Look Behind You

Chapter Eleven

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My eyes widened as Maggie leaped into the air, tackled Kate to the ground, and pinned her down.

"Maggie, what had gotten into you?" I demanded, but Maggie shushed me.

Around the corner came a thing. It was almost like the doctor who had first gotten us into this mess, but a lot creepier. Instead of two glowing red eyes, this thing had millions. I jumped back in fright.

Maggie didn't budge from atop Kate, and we all took that as a signal to stay still. When none of us moved, the monster disappeared back behind the corner.

I inhaled a deep breath. "What was that?"

"A monster. It's probably motion activated," Maggie replied, not moving off of Kate.

"How did you know?" Kate questioned.

"Because when we all froze, he walked away. And if we stay like this for a little while, then he'll go away. Then we can continue your search for the bathroom."

"So we're just gonna sit here? Forever?" Kate snorted. "I need to use the bathroom now!"

"Just chill out," Kitty swished her tail.

"I partially agree with Kate," I shrugged. "If we want to get out of here, we can't sit around and do nothing. We'll have to get past that monster somehow."

"Does nobody care I'm the brains of the group?" Maggie mentioned, yet nobody seemed to hear her but me.

Kate pulled herself out from under Maggie, and rounded the corner. Kitty followed close behind. Meanwhile, I helped Maggie to her feet.

"Don't worry. We'll all make it out," I assured her.

Except Iris and Logan. They never made it here. My heart felt like it was cracking. It seemed impossible that my best friend and brother were both dead.

"Nitro? Did you hear me?"

Maggie's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "No," I admitted, glumly shuffling my feet.

"I said we'd better catch up with those two before they get into too much trouble." Maggie scoffed. I prayed that she wasn't in an attitude because we weren't listening to her advice.

"They couldn't have gotten too far, right?" I whispered back as we turned down the hallway. The girls were nowhere in sight. Why weren't they waiting for us?

My heartbeat was so loud that even Maggie could probably hear it. We glanced around.

"Which way did they go?" Maggie gulped. "We don't have Kate's smell for bathrooms. So how do we know where they went?"

I heard a load grumble. It obviously wasn't something Kate nor Kitty would say... so was it the monster?

"This way," I beckoned for Maggie to follow me. The noise of the monster grew louder, until we found it veering around a corner in hot pursuit.

"It must be after Kitty and Kate!" Maggie gasped, racing forwards.

I followed behind, praying neither of them would get hurt. We were so close to escaping, and I wasn't going to let a monster ruin our chances.

We turned in every direction the monster went. Obviously it would've sensed us if we were behind it, unless it's attention was fixed on something else.

Wow. Maybe I'm just as smart as Maggie, I thought.

The monster's head always seemed to be turning, for it's red eyes were spinning all over the place. If it could see us, why wasn't it after us?

Either it was too intent on Kate and Kitty to attack it's closer prey, or those weren't eyes.

"Should we run past the monster, and try catching up with Kate and Kitty?" Maggie suggested. "Maybe we could push a shelf to block it from moving, and then run past it."

"Your ideas always seem to work, so I guess we could try," I nodded.

When we reached another hallway, Maggie reached for one of the tall shelfs. With my help, she pushed it so it was it was cutting off the monster's route. There was a space big enough for us to squeeze through, and so we did.

Yet the monster also noticed the space, and tried pushing past it. My heart thudded. He'd be chasing after me and Maggie now.

"Run while he's stuck," Maggie tugged my arm forwards, and we turned down a hallway that seemed to be the only way to go.

Up ahead was Kate and Kitty, speed walking around another corner. "Wait!" I called out, quickening my pace.

"You caught up!" Kitty's eyes lit up. "Where's the monster?"

A loud grumble sounded back the way we came, and the monster came into his sight. His red eyes were angrily glaring at us like bright flashlights.

"Go!" I pushed Kitty forwards. Maggie dragged Kate along.

"The bathroom is so close I can taste it!" Kate yelped in delight. "We have to slow down."

"There's no time," Maggie shook her head in annoyance. Looking back, I noticed the monster was getting closer.

"It must be around here somewhere..." As Kate ran, she peered around the the rooms, looking for some sort of bathroom.

I felt sick. The monster was even closer than before, just a few feet behind Kate and Maggie.

"WAIT!"

We all turned to look at Kate. Her eyes were wide and frantic, and her fists were clenched.

"We just ran past the bathroom! I saw it. There was an open door, and a toilet, and..."

"Kate, we have to go! A monster is chasing us!" Kitty snapped.

Kate closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "You know what? I'm sick of running. I'm going to use the bathroom once and for all."

I stared helplessly as Kate spun around and ran.

I helplessly skidded around a corner and pressed my back up against the wall. She should've stuck with us. We would've made it out.

A hard clinking sound, almost like the sound of metal banging against metal, rang throughout the maze. Repeated clinks that were barely louder than Kate's screams.

Maggie tugged on my arm. "We have to go."

"But Kate... she needs us!" I argued.

Maggie shook her head. "Kate's being brutally killed by a motion activated killing machine. When it's finished with her, we're next."

Maggie tore her gaze away from mine. "Kate pretty much sacrificed herself for us. For once, she showed an act of kindness.

I nodded, looking back the way we came. I saw the monster, and Kate, trying to make her way towards the bathroom. She caught my gaze and nodded.

She wants me to go, I sniffed. I promise, Kate, I won't let you down.

With that final thought, I turned, grabbing Maggie and Kitty's hands, and ran down the hallway.