Erik wiped sweat from his brow as the summer heat loomed over him. His hands trembled as he set the duffel down, though he didn’t need anything it. He released the pry-bar and let it fall the short distance to the ground. He shook off the anxiety, wishing he had a shot to medicate it away. His knees throbbed and he knelt.

“We shouldn’t stop here long,” voice low but urgent. Rebecca, who stood nearby, nodded silently. Her eyes darting from one sleeping thrall.

In front of them a large patch of towering grasses mixed with stalks of corn and pigweed.

“Let’s go,” he said to Rebecca. “Be careful, anything could be in here. Follow behind me, please.”

“You may want to be extra careful…” Rebecca tried to add the Erik had already disappeared. She swore and followed.

Erik parted the grasses and stepped carefully. Took a second step, then a third. Every step rustling. The noise felt louder then it should of been. Every step felt like a signal to the monsters outside.

The inability to see what’s mere steps away. The corn, towering over him, swiped at his bare arms. The waist high grass brushed against his legs. The pig weed scratched at his vulnerable skin. Erik was on edge. Rebecca was somewhere behind him. He could hear the steps but another problem is he couldn’t be certain it was her and not a thrall stumbling through to snatch him up.

He began to recall the day his life changed. The moment the monsters destroyed his wife and stole his daughter.

“Five years, it’s been five years Erik.” He said to himself.

“They came into my home,” he replied. “They were targeting me, I know it.”

“For what, Erik? You have this fantasy that you’re important. You were a janitor. It was a coincidence.”

“A coincidence my ass. Why did the Collectors target the house. Answer that question. Why did they swipe Diana? I never found her body.”

Erik fumed. The world had disappeared. The stalks fell over by themself and he walked forward automatically. That was until he tripped and tumbled forward. He crashed into a pile of thorns. Something tighten around his ankle. It pulled him forward thorns digging into his back and head. He wanted to scream to just end it… till she showed up. Her brown hair fell over her little face. Her brown eyes looked down upon him. Horror reflected in the afternoon sun. Erik remembered and it hurt.

“Give up Erik?” He said to himself as he looked up at her.

“In front of her?” He said silently, as he started to struggle. He tried to clear the bramble thorns from his head. The points digging in. The tentacle pulled. Erik lifted his knee and tried to back up.

“She’s not Diana,” his thought continued.

“I’m aware she is not Diana. She looks like her. What would she say?”

“She wasn’t the same age. She was younger but I would like to think she would want you to live.”

Erik watched as Rebecca flashed her knife. She pointed it down. She stabbed through the fleshy appendage.

Something screamed. A pained scream but it also sounded like a warning or a lead for a trap.

Rebecca stabbed the tentacle again. A second tentacle struck out and punch Rebecca in the side. Erik watched her fall backward and into the stalks.

Erik sat up in seconds, his doubts vanished. He tore the remains of the thorns from his head. He kicked the remains of the tentacle from his ankle. He leapt. His ankle was sore but functional.

Rebecca began to sit up. Erik held out his hand to slow her down.

“Let me help you.”

Rebecca looked up. Blood tracing paths down the crevices of her dirty face.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. Bent down and grabbed her arm. Rebecca stood. She held her left arm. Her face was red and would likely bruise.

She suddenly snapped at him, “I’m not some helpless damsel! I know things. I’ve been here 5 years!”

Erik said nothing.

“I could have stopped you from running into that… we call it a Groundling. It’s a mass of flesh, teeth and tentacles. You, seriously, just run headfirst without thinking.”

Erik smiled, a bit, “Ya.. I tend to do that. You call that octopus thing a Groundling.”

“Yes, and a siren because it calls the thrall and they are headed to us now.” Rebecca said.

“So we need a new plan,” said Erik. “The thrall still can’t see but can hear. I think we can whip them into a frenzy by messing with that puddle thing.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Got a better one?” Erik asked.

Rebecca was silent.