Chapter 4: Awakening
Nox watched Ava run down the hallway like her life depended on it. Which it probably did. The dog thing was right behind her, snapping at her heels every few steps.
He could have just gone back to hunting monsters on his own, but honestly, this was way more entertaining. Watching someone who had spent years ignoring his suffering now scramble for her life felt pretty good. Not good enough to actually help her, but good enough to follow and see what happened.
He kept his distance, moving quietly from classroom to classroom. The hallways were a mess anyway, so it was easy to stay hidden behind overturned lockers and piles of debris.
"Help me!" she screamed as she ran past a group of classrooms. "Please, someone help me!"
A couple of doors were still closed, probably with people hiding inside. None of them opened. Smart choice, really. Why risk your neck for someone else when those things were running around?
Nox almost laughed. Now she knew what it felt like to ask for help and get nothing back. The irony was pretty perfect.
The dog was gaining on her. It was one of the smaller ones, but still bigger than any normal dog. Its mouth was open and drooling, and those oversized teeth looked ready to tear into something soft.
Ava turned another corner and Nox heard her footsteps slow down. He quickened his pace and peered around the corner to see what was happening.
She had run straight into a dead end. The hallway ended at a wall where they were doing construction work before all this started. There were plastic sheets hanging down and tools scattered everywhere, but no way out.
She spun around just as the dog thing rounded the corner behind her. She was trapped between the wall and the monster, breathing hard and looking around desperately for an escape that wasn't there.
"Stay back," she said to the creature, like it could understand her. "Just stay back."