BACKROOMS PART THREE
Again, the monster didn’t pursue her into the next room. It was a relief but didn’t make sense. Nothing about this place made sense. Jenna’s thought felt like liquid running through her hands, unable to catch more than a few fleeting moments.
She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. Rest is what she really needed, but with how the past events have gone, Jenna didn’t believe she would get any. As if to prove that point, soft shuffling sounds finally reached her ears.
Slowly, Jenna opened her eyes. She regretted doing it. All over the walls, ceiling and floor were small to medium globs of some kind. They had originally blended in with the colors but now each one started turning deep black. They flowed like thick oil over the surface they clung to, not moving in any single direction. Long, rope like appendages formed from their mass and receded back just as quickly. Small sightless eyes popped open and closed all over.
The multitude nearly had a scream bubble up from Jenna’s throat, but she covered her mouth. They didn’t seem interested in her at the moment. If they decided to come for her all at once, there was nothing she would be able to do. One thing was for sure, however. She needed to get out of there.
Jenna was not a dancer or graceful ballerina so stepping between the closely spaced creatures would be quite a challenge. She lifted one leg producing a ruffling sound from her jeans. Instantly, all the creatures reacted. They swiveled and stirred in her direction at a snail’s pace. The appendages reached ahead of them looking for whatever cause the sound.
She slowly lowered her leg and stayed quiet. Her hands covered her mouth just to make sure a single sound didn’t escape. As she predicted, the monsters settled down and returned to meandering around. Their slimy ropes became one with their bodies, yet again.
Panic rose in her chest. A moments thought was to simply run as fast as she could to see if they would catch her. That thought was instantly crushed when witnessing two of them merging into one as they moved. A second later they split apart again. How was she going to get out of this one?
Raising her leg, but keeping it lower than before, she was able to lightly step in between two creatures. Her movement was soundless and didn’t cause a reaction from her enemy. Another silent move later and she was hopeful for an escape.
Sweat formed on her brow. It began its trek down her face landing on her shirt. Jenna couldn’t tell that it made any noise, but the creatures started to stir again, only slower this time. She had to hurry. She continued to take more steps towards the closest hallway.
The monsters covering the ground didn’t seem to notice her presence but the ones on the ceiling grew more agitated. As they bumped into each other, they combined their mass. Directly in her path, grew a huge blob of swirling and groping ropes hanging down from the ceiling as the whole of its body also expanded.
Jenna rushed her steps even more now. She was almost to the hallway, but that monstrosity was blocking her. There had to be a way around it. As she drew nearer, her vision swam. Concentration became harder and harder. What was she doing? Where was she going?
When she closed her eyes, her mind caught up. Hysterical laughter tried to burst from her mouth. Instead, Jenna bit down on her lip causing mind clearing pain. She had to keep her gaze away from what hung before her. That was the only way.
Keeping her eyes to the floor and focusing only on the smaller creatures, she stepped ahead and to the right. Sweat continued to drip from her face. Each drip showed a ripple effect with the beast’s extremities. One slender strand reached out and nearly grabbed her. Jenna recoiled. Her mind tried to fizzle out again, but she held her focus.
Every attempt to pass was met with more black cables of slime being propelled towards her. In a brief moment of absolute clarity, she had an idea. If she could throw something in the opposite direction, it should buy her enough time to get away. What could she throw? There was no telling what she would face next if this worked so she needed her shoes. The rest of her clothes were simple, shirt, pants, and underthings. The only viable option was her shirt.
Jenna quickly pulled her shirt over her head. Wadding it up in a ball, she threw it as far as she could. It made a soft plop sound when it landed on a group of creatures. The giant mass in front of her moved at lightening speed towards where her shirt lay. The smaller creatures extended their appendages to inspect what lay on top of them. All around her, the things zoomed in the same direction.
There wasn’t a moment to waste. She ran. It didn’t matter anymore if she made noise. The monsters behind her began screeching. They had discovered her deception.
