You push the button.

Ding.

Most of the mud magically leaves your jumpsuit and skin, thankfully. How did that happen? Shhhh we don’t ask questions like that. That relates to the last room, and we are in this room.

This room is full of bees. Dozens and dozens of bees.

Interesting. Are you afraid of bees?

As a matter of fact, you are! Whether it comes from an allergy, from having been stung too many times as a child, or just a basic human dislike of poison sting fly bugs, it doesn’t matter.

You do not like bees.

But they’re so cute! Look at those little yellow and black blobs, flying around the corner of the room, making their home bigger and better! They aren’t harming anyone!

You don’t care. Instinct pushes you backwards, into the opposite corner from their hive.

The bee barf known as honey drips down the wall over there, making everything sticky. Probably a ploy to catch things, so the bees can eat them.

Are bees carnivorous?

I can tell you, no.

Are they omnivores?

I can tell you, n… Actually, that’s a good question. Hold tight.

To: IT Desk 3 From: Testing Room Beta Subject: Bees

Hey Max, you grow bees. Do they eat bugs or meat?

To: Testing Room Beta From: IT Desk 3 Subject: Re: Bees

Yes, bees quite enjoy a filet mignon on occasion, paired with a nice claret.

Why don’t you just Google it?

But, since I keep bees, I can tell you that no, they don’t.

Ok, turns out- oh, how adorable! A dozen bees are flying around you, trying to get to know you! They must like your smell!

Or maybe they hate it, I don’t know. In any case, you are surrounded by bees. And you absolutely freaking hate it. This (being trapped in a smallish concrete room full of bees) is one of your worst nightmares, right next to the one about naked public speaking with an auditorium full of clowns.

You have oddly specific dreams. But I can promise you that there is no “public speaking” room.

And you’re not naked, so yay.

Altho that’s more for my benefit than yours.

What was I talking about?

Oh! Right! Bees! Lots of bees! Landing on you!

Well, there is a way out, you know. All you have to do is push that button. It’s not hard.

Well, normally it’s not hard. But at the moment a bee is climbing around on it.

Then again, bees are also climbing around on you. So what’s the lesser of two evils?

Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes and lunge. You stretch your hand out in front of you like a baseball player sliding to the last base, and hit the button, probably killing the bee.

I still don’t play baseball, and hope that metaphor made sense.

Anyways.

Ding.

Nope! You are not afraid of bees in the slightest!

You smile, walking confidently up to the hive in the corner, and watch all the little critters do their jobs.

A few come over and land on you, trying to figure out who you are. They aren’t aggressive at all, just curious.

You like bees. They’re industrious, intelligent, organized, and help plants grow. They don’t attack unless they’re threatened, unlike wasps and hornets. There’s a good reason bees are portrayed in media as cute, while a decent percent of high school mascots are hornets.

You see that honey is starting to drip down the wall, and dab your finger in it. It feels sticky, smells sweet, and tastes like… oleander? You aren’t a honey connoisseur, but you are aware that the flowers bees pollinate affects the taste of the honey they make.

Oleander. Interesting. Oleander is poisonous, hopefully the honey you ate doesn’t kill you or anything.

Probably not. We try to avoid putting things in the rooms that are directly lethal. Altho…

Just a minute, keep watching the bees, I’ll be right back.

To: IT Desk 3 From: Testing Room Beta Subject: Bees

Hey, can honey made with oleander pollen kill someone?

To: Testing Room Beta From: IT Desk 3 Subject: Re: Bees

Yes, instantly, why?

To: IT Desk 3 From: Testing Room Beta Subject: Re: Re: Bees

...Max.

To: Testing Room Beta From: IT Desk 3 Subject: Re: Re: Re: Bees

Sheesh, can’t you Google it?

But no, I don’t think so. It’s been “processed”, and besides it’s the oil in oleander that’s lethal. Pretty sure you’d die of honey poisoning before oleander poisoning.

Why?

To: IT Desk 3 From: Testing Room Beta Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Bees

They got to the bee room, and tasted the honey. The only flowers around here are oleander.

To: Testing Room Beta From: IT Desk 3 Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Bees

Well, not the only, but the majority, yes.

Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.

To: IT Desk 3 From: Testing Room Beta Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Bees

Sweet, thx

Ok! Right! You’re not going to die! Woo!

Well, you are going to die, just not in the immediate future.

Probably.

Most likely.

Anyways, you’re happily watching the bees, letting them crawl all over your hand and through your hair, if you have hair, and having a grand ol’ time.

But time marches on, leading you closer to you inevitable demise.

Wow I’m morbid right now. Sorry about that.

You head back to the button, carefully nudging the bees off your person, and find a bee climbing around on the button.

Very careful not to disturb it, you reach down with a single finger and press down.

Ding.