"We need to go!!" Zach jumped, leading Stryker and Austin down the narrow tunnel.
Though Austin hadn't figured out where they were going, and the barely audible creaking of metal on metal noises around him, told Austin that the Labyrinth was moving, changing, Zachary seemed to know where he was going. "There's an opening up ahead that doesn't change with the Labyrinth, and the Annihilators don't come around it. We'll be safest there."
"What about Atlanna and Trevor?" Austin began questioning if his actions of hiding the duo were in vain or not. "If an Annihilator comes back to finish what they started or worse…."
Though Austin hadn't verbalized it, he knew they knew what he was talking about. The Annihilators weren't the only things that roamed the tunnels; and the Savagers were cannibals, he's heard.
"Austin, just keep running, and focus. Your intuition is your greatest asset, right? Trust it," Stryker said, whispering that last part so that Zach didn't hear it. "And you instincts were right; we could only hide them — they'd have slowed us down sadly. Besides, Savages don't typically go near the North Gate. that's Annihilator territory."
The relief of the boy's words was a fleeting one, as the concern he felt for Trevor and Atlanna was evenned out with worry for Zachary, Stryker and himself. "How much further, Zach?"
"Until we reach the Alcove? The space that doesn't move like the rest of the Labyrinth won't be seen for another mile," Zachery answered, causing Austin to wonder just how vast the Labyrinth really was. He wasn't worried about the distance per se, as he was what was following them, according to the constant screeches and animalistic noises that that seemed to get louder, no matter how fast they went. "We should make it by 1 if we hurry up and not get attacked by—."
Just as a crossroads of three tunnels opened up ahead, another screeching sound sounded from behind them, only this one consisted of multiple sources by the multitude of screeching Austin heard from all around them. 'Looks like that Annihilator called his friends,' Austin thought to himself.
"They seemed closer now," Austin noted.
"That's because they are," Zach snarled, through clenched teeth. "These sneaky bastards are hunting us like animals — They have us surrounded."
"Zachery, behind you!" Stryker alerted them to something hidden in the shadows behind them.
And it was at that moment that Austin saw it — The first blur of motion in the darkness that surrounded the three of them. It was too fast for Austin to get a good look right off the bat, but he knew it was there when even Zachery gasped, as the figure — figures, actually[there were more than one] — came into view.
They were the size of a 12 foot tall bear, shaped like a big cat and predator, made of grey steel, with sabertooth-like fangs made of the same silvery steel as their razor sharp, two rows of teeth the size of dagger; all razor sharp, all deadly. Their two sabertooth teeth had yellow liquid dripping from inside them, which Austin guess to be some kind of venom, which was terrifying, but, even the thought of getting bitten by the teeth that weren't venomous terrified him.
Worse yet was the acidic-smelling, green liquid that coated the predator's claws like poison. These claws were the size of bear claws, sharp and deadly. They had the body of a big cat, the gaze of a predator, the venom of a serpent, the poison of a killer and the growl that sounded like the growl of a predator and a click, click, click sound.
Austin was frozen in place, fear paralysing his body from making any moves. Austin knew whatever this thing was, it wasn't natural. He didn't know how he could tell, considering his memory was pretty much sealed. But he knew these monsters — these things — weren't natural; they were man-made. Facing them, he finally understood the meaning of true fear.
Striker, who had recovered first, stepped infront of his two comrades, unsheathing a rusty, silver swords. Zach, who followed Stryker's lead, pulled out two weapons: 1 sword even rustier than Stryker's, and a long dagger as silver as the silver it was made from. He handed the long dagger to Austin, who had just come out of his stupor.
Shakily, Austin took the dagger, grasping it in his hand, unable to think about how he'd use it to defend himself against 3 Annihilators, two of which snuck up behind them from the other two tunnel corridors. "What do we do?"
"There's only 3 Annihilators," Stryker said, trying to sound optimistic, but failing miserably. "We've got to survive. We can't die here, newbie. The other Meadowers don't know about Alyssa nor Trevor. They'll be more vulnerable to Annihilators and Savagers if we die. So we fight."
"Yes," Zach temsed, as he took fighting stance. "My sister and Trevor — their lives depend on us right here, right now. I'm with you, Stryker."
Austin felt a little less scared and more inspired by these two's selflessness, but even that inspiration was like the elephant in the room in their situation. It was an impossible one, but still one that Austin felt he'd go down fighting to overcome.
Before he could chicken out, he managed to croak out "For our friends," and, as if given the order to attack via his very own words, the three boys each choose their Annihilator of choice before charging it, just as the beasts charged them.