3:00 am

Summer’s heart felt sturdy but fragile. Like paper thin diamond butterfly wings beating heavily against her chest. Slowly she turned around, not daring to let a single breath escape.

Moonlight swept down through the torn curtains onto the eerie picture in front of her.

Surrounded by scattered papers and splintered furniture was a large dark brown desk. Slouched on the large mahogany desk was a large dark purple translucent blob. To Summer it looked like a slug made out of gelatine. It had long spikes protruding out of its back. It was facing her, blinking its many black eyes at her.

She stared back at the thing in horror, her body pressed up against the metal door. She was trapped with this thing and there was nowhere to go.

Luckily it wasn’t moving.

Behind it was a filing closet, similar to the one that her father had. Maybe it too, had an emergency panic room function? Maybe it could save her. But first she would have to get around it.

Then she would have to guess the code.

The monster would eat her first. She was sure of it.

The thing wiggled trying to get a better look at her. It’s jelly like body pulsating with every inch of movement.

She was once again paralyzed against the door, hoping it wouldn’t move any closer towards her.

They stared at each other.

After a while, inside of her she felt, and she knew, that somehow, this one wouldn’t hurt her. This one would be okay. Maybe.

Suddenly there was a pounding on the door behind her.

The monster from the hallway, wanting to claw it’s way in. Summer leapt away from the door, holding in a panicked cry. The monster on the table, inched towards her a little bit more,

And suddenly she didn’t know anymore if it was going to hurt her or not. If it was going to eat her.

It pulsed, again, its spine elongated and it’s spikes wiggled.

Then it screamed, and pulsed, oozing a green liquid down its spikes, making little rivets along the table.

Summer put her hand to her mouth and watched the thing in fear.

What is it doing?

It pulsed, it stammered, it screamed.

Then all of a sudden, the door behind the girl stopped being pounded upon. There was more sniffing, then the monster went over to the next room, the next door and started trying to get into that room instead.

The monster on the table pulsed a bit more, then let out a screech that sounded nothing like Summer had ever heard in her life. Summer cried silent tears of terror as she watched the monster spasm about.

She stared at it almost in morbid fascination as in pulsed and oozed and then slowly calmed down. It slouched back down on top of the table. It looked like it was inflating and deflating, like it was breathing heavily.

Summer’s knees gave way and she crashed on the floor. She wasn’t paying attention to the monster outside of the room any longer. She stared at the thing as it slowly turned its head towards her and blinked at her with its many eyes.

She did not know how long they were looking at each other, enraptured.

Night was slowly making way for the day. Sunlight began to stream into the room, and soon the whole room was aglow with the dawn.

The monster started melting.

Summer gasped and watch as a purple ooze fizzled and sizzled. She watched in shock as the monster the monster seemingly evaporated into nothing. And underneath it all lying slouched on the table, was a man that she knew.