She ran as best she could, avoiding the attack where possible. She had the advantage of being fast and agile, a keen observer, and a practiced hunter. These advantages became essential, countered as they were by her unfamiliarity with the city and the sheer numbers of invaders flooding the streets and alleys.
The yells of defending soldiers mixed with the screams of the dying citizens, echoing as though from all directions. Samantha darted from one space to the next, taking cover when and where she could and relying on speed when she couldn't.
She had nearly made it to the edge of the city when she stumbled across a cluster of the invaders. They had just killed several men and women and were turning to look for more prey when Samantha darted past. They saw her and sprinted after.
It was the closest look she had had so far. Her first impression, taken quickly as she was more focused on reaching safety than observing them, was of giant human-shaped beetles. They had two legs, two arms, a body, and a head, but they were encased head to toe in black chitinous plates. Their eyes were two multifaceted globes, they had pincers covering their mouths, and their hands looked like a nightmare combination of human fingers and crab claws.
They were fast and Samantha had been pushing her endurance for days. They caught up with her just as she reached an open field beyond the edge of a cluster of tall, narrow houses. A claw raked at her back, bringing a quick, stinging pain from a sharp, deep cut.
She leaped forward and rolled, barely dodging more rips and slices that would have made ribbons of her flesh had they connected. She came up, facing them, feeling naked of weaponry and seeing nothing but a thirst for death in their glittery insect eyes.
They spread out around her, acting in an eery, wordless unison. They were preparing to encircle her, but before they could she leaped at the one farthest to her right. It put up a clawed hand to rake at her but she twisted and rolled, coming up slightly behind it. Scooping up a rock as she did so, she smashed the thing in the side of the head with the force of her spinning body.
Slight cracks formed in the carapace covering its head. It turned towards her and she smashed the rock again, this time into an eye cluster. Yellow goo splashed outward and the reek of rotting flesh filled Samantha's nostrils.
Another strike with the rock nearly took out the thing's other eye, but her aim was off and instead she cracked another piece of the carapace covering its head.
The others were moving, trying to get around their compatriot to get to her. She leaped again, changing directions several times in succession, barely dodging a number of attacks as she did so. Adrenaline surged through her, and she momentarily forgot about the pain of the torn skin and muscle across her back.
She could not outrun them and she could not hope to defeat them all in the open like this. Looking back at the houses on the edge of the city, an idea formed. She ran from the horrific things again, but this time back into the city and into the nearest house. It's door had been ripped from its hinges and she was able to leap through the opening.
Once inside, she looked around quickly, past the splashes of blood on the floor, and spotted a wooden chair. She grabbed it up, turned, and swung it at the first creature that tried to make it through the door after her. Solid as the construction was, with heavy wood, it did no more than bounce off the creature's exoskeleton.
Samantha ran deeper into the house, heading for the kitchen. She grabbed up a heavy iron pot. It smashed through the creature's globular eye and cracked the surrounding carapace.
From inside the house, with its narrow doors and small rooms, the things could not swarm around her. She smashed at the slashing hands with the pot, breaking off a few claw tips. The others tried to push past to get at her but could not. Samantha swung the pot over and over into the thing before her, keeping it in the doorway and on the defensive.
