It started with a tremor. Then a rumble.
By the time Darin scrambled up the nearest slope for a better view, it was already far, far too late for early warnings.
The mountain range to the east, jagged and twisted like a crown of broken teeth, was moving.
No, not the mountains.
Something was pouring down them. From within them.
Thousands of ant-like monsters the size of warhorses flowed out of massive tunnels torn into the cliffside, flooding out like a living black tide. Their chitin glistened like wet obsidian in the moonlight, and their mandibles snapped like iron shears.
Darin's mouth went dry.
"...Well. That's not great."
But even worse, far, far worse, loomed above.
Higher up, clinging to the mountainside like sentries carved from nightmare, were colossal ants, each the size of a house. Their massive, plated heads turned in unison, alien eyes glinting like dull rubies. Just waiting.
And then the ground exploded beneath his feet.
