He snatched the ring from Adam's hand and shoved a key into the lock. It was the wrong shape and didn’t fit. He tried another, and it slid in easily. With a satisfying click, the door opened and they spilled into the hallway, the outside windows finally in sight.

  Smoke still billowed from the door behind them as they stumbled forward. Hector wheezed and choked, his steps faltering. Adam shoved him ahead, his heart jackhammering in his chest. The smoke tore at his lungs, and his vision narrowed. Every fiber of his body screamed for air.

  Hector collapsed against the door and Adam lurched forward, shoulder-checking it open. The pair spilled limply into the night air, a torrent of cool wind washing over them. They dropped to their hands and knees, coughing and sputtering.

  Adam sucked in what felt like the first fresh breath of his entire life. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the orange glow radiating from the top of the hospital.

  "Hey... alive?" he wheezed, thumping his fist against Hector's shoulder.

  Hector turned his head and waved him off, still coughing.

  Nodding, Adam let his head fall back and focused on breathing. He didn't care if something came up and ate him, he was just thankful to be outside and have air in his lungs. His eyes began to droop, exhaustion dragging him toward unconsciousness.

  A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that falling asleep next to a burning building was a terrible idea.

  He rolled onto his side and pushed himself shakily to his feet.

  The corpse mound sat not ten feet away. It leaned forward, its gaping maw lit from the infernal glow of the hospital fire. For the first time, Adam noticed that where its tongue should be, there was a carpet of grasping hands.

  He wasn't sure if their undulations were just tricks of the firelight, or if they were reaching for him.

  The bulk of the monstrosity rolled forward, its maw inching closer. Adam didn't move, he was too physically and emotionally drained for even fear.

  Five human heads sat above the gaping mouth, each one glaring down at him with glowing yellow eyes.

  If the thing wanted him, he'd be sliding down its throat before he or Hector could so much as blink.

  He decided to roll the dice.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Adam raised his hands slowly, staring into the unblinking yellow eyes, and pointed at a corpse lying face-down next to the creature.

  "Yours. No touch!"

  The glowing eyes narrowed, their light flaring from the slits. The wind shifted abruptly, blasting Adam with the thing's almost physical stench. Even dulled by the smoke, the odor made his stomach spasm with the urge to gag.

  The mound leaned closer, the center head lowered to eye level, close enough to touch.

  "Mine. No touch," the five heads croaked in unison, staring at him.

  They nodded as one, then the mass slowly turned. A huge, swollen arm reached for the corpse, dragging it along as the monstrosity slithered away.

  Hector rested his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “So, are you The Monster Whisperer now too?”

  “I honestly… didn’t think that would work,” Adam said, shaking his head, still unsure if he was incredibly lucky or just incredibly stupid.

  The creature faded into the dark, returning to its grim task.

  A low boom echoed from somewhere deep in the hospital, the vibration rumbling through the soles of Adam's shoes.

  "I think that's our cue." Hector dropped his hand and started limping across the parking lot, favoring his injured leg.

  Adam followed, giving every corpse a wide berth.

  The walk to the car felt like the longest trip of his life and the pain in his foot barely registered anymore. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew they were still outside, at night, weaponless and defenseless, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

  They reached the car and Hector automatically headed for the passenger side.

  Adam stopped at the hood. "You want to drive?" he asked, fishing the keys from his pocket and giving them a soft jingle.

  Hector glanced at the keys and shook his head. "I never learned how."

  Adam stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, with a grunt, he climbed into the driver's seat.

  Flames coiled from the front of the hospital, casting the parking lot in a flickering twilight. Adam started the car, hands gripping the steering wheel as he stared at the rising inferno.

  Then he saw them.

  Small humanoid figures crawled from the burning windows, marching down the hospital walls like a colony of flaming ants. Their forms smoked and sparked, tiny embers popping from their backs and drifting into the night air.

  "Hector. Am I crazy, or can you see that?" Adam asked, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. He kept his eyes locked on the growing conflagration, waiting for one of the living fires to start toward them.

  "Not crazy," Hector replied.

  Adam threw the car into drive and pulled away, leaving the blazing hospital behind.

  As they turned onto the main street, a fireball erupted from the roof, bathing the area in false dawn.

  The city passed by in a blur while Adam fought to stay awake, every blink scraping across his eyes like sandpaper. Nothing crossed into the road, but he caught flickers of movement at the edges, shapeless, nameless, and gone before his eyes could settle on them.

  At last, they pulled into The Pagegrinder's parking lot. He didn't bother locking the car door, barely remembering to close it as he pushed toward the back entrance. The stairs felt climbing a mountain as he ascended the steps, his vision swimming when he opened the door into the darkened supply room.

  He tried to call out to Natalie, to say he was back with the supplies, but the words caught in his throat.

  Adam pitched forward as his knees gave out. A strong hand caught him from behind, slowing his fall and easing him down. The cold concrete kissed his cheek, and he let sleep carry him away into the dark.