He ran desperately through the pitch black halls with a flickering torch in hand. The faint torchlight could barely pierce through the dark, it only illuminated the uneven floor beneath his feet. The light couldn't reach the walls, the halls were just far too massive for that, though it did allow him a moment's worth of preparation for each step. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing.
He raced forwards; his head was hazy, his legs burned, and his breath was completely unsteady. He didn't dare look behind him, He only kept his eyes ahead as the whole building rumbled under the thing's weight. It chased after him, viciously persistent. Hundreds, if not thousands of clammoring little feet skittered, and each and every single one of them sent loud bangs that echoed down halls, that threatened to drown out even the throbbing in his ears. It reminded him of the trains that used to pass through his old hometown.
The noises slowed briefly and He was assaulted by a strange sense of déjà vu; He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the thing as it lunges right past him. He dropped the torch in his hurry and it fell to the floor, clattering as it did. It somehow managed to stubbornly cling to life, though the flames were now significantly dimmed. He looked back as the building trembled; the thing had just slammed into the floor. Metal roared and screeched as He caught the barest glimpses of a writhing mass of needle like appendages. They all blurred into each other as they chaotically heaved, pushed, and scraped against the floors, sending sparks flying everywhere as it tried to bleed off momentum and stop.
He spotted the creature's eyes peering back at him, countless as they all leered at him from high up in the air, glowing an ominous bright blue glow just further down the hall. He froze up, terrified, as they locked eyes. The inquisitive nature of its gaze made him feel terribly small.
They all closed and vanished with a threatening hiss as the creature's countless appendages once again went into motion he was forced to come to his senses and rush up to his feet. The building rumbled loudly once more as the thing continued its rampage, and for a moment, he wondered if it would hold. He reached for the torch as he passed it by and continued his desperate attempt to escape. He didn't care where he was going, just that it had to be somewhere far, far away from wherever that thing was.
It didn't take long before he took notice a familiar red glow in the dark,a literal glimmer of hope. He makes a beeline for it, and it led him down another darkened hallway, much smaller than the last, perhaps only five times his size at most. He saw the symbol further down the hall, just right above the soothing frame of the elevator doors. A red diamond with a thick pale blue border, both tinged with neon colors.
The doors slid open with a mechanical sigh, a far cry from the noise that thing kept on making behind him, and it made his lips curve up slightly in relief even as his eyes strained before the elevator's bright white lights. He was too glad to be bothered, and He didn't really have the time for that right now. He raised a foot to take a step inside, but the smile quickly faded as his foot landed right back where it left.
Something tugged at his stomach. His brows furrowed as He looked down, only to notice something jutting out of him. A sharp needle-like object that tore through his stomach, lined with hooked teeth that curved inwards, caked with blood and flesh. His blood and flesh. There was another tug, and it sunk deeper into him, accompanied by the sensation something tearing and pulling at his gut.
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He could only gasp as another pierced through his leg and it sent another a sharp jolt of pain that coursed through his body. A sudden heave and He was pulled off his feet, falling flat on his stomach. It pushed the hooked appendage out of his torso, though it must've torn through his insides on its way out. He screamed as He felt something squeeze through the newly open hole on his lower back, his voice was hoarse and almost bestial in quality. He could barely recognize that came from his own throat as He was dragged across the floor by his impaled leg. He continued screaming, clawing at the ground, hoping, trying, and failing to stop himself from being reeled away from the elevator. The floor was already slick with blood, and so were his hands.
He let out miserable cry rang out as his left shoulder was shot, and the harpoon went right through him. Its teeth latched unto his shoulder bones and forced him to turn over to his side, leaving him with no choice but to watch as he was slowly being drawn closer towards the other end of the hallway, where countless eyes watched and waited expectantly with an eerie blue glow. He could feel its eyes on him, it observed every single detail of his struggle with a curious gaze. He howled in pain again as another harpoon was fired, aimed at his other leg, hooked unto and tugged at his fibia. Then another, aimed at his left shoulder, it squeezed into the gap of his shoulder blades. Then another, through his left arm, it broke through and instead latched at his skin, slowly pulling it apart as the harpoons reeled him in.
It was just playing with its food at this point.
He could see it now, its blackened carapace faintly reflecting the distant lights, smooth and unnatural. Its feet tapping incessantly at the metal floor as it hissed impatiently. Another scream threatened to leap out of his throat, but he held it, he wouldn't let that thing take any more pleasure in this than it already had. The creature lets out a satsified hiss as he was dragged closer, just a few steps outside the hallway he was in. Its maw bloomed open, revealing an incomprehensible amalgamation of mandibles, tentacles, and teeth that all wriggled excitedly as they all spread out to welcome him. It reminded him of his aunt; she always wanted a hug.
He looked up, away from the wriggling mass and stared impotently at closing elevator doors; the sensation of the him being pulled and torn apart only hammered in the point that he was already beyond saving. He reached out with an unbound arm towards the closing doors, but nothing happened. They were too far, and even if they weren't, what would it do? He opened his mouth, trying to say something but the words wouldn't come. The doors closed shut, and he watched as the elevator lights slowly slid down and faded from view.
And now, all the light that remained was that symbol, it looked like an eye to him now; sharp, geometric, but distinctly alive. A red iris stared at him, taunting him, as it dangled the promise of safety just a few steps away.
And with a loud crunch, everything went silent.
Blue eyes noted the severed arm in front of it. Leftovers, might as well be scraps. It would not lower itself to feed upon the dead like some common animal. It fancied itself a hunter.
It clicked its mandibles twice as it stared at the elevator door, pondering. It stood there motionlessly. Waiting, only to once again suddenly jolt into motion as the begun sun rising. It hissed one last time as it sent the whole builing rumbling once again before scrambling back into the depths.