post_apocalypse_story/qc-the_floor_is_water.html

97 lines
5.3 KiB
HTML

<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> The Floor Is Water </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><div class="back"><a href="index.html">&lt;</a></div>
<h1>The Floor Is Water</h1>
<p>
Jack goes ahead, walking across to the staircase tower. He reaches the
first platform.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Clear.</span><br />
Michelle follows him as he starts walking downstairs. She reaches the
platform.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Clear.</span>
<br />
James follows them and also says <span class="quote speech">clear</span>
as he reaches the platform. Annie hesitates.<br />
Jack looks up at her from the next platform down and says:
<span class="quote speech">Come on Annie, you got this, it&apos;s gonna
hold.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">I&apos;m scared.</span><br />
James turns around and stomps on the walkway. It makes a dull ringing
sound and rust and debris rain down into the depths.<br />
He says: <span class="quote speech">Nah this thing&apos;s fiiiine.
You can come over.</span><br />
He goes back to the top of the tower and Annie cautiously walks
across.<br />
Jack continues downwards and the others follow, making sure to never
be on the same staircase with each other and passing warnings back:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Careful, missing steps here.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">James, missing steps.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Annie, missing steps.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
The staircase tower stands on top of a large, slightly elevated concrete
platform roughly taking up a third of the ravine's width. One side is
connected to the rock face, the other side ends in a vertical edge that
goes down to the outflow of the power plant. A very rusty railing
<span class="comment">begrenzt</span> that side, though it looks like
it might fall apart if you look at it wrong. The entire platform is
flooded by water rushing out of a broken door in the rock face.
It spreads out over the platform, and flows off the edge.<br />
Michelle says to Jack: <span class="quote speech">I don&apos;t think
we&apos;ll get in this way.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Got another idea?</span><br />
They walk down the last staircase and onto the platform.<br />
<span class="quote speech">No, but you&apos;re gonna get swept
away.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">We just need to get past the door, the water
inside will be moving a lot slower.</span><br />
Michelle and Annie decide to stay back, Jack and James approach the door
from the side. The two pick up a large rock and throw
<span class="comment">huck?</span>
it right in
front of the door. It starts rolling immediately and, within seconds,
tumbles off the edge.<br />
Jack calls out to the girls:
<span class="quote speech">Looks like you were right.</span><br />
Michelle asks: <span class="quote speech">Can you say that again?</span>
<br />
He says <span class="quote speech">no</span>, failing to
suppress a smile.<br />
James notices an access hatch a few meters up on the other side of
the door.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Look, up there, that thing seems
almost reachable.</span>
</p>
<p>
The guys back away from the door and make their way over to the railing
at the edge of the platform. From there, they try to wade to the other
side. James goes ahead, taking a few cautious steps forward before the
current gets too strong. He attempts to hold on to the desolate railing
It breaks instantly, leaving hime with a roughly 20 centimeter long
piece of rust in his hand. Jack pulls him back from the strongest part
of the current.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Welp, I guess that&apos;s that. Not gonna
try this again.</span><br />
They return to the girls and they all decide to head back up.
</p>
<p class="comment">
Missing paragraph
</p>
<p>
Jack turns the key and the gate starts to move up, scrathcing and
squeeking as it does, revealing a bunch of crates. About half-way
up, it gets stuck, making a buzzing noise. He lets go of the key and
the buzzing stops. They duck under the gate and find themselves in
a warehouse much larger than the gate and windows in the tunnel
would lead to assume.<br />
Jack says: <span class="quote speech">Now that, ladies and gentlemen,
is what I call an adequate stockpile of spare parts.</span><br />
He walks up to a huge crate and wipes the dust off the label:
<span class="quote non-speech">Turbine C, replacement 2</span>.
</p>
<p class="comment">
exploring the warehouse, they find a forklift and a railroad in the back
</p>
<p class="copyright">Copyright &#169; 2023-2025 Jan Danielzick (aka. BodgeMaster) &ndash; All rights reserved.</p><script>let spans = ["<span class=\"paper green\">", "<span>"]; let pre_texts = document.getElementsByTagName("pre"); for (let i = 0; i < pre_texts.length; i++) {if (pre_texts[i].className != "paper") continue; let lines = pre_texts[i].innerHTML.split("\n"); let result = ""; for (let j = 0; j < lines.length; j++) {if (lines[j].length >= 80) result = result + spans[j%2] + lines[j] + "</span>\n"; else result = result + spans[j%2] + lines[j] + " ".repeat(80-lines[j].length) + "</span>\n";} pre_texts[i].innerHTML = result;}</script></body></html>