My eyes followed the pendulum as it barreled lazily across the entryway like it had done every day since I could remember. Its faded gold still glinted brightly in the afternoon light even as the sun disappeared behind a puffy cloud. The pendulum, being enormous in size and a prominent feature of the palace, was just one of the few signs of how our world really works underneath the natural facade that was created so long ago. The whoosh of the air felt cool in the warmth of the day as the contraption counted yet another second of our lives gone and passed. The gears clunked slightly as a minute floated by and as the piece swung towards a second minute I heard the first series of shouts. I rose from my seated position against the wall and listened intently for any sign as to why they let out such cries and surely I heard it. The eery grown of metal on metal as the hinged muzzle first appeared around the corner. Frozen, I stood and gaped in fear at the one thing that truly scared people who resided in the castle such as myself. A hulking body connected to the muzzle followed suit and in a couple shuffling steps the beast had fully rounded the corner and locked me in its sights. It assessed me as I gawked at it. The body structure was that of a canine with powerful legs and claws of serrated steel topped off with teeth that could shred a full grown tree to sawdust in the mere seconds that the pendulum slowly ticked away. One enormous paw inched forward as the monster lowered itself into a stance meant to carry it off its feet and onto me. A low grating noise tore from its throat as the gears inside the body locked and prepared to release into a pounce. At that moment my heart began to beat again with the extra punch of adrenaline that kicked in just as the gears and springs in the creature's body released, catapulting itself at me. My feet carried me underneath the large projectile barely scraping my back as I ducked away and shot down the corridor not daring to look back. The ear splitting shriek it let out followed me as it realized it's failed attempt and the whine of its gears became louder with each stride it took carrying it back in my direction. My breath came fast as the hunt moved deeper inside the palace walls. A safe room for these kinds of attacks was close enough for me to get to but the beast gained on me with every bound. I skidded around several corners nearly knocking myself flat but the animal followed suit flying into the opposite walls on account of slower reflexes. My heart nearly exploding, I rounded the final corner and with the safe room in sight, sped up till my legs pumped at their max but no matter my speed, the beast was faster. The shrill screech of the gears now rang in my head as I reached the passage. I punched in the code and slipped inside when the door whirred open just enough then jabbed the button to close it. Through the slit in the doorway I barely made out glowing golden eyes and steel claws just before the door thudded closed. Not a second later, the sound of crashing metal sounded from the other side then I was enveloped in silence and I was safe.
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