Garten of Banban: Hell Awaiting

Chapter Seventeen: "Seeking The Surgeon"

I feel numb.

I feel dirty.

I feel... empty.

God knows how long I've been sitting here since the elevator reached its destination. I don't think I even have the energy to stand anymore, and the hangover is finally starting to get to me a little bit. Still, I have to keep going, because no matter how bad things get, they can only get worse from here.

I let out a low groan of pain as I slowly rise to my feet, my butt feeling sore from the amount of time I've spent slumped against the railing of the elevator. I expect to hear the familiar beeping of AVI4, but I soon remember that it's been dead for a while now. I just hope there's some batteries around here somewhere that I can use.

I look ahead to see some words written along the floor: 'You're one step closer to greatness!'. Yeah, greatness my ass. It's definitely not like I've lost everyone I care about already. I roll my eyes at the pathetic attempt at encouragement and follow an arrow to a flatscreen TV on the other side of the room.

Noticing some buttons on the walls, I'm guessing I'm supposed to activate them with AVI4 or something, which is going to be impossible considering the drone in question is fucking DEAD. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and activate these myself for once in my life, right? They don't look too hard to reach anyway.

So, with that thought in mind, I approach one of the red buttons and hop up to smack it as hard as I can. Thankfully, it seems to work just as it would with AVI4, which triggers another red button that I quickly take care of. Once both buttons are activated, a small green button lights up, and I head on over to press it.

The TV in front of me suddenly flashes on, the words 'Scanning for Announcements' displayed on the screen, which after a little while switches to 'Announcement Detected'. Alright, Lorelei, just get through this pointless video and hopefully you can figure out what to do from here.

The name of the kindergarten slides across the screen before an automated voice begins to speak, nearly startling me out of my skin. "A facility-wide Code: BREACH has been issued. The following media is to be watched by all employees." It informs. "Welcome to the employee survival guide."

A survival guide, eh? Maybe this'll come in handy sometime later...

"Case 8: The Spider." The automated voice continues. "Keeping your limbs intact is our top priority. This is only achievable if you know what to do in the scenario of Case 8 breaching containment. Knowledge is your weapon." It reminds. "Now, let's list off the steps on what you must do should you ever find yourself caught in such circumstances."

I find myself frowning slightly at the mention of Nabnab. I haven't seen him since Uthman turned him into that beast, and I have yet to apologize to him for everything I've done to him.

"Step 1: Don't be a hero." The automated voice continues. "Case 8 is stronger, faster, and more aggressive than you could ever hope to be. Don't try to fight Case 8. It won't end well for you." It warns. "And remember, you won't look any better for your office crush as a mangled mess."

The image of Nabnab stealing someone's crush on the screen causes a small laugh to escape my lips. Man, who knew a spider could be such a charmer?

"Step 2: Hide." The automated voice continues. "If you suspect that Case 8 is stalking you, locate the nearest surface that you can hide under. Case 8 is highly agile and can attack from any angle, including above you." It states. "If hiding is not an option, cause as much noise as possible."

Oh yeah, I remember following this rule back in the maintenance room. Can't say it ended very well for either of us though, considering what happened after it...