You gently pull open the door and step inside.

It slams shut on its own.

You try and jostle the doorknob,

but it won't budge.

Seeing no other option, you cautiously trudge forward.





Splash...

Some kind of liquid pools at your feet. You can't see it, but you're almost certain it was the blood you saw at the entrance.

...Ew.





The splashing of the blood echoes with every step.

...

Echoes...

How big is this room?

You reach for the wall, but...

strangely, you feel afraid of what you might find.



Why?



Why are you afraid?



There's nothing here.

Why is it here?

...You swear you heard something...

Why is it here? Who sent it? It doesn't belong here. What color would it bleed?

Whispers echo around you. You turn every which way to see where they came from, but no avail.

What does it want? Does it know who We are? Does it want to free Us? Does it want Us to free it? Does it want to kill Us?



...Will it scream? Will it writhe? Will it even bleed at all?

The voices don't stop. You don't turn around this time, but you pick up the pace.































































...Something touched your leg.



Something warm, but somehow cold. Something smooth, but also sharp. Something very, very real, but something that should not be real. Something...

bloody.

You take a deep breath in, and



run as fast as you can.

It's real. It's physical. How is there a physical being in Our domain?



Why is it afraid? Why does it run? Does it think it can escape Us?



Is it afraid because it hears Our voice? Was it gifted with Our tongue? How did it learn?







It shouldn't know. It shouldn't know Our tongue. It shouldn't be in Our domain. It shouldn't know We exist.

It can't know.



It won't know after We



rip



its



brain



out.















You keep sprinting. No matter where you are, or how fast you move, the voices are right behind you. And then,



Splash...



Something behind you disturbs the pool of blood. Something warm and cold and smooth and sharp and real and bloody.



Something is after you.















Every move you make, it copies. Your steps are in sync, but its stride is longer. Your breathing grows shallow. Your heart beats faster than it ever has before. Your mind runs circles. Your adrenaline spikes. You really don't want to think about spikes right now. The hallway seems to stretch on forever. The "thing" seems like it's breathing down your neck. And then,



you spy a dim red light outlining a doorframe. The voices seem to sense your relief.







It evades Us? What a shame. We won't know the taste of its blood. But it will return.

And



We



will



tear



its



hideous



form



to



shreds.

You hurriedly shove open the door and dive through,



then collapse on the ground.