Portal ONE-SHOTZ \\ READER INSERT

001 :: RAILZ DOWN | Virgil

FIRST CHAPTER!

EDIT: Rewritten and
brand-spankin new!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
1.6k Words | 18-08-21 | - 001
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

If you dismissed the sounds of ominous creaking, scraping and occasional rumbling from below, you would consider this part of the desolate labs to be nearly silent, or as silent as it could be considered in a place like this.

Being this level of undisturbed was rather rare in most cases. The second most rare occurrence would be to find another human among this eroded facility, which you were currently pondering of.

Although, judging by the steel corpses of metal machines, you were sure it was only you that could be here.

Before you made it out of the chambers, however, you had come across these rough looking murals, footnotes, and etches. Some of these appeared to be painted with a nicked finger, written in blood. You searched, but you weren't left with a signature, only a chill down your spine.

Since then, you've been walking above the empty abyss with no sense of direction. While you were in desperate search of an exit, you were wholly aware it wasn't as plausible as you once hoped.

In the meantime, food was currently the second most desirable, as you began faltering due to feeling rather light headed.

Eventually, spotted was a small maintenance room on the other side of the catwalk, then a few separate ones and the railways that followed.
Looking up, you saw numerous rails going in specific directions, they looked as if they powered something. Not thinking about it too much, you made your way to the small metal building, and fiddled with the door handle.

Inside sat an unkept desk, a pair of windows on each side, folders and binders stacked high in front of the dusty monitors. There was a mug with a missing handle and a laptop with the screen smashed in.

All accompanied by a little radio playing a quiet, corrupted tune. Quickly, you knelt down underneath the desk, there sat a mini fridge without it's door.

Inside laid old canned items such as sardines, corn, and beans. Everything was covered in dirt. You grabbed a can of beans and as you did you realized you didn't have a can opener.

In slight annoyance, you got on your hands and knees and began to scrounge around for anything sharp to possibly puncture the can. You shuffled through cabinets and shelves until you came to a complete halt.

There was the sound of something coming to a stop, metal screeched and there was silence for only a moment.

"Uh-" It echoed. "H-Hello? Yes, hello?" A voice asked with concern as if to get someone's attention.

''Yeah so I uh-," You raised your head above the monitors to peer through the window "I do believe the management rails are infact, currently down in this area." He must have been speaking to someone on the other line.

"-Which is almost funny! Considering, well uh- that I'm somewhat in charge of them, right?'' The echoing continued until the core began taking in his own surroundings.

There was a brief moment of silence.

You watched as he appeared to be just as confused as you were. ''I can't quite say what caused it, um, this is rather strange to say the very least.''

"Well yes, I suppose these these rails aren't technically malfunctioning, however, something's still messing with the system." He continued speaking with the other.