"This flashlight is rather strenuous to hold…" Saeko mumbles as passes the small handgun flashlight from one hand to the other.
"Well it 'was' made to be attached to a gun so…" I glanced at the purple-haired samurai as we kept walking down the hallway.
"I know. But I still feel a bit uncomfortable holding a gun. I am a bit nervous that I might pull the trigger by accident. So I do not want to hold it just for the flashlight." Saeko responds.
(With the safety on and the finger off the trigger? Well, you do you I guess.)
"Also, as you can guess, I am more used to using a blade. Holding a gun would mean I would first have to put it away, before I can draw my sword. Or I can drop the gun to the floor?" She then asks as she turns to look at me.
"Yeaa. Don't do that. While your handgun isn't exactly old in terms of model, and new handguns have some safety measures in case you drop them from waist height, it's still a bet you'd rather not take." I shrug slightly as I keep walking, the hallway slowly becoming brighter as we were closing in to its end.
Since we, or more correctly I. Fired the ever-living crap out of that horde. We decided to check the front of the cinema, just in case the noise had caused more corpses to gather outside…
"If the front is already overrun, what is your plan?" Saeko asks as she covers her eyes slightly because of the increasing brightness.
"For starters? Go to the empty cinema room, the non-smelly one. We can think of what to do there without worrying about being noisy. There's no way this place has only one entrance. And we still need to check the final hallway." I respond as we close into the end of the hallway.
The moment we walked into the main room, I looked at the door. Which was still closed. The problem was that there seemed to be an increase in corpses visible through the door's central broken glass frame, numerous hands waving about through the broken part of the door…
"Well, the doors are still closed…" I blink a couple of times as I look at the ricketing barricade.
"Should we reinforce it?" Saeko whispers.
"Yea. Grab some of the ropes that connect the short pylons in front of the foodstuff counter. I'll see if I can bring some stuff to add to the barricade from the lounge area." I nod and start heading towards the lounge area.
(Hmm, we could use a table to block the broken glass part of the door. And more couches are obviously good.)
I nod to myself and start pushing another couch towards the barricade.
"Is the door going to hold?" Saya asks through the earbud.
"The door looks rather sturdy, and the barricade did not get any worse for wear. If it breaks, then ask your father to send in people. For now, we're good." I respond as I finish pushing the couch. The corpses getting a bit more, agitated from the sound of the grinding couch.
"What do I do with the rope?" Saeko then asks as she runs up to me.
"Uhh, we can tie the door handles a second time, and pass a second pylon through the handles. Though, all these hands might be a problem...Huh...wait." I run back to the lounge, and grab a table.
While walking back over to the barricade with it, I look towards the ceiling.
"Hmm, nothing to tie it to. But, I should be able to use it to manually to block the hands while you work on the door." I stop next to Saeko as I keep speaking, then turn to face the door.
"Let's see…" I then hold the table like a lance, with the flat, wooden side, aiming towards the door. And then start moving forward, until a couple of hands actually grabbed the edges of the table. But that's all they actually did, as they did not try to pull, or push. Which, ended with a couple of cracked fingers, seeing as I essentially plugged the hole with the table...
I then turn to Saeko, and nod. She nods back and gets over the second couch, then starts tying the rope around the handles, before passing a second pilon through them.
...Let's, not mention that her behind, was now at head high to me...
Once she was done, she got off the couch, tapped my shoulder and took a few steps back. I then let the table drop, digging it between the first couch and the door.
(Ok, let's go, we made enough noise here…)
I nod slightly as I back off, then point towards the hallway we used. Saeko nods back and starts moving towards it, with me following behind her.
And so, we entered the dark hallway once again. Keeping a steady pace as we moved past the door with the used-to-be horde.
"I do not see any doors to our right. You think there is going to be anything else here?" Saeko asks as she slows down to move a bit closer to me.
"I find it hard to believe that this place has no other rooms. If I had to take a guess. The hallway that connects these two hallways might have a door. Don't buildings need to have emergency exits or something?" I ask.
"Yes. Or at least I'm pretty sure that having only one exit could get the owner fined, if the location is a workplace that is. What if there's only one exit and there's an emergency, and some workers are on the other side of the building that does not have an exit?" Saya then speaks up.
"Well, let's see if we're going to sue whoever owned this place then…" I respond with a chuckle.
"Though, one exit also means only one entry point for the corpses…" I add as I keep walking.
"We are going to find out soon enough. I can see the end of this hallway." Saeko then speaks up as she keeps looking straight at the hallway ahead of us.
(I really wish this place had some friggin working lights. No matter how long I spend in these hallways, I still get creeped out. No way I'm actually saying that though. Got to keep 'some' of my dignity…)
"By the way, did you watch any movies before the outbreak?" Saeko then speaks up.
"Uhh, well I…"
"Hey! You're on a mission! Act like it!" Saya then gloriously cuts me off.
I turn to glance at Saeko, who was also looking at me with a slight smile. And then I shrug slightly.
With that, we kept going, until we reached the end of the hallway.
Taking the turn, we found the next, and final hallway to be empty. And rather short too, as it was the length of a single cinema room.
"Hey Naier, look." Saeko almost instantly points her flashlight towards the center of the hallway, on the wall to our right. Where a single, sideways positioned pole was sticking out, the same type the doors that led into the cinema rooms had.
"Guess we're not done yet after all. We got one more door, middle of the hallway that connects the other two hallways." I speak up as we start to move again.
"So it just circles around the second cinema room?" Saya asks.
"Yep." I respond flatly.
Reaching the door, we find it to indeed be the same type of door the other rooms used yet again. And with a slight push, the door clicks, and starts to open…
The first thing I saw was, light. Well, what I really saw was an ugly cement hallway, but said hallway was lit up. Not because it had working lights. But because straight ahead of us, at the end of that hallway, was an open door that seemed to lead outside.
(A second exit? Back exit? Open one too. Fleeing staff left it? Or people that entered this place post-outbreak? Would be really weird if it's the latter though, seeing as the door is left wide open.)
"Umm, Naier? I do not see anything, hostile." Saeko then speaks up. And, I realize that I was actually still brandishing the shield, towards nothing…
"Uhh, light blinded me…" I respond with an obviously flat lie as I let out a dry cough. Saeko just giggles in response.
(Well, that was lame...)
"So? What's there?" Saya asks.
"Hallway, I see one big double door on the wall to our left, a staircase a few meters after that door, and yet another door after that staircase. The right wall has nothing. The end of the hallway leads to a back exit. The back exit is open. The place looks empty though. And, something tells me it was an employee section only." I speak up as I slowly enter the cement hallway, the sound of my footsteps becoming more audible now that there was no mat on the floor.
"Huh? Why?" Saya asks back.
"It's really ugly to look at, the cement walls are cracked, and they look, rough." I respond as I run my hand on the wall, causing small parts of the coating that covered the wall to peel off.
Upon getting closer to the double doors, we find that they were of the sliding type, and they were slightly open, creating a small gap.
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(Room behind these doors is pitch black. And the flashlight can't shine through well enough.)
"Saeko keep an eye on the double door. I'm going to close the back exit." I whisper as I tap her shoulder. She nods and draws her blade, then turns to stare at the door…
(Well, she took that a bit 'too' literally…)
I then move towards the door. Stopping to check the staircase that was between the exit and the room Saeko was now guarding.
(Stairs are empty. )
Then to the door next to the staircase…
(An elevator? Doors are closed.)
And finally, to the exit. The door that led outside, as mentioned, was open. Towards the outside.
(I can't see any shadows on the ground next to the exit…)
Getting next to the door, I check the right side before walking slightly out, the door still behind me.
(I see corpses in the alleyway alright. But they don't seem to be moving. Was the sound insulation 'that' good?)
I then glance behind the door, to see even more corpses. And then, I closed the door.
"We have corpses on the alleyway behind the cinema." I speak up as I start walking in the now dark hallway.
"Want to take care of them?" Saeko then asks as she glances at me.
"No, we'll just clear the building. Don't think they'll 'pay' us extra if we clear the outside. Plus the back door looks sturdy, don't think corpses will be able to knock it down even if they tried." I respond as I shake my head. Saeko nods at me.
"Getting paid huh." Saya snorts with a slightly sarcastic tone.
Once I was next to Saeko, I looked back towards the gap between the two sliding doors.
"Well, let's get this over with." I take a deep breath as I grab one of the doors, and open it. Bringing the shield to the front the moment the opening allowed me to do so. Throwing a quick glance to make sure nothing was behind the doors, or near them, I then took a few steps inside, Saeko following next to me.
(Another storage. This one is rather sizable too. Though every shelf here is with its back to a wall, essentially leaving the center of the room empty…)
"Storage, empty. Weird set up though, too much unused space.." I speak up as I keep looking around.
"Another storage? What does this one have?" Saya asks.
"No idea. Let's check some shelves." I respond as I turn to Saeko, she nods and turns to walk towards a shelf to our left.
With that, I also moved to the nearest set of shelves to my right, which essentially was behind me and next to the doors.
The shelves themself had several cardboard boxes lined up. Some small, some big.
(Hmm, wonder if I can find any tank cardboard boxes here. We have two people here, so one can drive, the other can shoot. I mean, they 'are' Big boss approved so…)
I shake my head slightly as I let out a chuckle, and open the first box in front of me.
"Uhh, fuses, way, too many fuses." I say as I pick one of the said fuses from the box.
"This box over here has electronic parts too, I do not know what they are used for though…" Saeko then responds from the other side of the room.
(Next box.)
"...light bulbs." I tilt my head as I rummage around the second box.
"And this box here has parts which look like to be from the machines we saw in the projector rooms." Saeko then speaks up again.
"Hmm, so this is a storage with spare electronics for the cinema?" I ask as I back off.
"That could be helpful. I am pretty sure they will need stuff like that once the dam starts functioning and the airport gets electricity. If they are not fried that is." Saya then responds with a pleased tone.
"In other words, nothing we can take right now. It'd be dead weight for us." I fold my arms before turning to Saeko.
"Let's check the stairs?" I added as I waited for Saeko to stop looking around the warehouse.
"What about the door next to it?" Saeko asks as she turns to walk towards me.
"Elevator, doors are closed. Doubt they will open. And if the elevator is not on the top floor with the doors open, no reason to check it either." I respond.
"Oh, but do note that down Saya, just in case they send some total tools here and they decide to ignore the elevator because it was not in the summary…" I add as I turn to exit the room.
"Already did." Saya replies flatly.
With that, we exited the storage, and went straight to the stairs.
"The walls seem to be in better condition here." Saeko glances at the walls around the stairs as we start going up.
"Yea, the stairs seem to have some sort of coating too. They feel much smoother." I nod as we keep going up.
After reaching the top of the stairs, which took a turn to the right mid-flight. we end up in another hallway. This one, being brightly lit up. Next to us and to our right, a door. The same type as the one that was next to the stairs below, aka, the elevator.
(Elevator door is closed…)
On the opposite side of that door, and down the hallway, an expensive-looking wooden door. The hallway also had several windows on the right wall, them being the reason the hallway was not dark.
"Other than the corpses in the cinema room and bathroom, this place seems completely empty huh?" I tilt my head as I start heading towards the wooden door.
"You should be glad about that. Or is a horde not enough for you?" Saya replies.
(Not going to deny that.)
After reaching the door, I try the knob. And the door starts to open with no resistance. And as the door opens.
"..." Both me and Saeko ended up staring straight towards the center of the room.
A single corpse, or, a single body. Hanging from the ceiling fan, swaying gently as its legs dangled a few feet off the ground.
"He looks well dressed." Saeko then speaks up.
"Owner of this place?" I ask.
"What did you find?" Saya asks right after.
"Uhh, body, hanging from a ceiling fan. Could have been the owner. Smells like he has been here some time..." I respond, Saya saying only an 'oh' as a response.
"In any case, check the room?" Saeko asks right after.
"Yeah." I nod slightly and walk into the room with Saeko.
Other than mister owner and the fan, the room was vastly different than the hallways that led here, as it was covered with treated, polished wood.
A single desk was behind the body, and a tall glass cupboard behind the desk. A set of windows to the right which let in enough sun in to let us have a clear view of the whole room, next to the windows was some sort of, bust statue of somebody I honestly did not know.
And on the opposite side of the window, where Saeko was now, a big bookcase.
(Let's make sure that the body ain't going to try to go horror movie scare jump trope on us.)
I walk up the body, and poke it with a shield. No reaction.
"He doesn't seem to be infected. Then again, corpses do not have any telltale signs that they are well, zombies..." I tilt my head as I glance at the desk behind him, then head up to it.
On it were a few papers, a mug which was still half full of coffee, an expensive-looking pen, and a set of keys. All haphazardly laid on the table.
"Wonder what the keys are for…" I whisper as I pick up the set of four keys.
(One of them is definitely for a car, the other three, I got no idea. His house? And this place?)
"There is a lot of liquor here…" Saeko then speaks up, and upon lifting my head. I found that she was now in front of the cupboard behind the table, peeking inside said cupboard while slightly bending over…
(Why are you wearing a skirt that stops doing its function the moment you slightly bend over again?...)
"Great, now we can make Molotov cocktails. All that is left is a Lada Riva, an Ushanka, and the ability to sneeze fire." I respond as I turn to look back at the keys.
"Uhh, why do we need all that? " Saya asks right after.
"To become Russians, obviously." I answer flatly.
"...Are the windows there closed?..." Saya asks right back.
"Uhh. Yea?..." I reply after glancing at the windows on the wall to my right.
"Then open them. I think the stagnant air in there is permanently damaging your brain." Saya added with a slight sigh.
(Why I'm not surprised…)
"Yeaaaa. So, uhh. Saeko, did you find anything?" I ask as I turn to look at the still bending-over girl…
"Not really…" She responds as she finally stands back up.
"Did you?" She asks back as she turns to look at me.
"Keys. If they belonged to the owner, maybe they can lock the back and front doors." I respond as I lift my hand, letting the keys dangle under my fingers.
"I see, should we go try them?" She asks right after.
"Yea, and Saya. We looked over the whole building. I think we're done here." I reply as I leave the room, Saeko following behind me.
"You sure? I don't need to tell you that I'll be showing this to my papa. And I won't be going to him a second time with an 'ohh, well, we found this too.'" Saya responds as I and Saeko move down the hallway.
(Afraid to annoy angry boss man huh? Well I don't blame you.)
"If I find something else I'll tell it to whoever will be sent here. Or they intend to make us return to the airport on foot while sending nobody to lock this place down?" I answer as we start going down the stairs.
"Yea, they will probably send more people to actually secure the place. You will probably leave with whatever they arrived in." As Saya speaks, I start to hear shuffling through the earbud.
"Well then, I will take what we have to my Papa, I'll tell you if something changes." She adds right after.
"Alright, we'll check the doors, then wait." I reply as I finish going down the stairs, then turn towards the closed back door.
"So, let's check these out. Though even if these keys lock the doors, we'll probably have to unlock the backdoor later. And, it's weird but it seems that this place has no way to go to the roof." I add as I look at the keys.
"Maybe the elevator went that far up?" Saeko asks right after.
"With no actual stairs? Weird building layout." I stop by the door as I keep speaking. And one by one, I check the keys. Other than the obvious car one.
Not that it took too long to find the correct key, since there were only three other keys to check…
"There, found it." I nod slightly as the third key slid in the keyhole and turned effortlessly.
"So the keys are for this building after all." Saeko adds as she folds her arms.
"Yea, so let's go lock the front door. It's not that I don't trust our barricade." I answer as I turn around.
"But I don't trust our barricade." I add as I start walking. Saeko following behind me.
"And after that?" She asks as we enter the matted hallways.
"We wait, I guess." I answer.
"Hmm, so that means our mission will be, over then?" Saeko replies from behind me...
(...Why do I suddenly feel, not safe?...)
With that, we moved to the front...
After reaching the front section of the building, we headed straight to the barricaded door. I then grabbed the table, and moved it out of the way.
(Hmm the keyhole is rather low on the door, nowhere near the corpse's hands.)
I lean on the sofa with one leg as I glance at the door, then turn to look at the keys.
(Let's see, this one was the back door, this is for the car. Between the last two keys, one looks normal, the other looks like a safety door key. Or, uhh, a keyblade. The door does not look that heavy, so I'll try the normal one.)
With that thought, I ready the normal key and try to insert it into the door's keyhole.
(Aight, that's the one.)
I nod slightly as I turn the key a couple of times.
"Well, that's that. Now, we wait I guess." I continued as I backed off from the door.
"You want to stay here?" Saeko asks right after.
"No, not really, the cinema rooms might be pitch black. But they are safer than this room. Let's go wait there." I respond as I turn to her.
"So, you are going to take me on a date to the movies then?" She 'asks' as she tilts her head slightly with a soft smile.
"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to goof off while you're on a mission!" Saya then shouts through my earbud…
"Saya, you know she can't hear you right?..." I ask as I fold my arms.
"You tell her then!" Saya replies with a huff.
"...That, we are on a mission?" I ask back.
"Yes you idiot!" Saya replies.
"...But didn't we just finish our mission?" I ask again.
"Wha. N, no you didn't, you are not finished until you actually return here." Saya responds, this time in a much lower tone.
"Let's go?" Saeko then speaks up, seemingly ignoring whatever Saya was fussing over…
"Don't ignore me!" And Saya shouts once again…
"...She can't hear you Saya…" I respond as I drop my shoulders slightly.
"I guess, I can not ask, to be just the two of us as my next favor, can I?" Saeko responds as she folds her arms, tilting her head slightly.
"Absolutely not!" Saya shouts, this time several decibels louder…
"I said that you can't ask for anything that will be to my detriment. I didn't play your stupid game…" Saya continues, her sentence sounding oddly, dejected. Like a kid that got left out...
"Uhh, let's get going, before we attract even more corpses on the front. Though it could be a bit too late for that. What with all the shouting…" I respond as I glance at the door, then motion Saeko to move with my head.
"I, it's not my fault you were being stupid…" Saya whines right after.
"...Wait, you mean to tell me that you don't mind if I get rip to shreds if I'm being stupid? Saya, that's cold…" I respond as I glance behind me towards the barricade.
"That's not what I said! S, stop being stupid already!" Saya shouts back…
"Naier, I do not mean to impose, but you should know. When you take a girl on a date, you need to pay more attention to her…" Saeko adds right after…
(...Oh god…)
I quickly pull my earbud off and…
"&*%&%^^%^!" An incomprehensibly loud, shriek, shout, whine. I honestly could not tell what it was, only that our dear Saya, had fizzled through whatever little fuse she had left...