"Those are some very helpful pills," Max tells you. "You could call them 'performance enhancers': they help you move faster, be stronger, take a hit better, maybe loosen your self-restraint. Short-term effects, and you don't want to take a second one until a week after the first, but they're useful, particularly…"
You look at him, confused as to why he had trailed off. Max's eyes are shut, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs at the air. You remain silent, not wanting to break his concentration, and then his eyes snap open.
"Oh," he says. "Shit."
Before you can ask what's caught his attention, the gym doors slam shut behind you. Max barely flinches; he's staring about him, searching the enormous space around you.
Then you hear the growl.
At first, you feel sure that it must have been Max, but you soon realize that the sound is far different to the snarls of the werewolf. It has an alien quality to it, a cold undertone that is far more dreadful than any sound Max could produce.
Through the impossible space around you, three black forms lope into view. In shape, they're similar to dogs, but far, far larger. Unlike Max's eyes, these beasts have eyes of pure milky white, set in jet-black fur. Great red tongues hang from mouths thick with foam, resting against needle-sharp teeth.
"Barghests," Max says. His voice is tight, and he's crouched low, keeping his eyes on the approaching forms. "Seems like someone wants to stop our meddling investigation before the big reveal." He considers for a moment. "Or we need to stop leaving the doors open. Keep back, Kan. Don't get near them."
As he speaks, the great black dogs move closer, their chilling growls growing louder with each step.
What do you do?