But the beast wasn't just sitting still. It was already charging toward him, thundering across the ground with terrifying speed. Kyle's heart jumped into his throat, but his legs moved before his brain caught up. He dashed forward, running directly toward the creature.
The beast leapt into the air, fangs bared, spikes twitching, an apex predator mid-flight.
And Kyle dropped to his knees.
He skidded across the dirt, bracing his arms and legs as he slid directly under the beast's belly. He barely scraped past the creature, dirt and wind roaring in his ears. But he looked up for a moment, just a second and saw something.
Under the belly of the creature, near the center, was a small glowing patch. Faint, but different from the armored scales around it. He had no idea what it was, but something told him that mattered.
He didn't have time to think about it. The beast was already landing behind him with a crash.
Kyle rolled hard across the ground, smacking his arm against the dirt as he dove for the spear. His hand wrapped around it just in time.
"We go again," he muttered.
His knuckles whitened as he gripped the spear tightly. There was no backing down. Not now.
He faced the beast, breathing heavily. Its body tensed, and it skittered a few paces side to side. It was searching for him again.
Kyle stood still. Not a single footstep. No movement. Not even a breath louder than a whisper.
The beast stopped. Its spikes rose slightly. Its entire frame vibrated, ever so subtly. Like a machine scanning for sound.
Kyle's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, everything clicked.
The creature didn't see.
It sensed.
Not sight. Not smell.
Vibration.
Movement.
It relied entirely on that to know where its prey was.
Kyle swallowed hard, but a new light gleamed in his eyes. A spark that hadn't been there before. He had a plan now. It was risky. Insane, even. But it was better than swinging wildly and hoping it dropped dead.
He pressed the spear lightly to the ground to keep balance but didn't move his feet. He waited.
The creature hesitated, confused by the silence.
And then Kyle whispered, so softly that only he could hear it:
"Welcome to my world."
Kyle suddenly smacked the shaft of the spear against the wall and immediately stepped back, careful not to make another sound. The sharp crack echoed in the tunnel like a starter's pistol, and the spider-like beast spun toward it with terrifying speed. Its movements were too fluid for something so large, and it hurled itself straight at the point of impact.
But it found nothing there. Just the rough, grey surface of the cave wall.
BAM!
The creature crashed into the wall with a loud, fleshy thud, chunks of dust and rock falling around its legs. That was Kyle's moment.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and drove the spear into the side of the beast's torso. The wooden tip cracked a bit, but it dug in enough to make the creature let out another one of its horrible, guttural screeches. Kyle didn't wait to see if it was effective. He yanked the spear free and rolled out of the way as the beast spun, its legs lashing out wildly.
He needed to keep moving. Needed to stay alive.
"Alright," Kyle breathed, backing away into the shadows again. "This is working."
He smashed the spear against a pile of loose rocks this time and scurried sideways. Again, the beast lunged, confused by the source of the sound. It collided with a pillar of stone, splintering part of it, and stumbled.
Kyle moved in again. Another stab, this time into one of its hind legs. He had learned now—don't aim for its thick armored carapace. Go for the joints. Go for where it flexes.
It screeched louder this time and spun wildly in place, its back legs kicking at the empty air.
Two hits in. Not bad.
He crouched and crawled backward, wiped sweat off his brow. He was bleeding, scraped up from earlier, ribs aching from the impact when he had been flung beside Lana. But adrenaline kept him standing.
One more time.
He smacked the flat side of the spear on the metal piece of his boot. The click echoed differently, sharper. The beast paused, tilted its head, then bolted again, but Kyle had already repositioned himself to the side. As the monster slammed into another rock formation, he ran at it and plunged the spear under its leg. This time, he hit something important. Black ichor sprayed out, warm and sticky against his face.
"Yes!" Kyle shouted, pulling the spear back.
But something shifted.
The beast suddenly stopped moving. It didn't charge. It didn't screech. It just stood there.
Kyle froze too, narrowing his eyes.
The creature tilted its head. Its body rippled unnaturally, legs twitching. Something about the way it moved… it wasn't random anymore. It was deliberate.
"Oh no…" Kyle muttered.
The monster suddenly raised its body off the ground and let out a low clicking hum. The sound vibrated against the walls like sonar.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Kyle said.
It had started mapping its surroundings. It was figuring out where Kyle wasn't, which meant it could isolate where he was.
Then it leapt.
Kyle barely rolled out of the way in time, landing hard on his back. Before he could scramble up, the beast was already in front of him. One leg lashed out and smashed him into the wall.
His head rang like a bell.
He coughed hard, tasting iron. His vision doubled for a moment. "Aren't these things supposed to be dumb!?" he spat, dragging himself up.
Another strike. He flew through the air and rolled along the ground like a ragdoll, the spear tumbling out of his hand. He reached for it, but a sharp jab caught him in the ribs, sending him spinning again.
The pain was unreal. Every movement sent jolts of agony through his chest. The beast towered over him now, positioning itself as if lining up a final shot.
The barbs on its back rattled.
It was going to shoot. It was going to impale him.
Kyle groaned, trying to lift an arm in defense. It was pointless. The spikes were already aiming, the beast screeching triumphantly.
And then,
CRACK!
A stone whizzed through the air and slammed into the side of the beast's head.
"Come here, fucker!" Lana shouted from behind.
The beast's entire body jerked in surprise, and its head snapped toward her voice.
To be continued…