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Chris hadn’t recognized the cartoon Easter Egg in the recent D&D movie, so we reviewed those scenes in the “maze” on his Apple TV’s Paramount+ subscription before I turned a nap into the rest of the night, which must have contributed to this sci-fi/horror premise where three of us, one group of many, found ourselves in a modern building not unlike Dongdaemun Design Plaza whose long hallways were lined with unmarked rooms containing dangerous surprises, and it was our mission to find an exit before succumbing to them. My party-mates were Ron C., I think, and a pole-less adult version of Diana the Acrobat in the yellow jumpsuit we contestants were all assigned. Our first obstacle to the next floor were large halls patrolled by car-sized cats, which we could see through a window pouncing on others as they attempted to pass. Two old ladies seated outside recommended we try the dogs instead and not to show any fear when they approached. Sure enough, a harnessed Golden Retriever with legs my height came at us like a train but stopped only to sniff as we slowly made our way to a door at the other end.

We somehow reached safety on a level above, but curiosity about the workings of the facility led me quite foolishly back downstairs to sneak a look-don’t-tell at the maintenance crew cleaning up the mangled bodies from different rooms. I thought I was a safe distance from them but was too far from the stairwell and the open corridor offered no hiding place when an official spotted me. My uniform was a dead giveaway so I leaned against the door beside me and pretended to have been ordered to wait there. The explanation seemed to trigger one in her mind, as she went on about how the “Destroyers” needed to recharge and left with her entourage satisfied. These people were in the business of mass extermination, and before the coast was clear for me to leave my post, a snobbish general-type emerged from an office to my left complaining about debris in the form of a severed arm, opened my door and tossed it inside before returning.