The three foot insect slammed into Blair like a living battering ram, its thick carapace deflecting her first strike. The impact drove her backward through the sand, boots plowing trenches as she fought to stay upright. Its mandibles snapped inches from her face, spraying warm spit mixed with dark, oily fluid that stank of rot and copper.
"Yeah, okay," Blair growled, wiping slime from her cheek. "You're tougher than your friends."
She surged forward again, fists hammering down in a brutal flurry. Bone cracking force met layered chitin. The shell rang like struck armor, her knuckles scraping and splitting skin as the impact numbed her hands. The insect shrieked and rammed her square in the chest. The blow caved her in hard enough to drive the air from her lungs. Blair skidded across the sand, coughing a bit.
She rolled, came up fast, and drove a kick into one of its legs. The strike cracked sand and snapped smaller chitin spines loose, but the limb only buckled for a moment before slamming back down. The creature retaliated instantly, mandibles clamping shut where her head had been a second earlier, the snap loud enough to echo.
Owen shouted, "Your hits aren't biting. The shell is thicker."
"No shit," Blair snapped back, ducking low as the insect lunged again. A mandible scraped across her shoulder, tearing armor plating loose and ripping flesh beneath. Blood splashed onto the sand, dark and steaming.
Owen's eyes tracked the monster, heart hammering as he forced himself to stay focused. "The joints," he yelled. "The neck plates are overlapping. There's a gap when it turns."
Owen sprinted forward and hurled the machete with everything he had. Blair caught it cleanly without looking, grip locking in as if it had always been there, momentum never breaking.
"That's more like it," she said.
The insect charged, legs churning violently. Blair stepped inside the arc of its mandibles at the last second. One blade scraped her ribs, slicing deep enough to spill blood. She didn't slow. She drove the machete into the exposed neck gap Owen had spotted.
The blade punched through with a wet crunch.
The insect screamed, the sound shrill and broken, as Blair forced the machete deeper. Black blood gushed out in thick pulses, splattering her arms, face, and chest. The creature thrashed wildly, slamming its body into her, but Blair braced her foot against its chest, muscles bulging as she twisted the handle hard.
Chitin tore apart with a ripping shriek. The machete carved sideways through flesh and connective tissue. Tendons snapped. The insect's head lolled at an unnatural angle as Blair ripped the blade free, dragging chunks of meat and shell with it.
The creature collapsed, twitching violently, legs spasming as blood poured out and soaked into the sand beneath it.
Owen stared, breathing hard, bile rising in his throat. "You okay?"
Blair spat blood, yanked the blade free from the corpse, and wiped it across the insect's still twitching body. "I'm fantastic."
Before he could reply, the sand exploded again.
Another three foot insect burst free, screeching as it charged. Blair laughed loudly, sharp and unhinged, blood dripping from her chin. "Oh hell yes. Round two."
She met it head on, machete flashing. The creature snapped at her arm. She let it bite down, mandibles crunching into muscle and bone. Blood sprayed out, splattering across the insect's face. Blair snarled, grabbed one mandible with her free hand, fingers digging into the soft joint beneath the chitin, and yanked its head sideways.
She drove the machete straight into its eye cluster.
The blade sank in up to the hilt. The insect convulsed violently, legs flailing, screech breaking into a wet gargle as fluid and pulp spilled from its ruined head. Blair kicked it off her arm, tearing free with a spray of blood and torn flesh, then followed it to the ground.
She hacked down again and again. Each strike split shell and meat, spraying gore in every direction. The head finally caved in completely, collapsing into a crushed, unrecognizable mess.
She stood over the corpse, chest heaving, drenched in blood and ichor, laughing like a lunatic. "This world is fucked," she said happily. "I love it."
Owen opened his mouth to respond when the ground trembled.
At first it was subtle. Then the shaking grew violent. Sand rolled like waves. A deep rumbling echoed beneath their feet.
Blair stopped laughing.
Owen's blood turned cold. "Blair," he shouted, panic breaking through his calm. "We run. Now!"
The desert erupted.
All around them, insects clawed their way free. Dozens. Then more. Some were three feet tall. Others were bigger. Far bigger. One massive shape rose in the distance, easily twenty feet tall, its silhouette blotting out the sun.
Owen screamed, "Holy shit!"
Blair did not argue. She sprinted toward him, scooped him up effortlessly, and threw him over her shoulder like a sack of gear.
"Hold on," she barked.
She ran.
The world blurred. Blair's enhanced agility turned the desert into streaks of sand and shadow. Owen clung to her, heart pounding so hard it hurt. Behind them, the insects roared and screeched. Massive bodies tore free from the dunes. The ground cracked and split as the largest ones emerged.
Owen looked back and felt his stomach drop. "They're huge! That one is taller than a building!"
Blair laughed breathlessly. "Yeah, no kidding. That's not a fight. That's a funeral."
Several insects gave chase, legs pounding the sand. One leaped, mandibles snapping. Blair twisted mid sprint, changed direction instantly, and the creature slammed face first into a dune.
"Too slow," Blair said.
Another tried to cut them off. Blair accelerated even more, muscles screaming but holding, endurance carrying her forward. The insect fell behind, its movements sluggish compared to her speed.
Owen gasped, "You're insane!"
"Still breathing though," Blair shot back. "You're welcome, boss."
The ground shook again as the giant insects roared behind them. Sand sprayed into the air. Owen shut his eyes, forcing himself to breathe.
They ran until the sounds faded, until the shaking lessened, until only wind and their own breathing remained.
Blair finally slowed, setting Owen down gently. Both of them bent over, catching their breath.
Owen laughed weakly. "Okay. New rule. We don't fight those insects in their territory."
Blair wiped blood from her face, eyes bright. "Deal. But damn, that was fun."
Owen looked back at the empty dunes, dread and awe twisting together. "That could have killed us."
Blair placed a hand on his shoulder, grip firm and reassuring. "But it didn't. You spotted the weak point. You told me when to run. That's what matters."
Owen nodded slowly. "Next time, we prepare more."
Blair smirked. "Yeah, next time, we bring bigger guns."
Far behind them, something massive roared beneath the sand, and both of them turned and started moving again, not daring to stop.