BFDI Prequels | A BFDI Fanfic

Chapter 28: Death and Taxes

Just one issue—there were no bodies.

Coiny coughed, clearing his throat. "Do you think they were eaten? Or..."

A shiver went down her back. "Hopefully not. I think there were a few vans in the back. Maybe they got away?" she hypothesized.

"An entire office building?"

"Let's try not to think about that."

He nodded. "I agree. Dead stuff is usually bad. Anyways, I'm gonna begin searching for stuff. You can...do whatever you want I guess."

Needle sat down on a nearby ottoman and watched as Coiny hopscotched his way across the floor, jumping over the shattered mug in one swift motion. Once on the other side of the room, he began rummaging through the reception desk, occasionally throwing away a wad of paper or more legal documents.

"Garbage...garbage...garbage..." he mumbled. "Not garbage! Hey Needle, did you know that there's a minifridge in here? And it's loaded with goodies!"

"There is?" she replied, "What's inside?"

Coiny dug into the snack bar. "Let me see...there's some bottled water, yoyleberry juice, Bubbly Pop, OK Cola, and... oh my mint! Score!"

Needle's eyes lit up. "What did you find?"

He stood up, showing off two red bottles in his hands. "They have Dr. Fizz! Do you realize how rare these things are around here?"

She sunk back into her chair, grumbling, "I was never allowed to have carbonated drinks growing up."

"Oh, that's sad." Coiny frowned. "Well, now's as good a time as ever to get addicted to this stuff. Think quick!"

Catching the bottle in midair, she popped open the lid and dribbled a small amount of the dark brown liquid into her mouth. The excruciatingly sweet syrup was nothing like the mild flavours she had been used to in water or yoyleberry juices. The tanginess forced her face to pucker. Even the fizziness—which she had expected from having sparkling water—was an entirely different sensation when combined with the explosion on her taste buds. Like a million tiny thorns poking at her oral cavity.

"That was..." Needle swallowed. "That was something."

Coiny beamed. "Amazing, right? If we didn't have to get the dumb components for Golf Ball, I would take the entire stock here! Say, how about I get all the Dr. Fizz, and you can grab whatever we might find in here?"

"Yeah that was, um, great!" she nervously chuckled. Then, mumbling to herself, "Please never give me this stuff again."

"Nice! I'll stay down here for a while and you can start heading upstairs. We'll meet up at the front door in 15 minutes."

"Sounds good!" Needle gave him a thumbs up, then tossed the bottle into the nearest trash bin the moment Coiny turned his back.

Wishing that Coiny would not notice her Dr. Fizz-free, Needle dashed over to the elevators. They were located in a sort of "elevator tunnel", with two rows of four flanking either side of a wide corridor. At the end of the hallway was another set of doors; a grand total of nine elevators. Old fashioned floor indicators were placed above each doorway—the kind with a scale and a needle (the other kind) that would point at the floor number the elevator car was at. They were all enveloped in decorative carvings of birds, foliage, and yoyleberry branches. The elevator doors were marked with art deco patterns. Lines crisscrossed the metal surface, forging a mesmerizing pattern on every panel. And, as with all things at Yoyleberry United, the only materials present were gold and marble, polished so finely Needle could see her reflection on every wall, ceiling, and floor.