Everglow: The Trials Of Agaron

39 - Tunnel of Demons

The sudden rumble of the ground followed by the audible sound of something moving through the cave immediately sent Quin and Ko into panic mode. They both kept their eyes locked on the dark hallway in front of them, waiting as the thundering sound grew louder and louder.

Then it stopped.

Both of their eyes were still locked in front of them, almost like they were trying to look past the darkness. A few seconds passed before Quin took a few steps forwards, a gulp sliding down her throat.

"I uh... I think it's gone," she muttered, holding the torch in front of her as if it somehow had the ability to ward off whatever it was that was down there with them.

She began to walk forwards a bit more, her confidence ever so slowly beginning to refill. Ko however wasn't as stonewall as her friend. She clinged to Quin's arm, whimpering like a puppy. That familiar burning sensation had once again returned to her hands, this time much more prevalent than the last few times. The carcan looked down at her, silently cursing under her breath. She could hardly blame the zapher for being scared, but she really could help but wish she had a bit more spine right about now.

Suddenly the creature that had made the roar showed itself. Out of the darkness emerged a sickly white being, almost as tall and wide as the cavern they were in. It had a tough looking exoskeleton and resembled an enormous arthropod. It had no visible eyes but it didn't look like it needed them. On the bottom of its frontal plate sat its mouth, adorned with rows of razor sharp teeth and spider-like fangs. There were six jointed legs protruding from each side of the creature and it looked like it hadn't had a good snack in a long long time.

"Not gone, not gone!" Quin yelled, instinctively grasping Ko's hand and running in the opposite direction. The creature seemed to sense where they were and began to give chase. It stumbled clumsily through the cave, not looking like it was too familiar with the halls it was in.

It mattered little to Quin and Ko however who were currently bolting down back the way they had come.

"What is that thing!?" Ko cried as she ran.

"No idea but it sure knows we're here!" Quin yelped.

"What do we do? This leads to a dead end!"

A sudden vibration shook the ground and the two turned. The creature had slammed into one of the sculpted pillars that was holding up the cavern, a visible crack starting to form inside it. However that didn't slow it down, and soon enough it was back on the hunt, hungry for the two girls.

However, Quin had noticed something that might give them an edge.

"We gotta get around it somehow. I think I got an idea," she hissed as they ran.

"What?" Ko cried.

"Keep yer voice down! I don't think it's got the best eyes in the world. Or any. That means it's either smell or sound it uses. We just gotta pray it's the latter."

The two continued running, the creature beginning to fall behind as they moved. The torch gave them the advantage of being able to manoeuvre through the claustrophobic cave much easier than the monster they were being hunted by. Eventually they came to a much wider section of the cave, the part where the sculpted rock began to turn into natural rock. There were small crevices and cracks in the wall, perfect for a small zapher to hide in.

"Quickly, in here!" Quin whispered. The creature was now a fair few metres behind them, far enough away that they could no longer see it but they could definitely still hear it moving. The sound of its snarls sent shivers down both their spines.

Ko managed to just fit into one of the crevices, her tail poking through her legs slightly. But it was enough to hide her from view. Quin on the other hand was much taller. There were no crevices large enough for her to fit in.