There wasn't much time to react as Lazarus tried to shift the waterlogged and termite ridden door in the creature's way. His old apartment was only a few feet from the steps; so as soon as he got close enough he was met with a strange pair of deep red eyes. The creature's only hand is more of a claw, and as it flashes a sickly smile, rows of razor sharp pointed teeth seemed to emerge out of thin air. It's eyes bore invisible daggers into Lazarus before it stumbled over a large hole of missing steps.
Lazarus hesitates for a split second because the creature's strange red eyes have an eerily familiar feeling but Mae's screams quickly snap him back to attention. They need to block it's path and there's no way for them to get around the bloodhound. Just as the creature reaches the top of the stairs the weathered door falls into place. Lazarus tries to push Mae backward toward the kitchen area but she doesn't want to listen. Instead she rushes to the old couch and begins pushing it up toward the doorway; the next few seconds will either be life or death and they both know it. The couch slides into place along the part of the door that's been eaten away and finally he is able to push her back into the kitchen area and then the bedroom. As quickly and quietly as possible Lazarus slides the door into place before placing his own back against it. He glances over at Mae to find her laying precariously against the bed frame, a small pool of dark blood, begun to spread out around her. Then he hears it, the soft clicking sound of talons on hardwood. It's getting closer by the second.
Time is no longer on their side and Lazarus is the only one conscious. He struggles to keep the door closed as the bloodhound pounds on the other side. His feet continue to slip as he looks back at a bleeding and battered woman. He takes a shaky breath and looks around for anything to place in the creature's way, there's nothing. Cursing lowly, Lazarus, lets his hold on the door falter slightly and braces for impact from the unnatural creature. He steps back and then directly in front of Mae seconds before the door explodes off of its hinges. Then he watches the bloodhound go up and through the wall, toward uneven, hard, concrete below. He pivots on his right heel to check on Mae's condition and sees the pool is growing larger. Panic begins to swell in his throat as he tries to remember where his old medical kit resides. He doesn't want to leave Mae's side especially if the bloodhound returns but he has no choice. His head swivels from an unconscious bleeding Mae, toward something hanging precariously from the same spot the hound fell through. He takes a few cautious steps forward until he's almost standing above the ground and bends down. What he sees makes him stumble back in disbelief; hanging haphazardly from a rotten and split piece of wood is a golden locket on a broken chain. He bends until he's squatting and leans out; it doesn't take long before the chain is loosened from the wooden beam and he can finally move back into the room.
He turns the locket and chain over in his hands and fresh blood transfers onto his skin. He's seen this locket before; it belongs to Celest.