Contest

'Come on, Hol, what is it? Did I do something?' he waited for a response.

This was not unusual. Holly would often refuse to talk to him when she felt rejected or left out or just plain stubborn.

'Holly, please, we don't have time for this now,' Swain shook his head in exasperation.

Holly spoke, 'Daddy.'

'Yes.'

'Be very quiet, Daddy. Be very, very quiet.'

'Why--?'

'Shh.'

Swain went mute. The others had sat down over near Balthazar, beneath the high windows. Everyone sat in complete silence for ten seconds. Holly leaned over to Swain's ear.

'Do you hear it?' she whispered.

'No.'

'Listen.'

Swain looked at Holly. She was sitting dead still, her eyes wide open, her head set rigidly upright, backed up against the cyclone fence. She looked frightened. Frightened out of her mind. She spoke again.

'Okay Daddy, get ready. Listen... now.'

And then he heard it.

The sound was barely audible, but it was unmistakable. A long, slow inhalation.

Something breathing.

Something not very far away.

Suddenly, there was a snorting sound, like the soft grunting of a pig. It was followed by a shuffling sound.

Then the inhalation came again.

It was slow and rhythmic, like the breathing of someone sleeping.

Selexin heard it, too.

At the grunting sound, his head snapped up immediately. He scrambled silently on all fours across the concrete floor to Swain.

'We have to get out,' he hissed in Swain's ear. 'We have to get out now.'

The inhalation came again.

'It's in here,' Selexin said. 'Quickly, give me your wrist.'

Swain offered his wristband for Selexin to see.

The green light was still on.

'Phew,' Selexin breathed.

'It?' Swain asked. 'What is it?'

'It's behind us, Daddy,' Holly hissed, her body frozen.

'Oh, Jesus Christ...' Hawkins gasped, getting to his feet on the other side of the room. He was looking through the cyclone fence. 'I think it's time to get the hell out of here.'

The inhalation came again, louder this time.

And then slowly, ever so slowly, Stephen Swain turned around.

It was over by the far corner of the cage, under some shelves mounted high up on the wall. In the dark it looked like just another large mound of equipment covered in a tarp.

Only it was moving.

Slowly and steadily.

Rhythmically rising and falling, in time with the deep inhalations.

Swain's eyes followed the outline of the 'mound'. It was big. In the dim light of the storage room he could just make out long spiky bristles on top of an arched back--

There was a loud grunt.

Then the whole mound rolled over onto its side and the deep inhalations resumed.

Selexin was tugging on Swain's shirt. 'Let's go! Let's go!'

Swain rose to his feet, plucked Holly from the floor, headed for the door. He was reaching for the door's handle when he heard a soft, insistent beeping.

It was coming from his wristband. The little green light was flashing.

Selexin's eyes went wide with horror.

'It's waking up! Get out!' he screamed. 'Get out now!'

He barged past Hawkins, hauled open the door, pushed Swain through it, screaming, 'Out! Out! Out!'

Swain and Holly were out in the empty study hall again. Hawkins emerged from the janitor's room with Balthazar over his shoulder, the other guide close behind.

Selexin was already charging in amongst the L-shaped desks of the study hall. 'Don't stop! Don't stop! Keep moving, we have to get as far away from here as possible!'

Swain followed with Holly in his arms -- weaving quickly between the desks, away from the janitor's room -- the others close in tow.

Up ahead, Selexin was darting between the desks, constantly looking back to see if Swain was still with him.

'The band! The band! Look at your wristband!' he called.

Swain looked down at the wristband. It was beeping horribly loudly now, and quicker, too.

And then he stopped.

The green light on the wristband had gone out.

Now the red one was on.

And it was flashing rapidly.

'Uh-oh.'

Hawkins caught up with them. He was panting, desperately. 'What is it?'

'We're about to be in for some serious trouble,' Swain said.

At that moment the heavy hydraulic door to the janitor's room exploded from its hinges and flew out into the study hall, landing with a deafening bang!, crushing several desks.

It was followed by a blood-curdling roar that boomed out from within the janitor's room.

'Oh, man,' Hawkins breathed.

'Let's move!' Swain took off, winding through the maze of desks, heading for the stairwell in the opposite corner of the room.

He was glancing over his shoulder when it emerged from the janitor's room.

It was huge.

Absolutely huge. It had to double over just to fit through the wide doorway that no longer had a door.

Selexin saw it, too. 'It's the Karanadon!'

They were halfway across the wide study hall, crossing it diagonally, when the Karanadon cleared the doorway and rose to its full height, almost touching the ceiling.

Swain pressed on, carrying Holly toward the stairwell. Hawkins was losing ground behind him, weighed down by Balthazar. Last of all was Balthazar's guide -- pushing and shoving -- trying desperately to get Hawkins and Balthazar to move faster, constantly looking behind him, to see if the Karanadon was coming after them.

Swain glanced over his shoulder again to get another look at the fearsome beast.

It continued to stand by the door to the janitor's room, watching them.

It hadn't moved yet.

It just stood there.

Despite the noise they were making as they scrambled in a panic through the desks for the stairwell, it just stood in front of the doorway in silence.

Swain rounded another desk. Twenty yards to the stairwell. He looked back again.

Christ, it was big all right -- at least fourteen feet tall.

It had the body of an enormous, hairy, broad-shouldered gorilla -- all black, hunched forward, with a series of long spiky bristles that flowed over its high arched back. Long muscular arms hung down from its massive shoulders