It was clear that the things living here didn’t want to be disturbed. Mesu was panting as Tai, Anna, and she ran down the corridor and hid at a dead end. It was hard to see down here, and they counted on the dim light of torches scattered along passages. The monsters they encountered weren’t as blind. It felt like they could see into total darkness.
The creatures were shorter than her, and the tunnels matched their height. Mesu sat against a wall and took the time to stretch out as best she could. The creatures were half her size but fragile. She had to shake the thought out of her head again that they were like her. Everything from their face to their arms and legs were where they should be. Their words and cries were harsh and sounded angry. They appeared to have grey skin and white hair. Their eyes haunted Mesu the most as they were a pale yellow that contained no pupil or iris.
Tai urged them to move again. Mesu stopped herself from groaning as she didn’t want to be the one to give away their position. A few more hallways, and they were clear to rest again. She was completely lost and counting on Tai to get them through this. Mesu kneeled and waited. Her body was sore, and she could feel cuts burning all over. The creatures’ weapons were primitive, with some resorting to throwing rocks.
It was hard to tell how long they had been down here or where there was an exit. Mesu saw Tai look back at Anna and herself. She could tell that Tai was gauging how the situation was being handled. Something must have worried her as Tai sat down and signaled for the others to join her. Some food scraps and water skins were handed out. Mesu took a drink and realized how parched she was from this. She passed the water to Anna and took a bite of her food.
“We should be close to a way out. All the paths we are taking are leading uphill. Once I have you two out, I can come back and find the rest.” Tai spoke in hushed tones. The crackling fire of the nearest torch was almost covering her words. Mesu nodded along with Anna. She had almost forgotten how they got split up in the first place. She cursed Em silently.
Em had gone ahead and disappeared. The group arrived at a room where a large beast was waiting. Mesu had pegged it as a cross between a human and a bull. The thing stood on two hooved feet and was topped off with twisted horns. Anna had called it a minotaur after Tai, and she had a moment to regroup. The exit was blocked off by the smaller creatures, and Mesu, Tai, and Anna ran through another passage. Zoe and Russ were taking on the beast that Mesu had seen. She prayed that they were still alive.
“You two have done great. Keep this up and be ready for anything. Our priority is survival and escaping. Don’t be heroes.” With those words, Tai took a drink of water and got back to a knee. This time, Mesu couldn’t help but let out a slight grunt as she got up. The water was tucked away, and they were on the move again. It was slowed as some noise came from a side hallway.
The voices were close. Mesu wasn’t sure if they were yelling at each other or just talking. Another voice broke through, taking all three by surprise.
“Bout you just let me go, and I’ll give you back the shinies I took.” Em sounded confident but battered. Tai forced a stop. They all listened as the unknown language continued with no regard for Em’s words. He let out a grunt as the crack of wood on skin came through the hall. Tai found a rock at her feet and picked it up. She threw down the hall with all her might. It took time, but it hit the ground, and the halls were silent. The next sound was feet dragging along the ground away from their position.
Mesu followed Tai as they tracked down their captured member. They approached the dragging as figures came into the light of a torch. Tai moved ahead at a fast pace that Anna and Mesu weren’t ready for. They both struggled to catch up as a wave of the cave creatures came towards them.
“Run! Go back!” Tai was already slicing in the darkness and cutting down figures. Mesu turned to run with Anna. One arm wrapped around Mesu as the other covered her mouth.
“Now, now, girlie. Don’t scream, you know these things don’t like that.” Em’s voice was barely audible over the battle behind them. Anna turned at the sound of the struggle and locked eyes with Mesu. They could see the terror in each other as something had gone horribly wrong.
“You stay there, blondie. Say bye to your friend if you want to now. Last chance you got.” Em pulled on Mesu, moving her back to the sidewall. Anna grabbed for one of the arrows at her belt. The hand around Mesu’s stomach left for a second. She could see an object fly through the torchlight. Anna yelled out and fell back.
Tai ran past Em and Mesu as they entered a side cave that was pitch black. Mesu could hear the shuffling of feet as they cut off the hallway and rushed to her group. Em turned them around and started leading Mesu down the corridor. They turned left and kept walking.
“You, my girl, are worth a pretty penny on the dark market. Seems someone wants you alive and willing to pay highly for it.” Mesu tried to fight out of his grip. It caused a momentary pause, but Mesu was not strong enough to keep it up. “They said alive, didn’t say whole, girlie. I’ve stabbed people for less.” They pushed on through a few more halls and were at an exit. It seemed like a short time for Mesu as everything was now moving at a lightning speed.
One horse was tied off at the exit of the catacombs. Em guided them over to it and looked to be assessing his own situation. His hands on Mesu made her skin crawl. She watched as he tried to figure it out and knew it was her chance. Mesu bit his hand and broke into a sprint. She focused on just getting away. Her whole body burned from lack of rest and the physical exertion.
The pain hit throughout her whole body. It was there one instant. Mesu’s world then went black.o Em, he had embarrassed her. Zoe shook her head at Mesu as she had witnessed most of them. Mesu hoped for the day she would come out on top.