𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒 - 𝘚𝘊𝘖𝘙𝘊𝘏 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘈𝘓𝘚

8 ~ 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙞

Newt

The tunnel had widened to reveal more of the underground road, with rusted and dusty cars at the sides. There were fluorescent lights on the brick walls about every fifteen feet to light our way, so we switched off our flashlights to save the battery.

"Don't go near the cars," said Jorge. "They're a good hiding spot for Cranks."

We stepped into a group together in the middle of the tunnel; Minho was to my right and Alex was to my left; I felt a light hand on my back that was Julian's, and Frypan had positioned himself in front.

We walked in silence for most of the journey – the only sound being the crunch of our boots on the dirty road, and the occasional clang of metal when a foot would kick a stray piece of a car.

"Stop," called Jorge suddenly, and we all froze in our tracks, waiting. Jorge looked like a dog whose ears had perked up with the way he was standing. He had one foot in the air since he had paused mid-step. He cursed in another language (I assumed it was Spanish.) "Cranks."

My eyes widened, and Minho and I looked at each other in a panic. "We should get back-to-back," Julian ordered in a clear voice, clenching his fist in preparation for a fight. Minho positioned himself to my left and Winston was at my right. Frypan was right behind me. "Take out any weapons," Jorge said from his spot next to Frypan. "If you don't have weapons... use anything you can."

We went silent, waiting. I could hear scuffles from the shadows, and I tensed. Then came an inhuman screech. There was a sudden movement from behind one of the rusty cars, and a creature jumped out.

I wanted to gag. The Grievers had competition for how disgusting they were; this creature looked like a human, but didn't act like one. It walked awkwardly, dragging one leg behind the other. It jerked its head and arms around at random times. Its clothes were completely torn and bloodstained, and there were chunks of its hair missing.

What was worse was the look of its face. There was dried blood all over, most likely from the scratches that ran down each cheek. Its eyes were almost completely black and bloodshot, and a piece of its nose was completely missing. It opened its mouth to show rotten teeth, and made an animalistic growl.

It flung its body at our group, and immediately the 'back-to-back' plan went out the window. We scattered, with Minho seizing my sleeve and pulling me on top of a car's hood. The Crank hadn't gone after me and him; it had gone after Jorge, who was shielding a trembling Alex with a small handgun outstretched. He fired once, twice, and the Crank was on the floor.

I regretted taking a relieved breath because the second I did, another Crank scream sounded from behind the car Minho and I were on top of. We whirled around to see a new Crank crawl onto the car to reach us.

Without hesitation, I darted forward and kicked it hard in the face, and I heard the sickening crunch as what was left of its nose broke. It howled, but didn't let up. Minho went after it this time. I made a small, surprised sound as he took a knife out of his backpack and threw it. The blade sank into the Crank's chest.

We weren't done yet. All around, our friends were under attack. Cranks seemed to be crawling infinitely from the shadows. Minho took his knife back from the Crank's body and together we ran to help Zart and Winston.

Winston was pretty good with his knife, which was expected since he was a Slicer back at the Glade. But Zart had zero experience. As we approached, a Crank crept up behind Zart and grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him to the ground. Zart screamed and kicked out. I raced forward and clawed at the Crank's tattered clothes, but to no avail. The Crank grabbed Zart's ankles and began dragging him into the shadows. I kept after them, but I couldn't get a good hold on Zart without getting scratched or bit by the Crank, and I definitely didn't want that.