Sara leaned in close to Ethan, her voice low and tight like a steel wire stretched to the breaking point. "Are you insane? Stealing weapons right in front of a swarm of man-eating ants?"
Her eyes flicked toward the shadows ahead, where massive soldier ants moved with a slow, ominous rhythm. The air reeked of acidic decay—a choking, corrosive stench that clung to the skin.
Ethan only gave a small shake of the head, his voice eerily calm. "If I were insane, I wouldn't realize how badly we need those weapons."
He paused, gaze sharpening into a hard edge. "Think back to the area we just passed. Bones—picked clean. That wasn't a warning. It was a preview. Without weapons, how do we survive? Fight them off barehanded? Maybe you could take down one. But ten? A hundred? Thousands? Don't forget—this is their hive."
Sara was momentarily speechless. Ethan had a point, and a brutal one. But her pride resisted surrender. She bit her lip, eyes flashing with conflicted fear and frustration. "But storming in now, grabbing weapons under the Queen Ant's nose—that's suicide. If it comes to that, maybe it's better to do nothing. At least then we buy a little more time."
"I'm not talking about suicide," Ethan said, voice like a drawn blade. "The Queen is huge. She moves slowly. It's her guards we need to avoid."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Sara's whisper grew sharper, laced with doubt.
Ethan looked at her steadily. "I've watched them. These ants move at about the same speed as a grown man running. If one person draws their attention, the rest can slip around and grab the weapons. If you're fast enough, you'll make it out alive."
His eyes flicked between his two companions. "So… who's the fastest runner?"
Silence. The air felt heavy, as if even sound feared to stir. The memory of gleaming mandibles and chitinous limbs hovered behind their backs like death's shadow.
Ethan opened his mouth, ready to volunteer himself—when a calm, confident voice cut in.
"I'll do it."
Lukas stepped forward, the corner of his mouth lifting in a crooked smile. "I'm not just bragging—I actually won a marathon once."
His tone was light, but his eyes burned with razor-sharp resolve.
The three of them quickly hashed out a plan, then silently crept toward the edge of the cavern. The massive chamber stretched into darkness, thick with the earthy stench of wet soil and death. A soft, rhythmic clicking echoed from within—dozens, maybe hundreds, of insect limbs scraping rock.
Ethan's eyes caught movement—seven or eight ants hauling pale larvae into a side tunnel. His mind snapped to attention. Now. Fewer guards.
He gave Lukas a nod.
Lukas launched forward from cover. A second later, his roar shattered the oppressive silence.
"Come on, you ugly bastards!"
He jumped and waved his arms from about fifteen meters away, taunting the ants. Instantly, their antennae twitched. The nearest ones turned, then the rest. Dozens of eyes locked on him. Then they surged forward, antennae raised like whips glistening in the darkness.
Lukas turned and sprinted. His footsteps barely touched the ground. His breath pounded in his chest, but his stride remained smooth, accelerating with every second.
Ethan waited until the bulk of the swarm had locked onto Lukas, then gave Sara a sharp signal. The two bolted from hiding, shadows among shadows, dashing toward the scattered cache of weapons.
The battlefield was littered with debris—shattered knives, scorched rifles, half-devoured corpses. The air was thick with the scent of dried blood and burnt resin.
Ethan scanned quickly—then froze.
There it was.
A weapon lay nestled among broken stones. Entirely black, it looked more like a dormant beast than a gun. The barrel was thick and flared at the end like a flame nozzle. Vents lined the sides, glowing faintly with orange light—like something alive, something smoldering. Below, a translucent magazine held a slow, syrupy red fluid—something no ordinary firearm would ever use.
Ethan's instincts flared. This is it. A weapon built to kill these monsters.
He reached for it—when Sara shouted, "Watch out!"
Pure reflex took over. He dove into a forward roll.
CRACK!
The ground where he'd just stood exploded as a spear-like appendage slammed down—piercing the earth like a jackhammer.
Ethan looked up—cold dread crawling up his spine.
The Ant Queen.
Towering and grotesque, her mandibles opened slowly. The glistening, whip-like proboscis she'd just attacked with retracted with a wet hiss. Ethan didn't wait. He snatched up the special weapon and an assault rifle and ran, lungs burning, away from her.
As he fled, he glanced toward Lukas. True to his word, the man was still running rings around the cavern, dragging dozens of ants behind him like a deadly parade.
But then—a shadow shifted.
One ant had silently scaled the wall, then leapt just as Lukas passed beneath it.
It landed in front of him, mandibles snapping.
Lukas twisted with a runner's grace, pivoting at full speed and skirting past the ambush—but it had cost him precious seconds. Another ant closed in from behind, massive forelegs raised for a killing blow.
BANG!
A shot tore through the air. The ant's limb exploded in a spray of yellow ichor, and it collapsed in a heap.
Lukas glanced toward the source of the shot.
Sara. Rifle raised, jaw clenched.
"Fall back!" she yelled.
Lukas didn't hesitate. He pivoted and made a beeline for the tunnel.
Ethan was already at the entrance, that strange black gun steady in his arms, scanning through the scope. His hands were rock-steady, but his heart thundered like a war drum.
Lukas was close now. But so were the ants.
Ethan pulled the trigger.
FWOOM!
The weapon spat a fireball the size of a basketball. It hit the nearest ant dead center. The creature swelled—then burst into hellfire. Blue and red flames licked out of its seams as it screeched and thrashed, igniting the ants around it.
In seconds, four or five ants were engulfed, writhing and crashing into one another.
The rest stopped. Confused. Afraid.
It was all the window they needed.
"Go!" Ethan barked, and the three of them bolted.
They sprinted back the way they came. What had taken twenty minutes before now took only ten.
At a junction, Ethan veered into a wider tunnel. This one was spacious enough for the three of them to run side by side. The air here was cooler, moister—smelling less of death and more of damp earth.
After another ten minutes, Ethan finally called a halt.
"God… I'm gonna pass out," Lukas gasped, collapsing to the floor. His legs gave out beneath him like jelly.
Sara slumped against the wall, face pale, laying down her rifles and a long blade with trembling fingers.
Ethan scanned the area. Safe. For now.
He sat beside them, weapons laid nearby, sweat running down his face. But his eyes remained sharp. Calm. Focused.
"We got the weapons," he said, exhaling hard.