The Fragrant Plants and Herb Garden

All around you are numerous colourful plants and flowers. There are a thousand perfumes drifting through the air, if only you had time to stop and appreciate it. You spot a man standing by the side of the path. He has a bald patch on the top of his head and is wearing glasses. Initially a wave of euphoria washes over you. A gardener. An expert. He can help you, you think to yourself. But then as you get closer you see that his eyes are red and there is blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. You swallow dryly and make your way around him, giving him a wide berth.

You look back and notice he’s trailing behind you. Maybe the infected follow movement? You stop in your tracks to test. The gardener stops moving and looks around. When you start moving again he begins to follow.

Then the gardener drops to the ground and starts spewing up blood and bile. A shiver trickles down your spine. You move quickly down the path while he’s distracted and locate the Self-Heal. The leaves are small, green and furry looking. You hold your phone over the plant, open the app and ‘scan.’ When you hear the confirmation bleep, you move on… slowly.

You can hear the gardener dragging his feet on the path behind you. You pick up the pace, constantly glancing over your shoulder to make sure you are keeping your distance. You figure that if you don’t make any sudden movements he will continue trailing behind you and not come any closer. While looking backwards, you step awkwardly on a raised brick in the footpath and trip. You hit the footpath hard and hear the gardener drawing closer. You scamper to your feet. Your knees are badly grazed and your ribs feel bruised, but you’re in one piece. Clearly you can’t go on like this forever, you need to lose this trailing contamination so you can plan your next move without death hanging over your shoulder.

At the bottom of the path you see two possible hiding places: the Cactus Collection building and the restaurant.

Do you:

Cactus Collection: Hide in the Cactus Collection building? It’s marginally closer and open ended, with many a spiky plant to keep the gardener at bay if you need. You could also climb onto the roof if you need to keep out of harm’s way. Take the path to the right and towards the Cactus Collection building.

OR

Restaurant: Hide in the restaurant? It’s a little further away, but you can actually put a solid wooden door between you and the infected gardener. There will also be more places to hide and knives if you need to defend yourself. Take the path to the left. Walk through the entrance gate and then turn immediately right into the restaurant.