Page 32 of Trapped By Claws
The crab crashed against it. Dust and silt rained down with the horrifying crunch.
I brought the crowbar around and cracked it over the crab's legs. The crab swatted and attacked, not even losing its balance when I broke one of the smaller legs.
Everything became a blur of falling dust and jabbing claws as I fought and tried to keep Tagger and me from getting killed. The pale-blue orb slipped out of my hand and rolled into one of the crevices. I tried to grab the second out of my pocket.
It popped out of my hand.
"No!" I ducked in time to avoid the claw again. The pinchers almost seized me, nicking the edge of my skirt instead. I dropped to the ground.
Tagger continued to shriek and click. He darted in between the crab's legs.
I leaped up, grabbed one of the fallen orbs, and seized Tagger by the scuff of his neck. I ripped him out from under the crab right before the crab slammed its body down.
Turning, I bolted down the nearest of the branching paths.
The tunnel twisted and turned, the pale glow from the orb barely illuminating the uneven floor ahead. The relentless scraping and punching against the stone quickened, pursuing me.
Rounding a sharp bend, I slid to a halt. The passage ended abruptly, the rough stone wall blocking any escape.
The blood pounded in my ears. I hugged Tagger tight as I desperately searched for some alternative. Anything.
The cavern walls reverberated with the crab's thunderous charge. My heart hammered faster as the crab's over-sweet stench wafted around the corner.
I set Tagger down. "You're going to have to run," I said grimly. "Don't try to fight." I clicked and snapped my fingers to give him the command. "Do you understand me? Stay away from the crab!"
Tagger bristled, chirping at me sharply.
I pressed my lips into a tight line and shoved the orb back into my pocket. The light became muted, barely enough to see. There were a few rock formations but none high enough to provide full protection. The crab filled the passage. Its eyes glowed, catching the dull light. Its antennae swept in circles.
I dove forward, sliding down to avoid its claw. The stone cracked and cut my legs as I slid. Chitin cracked and splintered beneath the crowbar. The crab scuttled back, striking at me again. The pincher caught the crowbar and yanked it out of my hand.
Gritting my teeth, I spun around just in time to see the spiked claw swinging toward me. Before I could do more than twist to the right behind a series of stalagmites, the crab struck me in the side.
A sickening crack reached my ears along with dull knowledge: I wasn't going to survive this.
Jagged pain cut through me, slicing into my ribcage and blossoming over my side.
All the wind was crushed from my lungs.
I collapsed in a miserable heap.
If the rock formation hadn't taken as much of the force as it did, I would have been dead instantly.
The world spun around me slowly.
The crab loomed over me, the spiked claw lifting.
Tagger screeched. He darted at the crab's legs, nipping and ducking.
My fingers twitched. I tried to feel for the crowbar.
For something.
Anything.
My lungs ached. Stone scraped beneath my fingernails.
Another wave of dizziness swept over me, the pain intensifying.
