Chapter 19
The others had heard it, too, and we all remained rooted in place, in absolute silence as we watched. A few moments later, we heard slight footfalls as if a large creature were slowly tramping through the grass.
And then we saw it.
Or, I should say them, because two pale, fleshy viscerids slowly crept into view as they moved through the clearing. They both sniffed at the air and chittered to each other, and both were equally as large as the first one we’d seen.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
What did we do?
We couldn’t exactly wait around while they slowly sniffed us out. I glanced around for a weapon, but there weren’t any, even a rock. I thought about the one we killed in the pitfall trap earlier, and though we’d passed by a few other traps similar to it, they were far too far away to reach in time.
No, we needed to find something else to take these ones out.
But what?
I thought about the possibilities, and a risky idea popped into my mind.
If we could get a decent enough head start, perhaps we could lead the two viscerids back to the stone wall we’d come from.
If we could get that open, and get through the gap in time, then the pursuing creatures could be crushed behind us. Of course, that was relying on us getting a massive head start, as well as timing everything perfectly.
Our odds were slim, but at least with that plan, we had a fighting chance. If we remained here like this, our odds of survival would be zero, and they’d hunt us all down until there were none of us left.
It was worth a shot.
I gestured for the others to quietly follow me, and though they looked scared, there was trust in each of their eyes as they silently followed my instructions.
We carefully crept away from the bush and back in the direction we came from, and fortunately, the grass was nearly silent beneath our feet as we moved.
Good.
Every inch of distance we could put between ourselves and those creatures was just more time we’d have to execute my plan without getting caught.
We made it to the corridor we’d come from and slowly moved down that. Behind us, the viscerids” grunts and chitters grew more animated as they moved even further into the clearing.
We needed to hurry, because once they caught our scent or heard us, it would be a run for our lives.
I was surprised they weren’t able to hear my erratic heartbeat as it pumped wildly in my chest. And I was even more surprised that my heart hadn’t simply given out by now because for the last several days, I’d been in an almost constant state of fight or flight.
We crept down the twisting corridor, and it felt like we were making really good progress when all of a sudden there was a low chittering from not far behind us.
They’d caught our scent. We were out of time.
“Go!” I hissed, and we all began sprinting for the stone wall.
We were able to move a good distance away before the creatures fully understood what was happening, but far too soon after, they were in hot pursuit. We ran as quickly as we could through the twisty maze, and before I knew it, the stone wall was dead ahead.
The viscerids were still some distance behind us, but we still needed to press the red button and wait for the stone walls to open wide enough for us to pass through, and those would be precious seconds we couldn’t afford to lose.
I ran straight to the button and pressed it, and for one terrifying moment, nothing happened.
Fuck.
What if it didn’t actually work both ways, and we’d just cornered ourselves?
Then the rumbling began, and the walls started to part. As soon as the gap was wide enough, we continued our sprint, and in that short span of time, the viscerids had caught up.
Damn it.
If we didn’t have enough distance between us and them, then they could potentially get through before the walls closed, and then we’d be cornered regardless, just on the other side of the stone wall.
We sprinted as fast as our legs would carry us, and the stone walls slowly began to close around us.
We were close enough to the other side that I was positive we’d all make it out of the tunnel without issue, but it would be a close call for if the viscerids made it out.
The walls were getting closer, and I could practically feel the viscerids behind me as they closed the gap between us. Ahead of me, I watched Parker, Sadie, and Claire all sprint out of the closing cavern and into the open space on the other side.
They all turned and watched as Tyler and I sprinted for the exit behind them, and based on their panicked expressions, I knew the dangerous predators were close on our tails.
Please work, I silently begged whatever out there would listen. Please don’t let those bastards get through.
Tyler made it out with me close on his heels, and then we also turned to see if my plan would work. The viscerid directly behind me was still a ways away, but it was moving fast, but the walls grew even narrower, and it looked like the beast wouldn’t make it.
Then the viscerid tensed its back legs and leaped through the air, directly at me.
I winced and waited for the inevitable clawing and tearing at impact.
But… it never came.
I opened my eyes, and the viscerid was still in the air. It was mere feet away from my spot, but it was sandwiched tightly between the two closing walls, and it snapped at me and whimpered as the walls tightened further around it.
It tried to squirm and wiggle free, but there wasn’t any room left for it to move. I heard the sickening crunch as its bones began to break under the pressure, and the creature threw its head back and wailed in pain as some of those bones broke through skin in bright blue bursts.
Then the walls fully closed, and the wailing stopped.
“Is everyone alright?” I asked, and I turned to the group once I knew the immediate danger was over.
Everyone nodded, and I moved to Sadie and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I murmured. “I was worried when we couldn’t find you.”
“How did you make it through the wall puzzle?” Tyler asked her.
“What wall puzzle?” Sadie asked with a confused look.
“Tyler had to arrange that in order for us to get access to the other half of the maze,” I explained as I pointed at the mural on the wall behind us.
“Oh.” Sadie’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared up at the painting. “I didn’t have to do anything like that. I was transported over there as soon as the trial started, and I’ve been hiding from those two creatures ever since. They were constantly patrolling the area.”
“Damn,” Tyler muttered. “I was really hoping there was another way through. I guess it doesn’t matter either way. The bastards are dead.”
“Actually, we have a problem,” I muttered as I stepped closer to the wall.
“What is it?” Tyler asked.
“Only one of the viscerids died,” I said with a frown. “But I didn’t see the other one. It didn’t look like it pursued us through the tunnel, so it’s still on the other side waiting for us.”
“Shit,” Tyler groaned as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.
Almost as if on cue, a high, wailing call sounded on the other side of the stone wall. As if the remaining viscerid were reminding us it was still alive, and it was ready for us.
“Could we open the wall again and make it close in on the second one?” Claire suggested hopefully.
“I don’t think so,” I sighed in frustration. “They’re too fast, and the wall is too slow. We were lucky the plan even worked on the one. If we open the corridor now, the viscerid would get over here before we had a chance to crush it.”
“So, what do we do now?” Sadie asked in a worried tone.
“There’s no way we can sneak around them,” Tyler pointed out. “And if we try to loop around from a different direction, assuming that’s even an option, who knows what other traps or creatures we might run into.”
He made a good point. We needed to go back the way we came, but we needed to find a safe way to kill the thing first.
If only we had some sort of weapon… wait--
Another idea suddenly popped into my head. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was certainly worth a shot.
“You just had an idea,” Parker said with a knowing grin as she watched my face.
I nodded, quickly lifted my hand to my neck, and double-tapped the side of my collar.
My status screen popped up.
“Damn.” Tyler gave a low whistle when he saw all my skill points. “My status screen definitely doesn’t look like that.”
The others murmured their agreement as they stared with wide eyes, but I didn’t acknowledge their comments.
I was a man on a mission.
On the other side of the tunnel, there was more wailing and a loud scratching sound as if the viscerid were trying to climb up the stone itself.
I needed to move quickly, because if it was actually successful, nothing would stop it from coming over here and killing us all.
I reached up and clicked one of the little glowing lines next to the word ‘favor’ on my screen.
“Favor point selected,” a robotic voice announced loudly. “What would you like to receive?”
The scratching in the distance sounded like it was getting louder… and much higher up on the wall.
That thing was actually making progress.
“I need something to help defend us,” I said quickly.
I still wasn’t sure how the favor system worked, but I didn’t really have time to fiddle around with things.
“Favor point selected,” the voice repeated. “What would you like to receive?”
Damn it. Why hadn’t my request worked? Maybe I needed to rephrase it?
“I need a weapon,” I tried again.
The scratching was really high up on the wall now, and I could hear the chittering and grunting as the creature on the other side struggled its way up.
Still, nothing happened, and then the voice spoke again.
“When requesting a favor item, please be specific.”
Specific? I’d asked for a weapon, how much more specific did I need to be?
The scratching had stopped completely, and it almost sounded like it’d been replaced with a light, rhythmic thudding. Like an animal running quickly across stone.
Fuck.
“A gun!” I requested loudly. “Give me a gun!”