This time I ran longer than before. I had not seen what was chasing me, but I could hear a growling, shrieking noise that let me know curiosity may not be the most healthy choice. It sounded like there were three of them, whatever they were.

I had cleared three sets of double doors, and about five hundred meters when I came to a lobby. I had not locked the doors behind me since it had not stopped them before, and seemed to only piss them off.

I looked around for my next move while I put my hands on my knees and gasped for air. Like the courtyard, the main exit in the lobby had been blocked with cement blocks. Looking around I saw three signs with arrows that read "New Wing Under Construction", "Records" and "Call Center".

Could it be that easy to get home?

I sprinted in the direction of the call center just as my pursuers burst through the double doors. The explosive shrieking burst in the air, making me stop to cover my ears.

I looked up and finally came face to face with my pursuers, three creatures that were unlike any thing I had ever seen. They had a dog's face, but longer teeth, and a mouth as large as a Kodiak bear. The eyes were that bright copper color I had seen, but it was a color that was both bright and cold at the same time. Their bodies were the size of a timber wolf, except their shoulders were more massive, almost like a hump. Their legs were massive and ended in huge paws with long claws like a Bengal Tiger. The claws were what caused the clicking noise in the hall. Whatever they were, they weren't anything I had seen in National Geographic. These were something supernatural.

They took advantage of my shock to block my way to the call center wing. They shrieked like a cougar, but they weren't moving to attack.

Part XVII

Thanks for reading,

AC