After a week of running through the wasteland I finally found something. It's well hidden by the brush but I think I see a rusted entry hatch.

I look closer, squinting against the harsh afternoon sun.

I know this door, it has a major security flaw.

I clumsily unscrew a loose bolt with a small flat stone, my hands trembling from hunger and exhaustion. The metal panel comes away easily, revealing internal mechanisms. I tug on a corroded hinge until I hear a satisfying click.

So easy!

The huge metal hatch creaks open, releasing a burst of cool, filtered air that smells faintly of machine oil and growing things. I slip inside, heart pounding.

I hope this place is abandoned.

I carefully explore the massive facility, footsteps echoing in the concrete corridors. The hum of machinery vibrates through the floor beneath my bare feet. I find a room with a pipe dispensing water to a hydroponics farm, the gentle gurgling of liquid and soft hum of a reactor nearby.

Oh shit, this place has tech from before the calamity. Definitely occupied, super dangerous.

My stomach growls loudly as I glance at the farm, spotting a ripe red strawberry glowing among the green leaves. Its sweet scent drifts toward me, overwhelming my better judgment.

So... hungry.

I reach out with shaking fingers and pluck it, ravenously scarfing it down in two bites, juice dripping down my chin. Immediately, an alarm begins blaring, red lights flashing.

No. No no. I'm so stupid!

I make a break for the exit, heart hammering in my chest. Almost instantly I run into a figure blocking my path - twice my size, wearing a pure white lab coat with your name printed on it, holding a shotgun pointed directly at my chest.

Uh... Hi... lovely place you have here.