Part 88

"What?" Frank looked behind them, but saw nothing out in the larger corridor. Frowning, he turned back. Owen was already talking.

"Go low," he said. "I'll grab the weapon."

"I can use this." Frank held up the giant stinger he'd been carrying. The the sacs around the base still had poison in them. "Worked pretty good before."

"Put that down; we don't want to kill him. Just hold him for a while... careful, he'll be stronger than he looks."

"He looks pretty strong already," Frank tossed the stinger over by the wall. "But-"

Jones started toward them...

...or rather, toward the corridor behind them. His eyes remained fixed on some distant point, and he looked intent on either pushing through them or walking OVER them to get to it.

Owen spoke his name.

"Jones."

Jones stopped. Blinked. And started walking again.

"What's wrong with him."

"Either he's found something or something's found us. Either way-"

Without warning, Jones charged..

"Got him!" Frank threw himself at Jones' feet while Owen charged. Jones didn't use the sword, which made it easy for Owen to grab his arms and try to wrestle him to the ground. At first contact, Jones' attention diverted from whatever he was sensing to Frank and Owen-

-but it was too late. Frank had tripped him up. Snarling, Jones fell. Owen plied the deadly weapon from his fingers and tossed it out of the way as the three of them went down.

"HOLD HIM!" Owen shouted.

"EASIER SAID THA- OW! FUCKER KICKED ME!"

"Gimmie a sec-"

Owen deftly maneuvered through the flurry of fists and elbows until he had rolled Jones over onto his stomach. Then he perched on Jones' back, thrust his arm under the pinned man's chin, and pulled-

"AAAG!" Jones growled as he slapped, grabbed, and flailed in an attempt to break free. But Owen has successfully pinned him.

"Sleeper hold?" Frank asked as he stood up.

"Something like that," Owen grunted. He pulled harder; it looked like he was trying to bend Jones in half... but Jones kept flailing. "God DAMN he's strong!"

"Man, you're just fulla surprises, ain't ya. Where'd ya pick that up?"

"Just got tired of getting my ass kicked."

"Now what?"

"Now... now THAT!"

Something had found them.

The thing poised at the entrance to the corridor was almost twice the size of a man, but shaped like something no sane man had ever seen. It's bulbous sac-like body was perched atop a quartet of long, spidery legs. Additional pairs of appendages dangled from the sides and bottom of the round torso... no pair resembled any other, an each ended in some sort of claw, blade, or spike. The top half of the torso was completely covered in eyes.

"Fuck."

The thing cautiously into the corridor. More appendages unfolded and emerged from the already crowded underside-

"NAAAAAAAA!" Jones screamed.

"He really wants to kill that thing," Frank said.

"FUCK, I CAN'T HOLD HIM! MAKE IT GO AWAY!"

Frank stepped forward and extended his hand, palm outward. The symbol etched into his flesh pulsed. Frank winced at the pain, but the creature halted its cautious approach.

It rotated slowly, observing the symbol with dozens of eyes before backing away.

It stepped back out into the main corridor-

A large gray shape swept past the opening and vanished... carrying the smaller creature with it. There was a squeal and a crunch... both distant, both coming to a very abrupt end.

Then... nothing.