Pellin's legs burned. Each stride sent a sharp pulse of pain through his joints. His chest rose and fell in frantic bursts of panic, each breath gasping for air. Behind him, the scraping thunder of limbs gouged against the stone, each impact followed by a shrill hiss that set his antennae quivering.
The tunnel curved upward, tilting into a slope that rose like a jagged hill. Roots jutted from the packed earth, thick and sharp, some dangling loose like veins exposed. Pellin's mandibles clacked unconsciously as his instincts screamed at him to keep moving, to not stumble. After all he had a feeling, he was close to home, a false sense of security and comfort he created for himself. The incline was treacherous, and with each skitter forward his claws slid, struggling for grip.
A screech reverberated through the incline.
"You can't run forever, you little bug!" the cricket spat, its voice laced with fury and relentless determination.
Pellin risked a glance back. The creature's arm dangled at an awkward angle, ichor dripping steadily down its exoskeleton and leaving dark stains in the dirt. The wound from the earlier spike hadn't slowed it, rather it had only enraged it. Each time it slammed its injured limb against the wall for balance, it let out a painful growl, mandibles clashing like blades.
The air was heavy as it reeked of blood. His antennae traced the narrowing of the passage ahead. The incline tightened into a bottleneck, a jagged corridor where only one body could fit through at a time. Pellin pushed harder, legs screaming, dragging his battered frame up the slope. Pebbles slid underfoot, rattling downward with every motion. The incline punished him for his weakness, his limbs trembling as if the ground itself wanted him to fall back into the cricket's claws.
The pursuing screech grew closer.
"I'll tear you apart, piece by piece, and use your shell as my necklace!"
Pellin flinched at the words, his mandibles clicking nervously. His antennae vibrated with the hateful resonance in the predator's tone. For a brief, dreadful heartbeat, he imagined those mandibles snapping his thorax in two.
But his desperation lent him strength. He barely squeezed through the narrow passage at the crest of the hill, the tight stone scraping against his carapace, scratching faint lines across it. The cricket, larger and bulkier, snarled in frustration as it scraped violently against the stone, forcing its wounded arm to bend in unnatural angles to fit. Pellin didn't stop to catch his breath, a luxury he couldn't afford. He pushed forward, each ragged breath echoing in his skull as he plunged into the tunnels beyond.
The incline gave way to a sudden descent into a wide chamber where the floor fractured into multiple branching paths. The air felt colder here, damp with condensation dripping from the roof. Faint fungal glow lit patches of the walls, throwing uneven light that twisted shadows across the stone. Pellin froze for the briefest moment, antennae flicking in confusion. The tunnels spiraled in every direction, an array of choices, each path looking equally unfamiliar and endless.
Yet he dove straight into one. The tunnel ahead split into a jagged maze, shafts of faint glow from mushrooms casting eerie shadows along the walls. Pellin's breath rasped in his mandibles, his legs trembling as blood slicked the earth beneath him. He slowed for a moment, the silence wrapping around him. For the first time since the chase began, he had shaken them.
He steadied his rasped breath. Relaxing the aching soreness in his stiff muscles.
But then, from the blackness above, came a scraping hiss.
A blur of chitin and fury burst from the ceiling like a shadow torn loose, the second cricket. It hurled itself on all fours, mandibles snapping, its bulk scraping stone as it lunged straight at him.
Pellin's antennae shot forward, panic flooding his senses. He twisted aside at the last instant. The cricket's weight crashed into the wall, the impact thundering through the tunnel and shaking loose bits of dirt and glowing spores.
"DAMN YOU!" the cricket snarled, its voice guttural, dripping venom. Its forelimbs gouged the stone as it whipped around, eyes gleaming with rabid hunger.
Pellin's legs moved before thought. Sprinting, skittering, dragging his wounded limb across the ground as he bolted into the deeper web of tunnels. The labyrinth twisted in every direction, every turn a gamble between life and death.
Behind him, the enraged crickets gave chase, their snarls echoing like war drums in the tight spaces. He darted left, then right, the glow of mushrooms flashing across his compound eyes as the passage suddenly straightened into a single corridor. His antennae quivered, trapped.
Ahead, the first cricket, having caught up, limped out of a side passage, its mandibles dripping, its wounded arm trembling with rage. Behind, the second one stormed into the tunnel, claws dragging, hatred burning in its voice. A vibration rippled through the ground. Pellin turned his head and his heart sank.
"Well, well… looks like the runt has trapped himself between us."
Pellin's thorax clenched tight. One behind. One ahead. The world shrank into suffocating pressure, the air tasting of mold and predator stench. His legs trembled, threatening to give out.
The first cricket stumbled into the chamber behind him, wheezing with rage, ichor dripping freely from its wounded limb. It raised its head and let out a snarl. "You again? Don't even think of stealing this from me."
The second one let out a harsh, rasping laugh. "Steal? You're half-dead already. This prey belongs to whoever finishes him off first."
Pellin's antennae quivered violently as the predators' anger boiled over. They circled him without thought of alliance, mandibles snapping, eyes glowing faintly with greed. He could smell it, raw hunger, thick as venom, circling like vulture in the air he breathed.
"Mine."
"Try me, cripple."
They launched themselves simultaneously.
Both lunged, powerful hind legs propelling them forward, their bodies filling the chamber with crushing speed. Pellin had only a breath to react. His instincts screamed. His body moved. He dropped flat, legs folding tight as he skittered beneath the arc of one leaping cricket. The two predators collided midair with a bone-jarring crack. Their mandibles clashed as they slammed together, carapaces grinding. Dust and dirt sprayed from the walls as they tumbled into each other.
The chamber filled with furious screeches.
"Idiot!" one spat, shoving the other off.
"You ruined it!" the other screeched back, ichor spraying as they grappled for dominance. "I should gut you right here!"
Pellin didn't wait. His claws scrabbled against stone as he bolted into a side passage, every nerve alight with panic. His heart hammered like a drum, blood pulsing hot through his wounded legs. The echo of curses and fighting faded behind him as he fled deeper into the maze.
A silhouette in the distance. Familiar legs escaped into the darkness.
Relief surged through Pellin's battered body. His mandibles parted, a silent gasp escaping. He turned sharply toward the figure, antennae stretching forward desperately.
Behind him, the crickets untangled, their rage reignited. Both turned down the passage Pellin had taken, mandibles dripping venomous spit.
They never made it far.
As they rounded the bend, a command was heard.
"Charge!!!"
A sudden force, lined up juggernauts with barriers galloped forward, striking the unsuspecting crickets. The impact reverberated through the tunnels, a resonant crack that echoed like thunder.
But the cries of the crickets were drowned by pain, as only a gasp whispered from their very souls.