It was a faint tremor at first. Then a low rumble.
Every instinct in Willow's body screamed run, and she bolted, her heart thundering as the sand behind her erupted.
The rumbling grew louder, closer until the earth split open and something massive burst from below, sending a wave of ash-colored sand exploding into the air.
Willow skidded to a stop, stumbling backward as an enormous centipede-like creature rose from the cracked ground, its armored body glistening with frost and scales, its mandibles clicking in rage. It let out a bone-shaking roar, the sound vibrating through her chest.
Her face went pale. "Oh, stars—"
She didn't even finish before a terrified scream tore from her throat. She turned and sprinted, her boots slipping on the frozen sand. The creature's screeches followed her, its legs slicing into the earth as it chased her like a tidal wave of claws and teeth.
She could hear it closing in. There was no way she could outrun something that size.
