LaLouf, Laurence, and Cleetus worked together to jimmy open the broken dragon's mouth. How they missed getting cut on its sharp teeth is still a mystery to me but there it was, open and waiting.

"I...I go in through there?" I asked hesitantly.

"There's no other entry points we can see," replied Laurence.

It was certainly a big enough way in for the short Martians, but as an average adult human, it looked a bit cramped. The three wouldn't let me linger long, though.

"Cole, humanity is in danger," stressed Cleetus, almost in a mocking manner, "you have to hurry."

"Go in," added Laurence.

So, I quickly found myself hunched over, crawling into the cold, creaky metal insides of the dragon. As I entered I could hear my colleagues' talking but once inside everything all but went silent. It was just myself and my flashlight now.

Or so I thought.

At first I thought it was an echo when I walked. But as I came to a stop to look around for the core I heard the noises softly, almost like skittering around me.

I didn't want to, but I knew I had to see. I pointed the flashlight above my head.

All along the metal were pale white insect-like creatures, each about the size of field mice. They froze momentarily as my light touched them but then, seemingly uninterested, continued about their walking. I didn't know how to process what they were- the equivalent of spiders? The dragon had presumably been resting there broken for some time, so pests moving in would hardly be surprising. But spiders made me uneasy; that there were so many of these creatures above me, even if uninterested in what I was doing, did not make me feel very brave about venturing further.

Then, from behind me, was the voice of Cleetus. He must have stuck his head in the dragon's mouth to ensure he was heard: "You find the core yet, Cole?"

The reverberations from the noise made the empty space vibrate slightly. And with those vibrations, a sudden foreboding hum started to fill the air. I again turned my flashlight above to see the insects, now all standing on their hind legs, their front legs positioned as if ready to dive into a swimming pool. That I was below instead of water did not make me comfortable.

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Cleetus, however, not knowing what was inside with me, continued to yell. "Did you hear me, Cole? Have you found the core, yes or no?"

The humming grew louder. I didn't dare point above much longer lest I see the creatures now descending. I instead pointed the flashlight ahead. There, in the distance, seemingly free of skitterers and resting on a small plug appeared to be a round object, not unlike the core as described by LaLouf.

Slowly, hoping not to make any noticable noise, I tried to make my way towards the assumed core. The humming had started to soften- maybe I would be just fine.

But once again, Cleetus wanted an answer from me.

"COLE," he cried out, banging on the metal floor as he did, "HAVE YOU FOUND THE CORE YET?"

The extra loud sounds proved too much for the skitterers above me. The humming quickly picked up and then morphed into screaming not unlike a horse whinnying when startled. Then, I could feel it - skitterers, jumping down from on high, landing on me. They didn't bite, but it felt like they were freaking out as they ran all about my body, screaming in my ears and in my face. It was a horrible, freaky experience I have never forgotten.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, CLEETUS!" I screamed back, though that made matters worse. I barely got my mouth closed in time to prevent one of the creatures from crawling inside as it spazzed out. My yelling only served to heighten their screeching and I tried my best to brush them from my body though they were now crawling up my pant legs and in any orifice they could find.

"...ok, sorry, geez," Cleetus called back, though much softer. The skitterers were already so freaked out it had no impact on their current state. I did my best to take a deep breath and compose myself.

The core was straight ahead. These little things, though icky and uncomfortable, did not seem any harm. I slowly walked forward, feeling a few of them scamper over my feet as I did.

With each progressive step, however, the screaming became less and less. Finally, as I stood before the core, there was little motion about me and a faint hum back up above. It seemed, now quiet again, the skitterers had returned to their regular way of life.

Thinking myself and the company finally calm, I reached out for the core; after all, the next step was for me to hold it until a spark ignited. But in doing so, I was surprised as three skitterers (apparently hidden up my sleeve), tumbled out onto the floor. Sure, they remained quiet themselves but their unexpected appearance startled me.

"JESUS!" I exclaimed, without any real control to censor myself.

Of course, at that, the humming around started getting louder. I needed to really be quiet as I messed with the core or be prepared for more terrible creepy crawling.