Eric Fomley

Inside, the office was dark.

I shone my light around the room until I settled on him in the corner.

Only, it wasn't him.

It was something else entirely.

He was huddled on the floor, knees tucked up to his chest, breathing in heavily.

but whatever he was wearing for a wax suit before was gone, replaced by what looked like what you see in an anatomy textbook of what someone looks like under their flesh.

His skin was translucent with blood splashing around his muscles and organs.

He didn't have a face, just a skull that looked up at me, eyeless.

I tried not to panic.

tried to keep the bile inside of me down, and tried to convince myself that this was another suit, another costume that this freak was wearing.

It was just so lifelike that I had a hard time convincing myself otherwise.

I need to see your hands, I said.

My voice was shaky.

I could see how my light was, too, in my jittery hand.

The thing slowly rose to its feet.

I tightened my sweaty grip on the taser.

Slowly, it rushed me, lunging right at me.

I pulled the trigger and deployed the taser, which shot out and hit nothing.

The guy disappeared, like he was running at me and just vanished.

I heard something in the hallway behind me.