Before he could take a step toward the entry something appeared there, blocking his view of the door. He held his breath as that something moved, swaying from side to side as if staring back, planning its next move. It was as black as the depths of any pit he had ever seen, a shape of absolute pitch that absorbed all light and heat, its outer contours obscured by the haze of a form-hugging event horizon. A shadow without a source, roughly man-shaped but much larger, horned, and grotesquely misshapened, filling the end of the hallway.
It took a step toward him.