The upper reaches of the canyon crawled. Moonlight glistened off scaled segments. Lanky chitin legs skittered across rough sandstone. Antennae wriggled within a hissing pile of centipedes climbing over each other. They ranged in size from barely a foot long and a few inches thick to twice the length of the average adult human and thicker than a study tree trunk. Polished red fangs dripped venom.

A cat-sized desert beetle awoke from its slumber as the hissing clatter approached. It flexed its wings open with a hysterical buzz as glistening incisors clamped, pinched holes in the thin armor, then shred it open with inner teeth. The beetle’s abdomen split with a burst of juices. Compound eyes glowed red as the centipede feasted.

Rats, beetles, lizards, hares, roaches, scorpions, nothing escaped the feeding frenzy. The horde flowed over the stairs of the canyon city like a wave. They pushed out of the darkest corners. They lurked from the deep halls. The deep crevices of the canyon let loose crumbling stones as they crept out of their murky caves. A deep, low, slow bass clicking followed their movements. They massed in search of their promised feast.

Nadia rolled over her sleeping mat. The blanket held snugly around her body. The flickering torch did little to warm cold night air. Feet rubbed together with Awlena’s to keep warm as their blankets pressed against each other. Their foreheads touched. Hands tucked against her chest as Nadia soaked Awlena’s calming warmth. She mumbled.

“Marry him? … no… shut up dad. I'll ... Jody. Sorry. I failed.”

Glowing red eyes peered into the room. Glistening hungrily. The centipede coiled over the arch of the door way with a creeping click. It clung to the ceiling while moving in curves. Its crimson head bumped into the top of the wall. Then it quietly crept with a series of slow clicks and hisses. It crawled down the wall to tilt its head between the pots, where it watched still for a moment while long antennae flicked up and down to taste the scent of human. The appendage pushed a narrow pot over. It clattered as it rolled to Nadia’s feet. The centipede hissed at the noise as another big one crawled in from the top of the window while centipedes of various sizes flowed through the door.

Hearing the commotion of hissing, clicking, and clattering caused Nadia to stir. She quietly reached for the sword Dew had told her to keep nearby. Hand gripped the hilt as she rolled to her knees sleepily. The blanket tumbled off her body. Bare toes pressed the mat as her feet curled. The cargo shorts and sleeveless shirt she’s grabbed earlier were still on. Her eyes scanned for the source of a clicking sound, but it came from multiple directions.

Her senses roused quickly as she heard Vestor scream from the room next door. Nadia shook Awlena awake by kicking her hip not so gently with her foot. Awlena pushed her backside up with a moan while rubbing her eyes. The brown, black, and red moving segments of giant centipedes covered ever more of the wall. A dying torch reflected their squirming.

“Grab your sword and get behind me.”

On seeing the moving segments and hearing the low clicks, Awlena scrambled to her feet. White shirt and shorts clung loosely on her slender frame. Her shirt curled outwards at the bottom. Bare feet pressed into the mat. Awlena grabbed her sword with her left hand and wobbled a little bit to stand. Tiny muscles on her slender arms tensed as she held her sword rigidly like a warrior statue. Her back pressed against Nadia’s. A massive centipede crawled down the wall facing Awlena and hissed in her face.

Another squeezed through the top of the doorway. It was so fat its segments scraped the stone arches. It ran across the ceiling in circles with a burst of speed. Awlena jumped with a scream as she felt it brush the top of her head. Yet another came from the doorway and slithered across toward their feet. Nadia swung her sword at it but it simply dodged back as it hissed. Yet another centipede wriggled its antennae as it rested along the bottom corner of the east wall.

Dew shouted commands outside, though the sounds increasingly muffled as the door clogged with centipedes swarming inside to enclose their prizes. Tremoring shook Nadia’s back as Awlena gasped for air. Tears streamed down her face followed by loud sobbing. Nadia glanced back to see her companion could barely hold her sword. Her knees knocked; body shivered with erratic vibration as her heart raced. Nadia had to steady herself and take a deep breath to keep centered. Warmth diminished as Awlena paled.

“Brother! Help us! I don’t want to die!”

One after another, the centipedes pushed inside. The walls became scales. They only avoided the center of the room because of Nadia’s threatening sword. Even the torch barely bothered them. Nadia broke out in a cold sweat as she gripped her sword. Awlena’s trembling became contagious.

It was going to end here. They were going to be eaten.

No! Nadia squinted and set her stance. But which direction to attack? Could she even get through the door? How many were behind the ones pushing inside? Attacking would put Awlena at risk, but she needed to clear the door. She tried to step forward to attack but Awlena scurried and fell backwards against her back. Nadia almost tripped into venomous pincers wriggling from the ceiling.

“Stand firm, don’t fall back against me, just stand exactly where you are and don’t move, okay?”

A trembling nod followed soft sobbing. Awlena pressed her eyes shut and saw visions of the blood geysers. She saw her mother gripping a wound through dampened robes. When Nadia moved forward to attack, Awlena stumbled backwards and knocked her off balance again. Bare feet scratched across the dusty floor to save them both from falling.

Awlena’s shaking sword found its point digging into the stone, while the grip pressed into her navel. She heaved as she sobbed. The walls swirled angrily with segments, fangs, eyes, and sharp prickling legs. Only a single torch and a circle around the sleeping mats remaining clear. The sounds of the men yelling came muffled from behind the doorway.

“Help us! We’re trapped in here!” Nadia yelled at the top of her cracking voice.

Centipedes attacked.

Four at once from all sides. They scratched Nadia’s shoulder but raced past her. Nadia raised her sword out and pushed Awlena’s head down. A chitin leg scratched her arm before she twirled a full circle while swinging her blade. A head creaked. The centipede thrashed wildly. Nadia pushed it away with her sword but the head fell in front Awlena’s knees. She screamed and bashed the severed part as it hissed at her. The other centipedes pulled back, but had taken less vital wounds.

Violet fluids gave the room and acrid scent. Breathing it produced a burning sensation in the throat and lungs. Worse, the wounds didn’t slow the centipedes. Aside from the headless centipede thrashing about as it retreated to the back room, the other three wounded insects scurried in twirls over the ceiling before diving at Awlena. Nadia curled an arm around their choosen prey and carried her so the centipedes wouldn’t clutch her by the head.

They both coughed, the noxious fumes from the violet blood slowed Nadia’s movements and made her feel heavier with every breath. Awlena curled into a heavy ball before dropping her sword.

Nadia felt a flash, a vision of Sanguin hugging her. If only. The barrier they’d produced had infused to her. It became a part of her magic’s wavelength imbued with Sanguin’s desire to protect the one he loved. Nadia tossed her sword. The blade pierced the body of the fattest centipede. It hit so hard that the tip poked through the chitin plates and pierced stone deeply enough to pin it against the wall. In its frenzy to escape, it attacked other centipedes that came too close.

“I’m going to put you down. Trust me.”

Awlena thrashed, “No, no! Don’t! I don’t want to die!”

But she went limp after her feet touched the ground. Body collapsed to curl into a sobbing ball awaiting the inevitable feast. Nadia extended her hands and held her palms out. An energy with a light blue glow extended from her palms.

The fangs of the insects pushed back. Their bodies pressed against the wall as they continued crawling. Heads struck the barrier and were knocked back. The attacking centipedes fell on their backs. They twirled themselves upright before crawling back up the wall. One with dripping red pincers bit into the barrier with venom dripping over the energy field.

A sudden piercing wound popped through the soft skin of Nadia’s palm near the thumb. She winced but continued holding her arms out as she knelt on one knee over her friend.

Nadia scanned. Her sword still pinned the largest centipede, which twirled violently as it bled viscous toxic liquid that steamed an acrid killing odor across the floor. Centipedes nearby thrashed in a frenzy. They smashed their fangs against the barrier only to get thrown back against the wall.

Nadia bled some more as skin burst. In a ball, Awlena clutched her stomach and heaved with a coughing fit. The poisoned air hung heavily. Her body trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks. She gasped to suck in gulps of centipede miasma. Nadia cried, her tears dripping on Awlena’s cheeks.

A stream of tears dripped toward Awlena’s thin lips as a gentle trembling whisper caressed her ear.

“I know you’ve been working hard. You’ve been trying very hard to be strong like your brother. It’s okay to be afraid, but I need you to be strong for me right now. First, I need you to stand up and stop breathing in this poison. It’s okay, I’m holding them back. Can you stand up for me?”

Awlena nodded. Slowly, with a heavy fit of coughing, she pushed herself to stand. Nadia’s hands and arms dripped red with cuts. A centipede headbutt the barrier. Nadia doubled over slightly as it felt like a stone had been pitched against her stomach. Her hands pushed out all the more forcefully to squeeze the insects between her barrier and the wall for a moment.

“Do you trust me?”

Awlena nodded tearfully as her nose dripped.