Standing at the threshold, I re-assured
myself that I was I prepared for this.
I had been here before, and knew the challenges that I was
about to face. I did not want to go
back, in fact I dreaded the very thought, but they had what I needed, so accepting
the risk, and after taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Quickly scanning my surroundings, I did a
cursory search to determine the lay of the land. They had made several changes since my last visit, but undeterred, I
tried to figure out where the specific item that brought me here in the first
place could possibly be located. I
did not want to spend anymore time here than I needed to, and time was most
certainly of the essence. This was
not a friendly environment, one where you could walk freely and
uninterrupted. No, not even in the
slightest. While I had prepared a
game plan to get in and out virtually unnoticed, I soon realized it was all for not. The door closed behind me, and in doing
so, made just enough noise to gain the attention of the inhabitants. Their ears perked with interest, they
all turned to face my direction, and with their eyes zeroing in on me, I knew
exactly what they were thinking.
Fresh meat.
As several approached from the right, I
darted left, maintaining my quick pace until they were no longer in sight. Suddenly out of nowhere another one
appeared, her eyes fixated on me, and she began moving in my direction.
I turned right, evading the oncoming threat once again. Finding myself momentarily disoriented,
and seemingly alone, I took a moment to pause, regain my composure, and
determine my next move.
Cautiously peering around the corner, I
checked to see if the coast was clear.
An eerie calm began to set in.
It was quiet, almost too quiet really.
A faint buzzing noise was all that could be heard. I traced the noise coming from behind
me, looking back, and then up. A
surveillance camera had found me, the inhabitants surely now aware of my
location. It was no longer
safe. I had to move, NOW.
Avoiding the main pathways, I stealthily
made my way to a more centralized viewing point. I knew I didn’t have much time. Scanning the surroundings once again, there it was. I had found it! Off in the distance, approximately 175
feet from where I stood, I could see what I had come for. All that remained was for me to get to
it. I looked to my left, then to
my right. I could see the
inhabitants wandering, but time was running out, it was now or never. I decided to go for it.
150 feet away… 100 feet
away… I paused, looked around, everything still seemed clear, so I continued
on. 50 feet… 25 feet… I was almost
there; a successful mission was within my grasp! Suddenly just 10 feet away from my treasure, I was stopped
in my tracks. I found myself
surrounded by 4 of the inhabitants, one in each direction, immediately blocking any opportunity for escape. Where that had come from, I do not
know, but it was clear from the look in their eyes that their hunger for fresh meat would not be
denied. I was trapped. Defeated, there was nowhere for me to
go. With my eyes on my prize, just
mere steps away from where I stood, the smallest of the 4 inhabitants opened his mouth and began to speak… “Hi, my
name’s Brian, welcome to Leon’s Furniture!!” Arrrghh!!!! So close... so close...