>>6339520By now it seems clear that the vine-monster's territory is limited to the building you just escaped, and it's incapable of pursuing you. In fact, all this motion seems to have tired it out, as you notice the vines beginning to descend and retreat from the upper storeys, leaving cracked concrete and crushed scaffolding behind. You figure that this must take a lot of energy for the plant, and an unsuccessful hunt requires plenty of rest, something like a Venus flytrap snapping its jaws. You wonder if the apartment building's previous residents fell victim to it...
>Up on the roof you considered shooting the gas tanks to hurt the creature, but from your new vantage position they are out of sightHaving crossed the street via zipline, you have landed near one of Chaotzakka's old above-ground metro stations, now obviously condemned, which must have serviced this part of town up until the evacuations. Yesterday's rains have filled up the rail level under the train car, turning it into a glistening natural pool, and the surrounding greenery is particulary vibrant thanks to it. You hear bird calls and buzzing insects, and the blue sky raises your spirits a bit. You've successfully dealt with your first monster... will, if Hassan hadn't been there you may not have lived to tell the tale.
"I don't think that's the kind of monster you're supposed to find here," Hassan starts, poking a hole in a juicebox with a straw. It's a brand for kids, which he clearly stole from the apartment kitchen. "I'm tellin' you there's somethin' fishy 'bout this whole thing. They've condem'd it for a reason, and it's not f'r all th' small fry runnin' 'round." He's struggling to enunciate with the plastic straw in his mouth, while looking around for clues on where to go next.
There are plenty of other buildings you could explore around here, including a skyscraper that, if memory serves, used to be a pretty well-known department store. You haven't seen any other hunters, and wonder if they're nearby. Hassan checks his wristwatch: it's barely noon. You still have time. In an ordinary day, you'd be having lunch, though... You wonder what to do next.
>Let's eat some of your snacks in that abandoned train car. I'm hungry.>Let's go into the condemned department store. I bet there's loot there.>Let's go deeper into the Zone. We need to figure out what's going on here while there's still time. 