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What the hell?
Evie bent down and tugged on her ankle, scowling irritably when her foot refused to come loose. In fact, each time she pulled, the puddle seemed to expand along the ground a little, jostled by her movements until it reached her other foot.
How the hell did no one else step in this?
Evie sighed in aggravation, her thighs burning from overexertion as she attempted to lift her leg up and out of the mud. It only proved to pull her further in, and she stumbled forward, landing on her knees in the ever-growing puddle.
“Oh, that’s just great,” she whined in exasperation, her hands and knees completely trapped now. She struggled harder, but it only made everything worse. Anxiety coursed through her body. She was completely stuck!
Cazar whipped around, his eyes shifting to complete black when they locked on her. His body began to grow, clothing disappearing as he became one with the parasite, the packs dropping to the ground behind him. An animalistic roar tore from his throat, and he lunged for Evie right as something wrapped around her thighs and yanked her down.
She screamed as she was sucked into the puddle, her mouth filling with thick liquid as she was completely submerged.
A few moments earlier…
Cazar felt Joe stirring to life as they walked aimlessly through the jungle. It was the first sensation he’d had of it in days, and alarm slammed into him as its presence grew stronger. But Cazar wasn’t alarmed by the sudden intrusion, he was alarmed by what it was telling him.
It sensed a threat. Cazar cast a wary look around them as they continued forward. What was it picking up on that he couldn’t detect? Even Kylok, a honed and seasoned warrior, seemed oblivious to whatever was lurking around them. But there was something hostile afoot. Something dangerous.
Cazar didn’t spot anything amiss, but he wasn’t from here, and his knowledge was limited. Still, Joe’s irritation and aggression persisted. It was enough for Cazar to glare at their surroundings as if something was on the verge of leaping out and attacking.
Suddenly, there was a commotion behind him, the sound of splashing and Evie’s aggravated moan carried to him. “Oh, that’s just great.”
In an instant, the parasite rose fully to the surface in one brutal wave, demanding Cazar relinquish control immediately.
He might have hesitated a week ago, maybe even a few days prior, but the urgency in its request was enough for Cazar to mentally step back, welcoming the change to his body and mind as Joe began to take over. He turned, lunging at the creature that held his unsuspecting mate in its grip.
Evie looked at him in confusion a moment before her eyes widened. And then a muddy tentacle wrapped around her legs, pulling her into the large puddle.
She disappeared with a petrified scream. Roaring, Cazar landed beside that same hole. It was quickly shrinking, but as he became one with the parasite, it didn’t matter.
Joe’s large, black clawed hands grabbed the edges of the puddle, prying it back open before it could fully close with Evie trapped inside.
The longer Joe held the edges open, the more information the parasite passed off to Cazar. This wasn’t truly a puddle at all, but some kind of gelatinous membrane that was vibrating with life, attempting to swallow his mate whole.
We need to free her, Joe’s guttural voice rumbled in Cazar’s mind, sending him several mental images of Evie, trapped with that disgusting creature. Cazar’s heart pounded in his chest as fear filled him.
Evie was being devoured by a beast, and they only had a few precious seconds to save her.
“What can I do?” Kylok asked urgently, rushing to Joe’s side.
The parasite growled when he came too close, but Kylok ignored him, grabbing the membrane and pulling. He grimaced, his gloved fingers slipping before his grip tightened once more, digging in.
“What is this?” Kylok asked, mouth twisting into a grimace.
Alex ran to Kylok’s side, reaching for an edge of the membrane as well, but the parasite hissed at her, warning her away from it. The creature might suspect she was prey and take her, too.
“Get back, Geza! Behind me,” Kylok commanded, understanding enough of Joe’s posture to see the danger to his own mate. “Do I pierce it with my spikes? My poison can kill almost anything.”
“No!” Alex shouted in panic. “We don’t know if your poison will spread to Evie if you cut that thing.”
There was a gurgle from the mouth of the hole and, as it was forcibly stretched further apart, Joe suddenly dove into it, hands already searching for Evie as it was swallowed by the yawning creature. There was hardly any room to move, almost as if they were trapped in a small tunnel with no light. Regardless, Joe pushed further in, sensing Evie directly below him.
She was several feet down, tentacles surrounding her body as she was dragged closer to the beast’s cavernous mouth. Cazar couldn’t see anything through the parasite’s eyes that would indicate this, it was pitch-black, but Joe knew. Some kind of sense, or an innate knowledge of the beast, perhaps, directed Joe’s movements, guiding it forward through the sludge and thick membrane that threatened to squeeze them into submission.
Cazar and Joe let out a small breath of relief when they finally reached her, but soon fury replaced the feeling and a darker viciousness filled them both. They were getting her out of here, and slaughtering the beast as they went.
Joe reached for the tentacles latched around Evie’s frame, severing several with its claws. Liquid spewed from the appendages, and the beast groaned in pain. There was a muted howl from within that vibrated their surroundings, but Joe continued to slash, roaring back in rage as its antlers caught in the membrane attempting to devour them.
