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When last we saw our protagonist, they were surrounded by the warbling creatures from the green mist, horrors from another realm, ready to make mince meat of our shotgun-wielding character. What will happen? You can catch up with Part XXXII here. Our protagonist prepared a daring gamble. Will it pay off? Let’s find out.

I shoulder the door open. As it swings wide, I bring up the shotgun in one motion, and just like with the first, fire a round right into the open mouth of the waiting creature. The force of the blast surprises me and my feet fly out from under me as pieces of the creature's head are blown in different directions, its tongue coming to flop around uselessly by my feet. I look at the shotgun. How the fuck did this not hit me as hard the first two times I fired this thing? Sure, I felt a pretty big kick, but not like this. I can only surmise it was because I was moving, and off balance.

No time to dally. That little move, as upsetting as it was, saves me. Having fallen from the gun's kick, the third creature ends up leaping over my body, instead of hammering into it. I waste no time and throw myself back into the mausoleum before the door closes. I can sense rather than see that the creature wastes no time at the door, scurrying up or around to try and catch me at the other side. I rush past the elevator and shoulder my way out the doors on the other end, hoping the roundabout journey the creature takes will give me a head start to figure something out.

Pinks and reds crawl across the sky, and I watch the night sink away as I run. I hadn't realized how much I was hoping the dawn would devour these things. The sun would crest the hill in another several minutes and I knew one of two things would happen by then:

It seems I can't rely on the sun to chase it away. I've almost completed a loop around the cemetery by the time I realize how slow I'm running and it sounds like nothing is chasing me. I caution a walk and turn to look. No creature in sight. Maybe the idea the dawn would chase it away isn't too far-fetched. No longer running, I turn around and continue on my course, as it would bring me around to the employee hall.

It isn't long before the employee hall comes into view. As I walk closer, I think about how wild this night has been, and the wonder of me surviving through it all. There were so many times I thought I was going to die, so many opportunities this place had to make me a permanent resident, and I managed to get through them all. And finally, after all of that, I'll be clocking out and leaving. Even that much seems insane to think about, at this point.

I cross the road and am almost at the door to the hall when warbling surrounds me. The sound of it is so loud, it takes me by surprise, and I collapse to my knees. I do my best to shake it off, looking around frantically while trying to knock the sound out of my head. I catch sight of the creature, who's slither-crawling toward me from across the road.

Yikes! Just when they thought they were safe, that they had made it through the night, the creature makes its appearance to prove to our protagonist otherwise! So close to the finish, and our narrator may not cross the finish line! Is this the end? Only one way to find out! Read the Finale here!