Thanks to my speedy reviewers. Hopefully this will clarify a few issues.


She didn't know how long she sat and trembled in the blackness. She knew that she came to with a jolt; scared to move, scared not to. Claudia didn't look for the blood, or spiders or anything else but she buried her head in her arms and pulled her knees to her chest. She couldn't get out; she couldn't escape. She couldn't even help the others. She couldn't make this stop. She didn't even try to stop shaking anymore. She was just cowering against whatever onslaught was next.

"Claudia!" She didn't move. A voice was soft and far away.

"Claudia!" It was closer.

"Claudia!" It was Artie.

She wanted to cry out, but could only whimper. There was no way for him to get in and no way for her to get out and she knew it, so Claudia kept her head buried in her arms clutching her elbows around her drawn up knees.

She heard scraping and some scuffling then a distinct creaking. A light came across her closed eyelids, yet still, she didn't move.

"Claudia?" Artie's voice was soft and very close.

She swallowed and let a shudder rack her whole body before her dared to raise her eyes. Slowly, she peeked over her crossed arms.

There, in the middle of the floor was a great hulking beast lit from below in a hellish red light. Its eyes were wide and showed the white around glowing red pupils. Its gaping mouth was full of sharp but rotting teeth and spewed poisonous, thick, green puke down its front. The monster slapped a hugely clawed hand on the floor and came towards her suddenly.

Claudia screamed and scrambled back from the muscled, panting form. "N-n- no!" She hit the far wall of the room, knowing that she was trapped with this thick and dangerous beast.

The creature lashed its tongue back and forth, spewing sick on the walls to thickly slide down. Slowly, as if it knew that she had no escape, it stalked towards her. Claudia's breath came in panicked gasps and she shook, awaiting her fate, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the evil glowing eyes.

The monster, purposefully, like it was enjoying the game, reached its sharp claws out for her. Claudia cowered against the wall, trapped with no way out. Just before it reached her, she closed her eyes and trembled all over. She hoped for a quick death, but knew that she wouldn't get it.

"Claudia?" She barely heard the concerned whisper over her own rapid, gasping breaths. She flinched at a pressure on her arm. A second later, the girl realized that it was a gentle touch and did not feel of claws.

Shaking with fear, Claudia coughed against the parchness in her throat but kept her eyes squeezed shut.

The pressure increased slightly. "Claudia?" It was Artie. She knew his voice. She knew that she could trust it. She could smell him.

Struggling to not hyperventilate, Claudia fought against herself to open her eyes. Not wanting to and wanting to desperately. She tried to steady herself and cracked her eyes open.

The puking beast was almost on top of her. His red eyes pierce into hers and his teeth gnash inches from her face. Claudia screamed with all she had. Her legs pushed hard away from it and she moved against the wall until she was trapped in the corner. The beast tossed its head and lunged at her. Claudia screamed again, in full panic, trying desperately to do whatever futile actions she could in her last moments of life. The beast's tongue flops to the side, out of its mouth grotesquely, drooling eagerly as it closed in on the girl.

Claudia screamed and cowered into the corner when she was grabbed by both arms and shaken. "Claudia! Snap out of it!"

Strong hands held her arms still against the violent shaking of the rest of her body. Keeping her eyes closed she stuttered out. "A-Artie?"

She heard a huff of relief. "Yes."

She couldn't seem to get her heart beat and breath under control. Almost as a weak defense, Claudia held up her hands shakily and felt rough fabric. "A-Are you s-sure?"

A more amused huff this time. "I'm sure." His thick fingers adjusted their grip and he felt for her pulse. "Listen to me. Claudia, you need to calm down." He ordered tersely.

Claudia didn't open her eyes again, but she had to make sure. The image of the horrid beast puking sick rattled her, but she knew what she had to do. Deciding to sacrifice her fingers to the beast's sharp fangs if she was wrong, Claudia forced her shaking hand to follow Artie's shoulder to his neck. Clamping her eyes tight because she expected her hand to be bitten off, her trembling fingers brushed the old man's cheek. He patiently held still and Claudia felt the roughness of whiskers, substantial nose, and tiny round eyeglasses. "Artie." she quietly breathed out. The teen leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest.

He pried one fist off of her arm to rub Claudia'sshaking back as she struggled to calm down from the long ordeal. "Take it easy. Breathe. Just relax…everything's fine." Eventually, her breathing returned to relative normality, but the trembling continued deep in her chest. "Feeling better now?" he asks.

Claudia nodded into his chest and he pulled her off. "Here, drink this."

She pulled back from him, suspicious again. Claudia kept her eyes stubbornly closed and shook her head. His stubby, thick fingers gripped her hard. "Claudia, you have neutralizer poisoning. This is an acid that will stop the worst of the effects. Sort of… neutralizes the neutralizer, so to speak." She could envision him tilting his head in half amusement at his description. Artie dropped his voice and tenderly, seriously says, "Trust me."

Claudia thought for a second and hoarsely whispered, "I'm not opening my eyes." It was an easy formula. Eyes closed; Artie. Eyes open; scary monster.

She could almost hear Artie nodding his curly head. "Ok." Both his hands left her arms. Claudia kept her eyes clamped closed. Her breathing just started to pick up as she got more nervous before he spoke again. "Ok, here." She flinched, but it was just Artie's hand touching the side of her neck, guiding her to a bottle that he held to her lips. Claudia brought her hand up to take the acid medicine herself, but her hands shook too much to do any good. He kept the bottle and tilted it for her. She gripped his hand around the bottle, bumping it. "Careful, not too much." Claudia put herself completely at Artie's mercy, or at the beast's who happened to be doing a fantastic impersonation of him.

Artie tilted the bottle and she felt a caustic, acidy liquid in her mouth. Claudia flinched and pulled away, but Artie held her head steady. "Drink it." He ordered roughly. Claudia closed her lips and cringed at the taste, but seeing as how she was in all the way already, she swallowed the nasty stuff in one big gulp. "Good. Very good."

The red head was abandoned against the wall again. With her eyes closed, she was finally able to control her gasping for air and settle into rapid, but consistent breaths.

Artie grabbed her arm slowly, but she flinched against his touch anyway. He gripped her arm with more force and didn't let go. She felt him pull down her shirt collar a bit and hiss at what he saw. A small noise, then he pulled off the bandage from her earlier fight with the water buffalo and fluid rolled down her chest making the wound bubble and sting. Until that moment, she hadn't considered that she might have gotten neutralizer directly into her blood stream, but her brain was overloaded to the point of insanity, so she just followed Artie's lead. A few moments later, she heard his voice very close and tenderly saying, "How do you feel?" She just nodded her head up and down. "Claudia, open your eyes." She shook my head back and forth. Artie huffed through his nose. "The acid works fast. It should be fine by now." He paused. "Open your eyes."

Claudia desperately didn't want to listen to him but she knew she should. Trembling started in her chest again as she got nervous. Artie gripped her shoulder tightly, feeling her starting to shake. Before she can get herself too worked up, Claudia lowered her head and slowly opened her eyes.