I didn't know Cale had crazy ideas in him, Josh said. He bobbed his sword at his side and inched his way across the desert. The louse had yet to emerge, but the land continued to tremble, so it couldn't be far.

I still don't like this, Boomer muttered. The far away sound hadn't left his voice. You make things go wrong, and if this goes wrong, you might die.

Josh rolled his eyes. Thanks for the confidence.

Am I wrong? When Josh didn't reply, Boomer snorted. Yeah. That's what I thought.

Has Ezraim told you anything yet?

Cale is still getting ready.

Josh sighed. It would be much better if Cale was ready before the bug came up. But, as Cale had said when Mara argued the plan, if he could do it that quickly, Josh wouldn't need to act asbait.

The ground heaved. This time, when the sand shifted, Josh turned to the point it was loudest. A patch of the desert caved in, and the sand rushed to fill the missing space.

Tell Ezraim that our little friend is saying hello.

Josh darted back as the tremors worsened. By the time the louse pierced the surface, he passed the edge of the sand rain that came with it.

"Hey, big and ugly!" Josh shouted, pounding the pummel of his sword against his shield. "Sure would suck if you attacked me."

It scuttled around to face him and charged. Josh channeled energy into his hand. He watched the louse's approach, forcing his body to wait despite the adrenaline urging him to escape danger. When only ten feet separated him from the monster, he skirted out of its path and blasted light into its side.

This thing was meant for underground movement, and it showed when it took multiple seconds turning to face Josh. By then, he had already put a hundred yards between them.

"That the best you got? Pathetic."

He doubted it could understand English, but either his tone or the energy blast kindled a new fury in its beady eyes.

An arrow flew through the air, shattering mere inches away from one of those eyes. Chittering and slamming its mandibles together, the insect turned so it could still see Josh while also finding Mara standing on a sand dune, her bow drawn.

Come on. Let Cale be right, Josh pleaded with it. Realize just how slow you are.

Instead, it considered them for a moment before clawing at the ground.

"Oh no you don't." Josh sent out multiple blasts of light, varying between aiming at its eyes and its mouth. While he did, more ice arrows rained down, pelting its face.

It reared back and wailed. It slashed at Mara's incoming arrow while staring down at Josh. The sandstorm in its back swirled with a new fierceness and emitted a light brown glow.

Josh smirked. Got it.

The monster louse spread its mouth wide and released a beam of concentrated sandstorm. Josh jumped to the side, but jerked as the attack caught the bottom half of his shin. He crashed into the ground, a stinging burn spreading across his leg. Bloody spots mixed with sand over a large patch of irritated skin.

"Move!" Mara called.

Josh skipped reorienting himself and rolled to the side. Wind brushed past him as the next attack narrowly missed.

He stopped rolling when the louse screeched. Fury mixed with deep pain. Josh hopped to his feet, ready to dart if needed, and examined the situation.

An ice arrow faded into snow-like particles, some tainted murky brown—blood from the louse's pierced eye.

Its abdomen glowed again, and even if there was half the amount of sand now, the light shone brighter. With a shriek, it bombarded Mara's dune with a continuous beam, following her as she sprinted out of its path. Even if she ran fast, though, the attack grew closer and closer.

"Mara!" Josh called.

Before the beam could catch up, she slipped over the edge of the dune. The sand proceeded past where she vanished.

Cale's ready, Boomer said.

The louse bit off its attack and the glow faded. While the back grew foggier, the rest of it became more transparent. Beaming, Josh raised his palm to the monster and blasted.

"Back this way, you big bug," Josh said, then hollered loud enough for Mara to hear, "He's ready now!"

Her reappearance on the dune provided all the evidence he needed that she heard him.

With another blast to irritate the monster, Josh turned in the opposite direction and sprinted. Mara caught up in a few seconds. He sent her a quick, examining glance—no major injuries, just a few scrapes—before looking over his shoulder.

The bug barreled into the ground in their direction.

"Think we irritated it enough?" Josh asked.

The sand quaked, splitting away from the trail of rubble lifting from the ground.

"Yes. And now it's faster," she said. "Full speed ahead. Don't look back."

They booked it across the desert, trailed by a rumbling upheaval. Josh stared at the dune that was still indented from the earth platform's crash. It had seemed so close when Cale said they would have to lead the louse over it.

The sand gave way and shifted as they started the incline. Josh sheathed his sword and passed Mara. Taking hold of her hand, he helped pull her along.

Josh caught sight of Cale as they went over the crest. He kneeled on the ground at its base, body heaving as he gasped for breath. Josh couldn't see what had been done, but he knew it was there, awaiting the monster.

His foot sunk a moment before Mara tackled him forward. The louse exploded from the top of the dune where they had been. He wrapped his arms around her as they rolled and skidded down the hill. His leg wound screamed as it slammed down time and time again.

"This way!" Cale huffed. He hurried across the desert.

Mara helped Josh up. He clenched his jaw against his leg's protests and limped forward. The ground shook, and the louse's screech grew louder by the second.

"Now dive."

Josh let Cale's command guide his body. He shot forward. The world jerked beneath him, and the sound of it splitting apart roared behind him. A dull shriek, and then another crash against earth.

He blinked the sand out of his eyes and twisted around. Behind him rose a giant earth dome. It shuddered from whatever attack the louse unleashed.

When the dome held, Josh flopped back down and just breathed, trying to ease the tension and aches from his body.

Even if he couldn't see it, he knew Cale had formed a thick earth barrier below the sand, preventing the louse from burrowing into the ground. The dome creaked, and then it started to shrink.

The louse thrashed on the inside, but all its energy had been expanded trying to kill him and Mara. It couldn't break the enclosing earth.

Cale's cry mixed with the louse's pained scream. A sickening crunch cut off both sounds.

Josh moved his body enough to see the end result. Cracks spread through the dome. Black blood oozed out, turning into dark particles that faded into the sky. Cale doubled over on the ground, sweat dripping off him and his body shuddering with every inhale.

"You did it," Josh said.

Cale stumbled to his feet. The color drained from his face and his expression twisted in pain, but he remained standing. He glanced between Josh and Mara.

"Yes, we did it," he said. His words shook from his uneven breaths. "Now let's get moving before more show up."

Fun Fact: When I started writing this, I legit had no idea how they were going to defeat it.  When Josh mentioned squashing it, I got the idea about the same time as Cale XD What better way to kill a bug then squashing?

And squash it they did.  Yay for teamwork!  It looks like there may actually be hope for these dumbos (and Mara).  But the louse dead or not, they're still in the pocket dimension, which means they're not safe yet.  Though is a book character ever really safe? I plead the fifth when it comes to this case >:3 

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!