Riley gasped softly. What did this mean? Was it a sign that other humans have been here? Could there be stranded people, like her, who've either found an escape or are looking for one? Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump, jarring her from her inner monologue. She looked over to where she thought the sound was coming from, and saw a horror that stopped her breath in her throat. It was a gigantic creature, without any shape resembling that life existed within. An uncountable amount of thick tendrils reached out, feeling her and there on the shelves and adding books where there was space. Desperate, she concentrated best she could on the page, getting the rhyme well memorized.

"Run!" she whispered, grabbing Nina and legging it for one of the shelves. She pushed aside two books and tossed Nina into the gap. Then, she clambered in, whispering the words of the rhyme like a prayer. When she finished, she grabbed one of Nina's paws, hoping despite everything that the spell would work.