Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap—that's all we could hear. The sounds of our rushed typing coming from our shaking fingers were the only noises occupying the room, with the imaginary sound of a ticking clock echoing in my mind. Just a few minutes ago, I could have sworn the creature lingered beyond the door of our office, beyond the barricade, but after around five minutes, or who knows how much time had passed, it suddenly ceased.

Were we on the right track? Was I right in thinking that there's a connection between the project deadline and the creature? Who knows. What matters is that we're safe... for now.

I was supposed to feel relieved at this moment since the creature was gone, but that wasn't the case. Its disappearance just opened a whole lot of possibilities. What if it suddenly appears inside the room like last time? What if it's just tricking us to have a false sense of security? What if we're already in its trap?

I couldn't relax for even a second. Every time the digits of the clock on the bottom of my screen move, another sweat slides down my forehead. Despite the room being cold from the air conditioner, combined with the chill creeping up my spine, sweat was still seeping from every crevice of my body.

I'm terrified.

A warm pressure weighed on my side. I glanced for a second and saw Laura's hand rubbing my shoulder, while her other hand continued to type.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said, giving a quick smile.

I would have loved to do the same, to comfort her like how she comforted me, but I couldn't waste any more time. Looking away again or taking my hands off the keyboard would break my momentum, and I couldn't risk slowing down now.

Another minute passed.

I finished typing in a code and I switched to my mouse, but it wasn't there. Instead of a mouse, what my hand landed on was a pile of rough textured grains, and when I glanced down, to my absolute horror, it was sand. We weren't out of the woods just yet. The creature's abilities were still at work.

Without wasting time in reacting to this, I quickly stood up and scavenged the station next to me for a mouse. I found one and immediately pulled it out from the CPU and plugged it into mine. I got back to work, sweeping the sand away with my hand.

"What happened?" asked Laura, her eyes still glued to her screen. She must have not seen what happened.

"Don't mind it," I replied. I didn't want to think about anything else but the project.

Another minute passed.

Gradually, I felt my vision becoming low. I adjusted my seating position thinking that I was just slouching, but I was wrong. Immediately, I fell out of my chair and my butt smashed on the ground. A second after the impact, Laura screamed. The dust had scattered everywhere, creating a storm of brown around us. I immediately looked around and saw that Laura was on the ground as well, and I realized that our chairs had disappeared. Seeing the pattern, I knew that it wasn't dust. Looking down on the floor confirmed it. Our chairs had turned to sand.

I was just about to shrug it off, prioritizing work rather than reacting to the creature's torments. But instead, panic set in when I realized that it wasn't just the mice or our chairs—the entire office was crumbling around us. The walls, floor, stalls, decor—everything.

I knew that this would happen eventually, especially when midnight comes near, but the thing that horrified me was what was beyond the crumbling boundaries. Nothing. Beyond the walls was a mass of pitch-black, just like the scene I saw when we were running to the exit. I didn't want to think about it, but deep in my mind, I knew that we were trapped here. There was no way we could escape through that wall of darkness. I don't actually know what will happen if we approach it. Is it a wall that will block our path? Is there really nothing and we'll just fall off into the dark void? Or is it some kind of black hole that will suck us up? All I know is that if we don't hurry up with finishing the project, we'll soon learn the horrors of what's beyond that darkness. That or we crumble to sand just like everything else.

I managed to stand up with my wavering legs and checked the clock on my screen. Five minutes remained.

I gasped, realizing that I'd wasted at least two minutes recovering from the fall.

"Hurry! Continue!" I yelled, powering through the fear and continuing with work while standing up despite everything around us crumbling bit by bit.

Laura seemed to have mustered enough courage to stand back up and continue with her work but I noticed that in her face, fear was etched permanently.

I couldn't blame her for being scared. Even I want to close my eyes and hide from everything. But I couldn't do that. Not after what everyone has entrusted to us.

The clock in my mind ticked louder. I feel as though I could hear it as every second goes by. The anxiety welling up in me was killing me.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Another minute passed.

The monster was here again. I can hear its sounds. But it wasn't like last time. I can hear it, but I don't know where. It's as if it's coming from all directions at once. But worse of all, it's growing louder. That rain-like sound... I'm so sick of it. I'd rather be deaf than have it continuously torment me. Every time I hear it, visions of my friends' crumbling forms pop up in my mind. Please, just let us work in peace.

The room grew colder, but my body began sweating harder. It'd gone as far as dripping from the tips of my fingers. This caused me to mess up on my typing, especially when coupled with my shaking hands.

Another minute passed.

I managed to keep myself together and fix my errors, but I wasted time in the process.

The amount of stress weighing down on me could have crushed me at this point, even enough to turn my hair white and make me bald in an instant. I really want to rest. I feel as if my brain had become mush despite not even turning into sand yet, with only finishing this work as the only thought occupying it. My eyes were tired but I couldn't look away from the bright screen, heck, even blinking is a luxury I couldn't afford.

Another minute passed.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

This time, it felt like an instant and an eternity at the same time.

In the beginning, the keyboard had become my battlefield, and every keystroke felt like lifting a heavy burden. Every code pressed in was one less enemy to think about. But now, no matter how many keys I mash, it feels like I'm getting nowhere. The thought of each second goes by without me making any progress etched lines of stress and despair on my tired face.

My own sweat was my enemy at this point, making my fingers slip and misclicking, while the ones dripping from my forehead slid down into my eyes and blocked my vision, causing the code on my screen to morph into elusive phantoms.

I just want to get this over with, but nothing seems to be going right. I'm so tired.

Suddenly, as if hearing my own thoughts, Laura spoke out, breaking the tense air in the room. "I'm sending my file over to you! I'm done on my end!"

I nodded. If I ever get the chance, I'd like to thank her. Knowing that she was doing a better job than I was despite the horrors she saw really lit a fire in me. Her timing couldn't be more perfect. A second later and my resolve would have wavered completely. She had passed the torch over to me. Now, it's my turn to shine. I'll bring an end to all of this.

With swift precision, I tinkered with the files she sent over, merging them with mine.

"I'm almost done!" I announced.

Laura, whose fists were clenched with anticipation, silently watched over from behind my shoulder. Just a while ago, her face was molded by despair, but now, her eyes were ablaze with hope. She couldn't do anything else to help. Now that all the necessary files are on my computer, it's now a one-man job. But even so, I could feel her helping me just by being beside me. Her trust that I could finish this strengthened my resolve, guiding my hands to move without error. It was just her behind me but I feel as though they were there too. Gabrielle... Raf... Alex... Nila... please watch over us.

Another minute passed.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Another minute passed. One minute left.

The seconds started to countdown in my head, with the roaring sound of the creature around us growing in volume. Portions of the office were reduced to sand, with the darkness peeking through the holes. My breathing became heavy again, but I wasn't losing focus. I feel as though I might have broken some typing world records at the pace I was going at. Even so, I couldn't falter for even a second.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Worry stormed within me every frame of a second of my eyes landing on my digital clock. 11:59 pm. Oh, how I wish I could freeze time at this point. The next time the clock moves, it'll determine our fate. Even without a sign from the clock, I knew 30 seconds remained.

"I'm done!" I yelled, a smile breaking through from my tired expression. "I'm saving it now!"

I clicked the save button, and at last, it was done. Or so we thought. Instead of the save complete prompt, what popped up instead was something devastating, something everyone hates. In the middle of the screen, a loading icon appeared.

My eyes suddenly widened the second I saw the dots spinning in a circular motion. Its white and gray hue tormented us, sucking up our colorful optimism and morphing it into the colorless void of despair. I clenched my teeth and fists, wanting to break out into a roar from the anticipation. We didn't have much time left. But despite our silent wishes of desperation, the loading icon kept spinning mercilessly.

"Why now of all times!" I yelled, grasping the edges of my computer. At this moment, I wanted to throw the screen, to bash it on the ground and shatter it into pieces, but that wouldn't change anything, it would only make it worse.

Laura placed her hand on my shoulder again. I turned to her. Despite the situation, Laura's face didn't show any emotion, not even a glint of nervousness or desperation. It's as if she's already accepted the situation and now awaits her fate, be it good or bad.

I let go of the screen and interlocked my fingers together, much like forming a prayer.

"I beg you..."

Ten seconds remained. The sounds of the creature grew much louder, shaking the entire building.

With our fates out of our hands and now at the mercy of my computer processor, we sat there frozen in place.

The countdown echoed in our minds.

Five... Four... Three…

We closed our eyes. I could feel her body lean into mine, chasing comfort in our final moments. All we could do now was hope for the best.

Two... One…

The sounds disappeared. Silence enveloped the room.

I opened my eyes.

I couldn't believe it. I stood up and pushed my chair back, letting it crash on the ground. I raised my shaking hands and covered my agape mouth.

I didn't know what to say. My entire body was still weak, and I couldn't even muster the strength to yell out anymore.

On the bright display of the screen, two words are shown. They were just two simple words but were enough to make my tears burst out.

"Save successful..." I read it out.

Quickly, I turned my gaze down to the bottom of the screen. The clock moved. The phones on our desks simultaneously turned on, activating the alarms we had set. Too bad they were on silent. It would have been the perfect celebratory tune. Because just now, it had only turned midnight. We had completed the project on time.

I looked at my hands and slowly made a fist. I raised it as if raising the flag of victory. Then, I smashed my fist on my desk, echoing a loud thud. I raised my fist again and smashed it on the table, again, and again. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to yell out in celebration, to scream to the entire world that we had survived. We bested the creature and avenged our friends. I couldn't help but let out a teary smile as I smashed my desk. This was my form of celebration. Every time I raised my fist, I honored my fallen comrades, and when I smashed it on the desk, I imagined my fist hitting the creature, and its deep voice groaning in pain. Even with my hands now bloody red, I couldn't feel a thing. Nothing could stop me now. We've won.

All my stress, anxiety, despair, and everything else was released. I collapsed on the sandy floor, tired, but with a smile on my face. I breathed in and out, trying to calm my racing heart.

"What now?" I muttered to myself, still breathing heavily.

"Raf... I guess I'll avail that vacation plan of yours," I said out loud while staring at the cracked ceiling, reminiscing on the banters I had with Raf when everything was still peaceful. "It's quite a shame that it won't be you accompanying me in Italy, but I guess you'll still be with me in spirit. Not just you, I'll bring everyone with me. It's because of everyone's efforts and sacrifices that we were able to get here, to be alive and well."

I grabbed a handful of sand and raised it up, slowly letting it flow out of my hand and pile on my chest, like a waterfall. Everyone's happy faces flashed in my head. "Gabrielle, If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had a good headstart on the project's progress. You were the one who taught everyone the ropes. Alex, it's because of your sacrifice that we were able to power through. You were up against a literal monster, but not only did you bravely sacrifice your life to fight it, you also saved us. Nila, despite your weaknesses and fears, you were still able to keep up with us. Even with how terrifying things have gotten, you still tried to carry on, and seeing that really gave me the strength to try and become strong. And Raf... despite everything... despite all your many many faults... no matter how lazy and unproductive you were... you'll always be my first and best colleague. Even with the short time we've known each other, you already know what you are to me. You'll always be my best friend."

The sand flowing from my hand ran out. I laid my hand on the formed mound on my chest and took a deep breath in and out, smiling afterward. "Don't worry, I'll build you all some nice graves with the extra pay I'll get for this. As a newcomer to the company, it'll be my treat."

I turned my head, "Oh, but you'll split the cost with me, right?" I froze. Laura should have been right beside me because she had been watching me work on the last part of the project.

I got up into a crossed-legged sitting position and looked around the room. "Laura?"

My eyes landed on something, and I felt as though the world had crashed. "Laura..."

On the floor... despite our chairs and everything else littering the floor with sand from crumbling, I was immediately able to tell it apart.

There was... another mound of sand.