The little search party soon got to the corridor with the cobwebs. No spider in sight though. James was sweating rivers in the heavy suit as he looked around for the monster every other step. He wasn't sure he could outrun it again.

'Look! There's the engine I dropped,' Dakarai half-whispered ahead.

'Great. Get it. Was there more?' Bill looked back at him. 'James?'

'Uh, yeah... I...' He took a deep breath. 'I dropped a box, and there was another one on the floor in the... the room with the...' he faltered, 'the corpse.'

'Let's go and see if it's still there. Dak, you can stay and wait here or begin going back with the engine.'

'I'll wait, thanks,' he replied with a sheepish smile.

James didn't blame him, he would have waited too.

'Warn us if it comes back, alright?' James said as he passed by.

Dakarai nodded.

They carefully stepped into the room ahead. James stopped by the doorway, listening for noises in the dark further down the corridor. But the only sound came from the lamp above, faintly buzzing and flickering. He swallowed and entered the room, fearful of getting cornered again.

'Take this.' Bill pointed to one of the boxes.

James grabbed it, it wasn't too heavy. He looked around, his eyes straying to the web-wrapped corpse by the far wall. He wondered how long that one had been dead. What a terrible way to go.

Bill and Rebecca took the scrap from the other box, dividing it between them.

'Looks like we're done here,' Bill muttered.

'Can we go back to the ship now?' Rebecca asked.

'Yeah. We're full, and it's getting late,' James replied. 'Let's hurry back to Dak, before something happens.'

Bill nodded and motioned towards the door.

James hurried to the doorway when Dakarai's voice reached him.

'Guys? Guys, I think something's here.'

For the love of the deep, what was it now? Had the spider come back to finish the job? James couldn't move for a second, his entire body stiffened and his skin prickling.

Rebecca nudged him in the back. 'J, move. We gotta hurry.'

'Right. Sorry.' He forced his legs forward down the hallway. The light flickered ominously, making the cobwebs glitter and vanish with it. Biting his lip, James carefully stepped around them. He couldn't imagine how horrifying it would be to be stuck in a web, just waiting for that monstrosity to come and sink its fangs into you. Would it kill you before it ate you? Before it wrapped you up?

'This job sucks,' he whispered to himself.

Soon he spotted Dakarai ahead, standing with the engine on his shoulders, clearly ready to leave as soon as they got back. He kept looking around into the other two branching corridors.

'Hurry, guys. Something's definitely here. I hear it from time to time over there.' Dakarai nodded towards the left corridor.

James looked that way, listening intently. Something chattered? He listened again. Quick shuffling and an odd noise reached him. Didn't sound like the spider. Something else.

'Bill? There's something...'

'I heard it. Get a move on.'

'Should we run?' Rebecca asked, looking pale.

'No, I think it's okay. Save your breath until you need it,' Bill half-whispered.

They left the noises and the cobwebs behind.

When they had walked for a while though the badly lit corridors, James finally relaxed enough to dare talking again. He sidled up beside Bill.

'What?' the man grouched and gave him a look that could kill.

'Uh, I really think you need to talk to us, man. There's monsters everywhere. I'd really like to know anything that can improve our chances to survive.'

Bill huffed and kept walking in silence.

'Please. Why won't you talk to us?' James hissed, trying to keep his voice down but his emotions got in the way.

'What does it matter?' Bill snapped. 'It's not gonna help you, but it might make you worry more and be less effective. It's not gonna change anything.'

'What did we hear? You said it was okay.'

'Yeah, probably.' He grunted, moving his grip on the scrap.

'What was it,' James tried again, getting more and more irritated.

'Just a bug.' Then Bill's eyes snapped up to the ceiling.

James looked up as well, fully expecting death to be there.

The ceiling was empty.

'What the fuck was that for?' James snarled.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

'Things sit in the ceiling sometimes. Don't worry about it.'

In the fucking ceiling? And he shouldn't worry about it? 'Fuck you, man. If it's dangerous, we need to know.'

'Just keep your voice down and...'

They both looked back.

'What was that?' Rebecca asked from ahead, her voice quavering.

The odd chattering came from behind them again. Had the thing followed them? James gripped the box tightly, ready to throw it at whatever approached.

'Bill?' he hissed.

'Let's go,' was the only answer.

James almost exploded. 'Listen, this-'

Something in the corner of his eyes. It came around a bend behind them, from an intersecting corridor. James spun towards it. In the gloom, it was hard to make it out. It was about as tall as a ten-year-old, but much heftier. Something grey, with a big round head and long antennae on top, spikes sticking up from its back. Long, thin legs and a pair of huge, red, faceted eyes.

'Oh my god,' he breathed. 'There's a... a... a bug!' he called and hurried backwards.

Rebecca looked back, shrieked and set off at high speed.

'Rebecca, wait!' Dakarai yelled, and hurried after her.

'Calm down, it's just a bug!' Bill snapped, but nobody listened.

The large insect ran forward, its long front limbs reaching out towards him. James gave a strangled cry, and bolted past Bill. He didn't wanna be left behind with this thing.

'Wait!' Bill hollerred, but he couldn't care less right now.

Soon, James heard Bill's footsteps following him. He tried to keep track of where Rebecca and Dakarai had gone, following their shouts and receding footsteps.

'Dak! Rebecca, wait!' he called. But didn't get any reply. 'Shit, we're all gonna die,' he panted.

'Stop, you morons!' Bill called.

James did, but only to take in his surroundings. He wasn't sure if they'd been here before or not. The corridor branched again. Had they gone left or right? His stomach clenched. Then Rebecca screamed again, from the right. He would have smiled if not for the fact that more screaming could mean more monsters. This was a hell hole. He ran, and Bill followed.

Then, Rebecca came dashing back, almost colliding with him. He nearly dropped the darned box. 'Woah, calm down. What's going on?'

'There's another one! Another one!' She tried to get around him, when Bill caught up and blocked her way.

'You idiots are going the wrong way. You're gonna get us all killed like this! Where's Dak?'

'Uh, there.' She pointed back down the corridor where Dak came loping with the heavy engine.

'Jeez, great. Now can we all stop screaming and running?' Bill demanded. 'We're going back there, and to the left. You get lost, it's gonna take longer and we might miss the ship.'

'Miss the ship?' James asked, his knees weak. Did that mean what he suspected?

'Yes. If we're not back on time, the ship will leave without us and we'll be stranded here. So get a move on!' Bill's face was flushed an angry red, and his visor had almost misted over.

'Okay, let's go,' James agreed. He'd ask more later.

The chittering came again, right behind Dak.

Rebecca howled and almost bolted again, but Bill grabbed her. 'It's here!' she yelled and yanked her arm free, running again.

'For fuck's sake,' Bill huffed.

Dakarai bolted forward to avoid the large bug. James turned and followed Rebecca, back in the direction Bill had pointed. He didn't want to become bug food either.

As they came to the intersection, the other bug stood in their path. Rebecca turned on a dime, and collided with Dakarai. Some scrap fell to the ground, bits and pieces flying all over the floor, clattering loudly. James jumped to avoid a big piece of metal. The bugs dove towards the dropped things on the floor.

What?

James danced sideways as the nearest bug swooped in to grab the metal piece by his feet. It snatched it up and stopped. The large red eyes locked onto him.

'Get back from it!' Bill shouted. Rebecca screamed as the other bug got too close, and Dakarai attempted to pick things up in all the mess.

James stared at the bug, frozen. What should he do?

The bug growled. Large wings flared out from its back, and it lifted off the ground. It charged right at him. He ducked, and something clattered to the floor.

'Run!' Bill shouted.

The second bug had also taken to the air, buzzing angrily. Everyone fled.

James had to pass the nearest bug to follow them, but as he did, it bit down on his arm. The sharp mandibles sheared through the suit and cut into his flesh. He screamed, sure he would die and pulled at his arm.

The fabric ripped and hot wetness splashed down his arm and left hand.

Bill threw something at the bug and it jerked back. James bolted.

'This way, this way!' Bill pointed down a corridor and they all followed him this time.

Running as fast as they could, the bugs soon stopped chasing them and they could slow their pace again. Heaving and moaning, they stopped for a breather in a large open room with doors.

'Okay, what were those?' James tried once the fog on his visor had cleared and he could breathe without pain.

'I call them loot bugs,' Bill said. 'You're bleeding,' he added as an afterthought.

James nodded and looked down. It may have been worse than he'd suspected. Dark stains had formed on the floor where he'd stood. As if it had waited for his attention, his arm began pounding paintfully with each heartbeat.

'Well, great.' He looked around. 'Anyone got some tape?'

They shook their heads.

Better and better. 'Well, I'll live. Let's leave this place.'

'They are usually harmless,' Bill added. 'They want the loot, but if you keep a little distance from them, they don't care about you. Or, you can sacrifice a piece of cheap scrap to them to keep them occupied.'

'Would have been good to know beforehand,' James snarled.

'Yeah. I mean, I panicked, thinking they were gonna kill me,' Rebecca agreed. 'Had I known, I wouldn't have run like that.'

'You can never run like that!' Bill growled. 'You need to be careful and not just blindly dash into whatever hides around the next corner.'

'Alright, everyone, calm down. We're all alive, we're not too badly hurt. We still have most of the scrap. Perhaps it's time we try to get back to the ship? Yeah?' Dakarai said in a mellow tone.

'Yeah, I guess,' James agreed.

Bill and Rebecca nodded too.

Rebecca, despite seemingly the most scared of them, went up to the door and cracked it open, looking out for danger.

'I don't see anything,' she whispered and opened the door fully.

'Left,' Bill said.

They walked out into the dark corridor and followed Bill's directions. James hated the dark sections. While there were lights here and there, and power in the buildings, many were broken and sometimes long parts were left in total darkness. They had to walk slow, running their hands along the walls. He'd never wished for a flash light so bad in his entire life.

The rest of the way out to the front doors went by uneventful, and James almost praised the lord as they opened them. That was, until he realized it was fully dark outside and a thick fog lay between them and their ship.

'How will we find the way through this?' he asked, and a desperate laugh escaped him. This job sucked.