The Caterpillarian

Chapter 6

I stayed laying on the floor, breathing heavily as my legs ached and continued to shake.

That was scarier than the time that massive dog had chased me down a field. Well, I say "chased", but more like it walked up to me with its tail wagging offering no threat whatsoever, and I still ran like crazy.

Point was, Amatoshi was scarier than a big, mean-looking, but not threatening at all, dog.

"Sorry," Alison said to me as she yanked my bedsheet off to place it on Jasper's leg.

"Thanks," he said, wincing. "It's not that bad. Just a bit sore."

While it was unlikely Jasper would lose his leg, his injury had really hit home how dangerous all of this was.

We could actually die. Amatoshi, and whatever those fly things were, wanted us dead.

Maybe we really should've drunk that stupid water. It might've made us puke, but that was better than losing any limbs.

"Okay, I'm sick of this now," Alison said, letting Jasper hold the sheet which had a small patch of red on it.

"It's alright, I've got it," Jasper said.

"I'm not talking about that! I mean, I'm sick of Amatoshi. What does he want with us? Why is he making us do these tasks, and then getting in our way when we try to do them?"

Who knew?

"And what are these things he keeps making us fetch for him?" The volume of her voice was beginning to rise, and she kicked the beehive. It rolled over, the creepy eye coming back into view. Alison jumped. "S-sorry! I-I mean—"

Was there really something inside there? Or was it just decoration? Actually, wasn't it supposed to be someone's head? I read the back of the moth's wings again.

Bee what he could not: as fast as a falcon. Retrieve the head of Beehave from the room of gluttony.

"It's Beehave's head," I said with a shrug.

"Who's that?" Alison asked, annoyance in her voice. "And why do we need his head?"

"Oh, I get it!" Jasper spoke up, a lightbulb turning on over his head. "It's like beehive but its have, instead! Beehave. Beehive!"

"So?" Alison said. "Who cares?"

"You're just jealous I figured it out before you could," Jasper mumbled.

"So? It still doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe it'll help us like the spider mask did," I said, finally sitting up. I'd calmed down a bit. That moth was such a talented player.

"Or maybe it'll be useless like those globes," she pointed to the first items we'd been tasked to find. It felt like such a long time ago now.

"Don't say that, he can hear you," Jasper whispered.

"You're lucky you're already injured," she threatened.

"What did you think of those flies?" I asked, wanting to change the subject before any more blood could be shed.

Jasper shuddered. He really hated insects. He was probably just thankful they weren't giant spiders.

"It was kind of cool when they popped," Alison grinned. "But I bet even more monsters are gonna start showing up."

Jasper rested his head back on the pillow with a groan.

I shook my head. I couldn't take any more monstrosities. My body ached, my throat stung with thirst, my stomach growled with hunge—