p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Gregor felt his whole body start to shake in terror. They had never been this outnumbered. For every human, rat, crawler, spinner, and flier, there were at least one hundred cutters. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"They simply did not stand a chance. There were too many of them. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "This is hopeless," said Gregor. "They're just going to destroy us."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Don't give up yet," said his dad, appearing at his left. "Mareth and I have designed some surprises for them. It should eliminate at least some of them." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What?" asked Gregor curiously. But his dad just made a mysterious face./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "You'll see in a minute." If they hadn't been here to kill every person he knew, Gregor would have been awestruck with their numbers. As far as the eye could see there were millions—maybe even billions—of red bodies, each equipped with razor-sharp mandibles and all intent on killing their enemies. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" They were pouring in from every direction. In a few minutes, they would reach the wall and the soldier standing there would be torn to shreds. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "A little farther," mutter his dad. The cutter had begun to enter the fields of grain the Regalians grew. It was easy to see them because of the elaborate system of lamps the underlanders had set up. The lamps used natural gas from the ground as fuel so they could burn full time. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Just a bit more," said his dad, gripping a long string that was wrapped in tape. Gregor couldn't see the end of it. It seemed to disappear into the ground. At the top were two open wires. Gregor saw a nine-volt battery clutched in his father's hands. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Just about," said his dad, and Gregor saw his hands move together so the wires and the battery were an inch away from each other. The cutters had almost completely covered the field in a solid coat of crimson. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "And now," said his dad, and he pressed the two together. For a second nothing happened. Gregor looked around in confusion. And then came a massive explosion. The force was immense. The entire field had burst into the air, filling it with dust and hundreds of thousands of ants. They were completely decapitated. All the cutters in the field had been obliterated. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The shock wave from the explosion hit Gregor, knocking him backward onto his butt. The soldiers on the ground made a human domino track with each member knocking the one behind him backward. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor stood up and helped his dad to his feet. Already the fields were filling with ants again. The blast had taken out the lights so Gregor couldn't see as well. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Now!" came a voice from the dining hall and bat after bat swooped up into the air with a faint whooshing sound. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Each bat had a human on its back with a bread-loaf-sized package. They soared out over the cutters and dropped their packages. On contact, each one burst into flames. They continued to burn brightly for several minutes after they combusted. Gregor watched several of the cutters writhe in pain as they were burnt to charcoal. But they were recovering, and much too quickly. In under a minute the fields were filled again, and in the distance Gregor could see thousands more, ready to fill the others' places. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Now!" came another shout and another wave of bats flew into the air, these were rider-less with each bat holding a rock in their claws. They flew out over the field of ants before releasing their rocks. The sky was soon filled with falling rocks. Gregor watched as ant after ant was crushed by the onslaught of rocks. Several of their bodies burst upon impact. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Are we going to fight from the ground now?" asked Gregor./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Not quite yet," said Ripred, nodding at the archers, "We still have another aerial assault." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The bats were beginning to return. They flew back into the hall, where the remaining humans were ready to mount. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The cutters were quickly scuttling over the carpet of corpses that was the field. Once they were within a few hundred yards, Gregor saw Ripred raise a paw, signaling the archers. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" They released their arrows, showering the ants with them. They pulled another five rounds of shots before they ran out of arrows. Gregor realized he'd never seen them use bows before. "Of, course," he thought, "They'd need wood for both the bows and the arrows." And as there was practically no would, they preferred to use stone and metal, more readily available materials. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Now?" asked Gregor, but Ripred just shook his head. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"What were they waiting for?/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor wondered. The ants were almost on top of the soldiers when Gregor realized their plan. Each soldier on the ground quickly removed a javelin from their belt and hurled it at the crowd of ants, a second later the bats came pouring off the wall. Each scooping up one of the soldiers. Gregor understood; they had never intended to fight the cutters on the ground. It had been a ruse to get them within shooting range. Now the humans were attacking from the air, where they had the advantage of flight. The humans continued circling over the cutters, keeping out of their reach until they dove down for the kill. This continued for about five minutes before Ripred signaled them back inside. Gregor was confused. "Why are they coming back in?" he asked the rat. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Oh," said Ripred, "It's dinner time." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What!" asked Gregor with complete and utter bemusement. "Dinner?" /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We decided to give everyone a quick break. Eat some food, relax," said Ripred calmly. "The cutters will still be here later." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" It all felt wrong to Gregor. They shouldn't be calmly walking inside and putting their feet up while they were surrounded. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"But Ripred was right. There was no way they could climb up the walls. "Wait," thought Gregor, "Yes they could."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Even the rats had been able to to a degree. And Gregor had watched ants in his apartment. They could walk upside down on the ceiling./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What are you doing?" Gregor almost screamed at Ripred. Already the cutters had almost reached the wall and would be climbing up it. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "They'll just climb the wall" shouted Gregor. The rat gave him a look that said quite plainly, "Shut up." "But—" gasped Gregor. Already he could spot a few ants beginning to scale the wall. More followed. Now there were hundreds of them climbing rapidly up the wall. What were they thinking?/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" And then Gregor realized it. Sitting astride a bicycle with wires and gears attached to it, was his dad and he was pedaling furiously. Gregor saw an open wire that was connected to the bike and then stretch across the wall, it was positioned in such a way that if anyone tried to climb the wall, they would have to touch it./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" By the humming of the wire, Gregor could tell there was a solid amount of electricity pumping through it. If any cutter tried to climb it, they would be electrocuted immediately. As if to illustrate his thought, a cutter reached the wire and tried to climb over it. There was a zapping sound and the cutter fell to the ground, lifeless. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "How long could his dad keep it up?" wondered Gregor. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" It didn't matter, because after the first hundred or so tried to climb up, the rest of the cutters became suspicious and stopped climbing. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor saw Ripred waving his claw in the air. In response to his signal thousands of crawlers, spinners, rats, mice, bats, and humans began attacking from all sides. The lobsters were lined up, and, at the signal, rushed forward as one seething mass of red. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The aerial assault they had launched earlier, along with the gas explosion from his dad and the trick with the wire had certainly shrunk the number of cutters, but they were still outnumbered at least ten to one. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" But the humans had the advantage of air and both the rats and nibblers were larger than the cutters. For a moment it looked like they might be able to overpower the cutters. And that's when the spinners turned on them. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The humans, crawlers, rats, nibbler, and bats were caught completely defenseless, they were all focusing on the cutters which made it easy for the spinners to slip webs over them and then sink their deadly fangs into their necks. In a few minutes, the tables had turned. With the help of the spinners, the cutters had the upper hand in minutes. The surprise attack from the spiders had diminished the human's troupes. They were once again hopelessly outnumbered./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor frowned, there was a quiet rolling sound, as if piles of rocks were being rolled down a hill in the distance. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor looked out into a nearby hill, and what he saw shocked him. Rolling down the hill at quite an impressive speed, were upwards of five thousand, giant snails. They managed to direct their rolling right into the ranks of the cutters, crushing thousands. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Where did they come from?" wondered Gregor with bemusement. "And why had they come to our aid?" He didn't think the humans had an alliance with the snails. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"A voice startled him. He jumped. They must have flown in behind him, completely silent because he hadn't heard a rustle of a wing. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "I am Photo Glows-Glows, and this is Zap," spoke the bug. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strongspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Only two more chapters left to go! Let me know what you think so far. /span/strong/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"They simply did not stand a chance. There were too many of them. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "This is hopeless," said Gregor. "They're just going to destroy us."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Don't give up yet," said his dad, appearing at his left. "Mareth and I have designed some surprises for them. It should eliminate at least some of them." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What?" asked Gregor curiously. But his dad just made a mysterious face./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "You'll see in a minute." If they hadn't been here to kill every person he knew, Gregor would have been awestruck with their numbers. As far as the eye could see there were millions—maybe even billions—of red bodies, each equipped with razor-sharp mandibles and all intent on killing their enemies. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" They were pouring in from every direction. In a few minutes, they would reach the wall and the soldier standing there would be torn to shreds. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "A little farther," mutter his dad. The cutter had begun to enter the fields of grain the Regalians grew. It was easy to see them because of the elaborate system of lamps the underlanders had set up. The lamps used natural gas from the ground as fuel so they could burn full time. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Just a bit more," said his dad, gripping a long string that was wrapped in tape. Gregor couldn't see the end of it. It seemed to disappear into the ground. At the top were two open wires. Gregor saw a nine-volt battery clutched in his father's hands. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Just about," said his dad, and Gregor saw his hands move together so the wires and the battery were an inch away from each other. The cutters had almost completely covered the field in a solid coat of crimson. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "And now," said his dad, and he pressed the two together. For a second nothing happened. Gregor looked around in confusion. And then came a massive explosion. The force was immense. The entire field had burst into the air, filling it with dust and hundreds of thousands of ants. They were completely decapitated. All the cutters in the field had been obliterated. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The shock wave from the explosion hit Gregor, knocking him backward onto his butt. The soldiers on the ground made a human domino track with each member knocking the one behind him backward. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor stood up and helped his dad to his feet. Already the fields were filling with ants again. The blast had taken out the lights so Gregor couldn't see as well. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Now!" came a voice from the dining hall and bat after bat swooped up into the air with a faint whooshing sound. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Each bat had a human on its back with a bread-loaf-sized package. They soared out over the cutters and dropped their packages. On contact, each one burst into flames. They continued to burn brightly for several minutes after they combusted. Gregor watched several of the cutters writhe in pain as they were burnt to charcoal. But they were recovering, and much too quickly. In under a minute the fields were filled again, and in the distance Gregor could see thousands more, ready to fill the others' places. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Now!" came another shout and another wave of bats flew into the air, these were rider-less with each bat holding a rock in their claws. They flew out over the field of ants before releasing their rocks. The sky was soon filled with falling rocks. Gregor watched as ant after ant was crushed by the onslaught of rocks. Several of their bodies burst upon impact. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Are we going to fight from the ground now?" asked Gregor./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Not quite yet," said Ripred, nodding at the archers, "We still have another aerial assault." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The bats were beginning to return. They flew back into the hall, where the remaining humans were ready to mount. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The cutters were quickly scuttling over the carpet of corpses that was the field. Once they were within a few hundred yards, Gregor saw Ripred raise a paw, signaling the archers. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" They released their arrows, showering the ants with them. They pulled another five rounds of shots before they ran out of arrows. Gregor realized he'd never seen them use bows before. "Of, course," he thought, "They'd need wood for both the bows and the arrows." And as there was practically no would, they preferred to use stone and metal, more readily available materials. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Now?" asked Gregor, but Ripred just shook his head. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"What were they waiting for?/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor wondered. The ants were almost on top of the soldiers when Gregor realized their plan. Each soldier on the ground quickly removed a javelin from their belt and hurled it at the crowd of ants, a second later the bats came pouring off the wall. Each scooping up one of the soldiers. Gregor understood; they had never intended to fight the cutters on the ground. It had been a ruse to get them within shooting range. Now the humans were attacking from the air, where they had the advantage of flight. The humans continued circling over the cutters, keeping out of their reach until they dove down for the kill. This continued for about five minutes before Ripred signaled them back inside. Gregor was confused. "Why are they coming back in?" he asked the rat. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Oh," said Ripred, "It's dinner time." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What!" asked Gregor with complete and utter bemusement. "Dinner?" /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We decided to give everyone a quick break. Eat some food, relax," said Ripred calmly. "The cutters will still be here later." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" It all felt wrong to Gregor. They shouldn't be calmly walking inside and putting their feet up while they were surrounded. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"But Ripred was right. There was no way they could climb up the walls. "Wait," thought Gregor, "Yes they could."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Even the rats had been able to to a degree. And Gregor had watched ants in his apartment. They could walk upside down on the ceiling./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What are you doing?" Gregor almost screamed at Ripred. Already the cutters had almost reached the wall and would be climbing up it. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "They'll just climb the wall" shouted Gregor. The rat gave him a look that said quite plainly, "Shut up." "But—" gasped Gregor. Already he could spot a few ants beginning to scale the wall. More followed. Now there were hundreds of them climbing rapidly up the wall. What were they thinking?/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" And then Gregor realized it. Sitting astride a bicycle with wires and gears attached to it, was his dad and he was pedaling furiously. Gregor saw an open wire that was connected to the bike and then stretch across the wall, it was positioned in such a way that if anyone tried to climb the wall, they would have to touch it./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" By the humming of the wire, Gregor could tell there was a solid amount of electricity pumping through it. If any cutter tried to climb it, they would be electrocuted immediately. As if to illustrate his thought, a cutter reached the wire and tried to climb over it. There was a zapping sound and the cutter fell to the ground, lifeless. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "How long could his dad keep it up?" wondered Gregor. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" It didn't matter, because after the first hundred or so tried to climb up, the rest of the cutters became suspicious and stopped climbing. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor saw Ripred waving his claw in the air. In response to his signal thousands of crawlers, spinners, rats, mice, bats, and humans began attacking from all sides. The lobsters were lined up, and, at the signal, rushed forward as one seething mass of red. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The aerial assault they had launched earlier, along with the gas explosion from his dad and the trick with the wire had certainly shrunk the number of cutters, but they were still outnumbered at least ten to one. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" But the humans had the advantage of air and both the rats and nibblers were larger than the cutters. For a moment it looked like they might be able to overpower the cutters. And that's when the spinners turned on them. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The humans, crawlers, rats, nibbler, and bats were caught completely defenseless, they were all focusing on the cutters which made it easy for the spinners to slip webs over them and then sink their deadly fangs into their necks. In a few minutes, the tables had turned. With the help of the spinners, the cutters had the upper hand in minutes. The surprise attack from the spiders had diminished the human's troupes. They were once again hopelessly outnumbered./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor frowned, there was a quiet rolling sound, as if piles of rocks were being rolled down a hill in the distance. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor looked out into a nearby hill, and what he saw shocked him. Rolling down the hill at quite an impressive speed, were upwards of five thousand, giant snails. They managed to direct their rolling right into the ranks of the cutters, crushing thousands. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Where did they come from?" wondered Gregor with bemusement. "And why had they come to our aid?" He didn't think the humans had an alliance with the snails. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"A voice startled him. He jumped. They must have flown in behind him, completely silent because he hadn't heard a rustle of a wing. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "I am Photo Glows-Glows, and this is Zap," spoke the bug. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strongspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Only two more chapters left to go! Let me know what you think so far. /span/strong/p