New Eden- The New Eden series book#1 (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 6 "A small and short lived victory."

The Bugs awoke with their chilling screech. My knees locked and a shiver ran through my spine. Jack Frost blowing winter down the back of my shirt. There was no need for stealth anymore. "Run!" I shouted.

The Bugs skittered along the ceiling. One dropped to the floor and swiped a claw at Leroy, who back peddled and swung his table leg. His frantic attack connected, batting away the claw. Leroy roared and swung again, hitting the creature in the head. That just pissed it off. The Bug went for a low attack and grabbed Leroy's ankle.

Leroy went down, the table leg flying out of his grasp. I would have jumped in to help, but I had my own fight on my hands. The other Bug dropped down and in front of me, hissing and clacking it's mandibles. "Yaaaa!" I screamed and swiped my blade in front of me. Like two inches of steel was really going to save my life. If I ran, I had maybe a seventy-five percent chance of surviving. But that was out of the question. No way I was going to run away and leave my friends to die. So like a hero, I stood my ground, trying to bluff my strength in a fight I probably had a two percent chance of walking away from alive.

The Bug rushed at me. I kicked out. It dodged. Man, those bastards were quick. I jerked back, stooped a bit, lashed out with my knife. A screech of pain and the Bugs' front leg went sliding across the floor. A small and short lived victory.

There was a scream. I turned. Samantha had picked up Leroy's weapon and fighting off a Bug, but another had leaped onto her back. She flailed wildly, lashing out and screaming in fright. Leroy picked himself up and dashed for the exit.

I didn't see Kay or Elton or what's-his-face, the guy from the gas station. I forgot his name. I could only hope they were outside already. But Dana was still here. She had crawled to the wall and curled up like a wounded animal. Brandon was trying, and failing to get her to move. She had her eyes screwed closed and kept muttering.

I made a move to help them but something grabbed my leg and I fell. It was a Bug of course. But this one was different. It was bigger that the ones we'd seen. It's head was two thirds the size of its' body, its jaws making up most of the size. Seeing that was down, the monster crawled up my leg, onto my chest and went for my face. I stabbed up with my knife and into the Bugs' thorax. It cried out, but still came to attack. I used one hand to keep the karambit stuck into the bug and the other to force its' head above mine, preventing it from biting my face off.

"Look out!" Kay shouted.

Oh God! Was something else coming? But she wasn't warning me. It was Brandon. He cried out. I heard Dana screaming. "No! Nooo! Grab her!" Samantha yelled. There was the sound scuffling. Yells. Cursing. Then for a second there was silence. The only sound was my grunts as I fought against the big insect. I thought they were dead...that I was going to be joining then soon

Suddenly Brandon appeared over me. He grabbed the Bug by the back and ripped it off me, flinging it away against the wall. I jumped up. " Freaking hell! Thanks man," I gasped. He nodded. "Let's just get out of here."

Samantha came up next to him, her hand held to her chest which was soaked with blood. We wasted no time with words. We ran back the way we had came. Leroy stood waiting ready at the doors. As we rushed out into the hallway he closed the double doors and stuck a metal table leg through the handles, stopping it from opening.

Sad, bloody and beaten, we ran back to the classroom.