A violent tremor shook the cavern, sending a suffocating cloud of dust into the air. Talitha and her father quickly pulled their scarves over their mouths and noses, their eyes wide with fear. A deep, guttural bellow echoed through the tunnel, sending shivers down their spines. The unmistakable roar of an Ushi-Oni. Panic gripped Talitha's throat. She had to get her father to safety.
"Dad, we have to move!" she urged, her voice barely audible over the chaos. "The Ushi-Oni is close!"
"But where will we go?" he asked, trembling. "The tunnels are collapsing."
"I don't know," Talitha admitted, her heart pounding. "But we can't stay here."
Another, even louder bellow ripped through the cavern, causing the tremor to intensify. Dust poured down from the ceiling as the air vibrated with a low, threatening hum. A thunderous roar followed, echoing with bone-rattling intensity. The rock walls groaned in protest, a seismic crack splitting the air a heartbeat later. The rumble confirmed it—their escape route had crumbled, leaving them only one path. The choking cloud of dust grew thicker and more suffocating, swallowing the cavern in an ominous haze.
Terror clawing at her throat, Talitha knew this was it. With a surge of adrenaline, she lunged for her father. "Go, Dad! Hide!" she hissed, shoving him with desperate strength. His eyes widened in shock, but the tremor’s violence left no room for argument. He scrambled through the narrow crevice, the rough stone scraping his skin. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, a silent plea hanging heavy in the thick air.
"Go!" she rasped, her voice choked with fear, as she shoved him through the last inch. She snatched a handful of fallen brimstone—a desperate gamble against the approaching terror. The Ushi-Oni emerged from the dust cloud, its monstrous form casting a looming shadow. The top of its body was that of a hulking ox and its legs were a terrifying array of segmented, clawed legs like a giant spider crab from legends.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Talitha sprinted, her heart pounding, screaming and waving her arms frantically at the Ushi-Oni, trying to lure it away from her father. She pressed deeper into the darkness. The footsteps echoed—a haunting rhythm of cracked bones. The brimstone felt cold and lifeless in her hand, a pathetic weapon against such a creature. Still, it was all she had.
As the massive form of the Ushi-Oni scuttled into view, its eyes, smoldering embers, burned red in rage. Enormous, curved horns, razor-sharp at their tips, jutted out from its head. They dripped with blood. A terrifying realization dawned on her. The Ushi-Oni must have found their escape tunnels.
Time was short. Her father's life hung in the balance. With desperate defiance, Talitha hurled the brimstone.
It exploded in a burst of sparks, momentarily disorienting the beast. Astonished, Talitha watched the monster recoil. Its screech was deafening, a fury unlike anything she'd heard before.
It lashed out at her blindly, its pincers and horns taking turns tearing into the unstable rock. The ground trembled, threatening to collapse.
Seeing the precarious state of the tunnel, Talitha knew she had a choice to make. Stay and face the enraged Ushi-Oni, or escape while she still could. The thought of her father waiting for her, alone and afraid, spurred her into action. Talitha lunged for the narrow gap, her eyes wild with terror. The beast's roar shook the cavern again. Rocks tumbled as she squeezed through, the passage crumbling behind her. She'd escaped—barely.
The cacophony of the cave-in drowned out the Ushi-Oni's furious roars, sealing it within a tomb of its own making. “But for how long?” she thought.
Talitha lay on the other side, gasping for breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She had narrowly escaped death, but the danger was far from over.
Shaking with adrenaline, she rushed to the crevice and helped her father to his feet. "We have to keep moving," she whispered, her voice a mix of urgency and fear. "We're not safe yet."
Guided by lightning roach lanterns' dim glow, they lurched through dark passages. They crept toward the workstations, deeper into the labyrinth. Their circumstances weighed on them. Would the bellows call its brethren?