52

Over the hum of the machinery, Chase heard glass breaking and wood splintering, then a low, guttural sound.

*          *          *          *          *

It crossed the threshold into the large room, focusing on the faint pink glow.

It heard machine sounds, and saw a big rigid object in the center of the room.  The glow came from inside it.  It shuffled over to the object, moved to the end where a round door hung open and bent down.

In the dim light, it saw at the far end of the object a human, like the one it had recently vanquished, but slighter, weaker, frightened.

Prey.  Easy prey.

It stepped inside.

*          *          *          *          *

Chase smelled sourness and salt and rot, heard a footfall on the steel.

He didn't dare look down, didn't dare make any movement that would alter his reflection in the mirror.

The thing passed him, and now he could see the hairless ivory flesh of its legs and buttocks, the webbing between its toes, the curved steel claws clotted with blood.

Chase's legs began to cramp.  He willed himself not to move, and begged the thing to keep going.  Two more steps, he thought, just two more, then he could... the thing stopped.

*          *          *          *          *

It was confused, something was wrong.  The human was there and then not there, and it saw something else, something it did not recognize.

Suddenly it knew.  It was seeing itself.

With a roar of rage, it turned.