Chapter 145 Exhaustion
While Aleshia examined the markings on her skin, she remarked, "This is certainly peculiar. These marks might be forming a sentence now that they're so close to each other. But why aren't they on the same arm?" After thinking for a while, she concluded there must be more to discover. Until then, she could only work with the bits and pieces she had. With that uncertainty in mind, she slipped her shoe back on and moved toward the door, having obtained her second mark.
Standing outside the room, Aleshia began scanning the corridor for other open doors. When she glanced at the last door, she tilted her head and murmured, "It doesn't seem like there are any more open doors besides the one I just passed through or the one I used to enter this corridor." After reorganizing her thoughts, she lightly added, "Alright, I guess I've reached the furthest point I've explored. No matter; I only need to keep opening more doors." With that resolve in mind, Aleshia opened the remaining doors until she found one that led to another corridor.
After an unknown amount of time, Aleshia's pace slowed, and her walk became unsteady. Despite her mental fatigue, she continued to open every door in the corridors she encountered and carefully inspected each room. This thorough inspection only made her mind feel increasingly exhausted.
After navigating several more corridors, Aleshia grew tired of opening many doors. She briefly glanced behind her and started to question her fear of the thing that had broken the tubes. She wondered why she had been so afraid of it. Nevertheless, she continued to open doors, knowing she didn't know when the next mark would appear. In her mind, she decided that once she retrieved another mark, she would return to the laboratory. But until then, she would press on.
Standing in front of another door, with hope drained from her eyes, Aleshia slowly opened it. Her eyes lit up slightly at what she found inside, and this brief moment of excitement helped keep her awake despite the repetitive situation she faced. As she stepped inside sluggishly, she tripped but managed to get back up. She lightly tapped the mark on the wall, allowing it to drift onto her skin, which briefly glowed as if accepting the mark.
However, as if accepting the mark was too taxing for her mind, Aleshia's mind could no longer handle the exhaustion and lethargy overwhelming her. With her concentration broken, she collapsed and became unconscious, dreaming of doors.