Ants!
The ants were everywhere, like a freakish life imitating art version of a cheap Hollywood b-movie. Only these ants weren’t suffering from nuclear gigantism, oh no. These ants were just normal ant size. The trouble was, there were millions of them. The colony had made several abortive attempts to rid themselves of the ants. The most recent, desperate move left every shining surface, every greenhouse plant, every inch of steel decking covered with a sticky sheen of insecticide that made no inroads whatsoever against the invaders.
The unfortunate side effects of the insecticide were as plentiful as the ants themselves. Computer terminals chirped vaguely, confused by the constant pressure on their touchscreens. Machines sat silent, their humble gears jammed with chemicals. Food lay untouched, inedible despite the irradiation that promised weeks, if not months, of preservation. On every chair, every bed, every workstation, every walkway, slumped a body whose lungs were rendered useless by tiny droplets coating the screens of their gas masks. And still the ants marched on.
The unfortunate side effects of the insecticide were as plentiful as the ants themselves. Computer terminals chirped vaguely, confused by the constant pressure on their touchscreens. Machines sat silent, their humble gears jammed with chemicals. Food lay untouched, inedible despite the irradiation that promised weeks, if not months, of preservation. On every chair, every bed, every workstation, every walkway, slumped a body whose lungs were rendered useless by tiny droplets coating the screens of their gas masks. And still the ants marched on.