Robbing the Grotesque (1)
A vast warehouse stacked floor-to-ceiling with boxes.
—Slither. The lid of one box among them twitched, then carefully creaked open. Out popped a girl with snow-white hair. She glanced around warily before gingerly setting foot on the floor.
The girl, Han Yujin, uploaded the photo to the gallery, double-checked the comments for anything off, and started moving.
The area she'd sprinted through just moments ago while snapping pics. Thanks to that 'mnol' bait, the shortest safe route back to this [Waste] box pile—her safe zone—was burned into her muscle memory.
Han Yujin slipped cautiously between the box stacks. Things she'd missed in her photo frenzy caught her eye now.
"……?"
Off in the distance, a section different from the box pile she'd crawled out of. [Waste]—the tag on the boxes she'd been hiding in. But that other pile looked a bit cleaner. And the tags read differently: [Recyclables].
"…Waste and recyclables?"
Up close, every box was marked with one label or the other. Han Yujin beelined for the [Recyclables] pile and started snapping away like before.
While the gallery debated hotly, Han Yujin reached her destination. The 'clock' she'd glimpsed mid-sprint earlier. It hung on a rusty iron pillar smack between the [Recyclables] and [Waste] piles. The analog face had one hand ticking slowly, half the dial glowing blood-red.
—Tick—
—Tick
The sound echoed hugely in the silence. But the pace felt off—inhumanly slow.
Heeding the advice, Han Yujin stared quietly at the clock before typing.
Anyway, something happens in about an hour. Whatever it is, probably bad. Better speed up the search.
[??? Building ???? Floor Exploration: 39%]
Was 21% before, so spotting the box types and timer jumped it 18% at once. Core clues for the zone. But still just 39%. Nowhere near 100%.
Han Yujin paused at the gallery's question. Two options. Hide in a box for the full hour-plus till the timer hit zero. Or aggressively crack open more [Recyclables] or [Waste] boxes.
"Hmm…."
Of course. Han Yujin's decision was swift and simple.
Route to [Waste] boxes memorized anyway. 30 secs from here.
Han Yujin hummed cheerfully toward the nearest [Recyclables] box. Planning to slice the tape carefully with her knife.
But.
—Tick-tock!
"……Huh?"
The clock. Thought to have over an hour left, suddenly accelerated.
—Tick-tock! Tick-tock!
What the—10 mins left? No, 1 min?
"Shit!"
—Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Tick-tock!
Photo from her sprint uploads to the gallery again.
[Waste] pile right ahead. Han Yujin dove in, sliding into the box. She slammed the lid shut just as—
Di-ding-di-ding~
Di-ding-di-ding~
♬ A cheerful yet chilling bell rang, shaking the whole factory. Shift start bell.
"……."
Han Yujin held her breath. The box reeked of dust and mold.
And then.
Screeeeech—thud!
Far off, from the ceiling, something massive descended. The huge elevator she'd only photographed before.
She pulled her multi-tool knife from her money belt pouch. Wedged it into a box wall seam, poking a pinhole spyhole.
Through it, the outside came into view.
Things stepped off the elevator—human-shaped. But not human.
Over 2 meters tall, skeletal thin. Ragged work clothes. And where faces should be: wrapped in filthy bandages or just black voids.
The moment their feet hit the ground, the factory roared again.
Greeeeeeek—!
All the dead-still conveyor belts whirred to life at once.
[Recyclables] and [Waste] boxes rattled onto the belts. Worker grotesques lined up beside them.
Silent, they stared at the passing boxes.
Most glided by harmlessly into the dark beyond. Then one worker raised a hand.
Belts halted.
The grotesque approached a [Recyclables] box. Pulled a red spray can, scrawled a massive 'X' on top.
Others swarmed it instantly. Dragged it off the belt.
And.
Rrrrrrrumble—!
"Kiiiiiaaaaaagh!"
With horrific machinery grind, a scream burst from the box.
The box—and whatever was inside—shredded to pulp. Red blood, flesh chunks, unidentifiable guts mingled with cardboard scraps, soaking the floor.
"…!"
Han Yujin clapped a hand over her mouth instinctively. That scream from the box? Human. Or some living thing.
A [Recyclables] box had held life. Maybe another survivor like her.
The workers impassively chucked the mess onto the [Waste] line. Returned to posts. Belts resumed.
'…What criteria do they use to scrap boxes? Damage? Weight?'
Unknown. But best stay dead silent.
Then.
—Thud, thud.
Footsteps approaching. Han Yujin clamped her mouth shut.
A work-clothed grotesque passing nearby.
'Pls don't look back, pls.'
All she could do was pray. Finger sealed the pinhole—no light leaks.
—Thud, thud.
Fading footsteps.
"……."
Relief washing over her, Han Yujin peeked out. Ragged work clothes. Chest badge: faded [Work Crew].
And… back pants pocket. A sliver of paper peeked out. White, coated edges.
Like…
'…Rulebook?'
Her heart pounded wildly. That's it. The key to conquering this hell factory.
Grab that, and she clears the horror.
But how? Those things would rip a human apart on sight.
How much time passed? Then—
Di-ding-di-ding~
Di-ding-di-ding~
♬ The bell again, cheerful and eerie.
[Today's shift has ended.]
Mechanical announcement. Belts stopped. Workers froze, joints creaking as they turned toward the elevator.
Screeech—thud!
Elevator hauled them up into the ceiling void.
Factory fell silent again, save for the bloody reek from the slaughter traces.
'…Wait 10 more mins.'
Instinct screamed not to rush out yet.
Gallery buzzing with speculation. Han Yujin typed fast—no point letting the theorycrafters spin wheels.
Subject: Timer Just Went Haywire
Author: Anon
Workers came down elevator, they shredded a bad box. Heard human-like scream from inside but couldn't confirm.
Elevator went back up, timer reset.
Posted, she shut her eyes. Waited out 10 mins utterly silent. Just in case stragglers.
Perfect quiet confirmed, she crawled out wobbling. Legs jelly.
Oh right. Forgot one thing.
Rulebook. The sole escape thread in this unregistered nightmare.
But impossible to snag. Means pickpocketing a grotesque.
Gallery went dead silent. Obvious what everyone pondered.
Nope.
Han Yujin blinked. I never said I'd fight one.
"…How'd you know?"
Like they read minds.
She smirked bitterly and declared to the gallery.
Gallery exploded. Shock, horror, calling her crazy. This rush. Her lips curled.
Idea half-formed already.
No answer. Han Yujin exited her box, headed to the [Recyclables] pile. Picked a clean, unopened one.
Pulled her knife.
Knife tip to the tape seam.
Click.
Gallery screams as backdrop, Han Yujin pressed hard, slicing the tape.