I scan the room, my eyes darting for an escape as flames lick up the walls.
Looking up, I spot the ceiling—a single sheet of metal. "I bet I can climb that," I murmur, dashing toward a corner.
Behind me, a massive, flaming figure stirs in the fiery remains of scattered papers—a lean, animalistic arm cloaked in flames, with claws that gleam like razors and eyes that glow a menacing red. Suddenly, a shrill, piercing squeal echoes through the empty, hidden room, sharp enough to make the air tremble.
I'm almost at the ceiling corner when I freeze, the laptop clenched in my mouth, blocking part of my view. I drop the laptop into my pants, tying the drawstrings one-handed to keep it secure.
"What was that... My bones are shaking," I whisper, scanning the room as sweat beads down my forehead. The smoke is thickening, already a meter above my feet, blurring my view of the floor.
"I... can't stay here any longer!" I turn back to the wall to keep climbing but notice a claw mark burned into the surface beside me. Maximum effort! I throw myself into climbing faster.
The shriek returns, louder this time. "Damn!" I drop down just in time to dodge a fiery projectile that slams into the wall where I'd been, igniting it in an explosion of flames. A dark object falls from the impact spot, plummeting straight toward me. "Crap!" I twist midair, landing hard on my right arm as the massive black projectile crashes down where I'd have been, shattering the floorboards.
Grimacing, I cradle my arm, scanning the room frantically. Not seeing anything immediately, I sprint behind one of the desks I'd searched earlier. Surprised my arm didn't shatter from that fall...
Peeking out, I wrestle with whether to cover my mouth from the smoke or cradle my injured arm. A red glow suddenly pierces the gray haze, intensifying before hitting the desk next to me and obliterating it. "Miiiiiiine," the screech returns, sharper, followed by another red gleam.
I reach into a nearby drawer, grabbing one of the three laptops inside. Tossing it to another desk a few feet away, I hear the glow zoom toward it, smashing the desk to pieces. Damn it… THINK, Nox! There's got to be something I'm missing… My mind races, then—Dad's here almost 24/7… that's too long to stay in a room with no win-! I straighten, feeling a surge of hope. I've got it! I can get out of here after all!
I grab the last two laptops, crouching as I peek out to check the red glow. "Let's go…"