Chapter 3

Shane valiantly chose to lead by example and bravely ran away from the monster in a dash. The light from his flashlight flickering up and down in the corridor, as the aperture bobbed up and down as he held it in front of him, lighting his path. Greg was quick to follow, then one by one the girls darted in the same direction, all holding their cellphones as flashlights as they ran.

It took Perry the longest to realize how quickly the situation had changed, and the plan they made had disintegrated. It wasn’t that long, only a few seconds. But it left a noticeable gap between him and his companions. He followed suit, running as fast as he could after them.

His feet were fleet, thanks to the ravenous and guttural roar that came from behind him, and the thunderous sound of hooves slamming into the concrete floor getting louder and louder. He didn’t dare look behind him, hoping to return to a time before he learned object permanence. When peek-a-boo was a game full of surprises, and he could simply forget that behind him really was the monstrosity he saw. Instead, the image of a giant, battle-axe wielding, minotaur with red eyes and sharp teeth flashing in his memory.

They all ran around a corner, then another. Maybe they should be splitting up? Thought Perry. Maybe he should run a different direction? He was in last place, first place for being dinner. It would be quite valiant and honourable to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Lead the minotaur away from his friend, and acquaintances, so that they may live to fight another day. Fuck that! He can probably outrun at least Katie, even with her head start. She was short and a bit chubby. So long Katie, it was alright having known you.

He saw her, huffing and puffing, trying to keep up her run, but she was clearly out of gas. Perry passed her, and just after, looked back apologetically. Sorry, he wanted to say, sorry, but if that thing takes a while to eat you, the rest of us might survive. It was better her than him, he thought. It would take the minotaur longer to eat her fatty flesh, giving them more time. Thankfully, when he looked back, all he could see was the glare from her cell phone flashlight. He couldn’t see that look of fear that he was all too capable of imagining.

In that blinding light, instead of seeing Katie’s eyes, he saw the eyes of his mother, filled with fear and confusion. “Keep running!” he shouted. “Come on! Grab my hand!”

She reached out her hand frantically and he grabbed it and tugged so that in their tandem run he could slowly impart some of his forward momentum to her. It was the best Perry could come up with under the circumstances. He certainly wasn’t going to get behind her and push. At least, as a small added bonus, he would act as her front runner.

“In here!” shouted Shane from the distance. “Get in here!”

They found something! For Perry, it was the sliver of hope he needed. He clenched Katie’s hand even tighter and pulled even more. Her laboured breathing was getting deeper. She wasn’t going to make it. Shane’s shout was faint, he was still some distance away, and the clops of the minotaur’s steps were getting closer and closer at an alarming rate.

He let go of her hand.

“Run ahead! Get to Shane!” he shouted. He turned around, shining his flashlight, to get a good look at the beast. And quickly, he realized, he had absolutely no plan.

The beast was approaching fast. Perry’s heart sank at the sight, this thing was double his height. All he could hope to do was buy Katie some time. After only a few seconds the minotaur was within strike range, and that’s exactly what it did. It sent its battle-axe in a sideways arch. There was a warmness to his legs that allowed, rather than turning to jelly he was able to run back in time. He almost stumbled. The minotaur stepped forward, after the miss only holding the axe with a single hand, the other reaching out to grab him.

Perry dodged to the side. The minotaur let out a roar of frustration. Perry grabbed his keys from his pocket and threw it aggressively at the minotaur’s mouth. The did the trick. It shook its head like a horse and snorted. It probably did a bunch of other stuff too, but Perry wouldn’t know because he didn’t stick around to watch. He turned and started running, hoping that those few seconds were enough.

He could hear Shane getting loader. “Come on! Through the door!” But soon enough, he could hear the minotaur continue its chase. Don’t think about it, he told himself, just run. He turned the corner and saw it, Shane in a doorway, his arm outstretched, his worried face transfixed on his friend, and what he surely must have seen behind Perry.