Zeros and Blindy had already made it to the hundredth floor
and it felt like there were a hundred more waiting above.
Blindy was wheezing
like every ten steps someone smashed his soul with a hammer.
“Z-Zeeros… I—I’m done…
I’m DONE done…I’m gonna drop right here…
This is it… this is where I die…B-b-bury me on these stairs…
tell ’em I fought bravely…
an’ go on… without me…”
Zeros said without even slowing down.
“SHUT UP. MOVE YOUR LEGS.”
On the hundred and first floor,
they spotted four workers sneaking a smoke:
One exhaled and instantly sprayed freshener.
The second dumped his cigarette into a portable coffee container.
The third held a door
that opened only from the inside.
The fourth stood watch at the corner,
peeking down the corridor
like he was guarding state secrets
instead of three idiots and a nicotine break.
Blindy, barely staying upright:
“H-hey… f-fellas…
y-you got… water…?Like—drinkable water…
not that recycled death stuff…?”
Zeros kept walking,
but Blindy grabbed his arm:
“Buddy… I can’t… I’m DYIN’…
I need water—NOW—
my mouth’s turnin’ into sand—just f-five minutes—
I swear I won’t die in those five minutes—probably—”
The smoking office guy nodded and pointed inside:
“Go to Marketing Department. There’s… the restroom.
Water’s clean. Go ahead.”
Zeros gave a short approving nod.
Blindy yanked the door open
and both of them got hit with that freezing office air
the kind where the AC is the only god that answers prayers.
Blindy stumbled forward
like an NPC stuck in a three-animation loop.
Inside the restroom,
he turned on the tap
and shoved his face straight into the stream.
Text lit up on the mirror:
"Unidentified employee.
Water usage will be deducted from your wage."The counter started running:
Ꞩ10 → Ꞩ20 → Ꞩ30 → Ꞩ40…Blindy didn’t give a shit
he was gulping water like a dying animal.
Zeros stood nearby,
arms crossed,
waiting like a parent
forced to attend a school recital.
And then…
a stall door slowly creaked open.
Out stepped a massive Hargult worker
a species that normally looked like death itself
now stuffed into a white office shirt
barely contained inside black pants.
Face pale as a corpse.
Eyes milky white. No pupils.
Arms stretched forward,
body swaying,
legs barely moving.
It mumbled:
“Aaaaaaaahhh… deaaaaadliiiiiine…
deeeead… deeeead… liiiiiine…”
BLINDY LOST HIS SHIT.
“Z-ZEROOOOS!
HELP—HELP—HELP!Z-Z-ZOMBIEEEES!
I KNEW IT—THIS PLACE IS CURSED!”
The Hargult walked past them,
reached the sinks,
and just collapsed
face-first into the wall.
Arms went limp.
Legs folded.
Blindy backed away in tiny steps.
Then suddenly—
the Hargult’s hand lifted,
turned on the tap,
and splashed three liters of water onto its face.
Slowly straightened.
Took a deep breath…
Turned toward Blindy.
“Heeelloooouuu… coooolleeeeague…”
And reached out
with two massive hands.
Blindy didn’t see a greeting.
He saw death.
“NOPE—NOPE—NOPE—THAT’S NOT A PERSON—!”
He yanked out his blaster
and fired straight at its head.
The skull exploded like a watermelon,
green slime spraying everywhere.
The body stayed standing
without a head.
And for some reason
that scared Blindy even more.
He screamed,
either from climbing a hundred floors
or from being a brain-dead fan
of cheap B-movies on M-Plus.
“ZOOOOMBIEEEES!
WHY ARE THEY STILL STANDIN’—?!
THAT’S NOT HOW THIS WORKS—!”