It creaked and groaned from somewhere behind them, far enough that they could catch their breath but not so far that they felt safe.
This is where our story begins.
The old university had been a labyrinth back when they were young, back when they dropped out at least, and it had only been expanded since, now boasting eight buildings that spanned twenty acres. However they were only interested in the old music department and all the instruments left behind. A decent enough violin could raise upwards of a hundred pounds if they could stain the wood dark enough and blag it off as some eighteenth century antique. It was easy money left lying around.
In all their excitement they forgot why they'd left in the first place, too eager to make as much profit from as little work as possible. They didn't hear the other footsteps until they fell slightly out of sync, as did the breathing of whoever was behind them. When they turned around they saw nothing but heard the faint skittering of feet brought to a sudden stop, a faint gasp as breath was held to conceal their position.
Now at this point most people would have circled round and headed back to the relative safety of their car, of civilisation and pray that it hadn't followed them but they were not like that. They kept going, trying to remain calm and quiet all the while glancing over their shoulder, trying to see who or what was following them and having no such luck until they stumbled into the old gymnasium.
The floorboards were warped with age and mottled by an assortment of fungal plants that seemed to be thriving in the humid shelter. This aside the entire room was without so much as a scrap of fabric to hide behind, leaving them no choice but to back against a wall, close by the furthest door, and wait to see who was behind them.
They did not have to wait long.
What had formerly been quiet footsteps soon became thundering and the muffled breathing now panicked gasps as it burst into the gym, facing him with a plethora of worried eyes and a body that had more in common with a dozen scarecrows piled in a corner than an actual person. It looked like it had been nailed together at every possible joint, each one stained a deep brownish red and seemingly frozen for the most part.
Its head- or rather, heads - tilted like a pack of dogs as it slowly approached them, giving them a moment to process what they were seeing before its body tensed and it sprung towards them.
The chase began.
This is where our story begins.
The old university had been a labyrinth back when they were young, back when they dropped out at least, and it had only been expanded since, now boasting eight buildings that spanned twenty acres. However they were only interested in the old music department and all the instruments left behind. A decent enough violin could raise upwards of a hundred pounds if they could stain the wood dark enough and blag it off as some eighteenth century antique. It was easy money left lying around.
In all their excitement they forgot why they'd left in the first place, too eager to make as much profit from as little work as possible. They didn't hear the other footsteps until they fell slightly out of sync, as did the breathing of whoever was behind them. When they turned around they saw nothing but heard the faint skittering of feet brought to a sudden stop, a faint gasp as breath was held to conceal their position.
Now at this point most people would have circled round and headed back to the relative safety of their car, of civilisation and pray that it hadn't followed them but they were not like that. They kept going, trying to remain calm and quiet all the while glancing over their shoulder, trying to see who or what was following them and having no such luck until they stumbled into the old gymnasium.
The floorboards were warped with age and mottled by an assortment of fungal plants that seemed to be thriving in the humid shelter. This aside the entire room was without so much as a scrap of fabric to hide behind, leaving them no choice but to back against a wall, close by the furthest door, and wait to see who was behind them.
They did not have to wait long.
What had formerly been quiet footsteps soon became thundering and the muffled breathing now panicked gasps as it burst into the gym, facing him with a plethora of worried eyes and a body that had more in common with a dozen scarecrows piled in a corner than an actual person. It looked like it had been nailed together at every possible joint, each one stained a deep brownish red and seemingly frozen for the most part.
Its head- or rather, heads - tilted like a pack of dogs as it slowly approached them, giving them a moment to process what they were seeing before its body tensed and it sprung towards them.
The chase began.
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