The ground groaned beneath them, a deep, rumbling tremor vibrating through Aeryn’s bones. He gasped for breath, his feet pounding the dirt in a frenetic, disoriented sprint. The jungle closed in around him, trees blurring by in a green haze, but the primal pulse of danger, the sickening vibration radiating from below was at the forefront of his mind. His heart hammered in his throat, and against every instinct, he dared a quick glance back.

"What do we even call that thing?" he gasped. "Earthbreaker? Wormzilla? Kingworm? We have to give it a name, right?" His voice was strained, a desperate attempt to shatter the stiff silence.

Kaela shot him a sidelong glance, her brow raised, a peculiar smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "You can name it after we escape it and get out of here," she replied, her tone urgent but with a touch of mockery. "But for now, just try escaping."

Aeryn’s mind raced, fear coiling in his gut, yet his body seemed to run on instinct alone. There was no option but to keep moving, every nerve screaming at him to try and escape as the earth trembled beneath them.

"What if it’s faster than us?" he murmured, dread creeping into his voice. "What if we can’t outrun it? For goodness sake, why is it even going in our direction?"

Kaela's eyes remained fixed ahead, but there was now a flicker of scrutiny behind her cold demeanor. "It doesn't need to overtake us," she quipped, her voice steady.

The words hung in the air, igniting another surge of panic in Aeryn. "How long has it already been waiting?" he asked, his voice thick with fear. "We were the ones waiting helplessly for nothing." He glanced at Levi, whose brow furrowed in contemplation.

“I don’t care how long it’s been lurking,” Levi shot back, his voice sharp. "We need to get out of its path before it turns around!"

Before Aeryn could reply, the ground trembled again, louder this time. A bone-deep, guttural hum rattled his teeth. It felt as though the earth was awakening, its cracks slithering wider beneath him. He glanced down, dread pooling in his stomach as large fissures crept along the surface.

The fissures raced through the jungle floor. Aeryn caught a glimpse of movement far ahead through the trees, just a distant figure against the green. For a split second, sunlight hit the man's bare wrists. No cuffs.

"Aeryn, run faster!" Kaela shouted behind him.

But he couldn't tear his eyes away. The figure was just a shadow in the distance now, but Aeryn had seen enough. Everyone they'd met wore cuffs. Everyone. But this man didn't.

"Where are you going?" Levi snapped. "The ground's falling apart!"

"There's someone way ahead!" Aeryn's voice rose over the tremors. "He's not wearing cuffs!"

"Aeryn hesitated, his steps faltering for a moment. He glanced sideways at Kaela and Levi, guilt twisting in his chest. Leaving them was probably dumb, but so was staying to die. The figure ahead was his only lead, his only chance to find help. He clenched his fists and forced his legs to move. There was no time to explain, no time to turn back."

"Where? I don’t see anyone!" Kaela said, stumbling as the earth buckled.

But Aeryn had already changed his course. The figure was barely visible, a dark shape moving through gaps in the foliage far ahead. The distance was massive, but Aeryn could still make out how the man navigated the chaos. Every time the ground split or dropped, the figure was already past it.

A deafening screech tore through the air. The worm shifted in the distance, its massive body warping the landscape ahead of Levi and Kaela. The ground convulsed, forcing them to turn and sprint away from Aeryn's direction.

Aeryn ran for what felt like time avoiding obstacles in his trail. "The worm’s movements grew more erratic, its huge form twisting and churning through the earth." The figure stayed far behind, just visible enough to dread. "But it wasn’t hunting them, not deliberately. Its path felt random, an unstoppable force driven by instinct rather than malice. But in its wake, survival felt impossible." It was emerging closer but also looked like it was outwardly veering in a curved direction toward a different area.

The canopy grew thicker overhead. In the growing shadows, Aeryn strained to keep track of the distant figure. Either this chase would lead to answers about the cuffs, or it would kill him. At this point, he wasn't sure which seemed more likely.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"The worm's enormous form surged closer, its bulk crushing everything in its path and shaking the earth to its core." Its body glistened with moisture, the segmented armor glinting dully in the sparse light. The distance didn’t matter anymore. At that size, the gap would close in seconds.

"The thunder of its movement was overwhelming, snapping trees and grinding earth as the tremors rattled Aeryn's chest like a death knell."

He sprinted forward, feet pounding the uneven ground, weaving through the narrowing paths between the thick trees. The jungle had turned into a labyrinth, vines and roots clawing at his legs, branches whipping at his face. Panic clawed at his mind.

His lungs burned, and the air was thick with the stench of minerals and rot. Behind him, the massive worm surged closer, its segments grinding and flexing as it barreled through the terrain. Aeryn dared a glance back and immediately regretted it.

"The monster moved with impossible speed for its size, its massive, armored body rippling in a cadence of annihilation. Trees uprooted and the ground crumbled to powder beneath its bulk."

Ahead, he saw the figure again, the man, impossibly swift, zipping between the trees, then, without warning, the man veered left, disappearing into the dense foliage. Aeryn didn’t have time to think. He trusted his gut and followed, throwing himself sideways just as the worm’s massive body surged past where he’d been standing.

The impact was like an earthquake. The ground heaved violently, and Aeryn was thrown off balance, skidding across the dirt. He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a massive root as he rolled to a stop.

The worm’s bulk tore through the narrow path, its segmented body grinding against the trees, splintering them into shards. Its armored plates were dark and glistening, each the size of a wagon, rippling with grotesque strength. It missed him by inches.

The intense heat of its body lingered in the air, accompanied by an endless, jarring commotion of churning flesh and cracking wood. Aeryn scrambled to his feet, adrenaline coursing through his veins, and observed the region he winded up in.

Aeryn collapsed to the ground again, his chest heaving loudly. After some time, the forest became eerily silent now, save for the faint sound of falling debris. His hands shook uncontrollably, and his legs felt like lead.

For a moment, he lay there, staring up at the canopy, unable to move. What the hell just happened?

The image of the worm’s massive form flashed in his mind, its sheer size and power. He had been inches, seconds, from being crushed, devoured, or worse.

His breath caught in his throat, panic returning in a tidal wave. His mind raced, unable to process the enormity of what he’d just experienced.

It was too big, he thought, his chest tightening. Too fast. Too unstoppable. How could something like that even exist?

He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing shallow and frayed. I shouldn’t have survived that.

The weight of it all pressed down on him. The worm’s colossal size, the destruction it had caused, it felt like the world was against him. And the man... the one without cuffs, the one who had moved so easily through the chaos while wormzilla was behind them.

Who was he? Did he know about this place? About the worm? He had to, he moved through the jungle like it was a day-to-day thing.

Aeryn’s thoughts spiraled, each one darker than the last. He had been thrown into a nightmare, a death trap with no escape.

There’s no way out of here.

The thought hit him like a punch to the stomach. He couldn’t see a way forward. The jungle was endless, the worm unstoppable. And now he was separated from Kaela and Levi.

His breath hitched, tears stinging his eyes. I’m going to die here. The thought spiraled through his mind. He clutched at his knees, shaking his head in frustration. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. For a fleeting moment, doubt consumed him. I can’t do this. How am I supposed to escape, stuck on a crazy lost astray island with gargantuan worms the size of a massive building?

Then, the memory of the man resurfaced, his unshackled wrists, his swift movements. Aeryn’s despair flickered, replaced by a stubborn ember of hope. If that man could maneuver this jungle, so could he.

“No,” Aeryn muttered, his voice hoarse but steady as he forced his hands to unclench. His nails had dug deep into his palms, leaving angry red crescents that stung against the humid air. I might just not die here for the time being.

The memory of the man resurfaced, his swift movements and the bare unshackled wrists. Besides, the guy knew how to move in the jungle. He had to know more of the area.

There are others besides the trio present on this ragged unconditioned island that contains colossal sized death-worms.

Aeryn pushed himself to his feet, his body trembling. He wasn’t sure how, but he would find him. This was a great chance, and he had to take it.

Staring into the jungle, he set his jaw. His fear hadn’t vanished, it was still there, gnawing at the edges of his mind, but it was no longer in control.

The idea that there were others out there who weren’t just victims of this place, but perhaps even capable of traversing its dangers, gave him something to cling to. If he could find that man, then maybe he could find more of civilization, maybe there was a way out of this hellhole after all.

He took a shaky step forward. Then another. Keep moving, he told himself. Just keep moving.