It squatted on the ceiling, seemingly transfixed on the faint flickering glow of the chandelier. The rest of the ballroom stood in silence, as transfixed on the creature as it was on the light and praying that either it would leave or they would be able to creep out and seal it inside until someone made a plan to deal with it.
One-by-one the guests crept towards the exits, every one staring up and none of them checking their blind spots. They simply assumed such a hideous thing must be alone in the world and must have come from a hole in the ceiling rather than consider that a pack of them had moved into the mansion mere minutes after the ball had begun.
First they ate the gatekeepers, then the groundsmen, then the doormen, stablehands and kitchen staff before slowly working their way to the top of the proverbial food chain. This would be the first mansion they had consumed as they had finally decided to leave their home caverns where they caught stray hibernating beasts and miners.
Now they fed on rich blood - dripping with precious gems and precious proteins that would keep them young for years to come. The guests knew none of this, they didn't even realise they'd willingly walked into a slaughterhouse until the first one found the main doors locked and guarded by blood-drenched jaws.
The surrounding hills would echo with their screams for weeks.
The floors and walls would never scrub clean.
The bodies would never be found.
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