This place is huge and has everything.

After tracking back to the small entrance door of the cave and this white, odd place, we followed the corridor's right direction, the direction which has a junction... that wasn't the only junction we come across.

The architecture in the entire place is uniform, direct, and practical. With one corridor leading to other passages, or to rooms. Some lead to empty spaces, others to halls, or to cul-de-sacs. Some corridors are open, while some have moving walls, separating them.

One thing I've noted was not all the hatches require the magnetic card held by Alec the team leader. They just opened by either pressing a button on the side wall or by a motion sensor, opening by detecting presence.

For instance, the hatch separating the corridor leading to the lunchroom automatically as soon as we got two meters away from it. With no need for any human intervention.

The lunchroom, or is it a restaurant? Is a huge hall, with dozen tables and chairs made to accommodate around a hundred people. The ceiling is high and white, giving a sense of freedom. As if we are in a stadium.

And the bizarre part is we found food.

Plenty of food, meat, vegetables, fruits, and even canned food. All are in a good condition. Not even the vegetable or the fruits stored on the shelves, staying in the open air, had expired or rotted. Which is a piece of good news when our stomachs are empty. So we served ourselves, with only the canned food, though, fortunately, I am not the only paranoid one here.

Without bringing up the elephant in the room. The team wasn't the talking type. Even Zane hardly ever spoke. Hence I can't judge their thought. But I hopped they keep quiet out of obviousness rather than obliviousness.

The meal was quick and quiet. It consisted of canned beans, canned tuna, and canned pineapple, for dessert. We didn't waste any more time after that and went for more exploration.

The next remarkable place we found is the lodging corridor. Its structure is comparable to the first corridor we investigated. Yet the rooms in this corridor, though, are similar in size, all of them are furnished with a one-person bed.

Now, some might assume our next course of action to be predictable. After entering the three bears' house, eat their food and then sleep in their bed.

But to my great regret, we didn't. Alec ordered us to continue the exploration. But it is relieving to note I am not the only one in an exhausted state. The team member while they didn't voice, their face and reaction to the order said it all.

And so we resumed walking once more.

With heavy legs and a dizzy mind, I followed. From one corridor to another. I tried to map it out but soon gave up, everything is the same, wherever I look white walls met my eyes. The words and symbols painted blue on the wall, at each junction, are the only indication we aren't turning in a circle.

"Sir, I got something."

As we approached a hatch and the end of a corridor, Eric stated.

Alec raised a fist prompting the team to a halt "How many?" he asked, then pointed at the hatch with his chin "Are they behind?"

"Negative, sir. Not close enough. I don't think anything is behind that door, sir."

Alec nodded, then looked at everyone "Guard up."

Then he proceeds to take out the magnetic card, which he only used one time until now. And then swiped it at the black screen on the side wall, after making sure everyone was ready.

The hatch in front of us opened. The thick wall split in half, each retracting inside its respective side of the corridor's wall revealing what lay behind it.

A medium size hall that looks more like a hangar. Silver, metal squared pillars, on all four corners. The ceiling is high and dome shaped. With big and small white lighting running across its center and around the edges. The ground is of grey metal embedded with checker plates texture for anti-skid.

For once a place that isn't white in this ever-present white prison.

And the most eye-catching and prominent thing in this not-white hangar is the metallic hatch on the other end. The reinforced wall door is enormous, at least four times the regular hatch we come across until now. And the wall at its, instead of a black screen is a red lever.

We entered, slowly and cautiously.

The sound of our boots stepping onto the metallic ground echoed in the silent hall. No one said anything for a moment and remain quiet as we looked around. Either for a possible threat or simply to get used to our new environment.

"Thirteen, sir," When Eric broke the silence his gaze was on the metallic giant door "I recognized two of them."

"Recognize?" I couldn't identify the voice for a moment until I looked at the speaker who turns out to be Bart, the quiet, bald guy.

"Yes, from my earlier recon," Eric answered after giving him a brief look, "I think that is the facility's entrance door."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Fifty or seventy meters. I narrowed my eyes slightly. I would have judged Eric's range more accurately had my ability been active or knowing the exact position of what I assume to be thirteen Shredder. But for now, I can only do much.

Still, trying to judge the range of his ability is a good method to distract myself. The fact that behind that metallic door, thirteen killers are waiting for nothing more than to turn us into mushed meat is not reassuring.

I sighed, no matter how much I tried not to. I feel like I am walking on a thin rope. No one said anything about this place, but a dozen monsters outside are just the cherry on the cake.

This place, the white corridors and rooms, the emptiness is deafening and nerve-racking, not enough to scare me, not anymore at least. But it is not less concerning. Were there people who lived here before? Or was prepared for future uses? From what we explored until now, this place was made to accommodate a hundred with food and lodging.

For what purpose?

My healthy conscious mind went overdrive. But other than the desk appearing out of thin air in the white room, which is still subject to debate, the fresh food was the only overly suspicious about this place.

The state in which we found the vegetables and fruit is suspicious. I am not an expert in food longevity or anything of the sort. But I can recognize a fresh tomato from a not-so-fresh one. And the tomatoes we found are so fresh that it gives me the urge to bite.

And what is so suspicious about fresh tomatoes?

Well, the fact that tomatoes don't grow on shelves, is not news. In other words, someone supplied this place with fresh ingredients. And that is less than a week ago. The cold temperature may add a couple of days but not more than two weeks in total.

And this supplier can either be external or internal, both of which cases are bothering.

Had the supplier been from outside, in that case, they need a transport vehicle. Hence making the entrance we used to come inside unsuitable for their situation. So they either have to use an entrance we are not aware of, we haven't explored everything after all. Or they used this giant metal door in front of us, an entrance, from Eric's insinuation, is guarded by thirteen Shredders. So unless the vehicle the supplier used is a battle tank, it doesn't seem feasible either.

Of course, there is also the possibility the supplier got in and out before any of the Shredders were gathered outside. But any thought in that direction would raise questions needing more detailed information. Like when and why the monsters are gathering outside.

"All right everybody we have done enough for today." Alec interrupted my train of thought. He turned, facing all the team members including me "first thing, do NOT come anywhere less than fifty meters near that thing," He pointed with his finger at the giant entrance door "and second," he looked at everyone in the eyes before a slight, almost invisible, thin smile appeared on his lips "let's get some rest."

I was in the process of thinking about how fifty meters would have included half of the corridor behind us when he finished his words. And if I said I wasn't relieved to hear that I would be lying.

Following this highly trained team of soldiers for hours with an injured body is not easy... hell, it is fucking hard. How many times have I wanted to just fall down and just stay there? Tell them to fuck off or something. How much I wanted to voice my discontentment? But I didn't, I didn't stop or complain, no matter how much my body screamed to me, and is still screaming, be it from exhaustion or from pain.

Still, I am quite frankly impressed with this body. I highly doubt I could achieve the same feat with my previous life's body. After all, the lack of hair in the head is just one of many problems I faced with my previous physique. Regardless, my current body doesn't only have the face of a young Viking, the predecessor might as well be one. Something I am very pleased with.

"Let's track back to block D and resume after a nice shut-eye."

He isn't the captain for nothing I guess. I also tried to remember the name of the corridors and joints, yet I couldn't. I am hardly keeping my thought in place due to the hot, skull cracking headache that is threatening to split my head in half. I had multiple attempts at ignoring it, not thinking about it, yet it isn't receding at all.

Block D, if I tried to guess, is the corridor that houses the rooms equipped with a bed. We haven't examined that place in much detail. In fact, only those first twelve white empty rooms we first entered that we, or more specifically Alec, examined in detail. We went through everything with just a side glance.

And so we headed back.

Taking the lead, as usual, Alec and Eric walked in the direction we come from. Our pace was unhurried and devoid of tension. The thought alone of finally getting a rest is effective for some of the fatigue to start dissipating. I too was relieved, though, the antsy voice, whispering antsy things in my head didn't let me drop my guard.

I can't fault it. It is in moments like this one, where everyone is relaxed, that we become prone to surprise attacks. Fortunately, most of the concerns my paranoid mind comes up with didn't happen.

We reached the D block after fifteen minutes of walking. And in all that duration my thoughts were on the rooms, on the bed, and how I will jump onto it.

Alec started giving orders as soon as we reached the destination, to the team. About what to do, where to go, and not to go, and who will take the first guard shift. I didn't listen to any of it, my eyes were fixated on one of the room's doors. I tried to not make it obvious, of course, but I doubt Bell had missed it.

After Zane was selected to have the first role of guard, Alec finally clapped his hands and allowed each of us to select a room. I acted with nonchalance and didn't move from my place until all of them choose a room. Only then did I walk with steady steps to one of the rooms on the left side.

Some would laugh at all these restraints and acting, but I honestly believe it to be a necessity. Credibility and trustworthiness aren't built in one day. And the little details like restraining oneself and ignoring the mocking smirk on that woman's face, are the bricks for a good and reliable character.

Reliability breeds respect.

And someone respected has more advantages than someone who hasn't. And equally higher chances of surviving, I am sure of it.

Entering the room I didn't close the door. Since one of Alec's orders was to keep them open for unexpected reasons and I agree with that.

I dropped all acting after that.

I started to remove my boots while walking. I didn't remove anything else for the simple reason it will take too much time. Time I can be spending with the beautiful bed. My eyes closed even before my body touched the mattress, I raised the sheets and smoothly slid inside, and it is... heavenly.

The pillow was soft, a bit cold at first, but not enough to disrupt this blissful moment. Not even the stinging pain my shoulder and back are sending me can.

No, nothing will stand between me and my gorgeous sleep.

The paranoid voice in my mind, though, tried to. By pulling back my previous line of thought, the line that was interrupted by Alec. Which is the origin of supplier of the fresh vegetables and fruit. One of the possibilities was they were external, however, it is also possible they are internal, from inside this place.

It is highly possible for this place to have a cold room where they store all the food. And someone in this moved food from the cold room to the kitchen. Someone we aren’t aware of.

But who? Why? And where is this someone right now?