesitated, curiosity warring with caution. She edged closer to the platform's precipice, peering over the side to see if a similar flower adorned her own building.
A small piece of concrete crumbled away beneath her feet, tumbling into the watery abyss below. She jerked back, heart pounding in her chest, fear overtaking her curiosity.
Huh. Guess I'll never know.
Heaving a large sigh, she turned away from the edge and continued her descent. Her steps were careful, the dampness of the stairs making each movement treacherous.
The tower across from her seemed to beckon, its rooms illuminated by faint yellow lights. The further down she went, the more details she could make out.
The building's exterior bore the scars of some unknown battle. Claw marks marred its sides, and small chunks of concrete were missing.
What happened to that place? The thought lingered, adding to the growing sense of unease.
As she was about to resume her monotonous floor descent, something changed. This floor, it was different. It was larger, more spacious, and it was furnished.
Office chairs and desks littered the floor, creating a maze of overturned furniture and scattered papers. This time, there were multiple smaller rooms connected to the main large room.
Ax paused at the threshold, taking in the scene before her. The air was even thicker with the scent of mildew mingling with the faint, acrid smell of something burning.
She stepped inside cautiously, her eyes darting around, taking in every detail. The desks were covered in dust, some drawers partially open, their contents spilling out.
Papers, files, and folders lay scattered across the floor, some of the knobs and handles of the drawers were detached from the drawers themselves.
Ax gingerly navigated her way through the clutter, her footsteps echoed in the eerie silence of the room.
What happened here? Ax couldn't shake a feeling of unease. Was there a struggle? An evacuation?
She approached one of the desks, its surface covered in a thick layer of dust. Carefully, she brushed aside the debris, revealing a tattered notebook underneath.
With trembling hands, she picked it up, flipping through its pages.
The writing was faded, the ink smeared in places, but Ax could still make out a few words here and there. They seemed to be notes of some sort, scribbled hastily as if the writer was in a hurry.
2 known ways of progressing:
P/YSI/AL CO///CT WIT/ A TULI/'S PI/T/L
PHYSIC/L C//T/CT W//H TH/ O/EAN FL//R
"Guess the smears didn't do much, I can still understand these. Let's see.." Ax read the words aloud.
"Physical contact with a tulip's.. what?" She couldn't make out the missing letters, she didn't linger long, deciding that wasting time on it wouldn't help. "And.. physical contact with the ocean floor."
The words puzzled her. What did they mean? And what did they have to do with "progressing?"
Ax shook her head, setting the notebook aside for the moment. She needed to focus on finding a way out, not deciphering cryptic messages.
As she moved further into the room, Ax noticed something peculiar about the walls. Scorch marks marred the plaster, their blackened streaks stretching upwards as if reaching for the ceiling.
Fire? Was there a fire here?
She glanced around, her eyes searching for any signs of damage or danger. But aside from the scorch marks and the general disarray of the room, everything seemed relatively intact.
Should I keep going? This place is definitely less stable than the other rooms.. But then again, what if something new is here?
Why not take the risk, I guess. It's better than walking down in silence, plus, I could figure out more information about what is happening.
With that final thought, Ax refocused on searching the remaining areas. The main room didn't have anything more to offer, any other papers or things useful were soaked in the water.
There were two other rooms connected to the room Ax was in, so with cautious steps she approached the closest room to her left.
"Man, it's really dark.." She muttered to herself as she stared into the lightless abyss that was a room.
She reached her arm inside and rubbed it against the wall, moving up and down. Finally she felt a slight bump on the otherwise flat wall.
With a grin she positioned her index finger under the bump and flicked it upwards.
Click!
The room illuminated in a soft yellow hue, revealing a mess of scattered belongings and overturned furniture. Papers were strewn everywhere, their edges curling from the dampness.
Further in the right corner of the room, Ax saw a large, soft red vending machine tipped over, its glass front shattered. Shards of glass lay scattered around it like glittering, dangerous confetti.
Ax took a careful step forward, mindful of the broken glass if it managed to fly all the way to the entrance.
The room was suffused with an eerie silence, only punctuated by the faint hum of the vending machine's internal machinery still running despite its toppled state.
On the left corner of the room, an office water dispenser stood, its water compartment cracked open, leaking the remaining water onto the floor.
It looked as if someone had violently yanked it apart, leaving jagged edges and barely any water inside.
Ax's bare feet splashed softly as she approached the vending machine, each step deliberate to avoid stepping on any sharp glass.
She knelt beside it, her fingers tracing the broken edges of the machine.
Damn, they could've left the vending machine alone at the least.
If the glass on the floor is from the machine.. Then that means that the stuff inside is unprotected!
Hints of a sly smile curved her lips as she carefully leaned over and grabbed the edge of the vending machine.
How much does a vending machine weigh? Eh, probably not that much.
Ax planted her feet firmly on the ground, her toes curling against the damp floor, and wrapped her hands around the vending machine's edge.
She took a deep breath, feeling her muscles tense as she prepared to lift. With a steady heave, she managed to flip the machine upright, its contents rattling softly inside.
The front panel was a mosaic of shattered glass, a giant hole leaving the contents inside vulnerable.
She peered inside, her eyes scanning the array of drinks.
Sweet relief.
Among the selection were what she guessed were energy drinks, the bright packaging and constant use of lightning bolts told her so, plus it would make sense for the office environment.
"What the hell does any of this even say?" Ax muttered as she picked up one of the cans.
The text was a straight line of just unknown characters, completely unintelligible to her.
The packaging was bright and colorful, but it bore no resemblance to any language she recognized.
Why would the notebook be in English, but this isn't? She was left to ponder.
Setting the energy drink aside, she reached into the vending machine for another can. This time, her arm scraped against one of the jagged edges of the broken glass.
She winced, drawing back her arm to see a thin line of blood beginning to well up from the cut.
Great. Just what I needed.
Ignoring the stinging pain, she grabbed a couple more drinks from the machine. She figured they might come in handy later, even if she couldn't read what they were.
As she did so, finally having time to stop and just be at peace, she finally had time to just think about how insane her situation was.
I woke up a couple of minutes—or was it hours?—ago. I have no clue who I am, where I am, or how I got here.
The only things I've learned are from a notebook and some barely legible papers, none of which makes sense.
Now I'm scavenging through a toppled vending machine in some ridiculously tall post-apocalyptic office building.
Ax let out a humorless laugh, the sound echoing slightly in the empty room. As blood dripped from her arm into the pooling water on the floor, she wiped her bloody hand on her shirt.
The damp, white fabric quickly absorbing the crimson stain. The cut wasn't deep, but it still throbbed with pain nonetheless.
Loneliness crept in as she continued to rummage through the machine. The lone sound of rain on the backdrop of silence amplified her solitude, making the room feel even more desolate.
She paused, gripping the edge of the vending machine for support, and let out a deep breath.
Sigh.
Man, I just want to cry.