I paused uncertainly. Surely the door hadn’t been open as I passed…had it? I was nearing the end of a long hallway of barred cages. This sector was known for its unusual creatures, discovered all over the galaxy.

Part of my duties were to check the cages to be sure that they were all locked up for the night. It was three am, and I was ready to go home. I turned back and stopped in front of the door. No way.

If I’d been tired before I was suddenly wide awake. The ship was eerily silent. It was also lit only by red leds that lined the floor. Of course they were red. They were always red.

Drip.

I tensed.

Drip.

I was gripped with the sickening realization that whatever was making droplets hit the floor was above me.

I squeezed my eyes shut; willing whatever was up there to disappear.

One, two, three.

I jerked my head upright and simultaneously jumped backwards. A leaky pipe. I almost laughed with relief. I hurried down the corridor, beams from my flashlight bouncing off the walls and floor.

I rounded a corner and slipped, falling on my back and sliding about seven feet down the hallway.

I paused to examine the substance I was laying in. It smelled horrible, like rotting flesh. My face contorted in disgust and I hastily got to my feet.

A low growl made the hair on my arms raise. My eyes flicked all around the narrow enclosure, and then my blood ran cold. There behind me stood the monster I’d been searching for.

It had four legs but it stood on two, jagged teeth bared and strands of saliva dripping to the floor. I reeled, jumping backwards as it lashed out at me. It looked like a cross between an alligator and a wolf, but it was huge. Like some form of perverted Godzilla.

I’d fallen again, now scrambling backwards across the floor as fast as I could go as the monstrous being stormed after me. It roared and the whole ship vibrated. Ragged screams reached my ears, and it took a moment to register that they were my own. I couldn’t stop.

I scrambled to my feet and darted into a narrow storage closet around the corner. I gasped, fighting to stay as quiet as possible. I closed my eyes as the creature neared the closet door. I focused on my breathing. In and out. In. Out. In……

I opened my eyes. Silence. The animal was nowhere to be seen. I wrung my hands, mentally preparing myself as I tried to form a plan. There was a chute that opened up into a vacuum sealed room in sector 12. It was my only hope for survival.

I made a mental note to quit my job when I returned to my home planet. I waited a moment, hand on the doorknob. Then it was time. I ripped open the door and jogged across the open space. A claw slashed out and caught my arm, leaving a red gash. I screamed in pain, clutching it and stumbling in my run. Blood spilled over my fingers and dripped on the floor, and I fought back nausea.

The monster had dropped to all four paws and was right behind me, snarling and snapping its jaws. I was almost to the turnoff and then there was one more hallway before I reached the chute. My arm was bleeding profusely and I gritted my teeth.

I could feel the creature’s hot breath and smell the stench as I rounded the final corner into the hallway. I knew I wouldn’t make it in time if I kept holding my injured arm, so I ripped my hand off of it, splattering blood on the wall.

Then it came: the final sprint. The chamber was open at the end of the hallway, and it would require me leading the monster inside and escaping through a slot under the door at the opposite end.

I poured every ounce of strength into my legs, heart pounding and adrenaline tracing every vein. Another scratch at my leg and I tripped, regaining my balance only barely. I entered the chamber, sprinting towards the wall with the creature right on my heels.

In the final second I dropped to the floor, purposefully falling as I slid on my back under the slot and jammed my foot into a button; sealing the monster away in the chamber. For good.