Sector 14

Deep beneath the surface, away from prying eyes, James takes a long, deep drag of his cigarette, his face illuminated by only the orange cinders and the soft glow from the wall of CCTV screens. He exhales with a deep sigh, rolling his neck from side to side, working out the stiffness earned from an already long day. He glances at his watch and groans with dismay.

1:3O am.

 fuck. 

I still have 5 ½ hours to go. 

James eyed his long-forgotten cold cup of coffee, debating reheating the mug or making a new pot. He decided on the latter and flicked his lit cigarette into the mug, causing a soft sizzle as the embers hit the liquid surface. He snatched the ash-tainted coffee cup and shuffled into the small kitchen area after quickly sweeping the monitors.

James was grateful that Xenotech at least bought excellent coffee; it almost made up for the deep secrecy surrounding his job. He'd never been entirely sure what he was guarding, but honestly, he couldn't care less. The work was easy, and the pay and benefits were decent, especially compared to other jobs in the area.

As the coffee machine hummed to life, James leaned against the counter and watched the facility janitors push their cleaning carts down the white, sterile halls. The surveillance cameras tracked their every move, and James wondered about the janitors. Did they know what was contained within the facility walls, or were they simply here for the paycheck, going about their daily tasks without a second thought?

As the aroma of fresh coffee wafted through the air, James poured himself a fresh cup and took a drag from a freshly lit cigarette. He knew he'd never get answers to these questions, but they sat in the back of his mind as he continued to observe the cleaning crew's routine. Just as he was taking another sip from his coffee, a sudden burst of color caught his eye. Startled, he set his cup down and bounded toward the flashing screen to get a better look. The system notified him of a containment breach in sector 14, the high-security sector. The significance of the breach in such a heavily guarded area was not lost on him. He knew that sector 14 held some of the facility's most closely guarded secrets, and the breach threatened to expose whatever secrets the reinforced walls were protecting. 

He cycled through the facility's various camera feeds until he landed on sector 14, where a janitor in a pair of headphones was deeply engrossed in meticulously waxing the gleaming white floor. He turned his attention to the camera strategically positioned down the hallway, and what he beheld sent shivers down his spine. One of the heavily fortified doors leading to a containment bay was torn from its hinges and reduced to shreds, revealing only a foreboding, pitch-black corridor that appeared to devour all nearby light. James gazed into the void, and he could have sworn that the void stared right back at him. He remained frozen in stunned silence, his breath caught in his throat, just as he witnessed colossal, sinuous black claws curling around and reaching for each side of the opening. 

Shit. 

James returned to his previous camera, the Janitor blissfully unaware of the nightmare down the hall. James scrambled for his headset, frantically dialing the phone code to the Janitor's left. As the line rang, he watched with bated breath as the lights screamed for the Janitor's attention. A perplexed expression twisting his features, the Janitor warily reached for the phone's receiver.

"H-hello?" the cautious voice uttered, coated in hesitation. 

"Hello there, my name is James. I n-need you to listen to me very carefully and remain calm." He tried hard to stop his voice from shaking as he flicked to the camera down the hall and saw a flash of black dart across the screen

"Okay?" 

"There has been a security breach in your sector. I need you to leav-" 

He was cut off by a horrible giggling noise leaking through the line. He flicked the view back to the camera down the hall, the Janitor's severed hand, still clinging to the phone, dangled lifelessly from the cord. James swallowed the bile rising in his throat as he noticed the torso of the Janitor on one side of the hall, the rest of his body nowhere to be found, a giant red puddle and gore staining the sterile floors and walls. He sat in stunned silence, reviewing every moment he spent in training, trying and failing to recall the protocol for this situation. He grabbed his flashlight and gun with shaky hands and stood paralyzed as thoughts raced rapidly through his mind. 

What the actual fuck am I doing?

 I can't stay here. I can NOT stay here. 

James carefully pressed his ear against the door, desperately trying to catch any faint whispers of activity from the hallway beyond. His only company was the heavy silence that clung to him and the relentless pounding of his heart, ringing in his ears. With trembling hands, he reached for the icy doorknob, terrified of what awaited him on the other side. 

As the door swung open, a brilliant white light flooded the once-inky office, temporarily blinding him and leaving him disoriented. He blinked rapidly, his eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden transformation, his other senses now on high alert. The silence surrounding him held its breath, waiting for the next nightmare to unfold. He inched against the wall, his back pressed firmly into the panels. He remained vigilant, checking his surroundings and scrambling to comprehend every groan and creak. This was Sector 13, a narrow corridor connecting to each adjacent sector, making it a potential bridge between safety and whatever malevolent force stalked the facility. He skittered across the gap and slowly inched towards the window, giving visibility into Sector 14. He froze just at the edge of the opening, trying to pump himself up for the horror he was about to witness. 

Holding his breath, he cautiously peered into the darkness beyond the opening and gasped at what he saw, the sound echoing through the corridor. To his surprise, the hallway was pristine and untouched. His stomach dropped, and he couldn't believe his eyes; this defied all logic and explanation. He cracked the door open, the air seeming to crack and sizzle as it filtered into the room. As James slipped through, gun held high, the air carried an eerie charge that made the hairs on his arms stand on end. His instincts told him he needed to be vigilant and not let his guard down, as this unsettling calm could be an omen of danger. A sudden flicker of the lights sent a jolt of fear coursing through James. As the lights sputtered, they cast erratic shadows stretching and clawing at his ankles like sinister fingers. With one final flash, the lights extinguished with a pop, and glass splattered across the sterile floors. He scrambled for his flashlight, fumbling momentarily as his trembling fingers struggled to find the small, reliable device. 

A faint rustling sound abruptly seized his attention, drawing his gaze towards the disturbance. In the dark corridor, he was met with two luminous yellow orbs with unmistakable slit pupils, fixated on him with an unnerving intensity. As James raised the beam of his flashlight, a shiver raced down his spine, and he swallowed hard. His hand trembled slightly as he tried to get a clearer view. But what he saw before him froze the blood in his veins. Endless rows of needle-sharp, glistening teeth formed a menacing grin that appeared to stretch impossibly wide. The stark light illuminated the teeth, exuding menace and hunger. Dread seized his every nerve as he steadied his shot, his trembling finger pulling the trigger with grim determination. The creature, its ghastly grin still stretching impossibly wide, hurtled towards him, a collision course between unyielding fear and desperate survival.

Suddenly, James was distracted by a faint rustling sound. He turned to investigate the disturbance, and his flashlight illuminated two glowing yellow eyes with slit pupils staring back at him. The sight sent shivers down his spine, and his hand trembled as he tried to get a clearer view. As he looked closer, he saw rows of razor-sharp teeth in a menacing grin, gleaming in the stark light. Fear gripped him as he steadied his aim and fired. The creature charged towards him with its terrifying grin still in place, and he braced himself for the impact, determined to survive.