Isolation-#Wattys2015

Excerpt 3-Supply Run

This job was turning out to be much more than a simple bug hunt. I had come into this thinking it was just the typical scientist who got careless with a few gene splicing agents, but was now beginning to think that there was something else at play here. Should keep an eye out for anything that looks outta place.

I brought up my PDA. The new operating system was running a lot faster than the Windows 5 that had been in it. It was a lot more simple too, which was good for me because I liked my things simple. I slid through the different tabs before I found the Lab Data folder. I tapped it to open it and found two JPEG maps, they were named “Lab Overview”, “Biospheres” and the over view map had green marks on it labeled “Decon Units”, which I assumed was fancy talk for a sick bay. The first place that struck my mind as a good place to find food was the kitchen obviously. According to the map, the cafeteria and kitchen were a floor up. The stairwell was just down the hall from here. Once I exited the stairwell on the 5th floor then they were just down that hall. But of course, who knew how many mutated baddies were between me and there. Better start walking and keep the guns handy.

I stuffed my PDA back into my vest, grabbed the High-Power from my back and started down the hallway, keeping my head on a swivel and my ears primed for any kind of sound, be they human or otherwise. I walked about 50 feet or so down the dark hallway, searching any rooms that weren't locked, which was quite a few, but they were mostly research stations and contained nothing over than broken beakers and dried blood. At the end of the hallway was a slightly ajar door that had a faintly glowing sign above it that read “Stairwell.” I creaked the metal door opened and peered upwards. The stairwell was lit by oscillating red lights, a little like a police car. I slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind me, keeping the high power at the ready.

I followed the stairs three floors up before I found the doorway that was labeled “5th Floor.” The thing was slightly ajar. Quietly, I pushed it open and was greeted with the same darkness that was festering downstairs. In front of me was a long hallway. On either side of the hallway was what looked like a kind of medical bay. There were glass walls instead of the plate steel that made up the rest of the place. Inside there were a few flickering lights that illuminated the area just enough for me to be able to tell that it was completely destroyed. Strangely though, I didn't see any bodies, nor did I see any blood. In fact, the entire corridor was gore free. That scared me, especially when you consider that the rooms were lined with spent brass, the glass windows were shattered out and the walls were riddled with bullet holes. I don't like it, there should be gore. I raised the High-Power to my shoulder and started down the corridor. At the end was a set of double doors with a glowing sign above them that read “Cafeteria.”

The cafeteria was a large, 60X60 foot room that had ten rows of tables about 10 feet long and 5 foot wide tables in ten rows up and down, leaving small area's of passage in between them. There were three trash cans spaced evenly apart in each of the walkways. Placed around the room were a few support pillars that had posters and bulletin broads tacked on them. There were several industrial lights hanging from the ceiling that would do a lot of good for me if they were lit.

Sighing at my misfortune, I walked into the kitchen, but it was so inky dark that I couldn't see where anything was. I flipped on the flashlight on the bottom of the High-Power and started looking around the room. There was a large serving station very near the entrance. Six vacant food trays with dirty serving utensils inside of them lined the bar like area and at the end there was a small table that held tea and coffee dispensers. Behind the station were two huge stainless steel refrigerators as well as three mixers and an oven along with several deep fryer vats and a brick pizza oven that still had a small fire lit inside of it.

I jumped over the counter and made my way into the back of the kitchen where I found three metal doors. One of them read “Vegetable Cooler”, one read, “Dried and Canned Foods” and the third read, “Meat Locker.” Meat and the veggies have probably gone bad by now from the lack of power, better stick to the dried foods. I unlatched the pantry's door and stepped inside, shining my flashlight on the shelves. They were stocked with all kinds of cans from Tomato Soup to Beefaroni and even Salmon and vegetables like Green Beans, Spinach and Corn. The dry foods ranged from Fettuccine Alfredo to Four Cheese Pasta and even breakfast dishes like Bacon and Eggs. There were jars of sauces, Pizza crusts and even some cheeses. Also in the back of the pantry were a few bags that by my guess were used to take the food to different places in the lab. Better take everything I can carry.