Getting in was the easy part. That should have tipped me off from the very beginning.

Moving to a new part of the city wasn’t something I’d planned but things going awry in one’s life tends to lead to new adventures. That’s what I was hoping from what optimism I was able to carry with me in my duffel bag. The rest I’d have to retrieve from the storage unit I’d crammed so much of my life into in my rush to leave.
Losing my job meant my rent was no longer sustainable, so an immediate downsize was necessary. But the admittedly sketchy semi-industrial area I’d purchased a cheap apartment in. Not having to rent would take the stress off for a bit, but the previous resident seemed in quite the hurry to leave. I’d already received the key mere hours after purchasing the cramped one bedroom apartment.
Although, I thought to myself, compartment seemed more apt a description.

After setting up my few possessions and letting my friends and lovers know I’d arrived at my new home okay, I began to become curious of my new surroundings. I would need to get some groceries besides.
The surrounding area was honestly quite nice, even if it was a little drab. The kind of place with very little in the way of major chains, though there were plenty of small family-owned places if you knew where to look, or if you could take your time to walk around.
By the time I’d gotten home, my bags were full of both familiar and unfamiliar foods and products, plus a number of scribbled recipes a lovely proprietor had given me after I admitted I had no idea what to use a rutabaga for after I’d misidentified it as a turnip.

But it was as I was walking back to my apartment that I really took the time to look at the building my apartment was situated upon. From the looks of it, it was some sort of industrial building that’d been purchased and renovated into trendy studio apartments by speculative investors that never sold. The area they were built into had basically nothing around except industrial businesses. But there was something strange about the building itself.
For starters, there weren’t any bins. That alone wouldn’t be too strange if it was abandoned, but the fact that I was supposed to be living here made that a little concerning.
But as I moved out from the small details, it came to my attention that none of the windows had any breaks in them whatsoever. Not even chipping or spiderweb cracks that’d be so familiar in an industrial zone. No graffiti either. I’d chalk it up to the fact that the owners were just zealous about keeping the place clean, but unless they’d had people with power washers on call at all hours of the night there was no way the entire building could have stayed this clean for so long.

I couldn’t hold my curiosity back for much longer. I had to have a look closer, or at least knock on the door.
Depositing my groceries back in my house didn’t take long so I was back downstairs outside quickly. But now I had to actually find the entrance to the place. For some reason there didn’t appear to be any visible entrance facing the street. But around the back was an imposing roller door, and what looked like some sort of speaker panel by the side. But other than the clean and severe metal, there were no signs as to the purpose of this building. No warnings, no indications that it was even private property.
I pressed my finger to the intercom button. I was surprised that the button glowed with a harsh flash, but it quickly faded in brightness to a vivid orange. A green light next to the intercom seemed to indicate that it was active.
‘Uh, hello? I’ve just moved in upstairs and I was wondering if anyone was home? Or if there’s anyone here?’
The intercom was completely unresponsive. Though this was unsatisfying, it was at least enough to sate my curiosity for now. I had other things to do tonight anyway.

My attempts to find new work in this unfamiliar area, or at least working from home, seemed to be pretty fruitless for the most part. Or at the very least, too good to be true. The best thing this loft seemed to have was an internet with utterly painless setup and lightning fast connections. Whoever had speculatively invested these useless apartments into existence really knew their clientele. Or at least, the clientele they wanted.
But as for the local businesses, they seemed to be either private branches of conglomerates, corporations, industries, or whatever else could be crammed into a five kilometre radius, with unfamiliar or ominous names to boot.

‘... Facet Six Microtechnologies? Not interested in a tech startup … PM Macropharmaceuticals? Eh, I’ll send in a resume but I don’t know much about medicine. Well, they might do medical trials. Though they’ll probably reject me for only having one kidney … Drone Heavy Industries? What, like the little helicopter doodads?’

I sighed, shutting my laptop closed as I stared at the ceiling. Something was still gnawing at me about the building below me.
That’s when I heard the screech of metal scraping against metal, the unmistakable and indignant cry of a roller door opening. On some level I wondered just how loud it had to be for me to hear it from where I was, but I did have the window open since it was a hot night. Trying to peer out from my window, I didn’t see anyone in the entrance below. Just the clean, steady illumination of an exterior fluorescent light. But it seemed the door was open. Whatever this place was, now was my chance to get a better look at it. Maybe the door would at least have a sign or something?

I paused only to get my phone and keys, and put my shoes on before descending to investigate. But bafflingly, the new entrance didn’t appear to have any signage either. The mystery of this place was starting to get a little on my nerves.
But the door held my curiosity. Metal, but incredibly sturdy. Likely far sturdier than it needed to be for any mundane entrance. Was this some sort of themed adventure place or escape room?
As I got closer, the intercom lit up orange again and emitted a sharp blip. I jumped at the noise but looked back as the heavy metal door creaked open inwards just a crack. No light emanated from within, but somehow that drew me in more than if it did.

Now, on some level I know entering mysterious areas isn’t exactly the most intelligent idea. But I felt that if someone didn’t want me there I could just feign ignorance and say I accidentally got lost and stumbled in here after looking for my apartment upstairs.
The only real risk was that this was some kind of extremely elaborate murder dungeon, but this isn’t that kind of story and I have to make a “bad decision” at some point to move the plot along.

Sidling through the door, and making sure that they definitely didn’t have any kind of self-closing mechanism at the back, I looked around the area I’d found myself in. Switching my phone light to the brightest setting, I looked around what appeared to be a storage facility.
Palettes of wooden crates, parts of orange-painted machinery in various states of packaging, as well as a few inactive conveyor belts. An industrial mezzanine office sat high above the floor, just below where the lofts were constructed.
Looking around this whole place, I had to wonder if the lofts or this apparent factory were built first. The lofts weren’t in bad shape, if a little sparse. And the factory wasn’t just clean but absolutely spotless with what seemed like recent signs of activity. I couldn’t say what kind of activity though, since I hadn’t seen anyone coming in or going out during the day. Even though I was out for so much of the day getting groceries, I had still spent a good amount of time moving in and observing my new environment.

I had to get a better look at this place. Luckily, the mezzanine was a perfect vantage point from which to do so.
The thin rubber soles of my cheap shoes sticking to the not quite sharp but harsh steel of the scaffolding, I ascended to the raised office and tried to quietly push open the door. Inside was an extremely neat office, if a little small; though in all honestly it was about half the size of my whole apartment. If I was able to sneak in here frequently enough I could probably use this space for my own purposes.
From what I could see up here, there wasn’t much that I hadn’t already seen. Still, it was impressive. I decided to take my phone out and take a few reference photos, just so I could use these for something later. But it was in the flash of a camera that I noticed there was something near one of the corners of the factory floor: a staircase leading down, far enough to house a vivid orange door. And, well … I couldn’t help myself really.

Stepping down from the mezzanine, I took a few more photos of what piqued my interest at ground level. Then I reached the stairs. An air of tension unfelt in the previous few minutes of my exploration tickled the hairs on my neck. Not enough to inhibit my movements, but it gave me just a moment of hesitation.
I’d come this far though. Might as well take another few steps.
My shoes scratched against the safety tape on the stairs as I descended, noting the sheer smoothness of the concrete that was rising around me. The orange door was solid, like a fire escape door with a metal plate reinforcing the bottom. Curiously, there was another of the intercom units at the side of the door. However, this one appeared to be already active.

A loud grating noise caught my attention. Metal doors covering were starting to slam shut over the recess in the floor. I ran back for the stairs, but it was too late. The heavy clunk of metal thudded shut, locking me into the stairwell. I pushed against it, but even with what little strength I had there wasn’t any real way I could force these metal doors open.
Just as panic was beginning to set in, there was a crackling from the intercom.

[Oh, fallible creature. Your curiosity leads you into such strange places, doesn’t it?]
The voice – feminine and deep – was clearly synthetic, but there was undeniable menace to it. But what truly made my skin tingle with electricity was the relish it was clearly taking.
[But I’m not cruel, little rat. I know you crawled in here, not truly knowing what awaited you. I promise there’s an exit within my halls. You’ll just have to … sniff it out.]

The orange door opened. Emergency floor lights snapped on all at once, flooding the corridors in a dim orange light, the luminous haze hard to separate from the darkness.
I rushed to the intercom, slamming my palm to the button, ‘Hey! Wait! I-I’m sorry I walked in I … Look, just let me out!’

Silence.

I looked around desperately, throwing my arms around my body in impotent frustration, not wanting to hurt myself beating against the walls and doors I knew to be solid concrete.
I turned back to the door. There was only one way forward, through the dark orange light and further into whatever kind of strange factory this really was.

The corridor coiled in on itself, soon splitting into several different directions. My typical problem solving techniques took hold and I decided to hug the right wall. If that strange voice wasn’t lying about the exit, I wanted to find it sooner than later.
The lights were homogenous, spaced out at carefully placed intervals to maintain a constant low light, the strange orange glow hard to adjust to in the dark. Luckily with my phone on me, I could let a brighter light lead the way. But keeping track of where exactly I was would be more of a challenge. I just had to hug the right wall and everything would be okay.

It was as I was taking another right turn that something grabbed my arm. I could barely recognise it as a physical object in the dimness, but the force I felt take hold of my forearm and wrench me forwards, the phone dropping from my arm in shock.
A form leered out from the orange light, camouflaged against the eigengrau in tight black latex. The anonymous form gripped my neck in its other hand, wrenching me towards it in its grip and forcing me against the unyielding concrete wall. As it pressed its head closer, all I could see was my terrified reflection within its black plate glass respirator.

[Oh little rat, you’re just too easy to find,] that same voice cooed menacingly.

I struggled in its grip, my legs kicking out fruitlessly as it began lifting me against the wall.
‘Y-you said there- there was an exit!’ I managed to gasp.

The visor of whatever this thing was tilted, barely even touching my face now.
[Do you presume to call me a liar, rodent? I assure you I am many things. A liar is not one of them.]

Its grip released on my neck, letting me drop to the ground as I spluttered out coughs trying to regain my breath. It lowered itself to my eye level, keeping me between its chunky, tough, clearly steel-capped, but nevertheless polished black boots.
[But another thing I am not right now, is … satisfied.]
I looked away but it gripped my chin within its fingertips and with an inexorable movement twisted my head back to stare at it.
[Now. I will let you have another chance. In fact, I’ll give you a head start. Let us say … five minutes, that should be more than fair for you, rat. Of course, just to make it fun, I’ll be releasing another one of my units to hunt you down for every minute that passes afterwards.]

‘Is … Is this a game to you?’

The entity released a calculated laugh, [Was that not obvious? I apologise for overestimating you, rat. Rest assured I will not do so again. But I let you have five minutes to run, so I’ll let you go. If you can find the exit that is.]

The entity stood up, stood back, and began raising its fingers one at a time.

[One … Two … Th-]

I scrambled to all fours and ran the way I came, staggering to my feet an embarrassing distance from whatever sort of creature had me trapped here. Liquid desperation squeezed itself from my brain, thudding through my jugular and bursting into my heart.
My brain barely registered the direction I ran. The hazy orange light against the stern concrete walls and dark eigengrau of the far corridors blinded me with a film of unreality. But I couldn’t let myself calm down, I just kept running. It was only as I was feeling stitches tear in my legs that I had to slow, my breath coming out ragged and delirious. I pressed my hand against the wall to steady myself. I had to get out. There was no way of knowing just what that thing would do with me if it – or its other “units” – caught up with me.

Five minutes pass …

My legs still ached from sprinting as fast as I could away from whatever entity had trapped me in this maze. Lost and confused, I had to keep pushing forwards.

I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust my eyes to the dimness, but the low light of the emergency lighting prevented me from seeing beyond only a short distance. I was trying to keep myself pinned to the left wall, keeping myself as out of view as possible if any more of those … things rounded another corner. I was more worried they’d be hiding around corners, so keeping as close to the wall as possible might help me see anything that was standing close to a corner, lying in wait for an ambush.

Then I heard it. The stepping of chunky boots from ahead. A three-way intersection, the noise coming from the left corridor. There wasn’t anything to hide behind, the emergency lights offering little light to see, but just as little darkness to cloak myself in.
I had no choice but to run. But where?
The thing rounded the corner and its visor immediately snapped towards me, another humanoid thing identical to the one that had choked me before.

[Found you again, little rat. Now flee for me.]

Before conscious thought had even registered in my mind I was running the other way down the corridor, my shoes slapping against polished concrete. Rounding corner after corner, trying to lose the entity pursuing me. But even after a bare minute of running, I’d lost sight of it. Like it was just sauntering after me. Toying with me.

I couldn’t afford to keep still, that much I knew for sure. But not really knowing what the exit would look like, or even if I could find it before I was caught. But I knew I had to try, at least.
I had to keep moving, moving forward, moving forward. Where could it be? Where could it …

Another shape loomed out of the darkness. How did it get in front of me? I turned to run just as it began to speak again.
[You’re getting so turned around, rodent. Are you sure you know the way home? Maybe I should just keep you here instead?]

I broke into a sprint at this point. Gasps tore free from my throat as I ran, and another of those entities stepped into my vision. My eyes went wide as I dumbly looked between them. One at one end. One at another.

‘Wha … What?’

[I told you, didn’t I? One more of my lovely units to hunt you down for every minute that passes.]
The voice echoed from both sides of the corridor as they stepped closer.
[Which means a third should be joining us at any moment. Go on, little rat. Run. Make this fun for me.]

The units were closing in, and I screamed in terror as I barrelled towards one of them, trying to dodge around them. I managed to duck the swipe of the unit’s arms trying to catch me as I bolted behind it and ran.
I heard a dark chuckle echoed by both units behind me as they began to move after me, faster than their menacing walk this time.
[Good little rat.]

Cries of desperation and fear leapt from my throat as I ran, trying to run faster, faster, find the exit, faster, run faster.
A light.
A door.
At the far end of the corridor, at an intersection. Another orange door.

I sprinted as fast as I could possibly push my legs, the end finally in sight. Sizzling pain tore at my thighs, my tendons felt pulled to snapping from the force I was pushing them with. The air couldn’t stay in my lungs for any longer than a second.
Just a little more … just a little more!

A black shape lunged from the darkness ahead of me. In one swift motion, the crook of its elbow was around my neck, the other arm pinning my arms behind me. I choked and gasped in surprise as I squirmed in its unmoving grip. Its smooth visor pressed on the side of my head as it slid down, almost like it was nuzzling its prize.

[Hmmmm … you put up a good chase, little rat. Not quite as good as the last one that got away, but I must admit I always have the most fun when I catch the vermin that comes creeping into my maze.]

My eyes flashed around deliriously in my skull, trying to see if there was anything, anything at all that could save me. I felt a lurch as the unit spun me around, to face the two drones that were approaching.

‘N-no! What … what are you going to do to me?’ I shuddered. This elicited a deep, mirthful yet mocking laugh from each of the three units now surrounding me.

[Why, you’ll become part of our organisation of course. Octant Heavy Industries is always on the lookout for new perspectives. Curious minds like yours would make for an excellent addition for our research and development facet.]
Each unit was close enough to touch me now. The two new units grabbed me by the legs, the other holding me shifted its grip to my struggling arms, and pulled me out, restraining and suspending me in their unbreaking grip.
[But first you’ll need to be … processed.]

‘P-processed?’

My cries, desperate and uncomprehending, were met with no responses from the units as they carried me further into the facility. The orange door passed further and further away, disappearing into a miasma of hazy orange light.

[To be continued]