?It’s all right.?Golic’s face shone with beatific determination. ?I just need to go in there and see the Beast. We got a lot of shit to talk over.?he added, as if that explained everything. ?I gotta go in there. You understand.?

?No, I don’t understand. But I do know one thing. Neither you nor anyone else is goin’ in there, dickhead. Big motherfucker’d eat you alive. Plus, you let that fucker out, and you can kiss our collective ass good-bye. Don’t you know nothin’, brother??

?You wanna commit suicide,?declared his companion, ?go jump down a mine shaft. But you’re not doin’ it here. The super’d have our butts.?He started toward the intruder.

?The Superintendent is dead,?Golic announced solemnly as he brought out the club he’d been holding behind his back and used it to mash the skull of the man coming toward him.

?What the fuck?… Get him-!?

Golic was much faster and far more agile than they imagined, but then this time he was driven by something a good deal more powerful than a simple lust for food. The two men went down beneath the club, their heads and faces bloodied. It was all over very quickly. Golic didn’t pause to see if his companions were still alive because he didn’t really care. All that mattered to him now was the obsession which had taken complete control of his mind, his emotions, his very being. 171 171

He regarded the two bodies sprawled at his feet. ?I didn’t really want to do that. I’ll talk to your mothers. I’ll explain it.?

Dropping the club, he walked up to the door and ran his fingers over the dented alloy. Pressing one ear to the smooth surface, he listened intently. No sound, no scraping, nothing. He giggled softly and moved to the control box, studying it thoughtfully for a long moment, much as a child would examine a complex new toy.

Chuckling to himself, he began fiddling with the controls, running his fingers playfully over the buttons until one clicked home. Deep within the surrounding ceramocarbide, mechanisms whined, metal brushed against metal. The door started to slide aside.

Only to halt as one of the big dents banged up against the jamb.

Frowning, Golic put his body into the narrow gap and pushed against the reluctant barrier, straining with his bulk. Motors hummed in confusion. The door opened a little wider, then stopped completely. The whir of the motor died. Silence reigned once more.

His body blocking the opening, Golic turned to peer into the blackness within. ?Okay, I’m here. It’s done. Just tell me what you want. Just tell me what to do, brother.?He smiled.

The darkness ahead was silent as a tomb. Nothing moved within.