A number five indicated the floor I desperately sought refuge on. Screw that thing. All those open doors along the staircase felt like a sinister preparation for this very moment. I leaped off the last four stairs, making a sharp turn back into the research wing I had just left, violently smashing the doors shut behind me. I knew it wasn't the end, at least not for my relentless pursuer. Grabbing a chair from the nearest research room, I used it to pry the doors closed.
"Think, Nathan, think..." I paced anxiously until a loud bang echoed from the other side. Whatever it was, it was coming after me. My eyes widened, and my lungs seemed ready to burst out of my chest. Panic set in, wet streams running down my trembling legs.
Another thunderous bang reverberated as the beast threw itself against the heavy fire-proof doors. I sprinted to the last research lab, closing the thick metal sliding doors. My panicked mind recalled details from my father's discussions—these doors could withstand an explosion. The square-shaped room housed various prototypes, tools, documentation, and some computers.
The last bang opened the doors, followed by an eerie silence. I couldn't see or hear what was happening until I noticed a palm the size of my head against the glass wall. Attached to it were seven long, nail-like fingers—two standing opposite to the rest. Its furless, black form emerged, a fearsome predator.
Its complex eyes, similar to a fly's, covered almost the entire upper half of its sleek skull. Nostrils resembling holes near the edges of its eyes expanded and contracted as it breathed. The absence of lips revealed the first row of needles, poised to tear flesh apart.
The beast growled, revealing two or three additional rows of fangs behind the first one. Stooped with long front limbs for quadrupedal running, it was slightly larger than an average human male when stretched. Its bones lay beneath a thin layer of skin, with ribs extending from the spine, nearly invisible in the night's soft gray shade.
The creature kept sniffing the air, searching for me. I did my best to remain silent, but my eyes remained fixed on the hideous monster. It disappeared toward my dad's office, and the glass wall, now a keeper of dark secrets, filled me with fear. Knowing that thing was behind it made me whimper and breathe heavily. -I need to get out!-
How do you escape death breathing right behind the doors, literally? My trembling palms moved in front of me to find support as I crawled on all fours. Desperate, I searched for anything that could help me. My leg got stuck on a small stool, and I realized it too late. The loud screeching of metallic legs echoed through the room.
"Fuck..." I couldn't say anything more, and the beast was already bashing its claws against the glass wall. I almost lost control and stumbled backward. No matter what I did, it knew about me.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I sat in my own soiled pants, staring death in the face clawing at the reinforced glass.
"FUCK FUCK FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Hysteria overtook me as I rushed toward the window, bashing my fists against it.
"Why do I have to die?! What the fuck is this? Some sick fucking joke of yours? AM I EVEN AL...?"
The thing turned away, towards the stairs. What was there to capture its interest so much that it stopped? Its breathing quickened, and the growl's sound changed. However, none of these details were as disturbing as the fact that its veins were filled with a gold-like glowing liquid, making it visible even to a normal eye.