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ran. It was as though we moved in slow motion. I did what he said, focusing on the opening we were running toward, but it seemed like we weren’t getting any closer...and then suddenly we were there.
    Screaming and snapping and growling off to the left made me wince. I smelled blood again, but I didn’t look. Darrios shoved me through the opening, leaping through immediately after me.
    The space we occupied was smaller and even more cramped than the last one, pressing us together awkwardly. Regardless of how bad Darrios smelled, I was thankful he was there.
    “Once we pass through here, we’ll be in Midland, out of the Outer Rim. The moltergs won’t be able to follow us. They’re too big to fit through the opening,” he said reassuringly.
    I exhaled, relieved, eager to get to the other side. Silly me. I believed the danger had passed.

Chapter Two
    The tiny, cramped space opened up into a much larger tunnel. The cold, damp air chilled me to the bone, but at least we could stand and walk upright. The entire length of the passageway only stretched to about thirty feet. We could see daylight coming in at the far end, which gave me hope.
    We heard nothing from the opening at the other side. I took that as a good sign. The only audible sound was our breathing, and, I was sure, my heart pounding.
    A whoosh of air hit me as we approached, cleaner and fresher than the air reeking of the death and decay of the Outer Rim. I inhaled deeply.
    As we stepped into this Midland, a weight lifted off me and floated away. I definitely preferred not looking over my shoulder for flesh-eating monsters around every turn.
    My new sense of security quickly vanished, however, when I noticed Darrios glancing around warily and taking slow, careful steps. I followed his eyes with my own, regarding the considerably different terrain from that of what he’d referred to as the Outer Rim.
    Trees sporadically covered the area. They sported more foliage, but none of them were very big. A lot more brush covered the land, and the ground seemed sandier and less rocky, much better for walking. The sky didn’t seem as overcast, with less cloud cover and more sunshine...or whatever it was that was shining in this place. I glanced up and squinted. Bright, round, yellow. Sure looked like the sun to me.
    I looked at Darrios. If we were free of the moltergs, why were his shoulders so tense? Why did he carry himself like a jungle cat ready to pounce, and why was he holding my hand so tight that I was losing feeling in my fingers?
    “Darrios?”
    He jumped. I apologized and he softened, turning toward me, but still glancing around.
    “What is it?
    He shushed me, listening for some unnamed peril. Finally, he answered me. “There are no moltergs,” he explained in a whisper, “but until we get to Inland, there is still some degree of danger. There are scabras and viocomen. There aren’t as many of them and they’re easier to fight, but they can be just as deadly, and the viocomen are worse than the scabras.”
    Confusion now compounded my fear and anxiety. I shook my head and just stared at Darrios. Sighing, he elaborated on his explanation as we walked.
    “Scabras are a little bigger than humans. They walk erect, but they’re covered in fur. They’re not very smart or agile, so we’ll hear them coming, but like the moltergs, fresh human is a delicacy to them. They love it...and you’re a fresh human. When they get that scent, they go crazy to get to the source. It’s like a frenzy.”
    “Well, aren’t you human?” I asked apprehensively.
    He chuckled. “Yeah, but I am definitely not fresh. I’ve been here so long, I barely ever think about my life before I came here. Once you’ve been here awhile, your scent will blend in with the rest of us.”
    I gasped audibly. The thought of being stranded here made me appreciate that little Podunk town in Missouri where I now lived.
    I stared at him wide-eyed. “I’m not going to be here awhile. I need to