‘This is all wrong!’, Felix thought, glancing rapidly around the stoney room. He tried to recall how he had gotten here, but the last memory was of hospital room with a CAT Scan or MRI? The far wall stirred with clicking sounds and he could faintly detect a shimmering of hard red plates and fine yellow spikey hair. The entire surface, many meters wide and many more meters tall roiled with patience and purposeful activity.
He looked over his body once more, still partially covered in a clear viscous liquid, completely naked. The light outside seemed to be growing brighter, and the silhouetting of the trees combined with the knowledge that this room was made from soil suggested he was on some type of steep slope. He remained still, absorbing information, not wanting to excite whatever swarm dominated the other half of the room.
The ground here was covered in various sized aggregates, of different shapes and sizes. Slowly, his hands felt the various stones, trying to identify their type or potential for use as a weapon.
He detected sharp sub-angular porous, and semi-smooth cubic stones blended with sands and some type of resin-like material that bound the surface together. ‘Is this like concrete?’ he thought. He inspected the shape of the room. It was large and almost silo-shaped, but with irregular geometry, and the floor seemed almost cave-like. This was definitely not man-made, unless it were some giant fish aquarium display. ‘That’s ridiculous’, he shook his head. ‘But let’s not discount options yet. Rule them out one by one, if I survive. Am I alone?’
Without warning, the far surface stirred and began flowing down the wall and onto the floor in front of him. Felix attempted to scurry back, and get to his feet, but the oncoming swarm was too quick. The wave poured over him with spiny legs and chattering segmented forms. Mandibles rubbed over his naked form, and he could feel the heat of friction from carapace contact. The hairs on their forms were stiff. Felix tried to fight, to punch and push, but it was no use. Their combined onslaught felt like being tackled by fallen trees, and he was no match.
He could feel his strength fading, muscles burning as he tried for legs or antenna, anything to inflict consequence. His muscles began to fail, heart like a shotgun in his chest. Vision blurred and Felix began to realize that he could not breathe. The blockade of insect bodies and heat were preventing oxygen from reaching him. The carbon dioxide from his exertion fad filled the small opening between his face and them. His vision faltered, and ringing set in to his hearing. Felix felt light, and his resolve weakened. No pain.
‘Wait! No Pian!’ He thought. ‘I’m not injured’ he continued woozily. ‘They aren’t attacking?’. Felix mentally assessed his core and limbs feeling areas that were scuffed up but no sharp sensations of breaks or punctures. Still, the oxygen was an issue. With his senses slipping, he knew there was not much time, and he lacked the strength to do anything significant. ‘Plus, CO2 is heavier tha…..’, Felix fell into a black sleep.
Artavus Quill 