There's no sense staying here, you tell yourself. And with that, you head towards the elevator.
It occurs to you that taking the elevator might not be a safe option. What if the power goes out here too? What if a fire starts? Right as the doors open and you hear the overly happy ding! from the lift, you turn and grab the door to the stairwell. It creaks open, complaining that you had so disturbed it.
You had never taken the stairs before. You amuse yourself with the thought - today's just a day of firsts for Dave. Despite the romantic glamour of your thoughts, the stairwell is...Dingey. muted even. Everything is covered in three too many layers of white paint. Every 10 steps leads to another identical caged, neon light, endlessly flickering with a loud hum. After a few floors, you lose count of how many you've descended.
But eventually, you reach the bottom of the shaft like the last bit of toothpaste from the tube. This is it, you think. Just one door between you and whatever is out there. The thought doesn't last long. In a flash, your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of loud cheers and stampeding feet!
You drop down at the door, out of sight from the tiny window built into it. After a moment your curiosity gets to you and you peer through it again. Nothing but soft vanilla walls and grey tiled carpets. With a breath, you grasp the handle and step forward.
"Oi, the fuck is this? D DOT slash, I thought you said this place was empty?", Comes the deep gutteral rambling of a a dirty man wearing a huge winter coat and baseball cap. He looks like some street beggar from down by the parks district, and he's turning around the corner to your left talking to someone.
"Dude, chill! The life scanners showed zero activity when I rooted into the central-", replies a high pitched voice of an androgenous figure. You can't see where they are, but they sound like they're beyond the hallway by the homeless man.
"CHUCK. SLASH. SHUT UP AND TAG HIM BEFORE HE FREAKS!" She sounds loud. And upset. And strong.
Decision time! What's it going to be, Dave?
