We ran.
Roots and stones blurred beneath my feet. Water splashed with every step. Behind us, the crawlers surged forward in a wave of chitin and clicking mandibles.
I could hear them gaining. The splash of too many legs churning through water. The hungry clicks growing louder.
"Almost there!" Belle's voice carried a note of desperation.
Twenty meters to the portal. Fifteen. Ten.
Something grabbed my ankle. I looked down to see a pale tendril wrapped around my boot, yanking me backward.
"Fuck!" I twisted, trying to keep my balance. Wave Motion erupted from my palm, blasting the tendril to pieces. I stumbled forward, nearly falling.
"Jace!" Naomi reached back, grabbing my hand. She pulled, helping me regain momentum.
The crawlers were right behind us now. I could smell them—a nauseating mix of rot and chemicals.
Five meters.
"Go!" Misato shoved Jordan through the portal first. He disappeared with a yelp. Belle followed, clutching our core haul to her chest. Naomi hesitated.
