Pandora's Box

Chapter 35

Jennifer’s Point of View

I ran as fast as I could when I heard that scream from the inside. It was full of fear that’s why adrenaline came rushing into my body when I heard that. I ran as fast as I could.

I traversed the hallway and since it’s not that far, I reached the location immediately. My eyes widened with what I saw.

Dr. Sarah is on her knees, she is shaking extremely. It’s like she saw something on a frightening level. I don’t why, but when I saw her like that, I started to sweat. Like a faucet inside me was turned on and water is overflowing inside me.

I felt so nervous.

I walked slowly towards her.

There is something inside my head that keeps telling me that I should be careful. Just like what it said, I became cautious. It’s like I am detecting something dangerous inside.

Not that long when I reached Dr. Sarah and the others, and there I saw her crying. I was genuinely surprised to see her cry. She is showing more emotions recently, and I was surprised that Dr. Sarah knows how to cry.

But that thought was overshadowed by the thought of something dangerous scaring her.

Even I am not looking, there is something sinister inside. I hear twitching, and my body was frozen, I just kept staring at her, while my sweat kept flowing down.

I won’t deny it.

I am extremely scared right now.

But it won’t change something if I let my fear inside me, control me. Even it is hard for me to do so, I tried to lift my head. As if there is something heavy on my head, which made it harder for me to lift my header.

But when I did, I saw nothing but a dark room inside. I heard a groan, but my eyes widened when I saw something come into the light.

It’s like my whole body is completely petrified right now. I thought I was hit by lightning because of the sudden shock in my brain. I can’t move my body still.

It was blood streaming on the floor. I know this is blood. It was dark red, and it looks thick. I wanted to scream but no sound came out of my mouth, but it is gaping wide.

I saw Dr. Sarah cover her mouth with both of her hands.

A loud thud from inside.

“Argh!” someone groaned in pain, but that lifted the petrification curse that was set upon me because of my fear.

I ran inside. My heart beating so fast, and my hands extremely shaking, and even I am surprised that my legs moved on their own. But the first thing that came into my mind, was to turn on the lights. I am panicking and my hands scrambled on the wall, and I can’t explain how glad I am right now when I felt the switch on my hand.

I pressed it quickly and the light came spreading fast, towards the whole room.

I quickly turned around to see what is happening, but what greeted me, is a headless corpse. I cannot identify what it is. I think what I ate earlier came rushing towards my mouth, but I prevented myself to do so.

But behind me, I heard Dr. Sarah was throwing up because of the horrifying sight.

That’s where the blood is coming from. I can’t believe it. I mean, earlier it was so peaceful. But it escalated this quickly.

But then I saw a man.

And something...

On his head.

But the color of his hair, and his physique, I can tell that it’s Leon. I quickly grabbed a chair and I tried to hit the creature on his head.

I know I am angry at him, but that doesn’t make me a killer and a coward like him. Abandoning others, just like what he did to my sister. I don’t want to be the monster, that I hated. If that happened then I don’t know how to see myself anymore.

I quickly rushed towards him and attempted to hit the creature.

But before the chair could hit it. For some reason, it sensed it that’s why it jumped off its head. If it is threatened, then that means it can be easily killed. I was glad because of the thought.

But I was taken aback by reality when I saw the chair hit Leon’s head directly. He was knocked off the floor because of how hard I swung the chair. I looked at him, but instead of feeling sorry, I feel some satisfaction inside me.

No regrets.

I could not get myself to form a small smirk on my face, because of how dangerous that situation I am currently in.

It was something off like an insect but I cannot identify it because of the mutation that happened to it. It was artificially created so that means, Dr. Sarah knows its origins too.

There are things that I cannot answer entirely myself.

I turned around to search for it, I saw it immediately, and it was lunging for my head. Why was it targeting my head?

I don’t know but this is crucial information for me.

It makes defending myself so much easier.

This time, since it cannot change its momentum mid-air and I reacted to it quickly. I send it flying with the chair that I hit with it.

It released a squeal.

This time, there is something like a snapper between its head that it can use to snap. It has wings too, but not for flying.

More like what those pest male cockroaches do with their wings. It flapped its wings to stop itself from hitting the wall.

Eek!

If it’s flying like a cockroach, it is entirely a different story.

I can feel my courage being drained.

I panicked.

And the most foolish decision that I have ever made in my life was letting go of the chair. I ran outside...

I closed the door immediately, so it smacked on the glass screen. I am panting right now. Then I quickly remembered that he is still inside there alone. Oh no!

I turned around hoping that there is someon-

“What is happening here?” the man with the thick beard asked me. They sure are fast on noticing what’s happening here, but never mind. The important thing, is they are here.

Jose was behind him while holding his camera.

“A m- monster i- is inside,” I can’t talk straight because I am quickly panting. I can feel my heart pumping my blood in supersonic speed. That’s an exaggeration but it is pumping so fast.

“Hey, what happened to you,” his attention was quickly shifted towards Dr. Sarah that is still in the same situation when I left her earlier.

She was so afraid still.

It’s like she is staring, at something that we cannot see, while heavily breathing.

“What the f-,“ he yelped when he noticed the blood.

Took him so long.

When he looked at me, I am pointing inside the room, rapidly. He knows that this is something dangerous because of the blood.

“Step aside,” he said. My eyes widened a lot when he pulled out a gun.

He checked if there are bullets by pulling out the magazine and, turning its safety off.

I saw Jose, was surprised too.

Someone is carrying a gun in the midst of us this whole time. I can’t believe that this is happening. I know, I know that this is something good. But my pessimistic mind can’t stop thinking if, that someone is evil, then that someone used that gun to threaten us.

I stepped aside because he said so, but because of his gun.

I am afraid of it.

When I was a child, I had a scary experience with guns. My uncle died because he was shot with it.

I was beside him when that happened.

The deafening bang of that gun, and the impact when that bullet hit his head. The blood splattered onto my shirt.

It was all still clear to me.

That uncle of mine was extremely close to me. He did not have children or a wife, and because I am a sweet child, he treated me as if I was his own.

He opened the door, and then I released a sigh of relief when he closed the door, to keep us here outside safe from that creature.

He is also a researcher because he works with Dr. Sarah. But he is wearing a tank top, which shows his bulky muscles. His looks alone are terrifying. But with that body built, he can easily overpower almost anyone here.

Then that gave him more of a fighting chance than us.

I closed my eyes.

Hoping for the best to happen to us.

In this situation, he is the hope that we are looking for.

Moments later, we heard multiple gunshots inside and lowered ourselves to lower the chance that we get hit by stray bullets.

Then moments later, we saw Echo and Alexander rushing inside.

They are also catching their breaths.

“What is happening here?” he asked me.

“She said there is a monster inside man,” Jose answered for me so he turned around to him.

“What monster?” he asked again.

“Maybe it’s that thing,” Echo suggested.

“That...”

“I will go inside,” Echo stood up, but I grabbed her arm and I shook my head to show her that I am not allowing her to go inside. It’s extremely dangerous. I can’t bring myself to utter a word.

“Yow dude,” she said, and then she forcefully pulled her hand away from which made me nervous for her. I looked at Alexander, to tell him that he must stop her.

But he just shakes his head towards me.

“Sis,” he tried to shake Dr. Sarah. She just blinked and when she saw that it is her little brother beside her, she immediately grabbed hold of him and hugged him tightly.

She started to cry. I just watched them.

I can’t move.

But I heard more gunshots from inside.

We are frightened because it was loud.

I know that all of us here are waiting for the best.

.              .              .              .

It’s quiet.

All I can hear is Dr. Sarah’s sobbing. I know that she is still terrified.

She is a complete mystery. She is the mystery itself.

The doors opened and we saw Echo and the man with the beard whom I forgot the name again, and there I saw Leon covered in blood with a hole on his chest.

I heard someone shriek behind us, it was the three ladies who had just woken up. It was Maddie who shrieked.

“What happened?” Jose asked.

“It escaped,” the man with a thick beard, said cheaply and seriously.