In front of them was a large parking area, broken up by the transformed trees sprouting up. Various cars were turned to their side, plant life such as vines constricting the past mode of transportation.
Abigail looked to see a large doorway, with intact windows, letting in the calming sunlight. Cracked sidewalks leading to the entrance, where employees would have traveled to get ready for work. Her eyes glanced at a futuristic-looking sign, with the company name PentaSoft displayed prominently.
"I only heard about this place on the news and in articles on The Wire," Sheila spoke out in wonder. "My dad talked about this place as being the pride and joy of our country, competing against Star and Moon across the ocean."
Timothy nodded, "Yeah. They were pretty impressive until they pushed the boundaries too far." He headed over to the entrance, kicking the occasional broken piece of sidewalk.
When turning to see the woman, she merely shook her head and followed after Timothy. The two of them sharing a similar sense of melancholy about the company, PentaSoft.
"You know... Timothy is seeming a little off," Rodger mentioned out loud to no one in particular, as if unsure who to talk about the drastic change in his friend.
Liam snapped his fingers, wincing from the loud noise he made, before proceeding to say, "Seriously. The guy was always quiet, but it was the normal kind, you know?"
Abigail partially listened to the conversation of her friends, paying more attention to the two figures in front of her. "What was Timothy's life before all of this?" She couldn't help but think, feeling as if his past was the missing piece in the puzzle.
Her path on the sidewalk meandered, as she avoided the more damaged areas. Though the monsters from before were slowly fading from her friends' memories, she still worried about attracting their attention from the sound of concrete pebbles and chunks grinding beneath their footsteps. A remembrance of things lost to be never recovered.
Getting closer to the entrance, the windows slowly changed from a welcoming presence to one of horror. Streaks of bloody handprints staining the clear glass, revealing the company wasn't immune to the events encapsulating the world.
"The windows are bulletproof, turning the company into a coffin," Timothy shattered the silence.
Abigail hissed in air, picturing the horrific scene playing out for all those involved. What made it worse was the cavalier manner in which Timothy spoke about it.
"How do you know about this?" Helen asked.
Timothy approached the door into the company, placing a hand on a crystal panel. A glowing light pulsating on the device, a prism of colors. Shortly, a green light flashed and a hiss was heard from one of the doors.
They watched the events unfolding in front of them, unsure of what to think about this matter. A friend of theirs, who they spent so much time inside of the community in an environment dedicated to survival and camaraderie had opened the door to one of the apex companies in the world.
"T-Timothy?" Rodger asked, his voice shaking from what he was witnessing.
As if this reveal wasn't enough, the mysterious woman who joined them approached a different door. Copying the procedure Timothy had completed, an additional hissing noise was made. Opening the door and looking to them, she said, "The corridors aren't large enough to fit everyone in, so half of you will need to go with me, while the others go with Timothy."
Along with Helen and Sheila, Abigail approached the door held open by the woman. She stopped when seeing an emerald tinged glass corridor that was wide enough for a person but only long enough for five people to enter before reaching a closed door on the other side. Hesitating, Abigail looked at the woman, who nodded for Abigail to enter.
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Not wanting to hold things up, she entered the bizarre entrance. Glancing to the right, her friends could be seen mimicking her actions and equaling looking confused. Liam turned to see Abigail, terror plastered on his face.
Behind her was the same hissing air from when it was opened.
"Don't be frightened," The woman quietly said, sounding louder due to the glass surrounding. "PentaSoft designed these doors to test various conditions, ranging from espionage-related devices to evidence of influenza. Though the company is in the condition it's in, the security system is on an independent and isolated grid to the misfortune of the people inside."
Sensing a question from them, she responded, "I'm going to let Timothy take the helm of this tour, so I'll have to ask your forgiveness for not answering any questions."
Turning around to face the way they entered, Abigail faced the back of Helen's head. Tilting her head to look at the woman, Abigail shouted, "This isn't some game! What is this all about! How the hell did either of you open the doors to this..."
Compressed air blasted all of them, the sound deafening and cutting Abigail off. The woman tilted her body so Abigail could see her, mouthing, "It'll be over in a second."
Just like the woman said, the force of the air decreased significantly but replaced by a roar and the sensation of her hair lifting slightly. Searching for the source, it was soon evident the noise was some type of ventilation system.
"It's searching for any signs of a contagious disease, so it'll be a while. We're also being scanned by several cameras across a spectrum to detect any signals or unusual heat spots." The woman explained to all of them.
Abigail to see Timothy's mouth moving as he explained to those in the corridor with him. Though compared to the woman, he looked robotic in his expression as if not wanting to go through the process.
A chime was soon heard, with the ceasing of sound from the security devices. It sounded cheerful in its melody, followed by a voice, "No unusual signatures detected. Welcome to PentaSoft, leading the world to a brighter future." Behind Abigail was a hissing noise to indicate the door had been opened.
Turning to the door, Abigail went through the door into what could only be described as a massacre. Streaks of blood with footprints running parallel. Some of the paths of blood stared with pooling of blood against the walls. It made it look as if someone tried to clean up their mess, forgetting to grab a mop.
"What happened inside this place?" Sheila tried to keep her voice strong, traumatized by the scene presented to them.
Sounds of footsteps were heard, walking away from them. Looking to the source, Timothy was going in the opposite direction of the bloody footsteps.
A sigh was heard followed by the woman voicing, "It looks like he wants us to follow him."
"Follow him to where?" Michelle asked, clutching Liam's arm, both of them wide-eyed.
Making a shrugging motion, the woman casually followed after Timothy. Her movement looking considerably different from her prior appearance as if entering into the building acted as a catalyst to her behavior.
"What do we do, Abigail?" Rodger asked behind her.
Witnessing the two acting in such a manner, Abigail ground her teeth, growling, "We play their game and see how this ends."