I.
Lilian entered the dark basement. She didn't want to, but knew that she had to. Mrs. Antonia had ordered her to go, and everyone knew what happened to those who didn't do as the teacher told. The stairs into the basement was made of a creaky old wood which moaned as if in pain every time Lily stepped on them. Dust covered these wooden planks, and cobwebs lined the downward sloping ceiling. Lily swallowed her agitation, and descended.
At the bottom of the steps, she turned on the electric flashlight she was carrying. A sneezing fit suddenly took hold of her, caused by the dust and mold in her surroundings. She glumly acknowledged the dust and grime covering her school uniform; the blue blazer and plaid skirt was covered in the stuff. Mrs. Antonia was going to have a fit when she saw her dishelved state.
Lilian pressed on, wanting to get the task over with. She followed the long, dark corridor towards the school's storage area. All she had to do was get there, find the projector bulbs, and get back upstairs. She quickened her pace, eager to get back to class.
The corridor seemed to stretch for an eternity. Lilian was in complete darkness now, the thin beam from the flashlight remained the only source of light. On and on, the corridor seemed to go. What if it never ended? Lily felt the first signs of panic build up within her. She walked more briskly, almost running down the dusty passageway.
At last, she reached the end of the hall. Her light shined on a blank wall, marking a dead end. Funny, thought Lilian, there's supposed to be a door here. She suddenly wondered if she had taken a wrong turn; but that was impossible, there were no turns to make: just one long, narrow, confining corridor from the steps all the way to here. The dust seemed to be thicker here, and Lily fell into another fit of frantic sneezing. Sweat beaded her body, she had trouble breathing. Her heart beat faster, her legs shook with panic.Was it just her or were the walls closing in? She had to get out of here!
She turned to run back down the corridor when a noise alerted her of someone coming towards her from that direction. She let out a sigh of relief. Mrs. Antonia was probably wondering what was taking so long and sent someone else down to help her.
"Hello?"shouted Lilian."Who's there?"
No one answered her. She aimed the light's beam forwards, into the darkness, but the dust was so thick it blocked most of the light. All she could hear was the other person's footsteps, in front of her, coming down the corridor.
Lilian suddenly realized that there was something wrong with those steps. They weren't the loud taps of shoes on wood, but the soft pat of someone's bare feet. Who in the school would walk around without any shoes on?
"Who's th-there?"repeated Lily. The steps were much closer now, maybe less than a hundred feet away. Lilian could now distinguish the sound very well: it was the soft pat-pat of bare feet, but with some other sound mixed in.
Squelch-squelch.
It was a squelching sound, as if the person's feet were wet. Lilian became panicked again. What if it was some madman who came in outside from the rain? She dismissed this theory quickly since it wasn't raining outside. Who could it be then, someone who just came out of the shower?
Lilian's breathing quickened as whatever it was came nearer. She backed up, pressing herself against the dusty wooden wall behind her. Her knees felt weak and she felt at the verge of tears.
Suddenly, the flashlight beam flickered off. She tried to scream, but her dry throat didn't permit it.
Lilian stood in the darkness for what seemed like hours. All the while, the wet footsteps kept a steady approach. Only when it was within a few feet of her did the noise stop.
Lilian waited, too afraid to move. She could hear heavy breathing coming from the person in front of her, if it was a person. Tears of fear fell down her cheeks, mixing with the dust in the air. She waited and waited, but nothing happened.
Suddenly, something cold and wet brushed by Lilian's left knee. Her leg flinched, almost causing her to fall to the dusty floor. She was crying now, fear and panic taking hold of her completely. What the hell did it want?
As if in answer, Lilian felt the same cold, wet sensation, this time on the inside of her right thigh. She gasped as it went up and down her thigh, as if in some perverse carress. Lily made a grab between her legs for whatever was touching her; her fingers enclosed around a long, slick object, much like a stalk or a tentacle. As she did so, the thing in front of her moved forward, encircling her in several other similar masses.