Frost. I stepped closer to inspect the cardboard boxes.
Their packaging was still mostly intact. They seemed fine.
I reached out and picked up a box. The instant I lifted it, it fell apart with a crash.
Everything inside
spilled across the floor.
Every neatly packaged food item was covered in a thick layer of frost. Some
had frozen solid.
I wondered if they were still edible...
I picked up the food, took out my backpack, and stuffed it all inside. Then I slung the pack over my shoulder and turned
to leave, only to spot...
Something good.
A microwave.
After a moment's hesitation, I carried it out of Warehouse Seven and shut the door.
A bone-deep chill seemed to have settled inside me. I forced myself to walk back. All the food was frozen solid,
and I certainly couldn't bite into it here.
I had to return to that room. It was warm, and it had electricity, so I should be able to heat the food.
I didn't know whether the microwave would still work. Set on the counter, it looked fairly new.
By the time I finally made it back to the room I'd left over an hour ago, I could barely walk.
My legs were weak and aching, and a cold sweat
covered my body. At least I'd made it.
I turned back, shut the door, and got everything ready. Then I tested the microwave. Miraculously, it worked?
I felt incredibly lucky, though the light inside it was broken.
I tossed two packages in and pressed the switch. Only then did I look up at the monitor. First,
I needed to find out what had happened here
and how long I'd been asleep.
"Computer, are you there?"
"Yes."
The synthesized voice answered at once.
"I... slept... No,