The impact sounds mixed with the redhead's heavy, staccato breathing as she danced around the punching bag, a thin sheen of sweat coating her skin where it showed past the blood red sport bra stretched over her young chest and a tight pair of black nylon workout shorts that hugged curves. Occasionally she would switch to taekwondo and the soft *thunk* of her feet replacing her hands against the bag, the chains holding it between ceiling and cement floor rattling softly.

She got the feeling this room didn't see a lot of use. She was in the gym after hours, as her sleep had only lead to nightmares as usual. Even so, the lack of people was accompanied by a fine layer of dust on many of the older workout benches and machines in the dark, smaller room. It didn't bother her... it just meant that nobody would be interrupting her attempts to drown out the worries of her conscious mind.

Unfortunately, Molly's assumptions were wrong. She was far from the only being awake this late at night, and her exercise was definitely not going to go without interruption. The light she'd turned on in the dusty room illuminated the one high-set window, and that light soon caught the attention of two creatures exploring the forests around the campus. One nudged the other, gesturing with a massive arm, and the two decided to investigate.

The Golems slowly walked through the corridors of the gym building, finding it somewhat difficult to navigate their way to the room Molly had found. But as they got closer, their heavy steps echoed through the hallway, finally growing louder than the sound of her fists colliding with the punching bag. Whatever that sound was, it was fast approaching the only door in and out of the room she was in....

The redhead continued until she was in a sweat, though every once in a while she could swear she heard a banging or clomping noise. Molly dismissed it, figuring the overhead pipes were probably tied to the rest of the building and would echo whenever the building creaked in its old age. She was more concerned with starting her classes on this new campus next week. It had been surprisingly easy to settle in, thanks to the single room she had managed to snag, but she got the feeling she might get along with some of the other students as well if she tried a little harder. Many, though a year or two younger than her, seemed just as out of place and unsure of their new surroundings as she did.

*Boom.... boom... boom*

The continuing noise snapped her out of her thoughts. It was getting louder and she could swear it was coming from... the hall outside the door? What on earth could be making that noise, she wondered. Finally curiosity overwhelmed her and the sweating, puffing girl made her way to the door, tossing her ponytail back over her shoulder. Slowly she pushed the door open and looked into the hallway...

As Molly opened the door, she immediately came face to face with what appeared to be a massive stone statue. Sculpted as if to resemble an exaggerated humanoid figure, it stood a good half-foot taller than her, practically filling the hallway. Its blue facets shined slightly in the flickering flourescent lights and its red eyes held a faint glow. One arm was outstretched toward the doorknob that Molly had beaten it to.

For a moment it stood still, appearing to be nothing more than a student's art project that had gotten moved here as a prank. And then it moved, lowering its arm and tilting its head down to meet Molly's gaze. "Hello there," it purred in a gravelly voice. "What's a cutie like you doing out this late?"

The girl jumped slightly as she looked at the thing that greeted her in the hall. Had someone moved that statue here as a prank, she wondered? That could have explained the loud noises...

Her thought was interrupted as its hand lowered and she jumped back into the room, the door staying open of its own accord. It was old and didn't shut on its own as it should, it seemed. Even strange, the thing began talking to her! It was immense and... she had no idea what kind of life form it was. It almost looked like it was comprised of some sort of minerals... gems... rocks... something inorganic for sure.

"Ah... I'm... I'm working out. What are... well what ARE you?" She stammered, her gazed looked with what she assumed to be its eyes.

"Who, me? Just an ordinary guy from a planet of stone people. Name's Blue." The creature grinned and stepped forward into the room with Molly, eyes fixed on her. "Found a nice out of the way place, didn't you? It's pretty quiet back here." He kept walking forward, aiming to back her toward the wall.

Meanwhile, there was more sound outside the room. Could there be more than one of the strange stone monsters?

The girl backed up as he had aimed… not sure how frightened she should be. She was already timid with being cornered but she had no idea just what this thing even WAS, let alone if it was a threat to her. It appeared that it certainly could make itself a threat, if it were inclined to.

“Ah… yes, it… I was trying to be alone, yes.” She continued to stutter, looking around. There was no other way out of the room, it seemed, so she started thinking of other ways out. “But you’re more than welcome to have it to yourself… Blue?” She asks, not bold enough to ask what he was or where he had come from. As much as she wanted to know, she wanted to quell the growing fear in her gut first.

Blue tilted his head slightly, glancing back toward the door. His inhuman beak tilted in a slight grin as he turned back to Molly. "That's really sweet of you, cutie," he chuckled, still walking toward her. "But what's the point of being alone when we could have a little fun together?"

With that, the rock monster reached out toward her, apparently aiming to grab her by one or both arms. But his motions were ponderously slow. If Molly kept her head and moved quickly, she might just be able to duck past his arms, dodge around him, and start running for the door....

She continued to back away until she hit the wall, pressing herself against it as the monster... that was the only word she could think of for it... closed in on her. "I don't think we share the same idea of "Fun"." She quipped, and slipped beneath him as he reached for her, simply darting past him easily.

"If you want to be polite I'm sure you'd be interesting to talk to, but I don't really like grabby men... er... things..." She says, trying to force a little confidence to the surface as she backs away from him towards the door...

Blue's hands closed on empty air, and he turned around to watch Molly back toward the door. "Aw, where you going, sweetheart?" he smirked. "I'm not gonna hurt ya...." He stalked in her direction, but he didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. It was almost as if he wasn't worried about her escaping. She got closer and closer to the door....

And then her back collided with another stone figure. Green hands casually reached down to grip her by the upper arms, holding her carefully but very tightly. "Well well well," another voice came from behind and above. "You sure found a babe tonight, didn't you, Blue?"

"Sure did, Green," Blue laughed. "Careful with her, she's a runner. Why don't you tell us your name?"

The redhead backed away slowly... still not believing what she was seeing. "Just what are you?..." She finally got up the courage to ask, just as she felt herself back into something and there was pressure around her arms, holding them steady in a hardened grip... literally, the hands felt like some kind of rock. She glanced up to see another creature just like the first, only a deep emerald instead of sapphire.

Panic overtook her and she began to squirm and kick against the creature. "No, let me go! Let me..." She yelled, hoping someone might hear her... wishing she hadn't isolated herself in this wing that nobody used.... wishing she knew what was going on at all.

"M...molly. Please don't hurt me." She says, looking between them.