It's been 2 hours since I saw the piston spider, and after having a 30-minute panic attack about a massive spider, that would almost certainly kill me if I got near it being in-between me and fresh air. The blaring alarm shut off at some point as I went to find a find another exit. There were nothing but winding halls that were more of a maze than an organized laboratory. I did run into more dog fractals that were wandering around the hallways and another smaller piston spider that was hunkered down in a corner of the lab for some reason.

I managed not to get noticed by them by taking detours around them. But the experience of going through countless doors and navigating around the fractals did make me realize that I've been mentally mapping out the lab without realizing it to the point that I headed back there with only a short stop at the room I woke up in. My incredible sense of direction doesn't feel foreign, so maybe I had this talent before I was experimented on?

I slogged my way through the bodies of the researchers again and after I got to the door I realized that I felt less of a drive to eat the researchers when I passed them this time, which was strange but relieving to me. Emphasis on less since the ache in my stomach was still awful, but it didn't feel like it was eating itself anymore. I tried to think of why I felt less hungry now. Maybe the mag stim has an effect on appetite? It's not like I ate anything... Wait, didn't I drink fractal blood in the chaos with the canarys? Finding the most likely solution to be fractal blood made me shiver. I shook my head and chose to focus on looking through the room I woke up in to distract myself from the thought.

The reason I decided to search the room in the first place is to see if I could find something related to myself or not. After digging through papers I couldn't read and trying to turn on the computers that were not responding to anything I did, I chose to rolled up the papers and put them in my first aid kit for later. I hope I can get some help with translating this. If I can get help, that is.

I was going to leave then, but a flask held in its own stand welded to a table caught my eye. That feels... Important? The flask was clear, letting me see a viscous pink slime that shifted around in the flask on its own. I stepped closer, and the slime started to jump around in the flask, hitting a stopper made out of something that looked like rubber. I placed my hand on the stopper and asked a question. "Do you want out?" It stopped for a moment before hopping up and down.

"Alright, give me a second." Admittedly, it's a stupid risk to take the stopper out, but it didn't feel dangerous to me. As I pulled on the stopper, it didn't give at all. What? Why is this so difficult? I shifted my grip and pulled harder on it, but the lid still held firm. But the table was the thing moving with my pulling. I was starting to get frustrated over struggling with a small piece of rubber after beating fractals on my own.

I glanced at the slime, and it seemed to cheer me on. At least, that's what I'm interpreting from the rapid hopping it was doing. I committed to opening this, and I was going to do it one way or another. I sighed as I started to pull myself onto the table.

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After getting on the table, I stood next flask and grabbed the stopper again but was using my leg strength this time. I took a short breath and pulled on it. The stand started to bend, but the stupid stopper was still not budging. "This is just ridiculous. What is this thing!" I yanked at the stopper one more time as hard I could, and I heard the stand snap, and I went flying backward with flask still in my hands. My back hit the ground, and I managed to barely avoid hitting my head on the floor, only for the flask smash into my face, shattering into pieces. "Owww."

I grimaced at the slight stinging pain on my back and face as I started to wipe the glass off myself while sitting up. "The stand broke-" I was still holding the stopper that was attached to the remains of the flask. "-And the stopper held on."

Glancing around the room, I realized something was missing. "Where did the slime go?" I got up and stepped away from the glass. I was beginning to think it fled or hid when something slid down my arm, making me jump and look at my arm in a panic only to sigh at the slime crawling down to my hand.

"Oh, there you are. Are you alright?" It gathered itself into a softball sized ball of slime in my palm. It felt heavy in my hand. It tried to hop in my hand. It didn't go very high, but it did launch my hand out from underneath it. I caught it with my other hand and laughed softly. Nice to have something to laugh about.

"You're a little bit too heavy to jump on my hand so spin for yes and shake for no. Ok?" Watching the slime spin once made me amused. Wait, amused? I was confused about how I felt, but I didn't linger on it for long as looking at the slime made me want to call them by a name instead of it. "Do you have a name?" It- They did another spin. "Can you tell me your name?" They just sat there in response to my words, and it let me think about what I asked. "You can't, right?" They confirmed my thought, which left with a small issue.

"What should I call you?" They didn't respond, but it was more for me anyway. I made my way back to the exit as I tried to think of a good name for the pink sentient ball of slime that climbed onto my shoulder. Just as I was figuring out a name, I heard something scraping against the floor around the corner. What bad timing! I rushed to hide in an adjacent room as a hound fractal rounded the corner. This was the 24th time I've run into fractals, and it's only been happening more often. I'm starting to think they're looking for me.

The shaking on my shoulder made me glance over to my slime, who seemed scared. I pet them to calm them down as the fractal got closer. I heard the hound start sniffing and let out a gurgling growl that unnerved me to no end. They had never done that before.

I moved behind a large machine out of instinct. Why did I? My question was answered as the hound ran into the room and started to look around. A part of me yelled to get away from it. So I watched the fractal in stressful silence as it tore apart the room looking for me. It even knocked over a table a little too close to me, spilling computers, papers, and test tubes onto the floor. I flinched when a test tube hit my foot. I glanced at the glass tube that was cracked and had an idea.

I carefully picked the test tube up and threw it at the other side of the room behind a large printer, causing it to shatter. Please work. it's going to find me otherwise. I internally sighed in relief as the hound rushed to the spot. I took the chance to make a break for the hallway.

I managed to not get spotted and hobbled towards the exit again with concern building as I heard the fractal leave the room as I passed a third hallway. None of the others I've passed acted like this. Why would it start smelling me now?