'How many legs do they have anyway? Ten?' James muttered as they had escaped the second spider.

  'More like twelve,' Bill commented.

  'That's way more than they need.'

  Olivia laughed, then she quickly looked around as if to make sure nothing was creeping up on them.

  James tried to recall the way back, but it was impossible. Bill didn't hesitate however, so James assumed he knew where they were going.

  Bill stopped with a curse. The way was blocked.

  'Maybe should have gone left after all.'

  James glanced back. He had no clue.

  Olivia nodded. 'I thought about it earlier, but I wasn't sure.'

  'I thought you guys knew the way,' James said, trying to keep accusation out of his voice. It wasn't as if he was helping in this case.

  'I know the general direction,' Bill answered.

  'Let's hurry. I don't wanna be lost in here. If we're too late to the shuttle...'

  'Yeah, no thank you,' Rich agreed.

  Olivia and Rich took the lead as they backtracked and picked a new route. They must have also gone the wrong way as soon, they came to an unexplored area, full of scrap.

  'Oh wow,' Rich said and happily started picking things up.

  'We hit the mother load,' Bill said. 'Everyone, get as much as you can. This is great.'

  James agreed, this was great. Apart from the being lost bit. Picking various bits of scrap, and scanning for their worth, his skin suddenly prickled. Shivering, he looked around. A faint shuffle from a doorway.

  'Guys. I think we've got company.'

  Everyone got on high alert in seconds, shovels raised and flashlights sweeping the room. Nothing.

  'Fuck. What was it?' Bill asked.

  'Not sure. I didn't see it,' James admitted. But what would run away and hide when you looked towards it? Only one thing they'd met so far did that. Shit. 'I think we should leave.'

  'Yes, we don't wanna tangle with that one,' Rich agreed.

  'What was it?' Olivia, lowered her shovel.

  'The shadow man, possibly,' James said, sweating in the suit. He hated them. Seven Seas, he hated all the monsters.

  They filed out of the room, and hurried down the corridor when something ahead moved. Olivia yelled. Then they stopped.

  'It's okay, buddy. It's okay. Here, take this,' Rich said and James immediately knew what it was.

  Drawing a deep breath of relief, he relaxed. Only a loot-bug.

  'There you go. Now let us pass. Thank you, buddy.'

  They moved forward again, and as they passed an intersection, James spotted not one, but two loot-bugs watching them from the side.

  'You stay over there,' he muttered, grabbing the shovel hard. He'd been bitten and knew they could kill you if you weren't careful. He wouldn't go so far as to trust them. Though, relatively speaking, he supposed they were pretty nice. Maybe Rich had been around for so long he saw them as little cute pets compared to everything else. James snorted.

  Something ahead thumped and they all stopped, staying still and quiet in the dark. James' breaths sounded loud in his ears, the helmet and visor suddenly oppressive. A few more thumps came from ahead, moving away from them.

  'It's leaving. Let's go,' Rich whispered.

  James and the rest followed. Walking quietly they suddenly spotted familiar places. A broken pipe here, a wet stain on the floor there, a flickering light, and opened doors.

  'We've been through here!' Olivia exclaimed. 'We're going the right way.'

  'Finally,' James said and smiled.

  Then something came out ahead of them. A long, pink shape, like a large lizard.

  'Thumper!' James shouted.

  Olivia back-pedalled, Bill vanished around a corner, Rich and James stood frozen in the middle of the corridor, shovels ready.

  The creature moved towards them, and James swallowed. They were doomed. There was no place to get up from the floor here. They'd get... He paused his train of thought. Did the thumper look smaller? In the flickering light ahead, the creature moved forward, it's odd round tail bumping the floor, it's wide mouth oddly round. Was it a thumper?

  The creature spotted them, and halted with a pig-like grunt. It scuttled sideways, making several grunting noises.

  'What the...?' James asked aloud.

  'Oh! I've seen those before,' Rich said then, lowering his shovel.

  'They're safe?' It was the only thing James cared to know.

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  'I think so.'

  'Bill?' James asked.

  Bill and Olivia peeked out from the shadows, like some weird creeps.

  'Oh,' was all Bill said as he stepped out.

  'Oh? That's it? What IS that thing?' James demanded. Then, since it appeared to be relatively harmless, he approached it. 'Shoo, go away!' He made a half-hearted swing at it with his shovel.

  The creature, while being pretty big, didn't seem interested in fighting. It backed off, grunting and growling. Then, the thing did something and James jumped back. The whole corridor filled with a pink, thick cloud.

  'Oh shit!' Rich dropped the shovel.

  'What?' James tensed, not sure what to do. He could barely see. The pink mist obscured his vision. An odd smell came in through the filters. He hoped it wasn't dangerous.

  Backing off, he exited the cloud, and came to stand by Bill and Olivia. Rich stumbled out a moment later, coughing and hacking, holding his left forearm with his right. Was something wrong?

  'You alright? Did it hurt you?' Olivia asked, and hurried to his side.

  Rich coughed some more before replying, 'My suit.'

  'What about it?' Olivia checked on him, but James kept his eyes on the pink cloud behind them. In case the monster came back out of it. But he was beginning to suspect that it worked like an octopus' ink. A defence mechanism to hide its escape. He hoped.

  'My suit is ripped,' Rich rasped between coughs.

  'Oh shit, you're right. You're getting all the punishments today, eh?'

  'Yeah.'

  James glanced back. The corridor behind them were still dark and empty. Good.

  'Let's wait for the cloud to dissipate, then we push onward,' Bill said. 'The spores are harmful, but not deadly, I believe. We need to hurry.'

  'Yeah,' James agreed. 'I'm worried about the time.'

  'Me too,' he agreed.

  'I'm worried about me,' Rich grunted, irritation lacing his words.

  'Me too,' Bill agreed.' That's why we're waiting.'

  Rich nodded, then had another coughing fit.

  Soon, they were moving again, hurrying towards the exit. James felt exhaustion weigh down over him, but he refused to let it show. He forced himself to walk at a brisk pace, keeping at the front with Bill and Olivia behind him. Rich followed in the back. James wouldn't let this place get to him. He would get back to Gordion, and he'd make another try to escape the Company. Or find out more about them. He owed it to Rebecca. His breathing was heavy, and sweat ran down his face. He wished he could remove the helmet. But he didn't dare to.

  'To the left,' Bill instructed him.

  James nodded. He recognized the place, so he didn't really need Bill's directions anymore to his great relief. But he didn't mind being reassured.

  Soon, the doors out stood before them. They let out a collective cheer. James pushed the heavy door open and peeked out.

  Outside, rain poured and thunder rumbled. The trees ahead lit up in sharp white for a second, followed by an ear-splitting bang.

  'Holy...' James breathed. 'Guys, it's a full on storm out there. We gotta be careful.'

  'Great,' Bill snorted.

  'Oh no. I hate storms. I hoped I'd get a break from those away from home.'

  James nodded. Rain and thunder was nothing new to anyone from Gordion. It was the norm there. But this seemed unusually violent regardless.

  'Well, we've got a ship to catch. Let's go.' Rich pushed past James and went out into the downpour. The rain bounced from Rich's helmet and shoulders, surrounding him in a halo of mist.

  James followed. The rain beat down so hard it hurt, and his vision almost became zero. Water rushed down the visor in streams, bright lightning flashes blinded him, and the dark shadows under the trees hid puddles and roots, causing him to stumble.

  A sudden yell to his right had him spin around.

  At first, he didn't see a problem. Olivia simply stood there, between a rock and a tree.

  'Help me, idiot!' she called.

  He realized she couldn't move then. Her feet had sunk into the ground, a puddle of mud greedily sucking her in.

  'Shit!' He dropped the scrap he held, and rushed forward with the shovel extended.

  A bright light and the loudest bang he'd ever heard followed him. He threw himself to the ground, and covered his head with his hands. Pieces of dirt rained over him. He looked back.

  A blackened patch or ground and the melted remains of the scrap lay where he'd stood only a second before.

  'Seven Lords, hurry up!' Olivia's voice sounded faint and muted in his ringing ears.

  Heart drumming like a metal band, he got back up and held out the shovel towards Olivia. She grabbed it and, agonizingly slow, pulled herself out from the mud.

  'Hurry, let's go,' he shouted as she got up.

  She nodded, and bolted forward. James didn't bother with the dropped scrap, he had enough in his pockets and backpack.

  Another lightning bolt struck the ground between him and Olivia. He gasped, every hair on his body standing on end, his ears buzzing painfully.

  The run back to the shuttle felt like a million years of sweat, burning muscles, blinding light, pitch black shadows, and cramping lungs. At least he didn't see any creatures.

  The sight of the ship felt like a miracle. Bill and Rich stood in the doorway, looking out and waving their hands frantically for them to hurry. How Bill had passed him, or when, James had no clue. But he didn't care. Moments before he and Olivia reached out to grab the rungs of the ladder, lightning hit the shuttle. Bright light, screams, and then darkness.

  They stood frozen for a while, looking up at the mesh walkway.

  Did he dare touch the rungs?

  'Hurry, get up! It's leaving in a few minutes,' Bill's voice barked from above.

  James snapped out of it and rushed up. Olivia followed.

  Bill stood by the open doors and the interior was draped in darkness. Only the faint light of the computer screen lit up a shadowy figure inside. Rich.

  'They're in, go!' Bill ordered.

  Rich pulled the lever. 'On route to the Company,' he replied and coughed.

  James wondered if the ship would even start, but had no breath left to ask. He pulled off the helmet as soon as the doors closed, and sucked in air. Olivia followed suit.

  'I've never been that scared of lightning before,' James wheezed after a while, sitting on the floor.

  Olivia shook her head. 'Me neither. But when I got stuck there, I thought I was gonna die. And you just looked at me. What the hell, man?'

  'Sorry, I didn't see you were stuck. I was wondering why you just stood there with no monsters around.' He chuckled, feeling stupid. But the rain had almost blinded him.

  'Man, you're thick,' she huffed.

  He grinned. 'Saved you though.'

  'Yeah.' She smiled for a second. 'Thanks.'

  The shuttle shook and trembled, a warning signal bleeped a few times, and they had to hold on to not helplessly slide along the floor as they made their way through the storm and out into the calm quiet of space.