Chapter 07 The Creature Within

We gathered around Gooey, our hearts heavy with concern, and observed the grotesque spectacle unfolding before us. His belly, once merely wounded, now pulsed and writhed as if some nasty creature had taken up residence within him. The skin stretched taut, and we could see the grotesque movement beneath it.

"Wee-wa, what's happening to Gooey?" one of the goblin hatchlings whimpered, his tiny voices quivering with fear as he huddled together with his fellow gobbies in a tight-knit circle.

"I dunno, Fizzle, but it's all gooey and gross, something moving inside him," another goblin replied, their eyes wide with terror as they watched Gooey's distended belly with growing horror.

Little Titch piped up, his voice barely above a frightened squeak, "Do you think the spider's bite did this? Is Gooey gonna be okay?"

"Shh, everyone, stay back," urged Wiggles, the oldest of the baby goblins, trying to sound brave despite the quiver in his voice, "We don't know what's happening, but we should get help from the grown-up goblins. They'll know what to do."

Fearful and bewildered, we didn't know how to help our suffering friend. The scene was a nightmare come to life. Gooey's writhing, bulging belly had turned into a grotesque theater of horrors. We watched in utter terror as small fangs ripped through his distended skin, tearing through with gruesome cruelty. It was as if a demon was clawing its way out from his belly, a nightmarish creature that showed no mercy.

"Mommy, what's happening to Gooey?" one of the younger goblins whimpered, tears streaming down his tiny cheeks.

"I don't know, little gobbie," a trembling goblin acting as a mother replied, his voice quivering with fear, "J-just stay b-back and stay q-quiet."

Amidst their hushed conversation, a pitiful cry emerged from Gooey, who was writhing in agony.

 "Help me, help me! It hurts so much! Something's inside me, moving!" Gooey whimpered, his voice small and frightened.

Panic rippled through the group of goblins as they gathered closer to their suffering friend. 

"Stay with us, Gooey! We'll figure out what's happening and get you help!" Brave goblin urged, his voice trembling with concern.

But Gooey's cries only grew more frantic, his mumbled pleas becoming increasingly desperate. 

"Make it stop! Make it stop, please!" he begged, his tiny body contorted with pain and fear. The goblins exchanged anxious glances, knowing that time was running out to save their friend from the mysterious horror consuming him from within.

The poor goblin's anguished cries filled the air as he witnessed his own insides being ripped apart. And then, with a sickening rupture, his belly popped, birthing a swarm of tiny spiders that descended upon him with malevolent intent. The spiders bit into him, injecting their venom and causing him to convulse in agony.

The horrifying sight of Gooey's belly tearing open and the emergence of the small spiders sent us into a frenzied panic. We scattered in all directions, our tiny bodies flailing in terror. Some of our fellow goblin hatchlings attempted desperate acts of survival. Some dove into the murky feces, only to resurface moments later, gasping for air. 

"Help! Help! What's happening?" one goblin hatchling wailed as it floundered in the murky feces, its tiny limbs paddling frantically.

Another, struggling to keep his head above the surface, screamed, "It's a nightmare! I want out!" His voice trembled with fear and confusion as he desperately fought to stay afloat.

Others scuttled toward the cracked eggs, seeking refuge within the hollowed-out eggshells while whimpering in terror, "Inside, inside! It's safe in here, right?" they questioned, their voices filled with uncertainty as they huddled together, seeking comfort.

A few even tried to dig their own holes, burrowing into the filth, only to burst back out of the ground to avoid suffocation.

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Panic seeped into every word as he burst out of the ground, gasping for air.

I, too, was gripped by panic, and in my terrified scramble, I made my way towards Diggy. All this time he had been diligently digging himself a cave within the feces mountain, and it seemed like the safest place in this nightmarish scenario. Desperation fueled my movements, and I dove into the small hole that was his entrance, hoping for sanctuary.

In the dim, eerie light of Diggy's tiny cave, I clung to my fellow goblin, our trembling bodies cocooned in our large ears. My voice shook as I stammered, "M-m-monsters outside! Scary! Not safe! Need to hide!"

Diggy, his eyes wide with fear, replied, "Outside danger, here, safe! A small cave is safe! We hide here!"

The baby spiders, their hunger sated, wrapped what remained of Gooey in their sticky silk webbing, preparing to drag his shriveled husk toward the lair of the colossal wolf spider that had orchestrated this horrific feast.

 As we huddled together in the dimly lit refuge of Diggy's tiny cave, the grim reality of our situation pressed upon us. The once cheerful camaraderie of our goblin hatchling group had been shattered, replaced by a pervasive sense of dread and vulnerability. We were not the apex predators in this subterranean realm; we were the prey.

Outside, the cavern remained a perilous place, with unseen horrors lurking in the darkness. The baby spiders, now sated from their gruesome feast on poor Gooey, had returned to their hiding places, leaving behind only the haunting echoes of their nightmarish banquet.

As the gruesome spectacle outside continued, and the unsettling slurping sounds filled the cavern, more goblin hatchlings began to scramble toward Diggy's small cave. Fear had driven us from our previously carefree antics into a huddled mass of tiny, shivering bodies.

Our small sanctuary quickly became overcrowded, and goblins squeezed into the cramped space. We huddled together, our filth-covered sweaty skeletal frames pressed against one another, our large ears forming a protective cocoon around us.

The eerie dimness of the single shiny mushroom cast unsettling shadows on the cave's walls, making our already frightened faces appear even more grotesque. Despite the discomfort and the overwhelming stench of feces that clung to us, there was a strange sense of security in our huddled masses.

Nervous clicks and chirps filled the air as we exchanged anxious glances and shared our fears through our rudimentary goblin language.

 Farty squeezed in beside me and let out a squelching fart out of fear. His usual playfulness had disappeared, replaced by wide-eyed terror as he chanted under his nose, "Spiders bad! Spiders eat us!" he whispered, his voice a faint chirp of fear.

Daddy, his tiny frame quivering, pointed a shaky finger at the entrance hole of Diggy's cave, his chirps frantic, "Hole! Hole! Cover cover! Block exit!"

Fearful and trembling, we understood his panicked plea. With a sense of urgency, we began to gather bits of slimy moss and feces, stuffing them into the entrance hole, and sealing it as best we could. The makeshift barrier was far from impenetrable, but it offered a glimmer of hope in our dire circumstances.

Time seemed to crawl as we cowered within our small, makeshift refuge, our goblin hatchling hearts heavy with both dread and grief for poor Gooey. The dim light of Diggy's mushroom provided little comfort, and the filth-coated walls of the cave seemed to press in on us, intensifying our sense of confinement.

Outside, the spiders worked diligently, spinning a web in the darkest corner of the cave. The faint illumination from tiny mushrooms allowed us to witness the gruesome spectacle that unfolded before our eyes.

In a ghoulish display, the spiders hung Gooey's cocooned remains on their newly woven web as if showcasing their kill for all to see. The goblin hatchling's shriveled form dangled grotesquely, swaying slightly with each movement of the web.

We, the tiny goblin hatchlings huddled in the safety of Diggy's cave, dared not make a sound. Fear clung to us like a suffocating shroud, and our very survival depended on our ability to remain hidden and silent.

In the dimly lit cavern, we witnessed a nightmarish scene unfold. The spiders, with their agile and relentless pursuit, claimed more and more goblin hatchlings. Some of our tiny kin tried to hide in the most random and bizarre places, desperate to escape the horrors that lurked in the open.

One unfortunate goblin hatchling, in his haste to find safety, attempted to squeeze himself into a crack between two massive chunks of dung. His struggles were futile, and the spiders descended upon him with ruthless assault.

Another goblin hatchling, driven by fear, sought refuge inside an abandoned eggshell. He curled up inside, but the spider's long, probing legs easily reached inside, pulling him out into the waiting darkness.

Our ears twitched uncontrollably as we listened to the agonizing screams and cries of our fellow goblins. Our eyes were wide with terror as we watched hatchlings meet their grisly fate.

As we huddled in our cave, we could hear the faint scuttling of the spiders and the distant, muffled cries of our fellow goblins. Each sound sent shivers down our spines, and we clung to one another for comfort and protection.

Despite the harrowing situation, Daddy, usually the most timid among us, managed to emit a soft chirp, "What… what we do now?"

Our tiny ears twitched, and we exchanged uncertain glances in response to Daddy's question. None of us had answers. We were mere hatchlings, faced with a perilous world we were ill-prepared to navigate.

In the eerie silence, Spindlytoe spoke up, his voice trembling with unease, "We can't stay here. We have to find a way out of this cave, or... or we'll end up like Gooey."

The mention of our fallen comrade sent shivers down our spines, and we all knew the urgency of Spindlytoe's words. But the question remained: How could a group of tiny, defenseless goblin hatchlings hope to navigate this treacherous cavern filled with deadly creatures?

Farty chimed in with an idea that was both bold and reckless, "Farty has an idea! We go together, make loud noises, scare monsters away!"

Slippinfeet nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes! Loud noises, like big goblins!"

Daddy, who had been relatively quiet amidst the chaos, made an uncertain chirping sound, suggesting that he, too, was willing to give this plan a try.

I looked around at my fellow goblin hatchlings, their large ears twitching with anticipation and fear. It was a long shot, but it seemed like our only chance at survival in this terrifying underground world. 

With a nod, I said, "All right, let's do it. We'll stick together and make as much noise as we can. Maybe, just maybe, we can find a way out of here and escape these monstrous horrors."

During our discussions, an unsettling sound abruptly shattered our thoughts. Within Diggy's cave, all the goblins stirred and froze, gripped by fear. Our ears perked up, strained to catch any hint of the ominous intrusion, while our eyes widened in terror, fixated on a mere hole in the wall, a meager entrance to our minuscule refuge.

Out of nowhere, a grotesque spider's head thrust into our sanctuary, triggering screams of terror and panic among us tiny goblins.

Farty, with a stinky fart, screeched, "By the mushroom stem! What is that?!"

Gruk yelped next, "Eek! A spider! A giant spider found us! Quick, run! Run for your tiny goblin lives!"

Spindlytoe cried with a panicking tone, "We're doomed! Run for your lives! Ahhhh! We're doomed! We're all going to be spider snacks!"

 We frantically rustled and struggled, desperate to escape the beastly spider, whose gigantic, bristly leg swung menacingly in our direction.

A goblin named Muddlehead shouted while pushing himself against the wall, "It's coming closer! Help! The bristly thingy is coming for us! I can't move! My feet won't obey!"

Munchkinsnout, who was on the ground trampled by the panicked goblins cried, "I can't move! I'm trapped! Ouchies!"

The tiny cave echoed with our collective cries of terror and despair, their intensity dampened by the encircling walls of feces. 

Dizzyhead was in the middle of the crushing group, gasping for air, "I can't breathe! Get me out of here! I am being crushed here!"

Bumblebelly desperately tugged at his ears while shouting, "Somebody, do something!"

Amid the chaos, we squirmed and wriggled violently, and I found myself unwittingly pushed in front of the spider's looming leg.

"No! Please, not me!" I yelled as the spider leg touched me.