??? am?pm?

The girl could hear a loud roar as something dragged its large body into the room. Whatever it was, it sounded big. The roar that it made did not sound human. She could hear it sniff around dragging its feet all the way towards the little room she was hiding in.

Then the pounding on the door started. It cracked the wood and reverberated through the metal door. It roared again and pounded and crashed its body against the door. It was not a noise like any animal that the girl could describe. She stood frozen, while the monster lunged it large frame at the door. Then she heard the wooden door splinter. Bits of it clanged down on to the floor. It broke of chunks of the wooden door, scratched at the wooden frame, sniffing all the while. Then the pounding and clawing on the metal started.

All of a sudden a high pitched alarm rang out around the building. A man’s voice over the intercom said something, but it was too blurry sounding to pick out from behind the metal door.

The thing at the door stopped. Was it listening?

It was dragging itself away from her door when the girl heard the sound of falling metal clang out around the building. The whole building shook.

What… what just happened?

The monster went away from her door, and started bashing against something else metal.

Oh no… is it trapped in this room? Did a metal door fall on daddy’s office door? Why is there a metal door there? Is it stuck here with me?

She fell on the floor, her knees weak. The thing heard the noise and lunged itself towards her door again.

She backed herself slowly into the corner of the tiny room, and crawled as quietly as she could into the space between two filing cabinets.

And there she stayed. Until now.

It had been quiet for a while.

Why did it stop? Was it sleeping? Did it leave? But how could it have left when there was probably a metal door stopping it from leaving the office as well.

But why was it here?

Her stomach grumbled. She froze, and looked down at it slowly, willing it would be quiet. It was not very loud, but it was loud enough that she was worried. She flicked her head towards the door in a panic. Luckily the monster did not seem to hear it. Or if he did, he was not very bothered with it. At least it wasn’t for now.

Suddenly the lights overhead flickered and went off. She stifled a scream, cramming her hand into her mouth.

All around her there was a deafening noise. A very loud metallic grinding of gears. It rang out through the building. She put her hands over ears, wanting the noise to stop.

Then it did, and the world was silent once again. A small backup light flickered on, filling the room with an ember glow. She heard the thing on the other side of the door move.

It was moving away from her.

Is it going out the door? But what even is it? Did the metal doors open? Is it leaving?

She rushed to the door and pressed her ear against it. There was no noise on the other side.

Should she take the chance to enter her father’s office? She reached down her pocket and yanked out her phone. It would not turn on. It was out of battery.

Of all the times.

Her father’s office had a phone. She could call for help.

Not that, surely someone else would have already tried yet. Right? If… if there are people still able. Daddy where are you?

Her school bag was outside. It had some of her leftover lunch, and her phone charger.

Should she risk it? Did she have a choice?

Her father was not back yet.

“Please don’t come out.”

Her father’s voice echoed in her head over and over.

“Please don’t come out.”

Should I even try it? She thought to herself. It had been hours since he left and the monster was gone. Right? It was gone… right?

“Trust me honey, please, please don’t come out until I come back to get you… or… just… use your good judgement okay.”

Is this good judgement?

She went to the keypad and typed in the numbers.

One, five, three, one.

The metal door slowly crawled open.