Robotic Night

Chapter Nine: Utility Tunnels

I arrived at the Mega Pizzaplex, the parking lot looking absolutely deserted. A chill went down my spine upon seeing that. I'd seen the parking lot full so many times over the last two years that I never realized how creepy it could be when empty. In my eyes, it looked very similar to the parking lot of an abandoned store.

I pulled into the parking lot, looking for a good place to park the truck. As I searched, my headlights reflected off of something shiny. I squinted my eyes, the brightness almost blinding me. I parked the truck as close to the entrance as possible. I turned off the truck, leaving the keys in the ignition.

'Why bring the damn things when I plan to come back here when I find Lisa?' I thought to myself as I stepped out of the truck, slamming the door shut behind me.

I looked around the parking lot for a moment before my eyes caught sight of a car just a few spots away from my truck. It was a black 2026 Mercedes. I had a feeling I knew who the Mercedes belonged to; a woman named Vanessa, who happened to be the security guard of the Pizzaplex.

Vanessa was an intriguing sort. I never came face-to-face with the woman herself nor had I ever interacted with her in any way, but I'd seen her a few times during my times coming to the Pizzaplex with my family. To put it very bluntly, Vanessa wasn't the friendly type. Bossy with a slightly rude attitude, gets frustrated with the kids that come here, and is always so serious. Overall, Vanessa was an unpleasant person to be around.

I walked over to the front entrance doors leading into the Mega Pizzaplex. I began to reach out for the handle before pausing and staring at the door. Something within my gut was warning me to not open the door. I wanted to get in to find Lisa, but it was like my body was refusing to obey.

I thought about it for a minute. What if this place had a security system that would set off if I opened this door, which would alert the police? In all honesty, I didn't know if this place had one or not. Now thinking about it, it wouldn't be smart to get in via the entrance doors even if the Pizzaplex didn't have one.

'There has to be another way to get inside without setting off anything,' I thought to myself. 'But what? It's not like there can be an entrance up on the roof.'

A lightbulb went off in my head. I backed away from the entrance doors and looked up at the roof. I didn't know the full layout of the Mega Pizzaplex, but if I was lucky, there could be a way to get inside if I checked the roof.

'It's worth a shot,' I thought to myself, full of determination. Without a moment to lose, I headed straight for the back of the building, running at full speed.

I felt the cold night air whipping past my face as I ran, inching closer to the back of the Pizzaplex. It felt nice, though it would be a big pain in the ass once I made it to my destination. The rise in body heat that would flare up was going to make me sweat, which I wasn't looking forward to.

I ran around the side of the building and continued running. The moon provided enough light for me to see where I was going. I was very thankful for it. Somehow, it never occurred to me to grab a flashlight before leaving the house until I was halfway there. I didn't bother to turn around as I didn't want to waste any more of the time I had to find Lisa.

I ran around the corner, checking to see if I reached the back. I did. I sighed, my heart pounding in my chest from all of the running I just did. The back of the Pizzaplex wasn't anything very special; just 2 massive containers containing trash, no doubt.

I scanned the area before catching sight of something attached to the wall. It was a large metal stairway that led up to the roof of the Pizzaplex. I smiled at the sight, thanking luck for being on my side.