Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 122-

Day: 184

Days Left: 5296

Lives Saved: 0

Corinna kicked at her assailant, but they continued to grasp hold of her ankle and drag her across the ground. The young woman clawed at the earth, attempting to slow them down but to no avail. She watched the last of the light from outside smothered into darkness as the tunnel exit collapsed. The lantern broken from the rockslide, the green wisp flew out and hovered around Corinna's wrist. At least she still had a source of light, Corinna thought, attempting to see the silver lining. But with all of the noise that the collapse had made, the sandwyrm was likely heading in their direction. She had to get out of there.

Making another attempt to escape her captor, Corinna kicked back both of her feet, managing to break free. She rolled over and stumbled up, now face to face with her attacker, a familiar one.

It was the marionette. It was Jessica.

The human-sized puppet stood before her, its body wobbling and swaying. One of its cheeks was caved in and other scratches and dents scattered the rest of its wooden body, the blue and white dress frayed, muddied and torn. Its left forearm was missing, only the metal wire from inside of it, that connected it to the rest of the body, was left.

Tilting its head, the puppet stared back at Corinna with its painted permanently-fixed expression.

There was a faint rumbling in the distance. The sandwyrm was on its way.

Corinna glanced back at the collapsed tunnel exit. That was the only way out she knew but also where the sandwyrm was heading. She could try and find another exit but who knows how long that would take. The cogs in her mind churning, Corinna came up with a plan. She knew that there was a diverging path nearby. She could hide there and wait for the sandwyrm to leave the tunnel exit alone. The only problem was that Jessica was standing in the way of her hiding spot.

"Jessica..." Corinna whispered, trying to be as quiet as possible. "I'm sorry... for all the pain I've caused you, but we need to hide. There's a sandwyrm in these tunnels, and it'll be after us if we don't hide." She motioned to the diverging tunnel path behind the marionette. "We can hide just over there..."

The puppet looked back, then returned its gaze to Corinna. It stepped forward.

Instinctively, Corinna stepped back. Unfortunately, she had lost her spear when the exit had collapsed. She had no weapons, no means of defending herself. Would the same trick she used last time work again?

The ground shook, the rumbling becoming louder and louder, closer and closer.

"Jessica, please..." Corinna hissed, eyeing the hiding spot behind the puppet. "We'll both be eaten if we stay like this."

Tilting its head at an unnatural angle, the puppet stepped closer.

Swallowing, Corinna muttered, "I'm sorry..." then rushed past the marionette, the green wisp following behind.

Its wooden joints clacking and clattering together, the puppet chased after her.

The tunnel shook and rattled, specks of sand fell from the ceiling. The sandwyrm was almost here but with the puppet making so much noise its target would no longer be the collapsed exit. It would be Jessica.

Taking a right at the diverging paths, Corinna bolted to the hiding place. The marionette followed close behind and grasped the young woman's neck, pinning her against the wall, her grip tightening.

Even when she was standing still, the puppet continued to creak and rattle. The noise would lead the sandwyrm straight to them.

Freeing herself from its grasp, Corinna pushed the marionette to the ground, and its body collapsed like someone had cut the strings holding it up.

The ground quivered, the sand above them dropped in large clumps. It was here.

Gathering up several pebbles in her hand, Corinna chucked them out into the other tunnel path. The rocks scattered and bounced on the ground, the clattering sound reverberating across the tunnel.

Pressing up against the wall, holding her breath, Corinna heard the sandwyrm slither past her and follow the echoes of the thrown stones. When she judged that the creature was far away, Corinna sighed in relief.

"I think we can go now-"

The puppet pinned her down, its remaining wooden hand choking Corinna's throat. Hitting and kicking, Corinna managed to break free, but the marionette restrained her again and again with an unprecedented level of strength.

Corinna clutched onto the puppet's wooden hand, her breath stagnant and declining.

The marionette was propelled off of her and smashed against the tunnel wall. Using the opportunity, Corinna stumbled up, breathing in gasps of air. She almost screamed for there in the underground tunnel with her was a red and orange speckled octopus, its smooth and round head nearly too big to fit.

The octopus waved its numerous arms.

Corinna stared back, unable to move. Something about it was familiar, something about the colour scheme perhaps...

"Sumit!" Corinna covered her mouth in shock.

The octopus winked. It then motioned with a tentacle in the direction of the tunnel exit.

Corinna nodded. The two made their way to the exit, the rocks now cleared and light beamed into the dark tunnel.

They were almost there when the ground began to shake and rattle once again. Corinna glanced back and saw the puppet chasing after them, its wooden joints clattering as it moved. Then something else appeared in the tunnel. It was the sandwyrm. Its mouth open, the creature slithered behind the marionette.

Corinna halted, about to help but the octopus shoved her out of the tunnel. Outisde, Rin and four imps were there to greet her. The ground still shook, and the exit that had been cleared collapsed once again.

"Sumit!" Corinna yelled. Rin held her back, stopping Corinna from trying to move the rocks out of the way.

"There's no need," Rin explained as a red tentacle squeezed through the gaps between the rubble followed by the rest of the octopus. Rin smiled. "See he's fine." She gave Corinna a quick hug and wiped away a bit of mud from her face. "And you're now fine too."