Anomaly: Deep Warehouse #1
It was a weekday afternoon, with children scattered across the playground and classrooms, each attending their lessons. Suddenly, a nondescript black van pulled into the parking lot behind the elementary school.
Click.
Out stepped six men and women in sharp black suits, a diverse mix of ages and genders. They gathered in a spot out of sight from the school staff and began their briefing.
"The Deep Warehouse starts the moment you open the door and step onto the stairs. Review the distributed report for key details."
At Section Chief Lee's words, the five others turned their gazes to their handheld terminals.
Anomaly Name: Deep Warehouse
Form: Space
Danger Rank: Undetermined
Management Rank: Safe
Details: Anomalous space originating from the gym storage shed under the stage in the playground of XX Elementary School in Incheon. Confirmed abnormal expansion of the interior space where sports equipment is stored. Three elementary students missing. No updates on additional internal information for the Deep Warehouse. During dispatch of Anomaly Investigation Division Team 1 and Emergency Support Division Team 4, only confirmed that most of the internal space is filled with sports equipment. No anomalous entities detected.
-Record 1: 20XX-XX-XX, Anomaly Research HQ Anomaly Investigation Division Team 1 begins investigation → Declared missing
-Record 2: 20XX-XX-XX, Anomaly Processing HQ Emergency Support Division Team 4 dispatched for emergency support due to Team 1's disappearance → Declared missing
-Record 3: 20XX-XX-XX, Anomaly Processing HQ Field Response Division Team 3 begins secondary investigation and missing persons search
Danger Rank: Undetermined. Management Rank: Safe. These ratings remained because, per bureau protocols, the space could be controlled through standard procedures, and no reports indicated external influence from the warehouse. That's why, even today for the third entry, classes continued uninterrupted for the elementary students.
"Chief, who's the liaison?"
"The principal and one security guard. The PE teacher got memory erasure. The missing kids' parents have been hit with memory distortion—they think their children left for an extended field trip."
"Got it."
"Just a heads-up: neither the principal nor the guard will show for this entry."
Memory erasure and distortion were, in a way, protective measures for the victims. Hearing that your child vanished into some bizarre space, fate unknown—it would crush any parent. They'd face the same despair if the kid wasn't found or turned up dead, but the delivery made a difference.
The PE teacher's supplementary report noted sudden severe depression and health issues post-disappearance, necessitating the erasure.
The six headed straight for the gym storage under the stage. The door was utterly ordinary—standard steel. But prior incidents had it locked tight.
"Alright, deep breaths, everyone."
Whoosh...
They checked their gear. Nothing fancy: a pistol each, impact-absorbing vests under suits, and a suicide pill. Meager for an anomaly that devoured two teams, but unavoidable. More intel from them would have meant better equipment.
Section Chief Lee inwardly suspected their mission wasn't processing or search—it was scraping together any new info, no matter what.
Clank. Creak...
"Entering."
Thud-thud-thud.
With that, the six vanished into the dim warehouse interior.
Creak... Thud.
And the door to the Deep Warehouse, now swallowing six more, slammed shut tight.
Creak... Thud.
"Stay alert as we descend."
Field Response Division Team 3 slowly made their way down the stairs. In a normal gym shed, it'd be just two steps. Now, in this anomalous space, it stretched to dozens, perilously high with no railing—a misstep meant tumbling sideways to oblivion.
But Team 3 reached the bottom without issue.
"Agent Lee Kyung-seong, start Hensel Recording now."
"Understood... Field Response Division Team 3 Agent Lee Kyung-seong, beginning recording."
Hensel Recording: In situations where real-time bureau comms failed, it meant leaving periodic logs at intervals of time or distance for follow-up teams.
Lee Kyung-seong pulled a small recorder from his bag and began briefing on the interior.
"The space appears as an extremely expanded gym storage shed, with no visible ceiling."
Elementary gym sheds held cones, balls, vests—essentials for PE. The Deep Warehouse was no different. Upon reaching the floor, sports gear littered the area haphazardly or sat stacked in large metal cages everywhere—front, back, left, right.
"Also, heavy dust suggests it's replicating the original shed's expansion faithfully. And..."
"...Hold on, Chief. Look over there..."
As the six paused to log and prepare to move, the newest female agent pointed into the distance at Section Chief Lee.
"Isn't that... a recorder?"
"What?"
He darted through scattered balls and picked up the glowing red device. Identical to Lee Kyung-seong's.
"...Left by Investigation Team 1 or Emergency Support Team 4."
Likely Team 4—they'd entered knowing Team 1 vanished without updates. Sure enough, more red lights blinked at intervals ahead.
"Chief. Orders?"
"...Keep recording. Drop them at the same intervals."
"Got it."
Section Chief Lee held the found recorder to his ear and hit play.
Sure enough, Emergency Support's recorder. The flat, mechanical voice was hard to believe came from a human, but no one was more reliable. Section Chief Lee quickly absorbed the content.
[...Anomaly.] Click.
"Checked it. Investigation Team 1 didn't do Hensel Recording. They tracked moving balls instead."
"Should we follow Team 4's recorders?"
"Hm..."
Section Chief Lee pondered. Team 4 had followed Team 1's traces. Tailing their path now screamed risk.
'If Team 1 wasn't just missing but lured in, Team 4 got swept, and we follow... we're all gone.'
Plus, sticking to their route meant missing uncharted areas—failing to map the space properly.
He decided to split.
"1-1-2-2 split. One stays here, quick-scans adjacent zones. Wait for returnees or missings. Agent Kim Seo-young, you're it."
"Understood."
"The rest pair up, scout new areas. I'll solo-track Team 4."
"Too dangerous?"
"It is. Doesn't make yours safe."
"..."
"Everyone but Kim Seo-young, start recording. One per pair does Hensel. Three tracks simultaneous."
Beep. Bleep.
Red lights flickered on five ties, including the chief's—live video recording active.
"Sync watches. Four hours. Return early? If not all back, report to HQ and evac."
"Got it."
"Dismissed."
The five bolted in assigned directions. Alone, Kim Seo-young set up extra terminals from her bag, establishing a forward base. The entry stairs still loomed behind—some anomalies sealed entrances, but not this one. Good.
Finishing nearby scans and logging, she caught unfamiliar sounds.
"...Anomaly detected. Field Response Division Team 3 Agent Kim Seo-young, starting record."
Thud. Thud-thud... Thud-thud-thud...
"...Bouncing sports ball, elastic. Roughly 50 meters out. Current position: base of stairs in 'Deep Warehouse'..."
Thud...
"...Now two sounds. Origin: north, unassigned direction."
Thud. Thud-thud...
"...Hoo. Sounds closing in."
Click.
Kim chambered a round, eyeing the source beyond the partition walls—like vast warehouse zones. No doors between, so visible if watched.
There—movement far off.
Click.
Flashlight beam: a basketball rolling solo.
"...Basketball rolling alone... Aagh!"
Sudden brutal impact to her head—down she went. Consciousness flickered; she swung her gun back—nothing. Just a soccer ball rolling beside her.
Then, sporadically, different balls flew at her from all sides.
"Struck by incoming soccer ball. Suspect anomalous entity or phenomenon..."
Smack. Thump. Roll-roll-roll...
Another—bowling ball this time. She couldn't dodge; headshot, crumpled.
"Ah..."
Red pooled on the floor, but no one near. Regrettably.
Roll-roll. Thud. Thud-thud...
Thud-thud-thud.
Moments later, balls near her body scattered rapidly somewhere.