Behind the Grey Door

"There was only one rule: don’t open the door.”

With those words my first night at my new job began. I was paid $75 an hour by the Chicago Institute of Scientific Advancement. Working in the sub-basement, my only job was to guard the grey door.

“What’s behind the door?”, I asked. The 3 men in charge stared at each other for a moment. They were talking about, something, I couldn’t hear what.

“We could tell you, but then, well, you know the rest.”

They were not smiling. I had never seen such serious faces. Anyway, they left, and I was all alone. Nothing but me and the fly that somehow made it to this clean environment.

It didn’t take long before I started to hear rustling noises coming from behind the grey door. It wasn’t talking, but it was alive.

“Hello!”, I said, “Who’s back there?”

The noises became a moan.

“Are you ok?”

It then became a growl.

I laughed. Somebody was trying to prank me on my first night at the new job. I was never one that scared easily.

“You gotta do a little better than that to get me.”

The noise stopped and I sat down. I attempted to relax when the growling started again.

“Stop it back there.”

I was able to distinctively hear 2 different creatures. They seemed to be fighting. Something slammed against the door. Hard. The growl was loud and deep. I felt the roar in my chest. I jumped out of my chair and looked around. I could see the silhouette through the frosted window on the door. It was huge. Fearsome. There was another thud and a roar like something from a horror movie. The glass shattered. They were coming through. A bell rang. My shift was over.