Cascade

Storming The Castle?

After I had recovered I quickly got up and made my way out of the greenhouse. If I was going to leave I would need to find some food first. There were bound to be vending machines in the building I saw yesterday, so I would look there. While I was there I would see if there was another way out of the gardens in that area. If there wasn't I would make my to exit that was past the apple tree and leave through there.

I headed toward the hedge maze and walked alongside it once I got there. I was in too much of a hurry to care about the overly high grass and simple dived in without giving it another thought.

I stumbled my way through the grass, tripping more than once, until I found my way to a place where it became a normal height again. I was still a good ways from the building, and by the time I reached it at least thirty minutes had gone by.

The building looked to be two stories, with the roof of the center room towering far above them. I slowed my pace as I walked along the side it, letting my hand trail against the mossy stone walls as I searched for an entrance.

It didn't take me long to find a door. I spotted it as I turned the corner of the building; it was slightly open and it looked to have been partially overtaken by vines. I came to a stop before the opening. I wasn't sure I could fit through the gap, so I decided I'd have to pry the door open.

I tore off as many vines as I could before attempting to pull the door open. It was stuck pretty good, but after a few minutes I managed to open it enough to squeeze through.

I paused to catch my breath for a moment before continuing through the door and into the dusty tiled hallway beyond. The air was still here and held an almost stale scent. There was probably mold growing in the walls somewhere.

The paint on the walls was peeling, though in some places it looked to have been striped off by the rain. The paint in these places had oozed down the wall, leaving crusty strands along its surface that pooled onto the floor into now dry puddles that stained the floor a light lavender color.

I glanced into the rooms as I went, trying to find something that resembled a break room or just a vending machine room. Most of the rooms only held bookshelves that lined the walls from floor to ceiling. It was like this used to be some kind of library.

Dusty tomes were scattered about the shelves and floors. Some of them looked to have been chewed on to various degrees. Something must have come through here at one point, but it hadn't been a cannibal because the tooth marks weren't right. Whatever it was, it was probably long gone though, since the silver haired cannibal lived in this area now.

I continued on, looking through rooms as I went. Some doors were locked, others jammed, and one of them seemed to be missing a doorknob and still wouldn't budge. There were lots of books, but not much else.

I took a right when I reached the fork at the end of the hallway. It was quiet here; the only sound the echo of my footsteps on the tile. I headed down another corridor that was to the left. Most of the rooms in this area were still filled with bookcases, but a few of them held various assortments of tables and chairs. Further down the hall I came upon the restrooms. I felt a bit of relief bubble up in my chest, surely there would be vending machines close to the bathrooms.

I wasn't disappointed; the second room past the restrooms was a break room of sorts. It had a few tables and chairs, a counter with a coffee maker, some storage cabinets, and a wall lined with vending machines. This place must have had a lot of workers to need three snack machines, though there was only one soda machine. Huh.

I inspected the vending machines to find that they were still in good shape and still locked. The fronts of the snack machines were made of glass so maybe I could find something to use to break them.