It was more by luck than skill or thought that I got my arm free. Not knowing what else to do, I slammed my fist into the top of its mouth. It reeled back, and I had a brief second to withdraw my hand. Roaring, it charged me again, but I was ready this time. Using the wall behind me, I catapulted forward, over its head, skidding on the scaly, slimy back.

I jumped again, this time landing on the floor, where it stood facing me. I stood, panting, mentally calculating how I could reach the ceiling. As it lunged forward, I leapt up, landing on its head. It roared, flinging its head back. I used the momentum to fly towards the ceiling. With my last bit of energy, I blasted one of the foam-board tiles out of the way and grasped the edge it left. Scrabbling madly, trying to not have it crumble under my weight, I somehow made it into the roof. 

My breathing was ragged, and I wiped the sweat from my eyes. I knew I would never be safe if I stayed still too long. Half stooping, half crawling, I made my way along. At one point, I pried up a tile to see if the monster had followed me. It had.

I kept moving. I lost track of how long I crawled in the darkness before I crawled headlong into a wall. Nursing my hurt nose, I mulled over my situation. I didn't have much else to do but go back down. I removed another tile and stuck my head down. The monster had apparently given up hope of ever eating me, and was nowhere to be seen. 

But on the right, there was a door. Quickly, I swung down. I landed hard, with a crash. Wincing, I turn and see, to my horror, the monster racing toward me. It's still only a dot, but it grows nearer every second. Panicking, I spin and seize the knob. "Shit." I mutter. Of course it's locked. They don't want this to be easy, do they. The monster charges nearer. I stand, ready to face it and flee back up into the ceiling, when I notice the light catch something under its chin. 

Could it be the key? It's almost on top of me. I leap, keeping my eye on the glimmer. Yes! It's a key, tied around its neck. I land on its back, and this time my feet are ready. Spinning quickly, I snag the string and land, sitting, on its back. The pus is the least of my concerns now. I yank and pull and  twist the string, trying to get it to break. It doesn't. The monster fights wilder now, and I realize that I'm choking it to death. I pull the string tighter, now praying that it won't break.

The monster thrashes once more, then lies twitching, and finally lies still. I waste no time. Grabbing the key, I twist it and saw through the string. Frayed and stretched, it breaks. I take the key and put it into the lock. It clicks, and I breathe a sigh of relief. One less obstacle. Dreading what comes next, I open the door.