Danger In The Mire

Halo dives into the flooded hallway, her braids streaming behind her. 
           The others hesitate at the top of the stairs until the Skelloid screeches and steps into the water. One after another, they throw themselves under, vanishing beneath the surface. 
          They swim past overturned furniture and floating curtains that drift like pale ghosts in the murky water. Norio jerks when something brushes his leg, then realizes it’s just Dosei flailing. 
          Up ahead, a section of the ceiling has collapsed, creating a narrow air pocket. They press close together, gasping for breath in the damp, claustrophobic space. Water drips steadily from the broken ceiling. 
          “I saw another staircase at the end of the hall,” Halo says between gulps of air. “It leads up.” 
          The others nod. They all draw one last deep breath and plunge back under. 
          Their hands graze ceiling fixtures and blurred picture frames on the walls as they kick forward through the water. At last they break the surface, bursting into murky water outside. Dim light filtering from far above. 
          The sinkhole walls rise like a jagged crater around them. The way out seems impossibly high. 
          “How are we going to get up there?” Yumi asks, voice thin with exhaustion. 
          No one answers. 
          They swim until the ground tilts upward, slogging into mud so thick it clutches their boots. Each step is a fight. 
          “This is what Yumi’s chocolate oatmeal looks like,” Dosei mutters. 
          “Hey, it’s good!” Yumi shoots back defensively. 
          “I think I’m about to die in this oatmeal today,” Benji whines, slogging forward. 
          The mud shifts beneath their feet, dragging them down to their knees. Something massive rises from the mud. The giant red Skelloid erupts from the muck, dripping with sludge, slime cascading off its frame. 
         “Does anyone still have a weapon?” Rubble shouts. 
          The others glance at each other, panicked, empty-handed. Only Halo meets his eyes. He nods, it’s just the two of them. 
          The monster thrashes, waves of mud rolling outward. Yumi screams as the ground sucks at her legs, nearly pulling her under until Benji grabs her arm and yanks her free. 
          Rubble’s eyes dart to the side. A collapsing metal beam leans precariously from the half-buried building. “Guys, get to that beam! Lure it closer!” 
          They slog through the mire, each step a battle as the mud clings and pulls. 
          “Halo, with me,” Rubble says, scrambling up the slick beam. He reaches back and hauls her up beside him. 
          The Skelloid lumbers forward, enormous arms stretching out for the others. 
          “Go!” Rubble shouts. The team scatters in every direction to get out of the way. 
          With their backs pressed to the building, Halo and Rubble brace their legs against the metal. Together, they shove. The beam groans, then wrenches free with a deafening crack, crashing into the Skelloid’s head. 
          They cling to the metal, channeling everything they have, blue and orange electricity surges down the length of the beam, arcing into the Skelloid. The creature convulses violently, a guttural shriek ripping from its maw before it collapses. Its massive body sinks, swallowed back into the mud. 
          “I told you to spread out!” Thorn’s voice booms from above. 
          They look up to see him hurling a thick rope down the sinkhole. 
          One by one, the team climbs, muddy hands slipping on wet fibers, boots scrambling against the rock wall until, at last, they drag themselves onto solid ground. They collapse onto their backs, caked in mud, gasping for breath. 
          Thorn’s gaze sweeps across them. “Where’s Cinder?” 
          The silence is heavy. 
          Thorn exhales through his nose, a low sound caught between anger and grief. Without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving the team sprawled in the dirt, the weight of their survival pressing harder than the mud on their skin. 
          The team trudges toward the nearby lake, buckets dragging at their sides, mud heavy on every step. “I can’t believe Thorn won’t let us leave until we get cleaned up,” Benji groans, each drip of sludge trailing behind him. 
          Norio walks a few paces back, his eyes narrowing on Rubble. “You crashed a truck? Do you even realize how valuable those are to us?” 
          Rubble doesn’t answer. The silence stretches until Benji cuts in, muttering, “Guess that’s a no.” 
          At the lake, they scrub themselves down as quickly as they can, shivering in the cold water, eager to be done. Boots squelch with every step as they hurry back to Thorn. 
          “We’re going home the long way,” Thorn announces, standing by his mud-spattered truck. “Around the city.” 
          Benji slumps forward, forehead thunking against the SUV’s side. “Kill me now.” 
          “We can’t risk the androids spotting us and taking the cannon,” Thorn says, patting the weapon jutting from the bed of his truck. His tone leaves no room for debate. 
          “Let’s get out of here.” 
          Engines rumble to life. They pile into their vehicles, Benji’s voice cutting through the noise. “Let’s gooo!” 
         They drive for what feels like hours across uneven terrain, engines groaning as the vehicles bounce over rocks and ruts. Dust and mud coat the wheels, every turn threatening to snap an axle, but still they press on, cutting through fields and forests where no road has existed. 
          The convoy rattles down back roads and dirt paths until Thorn’s truck lurches as the tires grind over something. He hops out, crouching. A large Skelloid bone blocks the path. “Looks like the truck is alright,” he says after checking beneath the chassis. 
          The others step out, curiosity dragging them forward. 
          The field ahead stops them cold. 
          Giant bones litter the overgrown grass, strewn in heaps that stretch as far as the eye can see. Empty ribs rise like cages, skulls half-buried in weeds. The air is heavy with silence, thick and oppressive. 
          “What could have caused so many Skelloids to die here?” Halo whispers, her voice barely carrying. 
          Rubble crouches beside a femur, running his hand over the grooves carved deep into the bone. “These are teeth marks. Maybe this is how the Black Skelloid got so big.” 
          A chill settles over the group. 
          “A Skelloid eating other Skelloids…” Thorn’s voice trails off, grim. His gaze lingers on the field for a long moment before he shakes his head. “Change of plans. We’re driving through the city, but as far from the androids as we can manage.” 
          No one argues. They scramble back into their vehicles, glancing one last time at the graveyard as the engines roar to life.