text: I am writing this in a state of fear, the kind that comes with the express knowledge that something is coming for you, and the only thing standing between you and the end was your own obsessive curiosity. My phone was lost in the abyss of unknown horrors that could've been avoided had I just shown up during office hours. Professor Liam Lasky was an English Professor at Dunsmuir University. He was perfect. I know that this will initially come off as a school girl with a crush, and maybe there is some truth to that, but my mind races with what I know which stands directly against what I knew, and my head is having trouble coming to an appropriate conclusion. Professor Lasky was handsome, middle aged, confident, smart, oozing with charisma, appreciative of those who participated, and constantly pushed all of his students to be better versions of themselves, whether English was at the forefront of conversation of lecture or not. He made me feel like the best version of myself. I never fashioned myself one of those clichés where the school girl would lean forward on her desk and become captivated and inebriated on every word that would escape a professor's lips. However, my mind would run, and I would imagine going into his office at night, and having a thorough conversation about the degeneration of the modern English language, and maybe I would feel my cheeks flush more intensely than they do at the the mere idea of that concept. One night, tonight, on November 2 nd of two thousand and twenty three, I decided to act on that concept, make it a reality. I came to his office after hours, like some kind of lustful harlot wanting to seduce the professor in a scenario that the boys playing college football masturbate to every night before bed. Yes, I dolled myself up, and made myself presentable, straightening out my black hair, blushing up my cheeks, wearing a skirt, and a simple but ample top. In my self reasoning it was not to come off as some creature of the night coming to frighten Professor Lasky. I came to his door and knocked, I could see through the obscured glass window there was a lamp on inside. After no answer, I proceeded to let myself in, continuing the aforementioned football player analogy. And just like that scenario I called out, “Professor Lasky, are you here?” as if I would see him behind his desk, touching himself to some lewd video playing from the University's computer. Instead I saw the cold blue glow from the computer monitor, and one lone lamp on. I walked around to see if there were any clues as to his whereabouts, for all I knew at the time he could have just gone to the bathroom. My own inquisitive nature got the best of me, and I saw that the computer did have a document open. I looked around and sat in the chair, the same chair I am sitting in now, furiously typing away in an empty document. Before me was a Student roster that had links to previous assignments and comments for each student. Of course I looked for my own, and even now I find myself pulling up that tab reassuring myself that this is some kind of ill-conceived nightmare, but the sound of sludge dilutes my mind. I fear what I saw makes my mind grow and stew in it's own paranoia. Looking at my dear Professor's notes on me hardly seemed to make any reasonable sense, the letters blend and blur into nothing. However at the time, the comments sent my heart a flutter. “Top Student” and “Need to keep my eye on her to cultivate and help her advancement.” Those words alone were an aphrodisiac to all of my senses. My hands ached and traced his desk in excitement, and my fingers grazed by a button that seemed so easy to push into place. It was loose, begging to be touched, and so I put more pressure onto it, and I felt a slight wind behind me, as a stone wall opened inward. My excitement could not have been more palpable. It felt like an invitation, something for his top student to find, like he set this whole thing up. I immediately sprang to my feet, and pulled my cell phone out, using it's built in flash light to shoo away the darkness. I looked for a light switch only to find nothing but cold stone. Thinking perhaps I was to surprise him in return, I just lead myself by the light of modern society. Every step down, the echo of my shoe clicked louder and louder. I tried to slow my descent, but my excitement kept pulling me forward. The same elation made me ignore the sharp clenching of my gut, telling me the logical truth which was “something is wrong.” I finally came to the bottom, and still, there were no lights. I found that odd as I was sure Professor Lasky had to be down here. My phone's torch glided a blue glow across the stonework. University of Dunsmuir already had an old Victorian architecture to it, but down here the architecture became more Gothic as before me lay a ribbed vault. To the left was a short hallway that ended in a simple door. Clearly that must lead to a simple maintenance shed that would be as inconsequential as the ribbed vault before me. I walked forward, taking only a few momentary steps before I heard something drop and clamber throughout the hall. It sounded like a metal utensil bouncing across a stone ground. Finally I felt I had some confirmation that Professor Lasky was down here. I pushed my legs forward to match the fervor in my mind. I got to the wood door that was laden with iron bands, and without thinking I pushed it open. Stupid, dumb, Olivia. I heard gnashing in the dark room, and the sound of sludge. Instantly I felt my breath become lighter on my own volition, and cold by whatever was in this room. I instantly thought Mold, so I turned my lantern around the room to see evidence of the fungal growth, but the divination of my light showed me something I am afraid I can never forget. There was the jolt of electricity up my spine, that reverberated through my body and it made it hard to move any appendage or even have the mental fortitude to command my body to do anything other than stare in fear. My phone dropped onto the ground, the light shining upwards and giving a general illumination to a creature I wish I did not see. It slowly grubbed across the ground with a massive slimy mound not propelled by legs, its body arching up with harsh ridges where one would reason ribs and a spine. Hanging low beneath shoulder blades was an enlarged head with black, sunken eyes, a withered mouth, and long greasy white hair. It's head turned to me, revealing no eyes, just the sunken abysses, and no nose but slits that were large with hairy filaments coming from within. The creature lifted it's head with great weight above it's shoulders to sniff the air, and coo out what sounded like a bird call mixed with the purring of a cat. Two completely innocent noises that combined into a horrific etching into my mind. I could smell rotted meat mixed with a pungent damp odor coming from the creature's mouth, as it's head dipped closer to the light I could see large pieces of flesh in it's teeth, rotting away inside. I backed away, horrified, and with every step, the creature slugged forward, using its long skeletal arms to help propel it forward, it's nose constantly sniffing to keep a bead on me. It dropped a human arm that had long been stripped of any decent flesh next to my phone. I let out an audible yelp which I thought for sure would doom me. “Olivia?” I heard from my right, as a light came through another doorway I previously did not see. Professor Lasky came out of the darkness with an actual lantern. Electric or gas I can't recall for the ghastly image slowly positioning itself in front of me was all my mind and eyes could focus on after a quick glance to see the man I so admired and respected coming to my rescue. “Help. Me.” I tried to quietly, and confidently assert. “How did you get down here? Why are you here?” “I just wanted to talk about my advancement.” I gave a half truth. Maybe if I had given him and myself the full truth the situation would have played out differently. Professor Lasky stepped towards me, concern covering his every feature. His head tilted as he looked off to the side, and then his eyes traced up towards the creature. “Just my luck.” he said, as hope rose in my chest. “I couldn't find anything to feed you, but seems like it just wandered in, blessing us.” Just as quickly as my hope rose, my heart sank deep into my chest. “Feast.” Professor Lasky uttered under his breath. Without hesitation I heard the creaking of bones as the creature, who was poised to strike, leapt towards me, wailing an inhuman scream that was meant to paralyze me with fear. It reverberated through the room and the very core of my bones with a deep baseline, with what sounded like a high pitched wail being inhaled. Thankfully instinct was on my side as I ducked off to the side, slamming into Professor Lasky. He fell with me, his lantern bouncing and breaking on the ground. With only my phone's light laid bare on the ground to guide me, I used Professor Lasky's body to launch myself to my feet and charge for the door. I immediately got out and pulled the door shut, falling onto my rear as the door shuddered under the massive weight of the creature in the room. For a moment, I prayed it would eat Professor Lasky instead. Not wanting to waste any more time, I leapt to my feet and ran through the Ribbed Vault, turning right into the simple door that I had previously seen and left unexplored. I wish I had left it that way, as I opened the door to more horrors. Bodies were stacked upon bodies, flesh stripped from the face and limbs, the torsos of people torn completely open and surgically sucked of their insides. I screamed, and when I did I heard that inhuman wail again. Returning to the intersection I saw the creature had burst through the doors. It's eyeless form searched the vault. Overwhelmed by the horrific sights of the room behind me, the terror of the creature that did this, and nauseated by the creature that I once knew that stood behind the creeping terror, I screamed. It's head swung like a mighty pendulum towards my direction, as it's skeletal arms began hoisting it's arthropod-like body forward. All my mind could process was the sludge like noise scraping across the ground. Thankfully, in the last few moments I was able to compose myself and run towards the steep staircase that lead back to the University. My feet pounded up every step, the darkness shrouding my vision, and the sludge assailing my auditory senses. I eventually saw the warm blue glow of the computer monitor. I leapt forward, and reached under the desk, slamming the button, the mysterious stone door sliding shut. For a few moments I sat, crying, waiting to hear the creature slam itself into the wall to remind me of it's very real presence. Eventually I forced myself up, and sat in the chair, opened a blank document, and began writing my experience. Why didn't I, or haven't I left? Because part of me feels like going back down to find Professor Lasky. There is now a pounding at the door. I can feel the tears pouring from my face as I try to type out my final words, fear guiding every key stroke. The sludge hasn't left my mind. It pounds again. Perhaps Professor Lasky is under this creature's control. The wail! That horrible, gut wrenching wail! Any person with logic would've left, but my mind is weighed by guilt that if I don't muster up the courage, then Professor Lasky will be lost! I can still hear the loud sludge scraping against ground. Maybe I can save him. Grammar is a bit frazzled, and odd details were added that took away from the whole experience. Interesting blurb about your attraction to me.