Blurb：
Amanda thought her ability to hear animal thoughts was a gift—until she met Caesar, the genetically modified gorilla at her best friend’s research institute. When she hears its sinister thoughts—”Her skin is so smooth… I want it… I’ll peel it off tonight!”—she dismisses it as paranoia. After all, the facility is more secure than Fort Knox, with infrared systems, laser-proof enclosures, and armed guards. But that night, her friend’s panicked call changes everything: Caesar has escaped, using a security key to free other animals and disable cameras, and his tracker shows he’s right outside Amanda’s building. As pounding erupts at her door during a storm, Amanda realizes the gorilla’s intelligence is far beyond human, and it’s hunting her for her skin. Can she survive the night against a creature with a serial killer’s gaze? Dive into this heart-pounding horror story where animal experimentation goes wrong, and no one is safe.
Content：
My best friend’s research institute acquired a gorilla for experiments. I discovered I could hear its thoughts,
Her skin is so smooth. I want it… Hehehe!
Can’t wait, I’ll peel it off tonight! Hehehe!
I froze for a second, then dismissed it with a nervous laugh.
The institute is more secure than Fort Knox—there’s no way it could break out.
Besides, I live hundreds of miles away. It’d take hours to drive here.
Even if it did escape, it would never find me.
But that same night, my friend fcalled me in a panic,
“Amanda, it’s terrible! Caesar escaped! His tracker shows he’s right outside your building!”
…
Caesar was the name of that gorilla from the lab.
My heart started racing. I was about to respond when she continued, her voice eerie,
“You don’t think… it’s actually coming for you, do you?”
Chills shot down my spine. I remembered what happened that afternoon.
I had driven several hours to visit my friend at her animal research facility over the weekend.
I’ve always had this ability to hear animals’ thoughts. I heard they’d recently acquired a rare, genetically unique gorilla from Africa.
But the moment I looked into its enclosure, I froze.
This massive gorilla, nearly the size of a grown man, was staring at me while drooling,
“Her skin is so smooth…”
As first I thought, since we’re both primates, maybe it was some weird compliment.
But the next second, its thoughts made my blood run cold,
“I wish I could wear it myself.”
“Can’t wait—tonight’s the night I peel it off! She looks tender and fair—the meat must be delicious too.”
I’ve heard countless animal thoughts growing up. Most are pretty basic.
Usually things like “I’m hungry” or “I want to go outside.” This was the first time I’d heard something so violent.
Do animals make dark jokes? Could it actually be serious about skinning me?
But then I laughed at my own paranoia.
Still, it kept staring at me. Its eyes didn’t look animal-like—more human.
Like a serial killer’s gaze.
Terrified, I stumbled backward and hurried out of its line of sight.
My friend noticed how pale I was and asked:
“Amanda, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I told her everything I’d just heard.
But she just burst out laughing,
“Amanda, have you been watching too many horror movies? Caesar’s gentle—he’d never hurt anyone.”
“Besides, these enclosures are solid. You can’t even cut through them with lasers. There’s nightly patrols too. What you’re describing is impossible.”
She’s always been skeptical about my ability to hear animals, so her disbelief wasn’t surprising.
But I was still shaken,
“Didn’t you say this gorilla is genetically modified and highly intelligent? Couldn’t there be an exception?”
Before she could answer, a security guard scoffed,
“No matter how smart, it’s still an animal. You think it can slip past us?”
“Listen, miss—outside this facility, we’ve got infrared security. Not even a fly could get out unnoticed. Relax!”
Seeing the electric baton on his belt and how confidently he spoke, I finally felt somewhat reassured.
But that gorilla’s vicious stare still haunted me.
Noticing I was still on edge, my friend out an arm around me,
“Even if Caesar could break through all the security and escape, he’d never find you.”
“It’s hundreds of miles from here to your place. Hours by car. You think he’s just gonna stroll over?”
“You’re like someone who’s always begged to see Caesar, but now that you’re here, you’re scared.”
Hearing her lighthearted tone, I gradually relaxed.
After saying goodbye, I drove home.
But at 3 a.m., her call woke me up.
She said the gorilla had somehow gotten the security key.
Not only freed all the experimental animals but also disabled the cameras and infrared systems.
The entire institute was in chaos.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, unsure how to answer her question.
Just then, a flsah of lightning illuminated the room, followed by the sudden onslaught of a heavy storm outside.
Immediately after, violent pounding erupted at my door. The force was so strong I nearly fell off the bed.
My friend on the phone seemed to hear it too.
After a tense silence, she tried to comfort me,
“Amanda, I was just joking—don’t be scared.”
“Even though Caesar escaped, there’s no way he’s coming for you specifically. The tracker must be malfunctioning. In this weather, without a clear GPS signal, even if he had your address, he could never find the place.”
“Aren’t you staying with your boyfriend? You’ll be perfectly safe with him there.”
My heart sank. My boyfriend was on a business trip and wasn’t due back until tomorrow.
If I had to wait for him to rescue me, it would be far too late.
Just then, the banging at the door grew more frantic.
But a fragile thread of hope made me creep toward the entrance.
Maybe my boyfriend had returned early and was playing a prank on me.
I tried to peer through the peephole.
But it was completely black outside. The next second, I heard that familiar internal voice,
“Was my performance not convincing enough? Why won’t she open the door?”
“If she doesn’t open up, I’ll just break it down.”
“No… must be patient. If I frighten her too much, the skin might get damaged.”
A cold sweat soaked through my clothes. I pressed myself against the wall, afraid to make a sound.
Returning from the door, I used the noise of the storm to mask my voice as I whispered into the phone,
“Natalie, Caesar… that gorilla is right outside my door…”
“And my boyfriend isn’t home tonight. You have to help me…”
The apartment I share with my boyfriend has an open layout—the living area and bedroom are essentially one room.
The front door is just a standard interior model. A gorilla could break it down easily.
If it got inside, I was dead.
Pure panic began to set in.
How did it know my address? How had it found my specific apartment in the middle of a storm?
It made no sense. Could it actually understand human language?
My friend tried to calm me:
“Don’t worry, security from the institute is already on their way. But the weather’s terrible—they might be delayed.”
“Just stay inside, don’t come out, and wait for help to arrive.”
“That gorilla is highly intelligent—whatever you do, don’t provoke it!”
I was on the verge of tears,
“How long will that take? I don’t think my door can hold much longer.”
She sounded strained now too,
“Maybe I can send my brother over? He lives in your neighborhood!”
“Don’t be scared. No animal, no matter how smart, can withstand a stun baton.”
“Until he manages to subdue Caesar, do NOT open that door. Got it?!”
I nodded vehemently, though she couldn’t see it, and ended the call.
Her brother is a former marine—6’3″, well over 200 pounds of solid muscle.
She said he could take down a bull with his bare hands during his service.
Even against that gorilla, he might stand a chance.
Especially armed with a stun baton.
My anxiety lessened, if only slightly.
Soon, I heard the sounds of a struggle outside—heavy thuds, followed by something large hitting the ground hard.
The metallic scent of blood began to seep under the door..
I wanted to look through the peephole but didn’t dare.
As I hesitated, the violent banging suddenly changed.
It became softer, more deliberate.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Gathering my courage, I whispered hoarsely,
“Natalie’s brother…?”
There was no verbal reply.
A deep unease settled in my stomach. I held my phone up to the small window above the door, activating the camera to record.
The video confirmed it was him knocking.
But his posture was strange, his body leaning awkwardly against the doorframe.
Zooming in on the frozen image, I could see dark stains on his clothes.
Was he injured?
A wave of guilt washed over me. I almost reached for the doorknob to let him in and tend to his wounds.
Then I heard that familiar, horrifying inner monologue,
“This woman is more alert than a monkey. I hid and let this man do the knocking—why won’t she open up?”
“Did she figure it out?”
A moment later, a slow, dark pool of blood began to trickle steadily beneath the door.
My heart hammered against my ribs. My palms were slick with sweat.
A horrifying realization crossed my mind.
Was Natalie’s brother already dead?
My face lost all color, clamped a hand over my mouth, silent sobs shaking my shoulders as hot tears streamed down my face.
My friend had mentioned her brother was getting married next month. He had died because of me, trying to save my life.
How could I ever look her in the eye again?
But a more immediate, there was a more urgent problem.
The only small mercy was that the gorilla didn’t seem to be in a rush to kill me—it was toying with me, a cat playing with its prey.
Moving as silently as I could, I began tearing my bedsheet into long strips, planning an escape through the window.
But the building was too tall, and my makeshift rope was far too short.
Furthermore, the storm-swept outer walls were treacherously slick and dangerous.
That chilling, familiar voice echoed from the hallway,
“Is she trying to escape through the window? Clever girl—worthy of becoming my new skin.”
“But my time for games is running short. I’m growing hungry.”
“A good steak should know its place. Trying to run? There is no chance.”
I froze solid.
How did it know what I was thinking?
My friend had told me this gorilla was genetically enhanced and super intelligent.
But I never imagined it could be this smart—predicting my every move.
But aside from the window, there was no other way out.
My choices were grim, be skinned and eaten by the gorilla or leap to my death.
Just as despair threatened to consume me, my phone buzzed with a text from my boyfriend, Jason,
“Babe, I finished work early. I’m back, and I got you a little surprise.”
“The cab’s almost there. Remember to bring an umbrella down for me.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Of all times for Jason to come back.
No—he absolutely cannot come up.
Natalie’s brother was a mountain of muscle, a former marine, yet he couldn’t beat that gorilla.
Jason is slender and gentle—he wouldn’t last a second!
I called him immediately, my fingers trembling, desperate to stop him.
The phone rang and rang. No answe.
I switched to voice messages, my voice a frantic whisper,
“Jason, don’t come up! There’s a mutated gorilla out here!”
“I already called for help. Just wait downstairs until they arrive!”
Still no reply.
Then, through the rain-streaked window, I saw a taxi pull up downstairs in the rain. Jason finally called back,
“Amanda, what are you talking about? What gorilla?”
“If you want to see gorillas, I’ll take you to the zoo this weekend…”
I cut him off, my words tumbling out in a terrified rush,
“Not the zoo—the gorilla from Natalie’s lab escaped! It wants to skin me alive!”
“Natalie’s brother came to save me and got killed! Don’t come up, or you’ll die too!”
I was sobbing now, sure he would understand the gravity.
But after a moment of stunned silence, his voice turned cold with anger,
“Amanda, are you hiding a man up there? And you’re making up this insane story about a gorilla? Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“I even brought you a gift back from my business trip, and this is how you repay me? By cheating? I’m so disappointed!”
“I’m coming up right now to see this for myself!”
The line went dead.
My heart shattered. If Jason came up now, he was walking to his death!
I had to stop him!
Natalie’s brother had already died because of me.
I couldn’t let Jason suffer the same fate.
I called again again, my voice trembling.
Jason snapped,
“I’m almost at the elevator. Say your explanations for when I see you!”
I screamed hysterically,my voice raw with panic,
“Don’t get in the elevator! Jason, I’m not lying to you! There really is a gorilla out here, and it’s incredibly smart—ordinary people are not match for it!”
“If you don’t believe me, call Natalie! Her research institute is in complete chaos right now, searching everywhere! Don’t throw your life away just to prove a point!”
He snorted,
“Everyone knows you and Natalie are practically joined at the hip. Having her backing up your story means nothing!”
Desperation clawed at me. How could I make him understand?
Then my phone buzzed with a news alert,
“BREAKING: A gorilla escaped from a research facility at 9 PM tonight. The animal remains at large. All citizens are advised to stay indoors and avoid any contact.”
My heart leapt—this had to be about Natalie’s institute.
I immediately forwarded the alert to Jason,
“Even if you don’t believe Natalie or me, you have to believe the official news, right?!”
“I swear on my life’s savings—if I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning!”
Jason knew how fiercely I valued my financial security. I’d never make such a vow like that unless it was serious.
Finally, he seemed to partially believe me,
“There’s really a gorilla out there? Then what about you? You can’t just sit there waiting to die! I’m coming up to save you!”
I cut him off sharply,
“With those skinny arms of yours? No way.”
“The fire department and institute security are already on their way.”
“Find somewhere to hide—maybe the storage room in the basement. I don’t want you getting hurt because of me!”
When Jason finally relented and agreed, I breathed a sigh of relief.
But then a new unease settled over me.
Why was it so quiet outside now?
Mustering every ounce of courage, I looked through the peephole—only a pool of dark blood remained on the floor.
Where had the gorilla gone?
Had it been captured? But I hadn’t heard any signs of struggle.
As I wondered, a foul, musky odor hit my nostrils.
In the next second, a sticky, transparent droplet landed on the back of my neck.
My mind went completely blank.
I looked up instinctively and saw an image that would be seared into my memory forever.
I stumbled backward, collapsing onto the floor, my body shaking uncontrollably.
The gorilla was clinging to the ceiling above the doorframe, its dark eyes fixed on me as thick drool dripped from its mouth.
The viscous saliva fell through the gaps in the doorframe, landing on my skin with a cold, sticky sensation.
But for some reason, it didn’t immediately break through to get to me.
It simply watched with intense curiosity, as if I were prey it was certain it could claim at any moment.
Was it not done playing yet?
Then I heard its thoughts clearly,
“One skin isn’t enough. Perfect—another one delivered itself. Hehehe!”
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