Chp 8 - Kinda like S(ant)a, only worse
Earth/Europe/Bertotia Kingdom/05_09_2020 (still, ik, it’s been a long day):
Looking around suspiciously, Lieutenant Couture seems to sense that something’s amiss. While he can’t pinpoint the source of his anxiety, he knows it is there. Scanning the many ant corpses littered about the place, then switching to the members of the thinned heard still remaining, he realises what it is.
(Couture): Huh, that’s strange, I could have sworn there were more of the~
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE… Suddenly, a chorus of deafening screeches can be heard… From behind him. While turning around to face the object of his fear, he thinks:
(POV Couture): W-what? Why are there Spiderlings behind us, we set up camp with a brick wall behind us specifically so this wouldn’t happe~
Shooting wide open, his eyes stare, fixed at the roof. Roughly 20 ants are charging, full speed towards them, atop the bungalow. The strangest part to this is that a clear, human silhouette can be seen leading them. Well… being chased by them, anyway.
(Ivan, absolutely terrified): HOOOOOOOOOOOOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!
Throwing himself off the 3m high bungalow, Ivan tumbles towards the ground, screaming all the way. Bracing for impact, he holds his head in his hands, squeezes his eyes shut and grits his teeth with everything ounce of strength he has. Expecting a series of horrific cracking noises as he collides with the small patch of grass in front of the bungalow, he is pleasantly surprised when all he hears is a faint thud and a soft whine…
(POV Ivan): Wait what? A soft whine? Thinking about it, my landing was actually really soft…
Peeling his eyes open proves to be a mistake, as right below him is a face staring straight back up. A stifled scream leaves his lips as he tries desperately not to alert the monster ants to his location. After a second or 2 of terror, he takes a closer look at the face, only to realise that the person he is sat on is unconscious, they just have their eyes open.
(POV Ivan): I see, so I must have flown of the roof, hurtled through the air like a cannon ball, striking this poor person to the floor, knocking them unconscious. W-whoops.
Looking around reveals the current situation. Being the monsters that they are, all 20 or so ants were totally fine with the 3m drop, sustaining no injuries whatsoever. The same cannot be said to the numerous soldiers trapped beneath them, who were unable to react in time, as the ants pounced on them.
(POV Ivan): Hehehehe well, well well. Would you look at that, how the turns have tabled. Wait, tables have tur~
Ivan is suddenly wrenched out of his daydreaming by a sudden horrific thought.
(Ivan): Oh no… If this is what happened to the soldiers, what about Andresia?? God damn it you idiot, you can’t pretend to be badass while saving her if you kill her in the process!!!
Suddenly being grabbed by the hem of his t-shirt, Ivan is pulled away from the bungalow by an unknown figure. Reaching over his shoulder and clutching the hand of his assailant, he spins around to face his enemy. Fortunately, his “enemy” doesn’t view him in the same light.
(Andresia): What’re you doing, we don’t have time to be standing around looking like idiots, so you can stop. Let’s go.
Heaving a deep sigh of relief, Ivan tenses his legs, springing forwards into a run. Only to immediately come to a stand-still.
(Harvey): Oh? Where do you 2 think you’re going? Last time I checked, you’re supposed to be coming with us, princess…
(Ivan): Oh, fuck off!
Tightening his core, planting his feet and swinging his entire upper body, Ivan hurls his fist at the 2nd Lieutenant’s face. Concentrating on Harvey, Andresia realises they’ve made a fatal error. Gently vibrating the surrounding Web, she shouts to her roommate, yearning for him to stop.
(Andresia): Ivan, no, run!!! He’s doing something wei~
However, her cries fall on deaf ears. It isn’t as if Ivan is ignoring the princess, he simply can’t hear her. In fact, not only can he not hear, but his sense of sight has also spontaneously failed him. Only his smell, taste and touch are intact, a fact the 2nd Lieutenant doesn’t fail to exploit, slugging him square in the stomach. Reeling, Ivan stumbles, his lightless eyes shifting back and forth, trying to comprehend his current situation.
(POV Ivan): Shit! What’s going on?! I can’t see, I can’t hear… Ah, I see1no he doesn’t lol, it must be that guy, I’m guessing h~ HUHHHHH!! Oh god, I just got punched. Shit!! What do I do?? If I could only~
Suddenly, a pair of small, smooth hands are placed on his back, granting him sight. Senses flooding back, Ivan almost reels, once again. Barely maintaining his stance, he thanks Andresia before eyeing up the man before him. He’s a similar age to Ivan, perhaps only a year or two older. Compared to Ivan’s rather short frame, he appears huge, towering a whole head-height above. He has smooth, pale skin and a shock of mid-length black hair. His fringe hides one of his eyes, the other gleaming. He holds one fist forward, the other at his side, forearm parallel to the floor. Lips part to show a set of shimmering teeth. His smile twists into a sinister sneer, perhaps out of anguish for his crushed comrades.
(Harvey, jeering): Oh, how nice it is to see you… Ervan, was it? Yeah, I don’t care. You, I’ll show you th~
(Ivan): Urgggghhh, Andresia, could you just take your hands off my back and let this guy deafen me again, so I don’t have to hear this bull?
(Andresia): As much as I’d love to stand here talking about how much of a creep this guy is, we should really get going.
Harvey’s face visibly reddens, his sneer contorting into a scowl. Anger pours out of every fibre of his being.
(Harvey, seething): You know what, fuck you. I’ll show you the cost of my friends’ lives, a debt I’ll be more than happy to help you clear.
Ending his spiel, the 2nd Lieutenant swings his leg across his body, his foot colliding with the side of Ivan’s head. Ivan, unprepared, tumbles away from the princess, once again blinding him. Having his wish come true2Refering to when Ivan asked to be deafened, Ivan curses (not that he can hear it).
(POV Ivan): Well, how am I gonna deal with this one then?
This chapter, we're talking about one of the most well-known vegetables: POTATOESSSSS
Fact: Potatoes are important! In the US, "potato products are the second most consumed food overall" (tbf, this came from a potentially dodgy website, so I wouldn't trust it).
But think about the versatility of these beautiful spuds, you can have (btw I'm British, so the American "chips" are crisps and "fries" are usually called chips): crisps, chips, jacket, new, roast, mashed etc.