Disclaimer: I don't own SGA. I'm just borrowing them for their annual Halloween thrashing.

Diaboli

'Whatdowedo?Whatdowedo?Whatdowedo?'

'Keep it down, McKay!' Sheppard hissed, pressing his back tight against the jagged rocks while he closed his mind to the pain it caused. Pain was good. Pain reminded him he was alive. At least that's what he chose to tell himself right now as the lacerations under his tac vest protested at the brutal contact.

'You saw that thing though, right?'

The huge shadow beast with the glowing eyes that had shredded his back as he'd guarded their six? It had been pretty much impossible to miss, if he was honest. 'Yeah, I saw it, Rodney,' he hissed. 'Which is why I said you need to keep quiet.'

Somewhere in the distance, a low, guttural growl rumbled along the stone passageway. It was just far enough away not to panic him…yet. McKay's eyes almost bugged right out of their sockets as he tried to suppress a whimper.

'Ronon, you got your bearings, buddy?' Sheppard asked. They'd run without thought the moment the thing had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, materialising from the gloom as if out of the cave walls themselves. All they'd known in that moment was they needed to put distance between themselves and it. The direction hadn't mattered. At least it hadn't then. But now that they were lost, it seemed exponentially more important.

'Out's back that way,' the Satedan grunted, with a jab of his thumb in the direction they'd come from. But of course it was, Sheppard mused. Right back toward the gigantic, badass monster with the razor-sharp talons and breath like rancid fish heads. Why had he hoped it would be any different?

Sheppard leaned his head against the wall, his back burning from the residual sharpness of the beast's grasp. The others didn't know he was injured, and for now he wanted to keep it that way. With the poor illumination down here, if he took up the rear, he could keep it hidden for now while they concentrated on getting out.

Another growl carried to them, gently vibrating the rock that touched the back of his skull. It sounded a little quieter, which meant it was moving away. That was about the only positive thing he could see about their current predicament, but he'd take any advantage he could get. 'Ronon, take point. Teyla, keep McKay close. I'll watch our six.'

They all nodded their agreement, and he held his position as they filed past him, giving nothing of his condition away. As soon as he moved, he knew the scratches were deep, but not so deep that he was losing blood fast enough to pass out. At least, not yet. But it had impacted him. There was a notable weakness pulling at his body that was gaining traction each time they had to run. By his estimation, he probably had a half hour at least before things got critical and his legs gave out on him. That was the point he realised his life had taken a turn in a direction he'd never expected as an Air Force cadet. To be injured so often he could gauge how long he could remain upright was not an attribute he ever recalled aspiring to, and yet here he was, glancing at his watch and wondering if that was enough time to make it to the surface before his body called time on him.

They kept their lights to a minimum, only using the dull glow of Ronon's energy magnum's power cell to illuminate their way. It had become glaringly obvious in their previous encounters that the thing pursuing them, whatever it was, tracked the flashlights mounted on their P-90s. Only when they'd done away with them were they able to finally lose the beast down there in the bowels of this underground cave system.

'What do you think it was?' he heard Rodney whisper to Teyla.

'I do not know, Rodney. But wasting energy on such thoughts is pointless right now. We must focus on escape. Fear will only slow us down.'

Wise words as ever, but the quaver in her voice, the extra force she used to get the words out, told Sheppard she was every bit as terrified as Rodney. As he looked back the way they'd come, he noticed a dull red glow in the tunnel behind them. 'Hold!' he rasped, as loud as he dared.

Everyone stopped, frozen. The steady thump of footsteps advanced then stopped, followed by an unnerving snort, not unlike a furious bull. It was trying to pick up their scent. Ronon had tucked his gun down to hide its glow, plunging the team into total darkness other than the two pinpoints of red which now scanned the area they hid in. They all held totally still. No one spoke – Sheppard wasn't even entirely sure if anyone dared to draw breath. He certainly didn't. One clash with the critter had convinced him any further engagement was an extremely bad idea.

A moment later the red dots disappeared, and the sound of the creature's foot falls gradually faded as it changed direction and moved away from them.

They let out a collective sigh of long-held breath, Ronon bringing his weapon out from behind his back so Sheppard could at least see the vaguest hint of his friends' features. Even the huge Satedan look scared, something that had Sheppard even more worried than the beast itself. If Ronon was nervous, they really had something to be frightened about. The man was virtually unflappable.

With no choice but to press on, Sheppard signalled for them to move out, and Ronon turned to lead the way once more.

Sheppard ran over the events leading up to this moment in his mind, wondering if there was any specific point where it had all gone wrong. And to be honest, there was. He'd trusted the locals. Their simple trade discussions had led on to a celebratory drink, the lowering of defences, and the disclosure of many local myths, including one of Ancient treasures hidden in the underground caves at Hallan Point.

Of course, Rodney's ears had pricked right up at that little nugget of information. The promise of a potential hidden ZPM made him insist they should go give the place a quick once-over before returning through the 'gate. Sheppard hadn't disagreed with the sentiment, though he sorely wished he had now. The treasure trove had struck him as too good to be true. But he'd pushed that instinct aside because Atlantis seriously need a power boost, and Rodney's enthusiasm had proved too contagious to ignore.

His second mistake was not correctly reading the signs Ronon was giving off. The Satedan had trust issues — even he would freely admit that — and with plenty good reason, but he'd literally prickled every time their host, Elderman Hostler, had flashed his toothy smile their way. The man had a manner about him that oozed used car salesman fake charm. But he was a negotiator, so it hadn't seemed out of place to Sheppard, only mildly annoying. He dearly wished he'd paid more heed to Ronon's reactions now. The man had an inbuilt radar for trouble even more finely honed than his own, and Sheppard made a mental note that if they all got out of this in one piece, he would use Ronon's intuition as a barometer for his off-world decisions in all future missions…except maybe where Todd was concerned. Ronon would undoubtedly choose to shoot the Wraith on sight given the slightest opportunity, while he himself believed the irritatingly smug commander could still prove useful from time to time, even if he did feel like Todd was constantly sizing him up for his next meal whenever he was in the Wraith's vicinity.

So, now here they were, lost in a labyrinthine maze of tunnels with an unidentified monster on their tails and no sign of any Ancient treasures. The whole thing has been a ruse to get them in there…and they'd unwittingly strolled right into the lair of the evil that dwelt within the pits of this planet. Maybe this was an attempt by the locals to stop the monster from straying into their village. If so, he supposed he couldn't blame them. No, scratch that. He absolutely did blame them. This was no way to treat your guests.

A strange sound echoed at a distance. A whisper on the air. They all stopped as one and exchanged puzzled glances, trying to detect which direction the noise was coming from. As seconds passed the sound evolved into scrapes, skitters and chaotic clatters, quiet at first, then erupting to a clamour in the tunnel behind them that Sheppard recognised meant their pursuer would be on them in moments. At the corner they had just rounded, dozens of vivid red eyes appeared, hurrying toward them from the walls, the floor and the ceiling. Like something straight out of a nightmare, a legion of tiny craven shadow beasts sprinted toward them, unimpeded by gravity or any other obstacle in their path.

'Go!' he yelled, and they sprinted too, Teyla grasping Rodney's arm and hauling him along with her as she yelled words of encouragement, while Ronon fell back to Sheppard's position to assist with cover fire.

It soon became clear they weren't going to make it as the swarming beasts closed up the space between them. Sheppard balled himself up as the first wave leapt for him and shielded his head from the inevitable attack…an attack that never came. After a few seconds, it dawned on him that he felt no impacts, and he could no longer hear the spine-chilling scurrying of claws on stone that had set his Spidey senses tingling. All was silent other than their ragged breaths. What the hell…?

As he cautiously unfurled, he saw nothing but darkness. 'Ronon…buddy?'

The Satedan stirred a few feet away, then pushed up to reveal the light from the gun he'd curled up around. 'What just happened?'

'You tell me!' Sheppard winced as he forced himself back to his feet, looking about for the others.

'Phantoms,' Teyla shout-whispered to them as she helped Rodney back to his feet. 'Like those the Wraith project. It wishes to confuse and scare us to drive us out into the open.'

That made sense. And apparently the ploy had worked exactly as intended since they had just made one hell of a racket trying to evade them. Footfalls stumped along rocky floors not too far away, gaining speed with every stride. The growl that accompanied the sounds shook every cell in Sheppard's body. Without a single word exchanged they moved as one and bolted down the passageway. Despite their previous encounters, Sheppard flipped on his flashlight to aid their progress. The creature had already located their approximate position. It was more important to move as quickly and as safely as possible than to hide just for the moment.

A glance over his shoulder revealed the monster looming into view in the tunnel behind them. Its hulking, bipedal mass almost filled the passageway. Crap, it was huge. If it got hold of them, it could tear them limb from limb without breaking a sweat.

Someone grabbed the back of his tac-vest and hauled him sideways through a narrow gap, an offshoot from the main passageway. It was Ronon bodily dragging him out of its path and into the relative safety such a small crevice offered against the size of their pursuer. No way that thing could get through there.

'Think it goes all the way through to another tunnel,' Ronon grunted. 'But it's gonna get tight.'

'I prefer tight to dead,' Sheppard assured him, grateful for his friend's evasion skills. Both Ronon and Teyla had a knack for getting out of sticky situations borne of years of avoiding the Wraith. But this thing…this thing was something else entirely. It was as though they had stumbled into the depths of hell. All that was missing was the flames and pitchfork.

Teyla flicked on her P-90's flashlight, and Sheppard saw beyond her the fissure narrowed extensively. He wasn't exactly heavy built, so he suspected he could make it through with a little squirming, but he wasn't so sure about Rodney and Ronon. Then when Teyla led the way and slipped her slender frame along it with only a little room to spare, he started to doubt even he would get through.

'Hold on!' he hissed, stopping them in their tracks. 'We're not all gonna fit through there.'

'He's right!' McKay whimpered. 'I mean, I've been working on losing a few pounds recently, but if I go any farther, I'll get stuck for sure.'

'I could continue,' Teyla offered. 'I believe I can see the other end and it does not grow much narrower than this. If I emerge into another other tunnel, I could create a distraction and draw the creature away from you.'

Now that sounded like a plan, but one with problem, namely that it left Teyla isolated and exposed. 'I don't think you should go through there alone,' Sheppard muttered, looking back at the opening they'd squeezed through and wondering if there was time to make their escape that way.

As if in answer, that same snort from earlier sounded out in the crevice. The creature had found them. A low rumble travelled their way. It shook the rocks around them, and even loosened some small fragments. They showered down in a rain of fine dust that gritted up his eyes and made them sting.

'It appears to be occupied for now,' Teyla pointed out. 'I will be fine.'

He hesitated to give the green light. Torren and Kanaan were waiting back on Atlantis for her. She had to get home for them. The growl intensified, evolving into a roar as the monster flung itself toward the opening in a rabid attempt to reach them. As it scraped one clawed hand along the craggy wall more debris fell, and this time it brought down some larger chunks. At least now they knew this thing was fully corporeal. The way it had appeared earlier had left Sheppard afraid it could walk straight through solid stone if it chose to. 'I dunno. Sounds risky…'

'What choice do we have?' Teyla asked him. Her wide eyes implored him to give her permission, and in his heart he knew she was right. They needed to draw the monster away if they had any hope of eluding it.

He couldn't say the words, but gave a sharp nod to show his agreement. If anything happened to her he would never forgive himself, but at this point their options were severely limited and hers was the only plan that stood a chance.

She nodded in response. 'Signal me when it leaves and I will return.' Teyla pressed on as the creature bellowed and extended its thick arm to its full extent into the opening. It scraped its claws along the walls as if trying to make the hole wide enough to allow its vast bulk passage. A stench of sulphur and decay hit them, stealing their breath as they retreated as far as space would allow them. Rodney staggered back, covering his mouth until his head collided with a low hanging rock. He swore and curled in on himself while he rubbed the offending spot.

Ronon unloaded a volley of kill shots into the beast, but they made no real impact. It caused the monster to hesitate for a moment before it redoubled its furious efforts to reach them, but nothing more. If it had needed any further confirmation they were in there, it had it now and its attempts to reach them grew ever more feverish.

'Oh, God!' McKay began a mad scramble to force himself further back in the fissure, all fear of claustrophobia and becoming trapped forgotten. Sheppard grabbed him and hauled him back before he got wedged, then unleashed a barrage of rapid fire on their assailant to hold it at bay. The bullets found their target, even drew a slight screech, but then the monster resumed clawing and pulling at the rock, its immense strength causing damage with every savage motion. More rocks fell. They were in danger of a cave-in if the beast didn't reach them first. Sheppard signalled to Ronon to hold fire and extinguish his light, hoping the creature would think they had escaped via another route. It didn't know they were trapped. Did it? It couldn't know they were too big to exit via another passage, could it? If nothing else, their sudden silence might cause confusion and buy Teyla more time.

They held still as the creature paused and listened, testing the air for their scent. Then, at a distance, a sound echoed out. Rock against rock. A repetitive crack that cut through the silence like an axe splitting logs in the middle of an isolated woodland. Teyla. It had to be Teyla.

Their pursuer moved away. Sheppard listened to its footfalls rapidly retreat along the tunnel in pursuit of the noise, then tapped his radio to signal to Teyla it was on its way. He could barely suppress his relief when she emerged from the tiny fissure to re-join them.

'We need to leave,' Ronon grunted.

No one argued.

They raced back out of the opening to the now abandoned passageway, moving as quietly as the necessary speed allowed. Ronon once again took point. He had an innate sense of direction when it came to escape routes, and Sheppard trusted him implicitly to get them all out of there alive. The tangled nature of the underground system disoriented him, McKay too by the look of bewilderment etched into his face. But Ronon's instincts were rarely wrong…even the dead end he'd just led them into had saved their skins in a roundabout way.

'We need to find a way up,' Rodney panted, his stride shortening and his footfalls quite obviously heavier. He was exhausted and if his breathing was anything to go by, on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. But he was right; they needed to find a route back to ground level. Everything they'd done so far had led them further into the trap.

Teyla grasped Rodney's arm to lend him her strength and speed.

Sheppard pressed on, ignoring the sense of weakness that penetrated his own limbs. He couldn't afford to collapse now. And he absolutely wouldn't increase the burdens already weighing on his team. As they rushed along a draught of warmer air hit his face. He stumbled to a stop and flicked on his flashlight so the beam illuminated the tunnel all around him. It revealed a hole in the rocky ceiling above.

'Hey…Ronon! Where'd you think this goes?' he hissed to catch his friend's attention.

The Satedan immediately halted and headed back to Sheppard's position. They stared up into the hole, but the flashlight gave away little of its nature. Ronon offered him a shrug. 'Up.'

Sheppard raised an eyebrow as he caught his friend's slight smirk. 'Funny. D'you think it's safe?'

'Only one way to find out.' Ronon jumped, caught hold of the edges of the hole, and hauled himself up, causing Sheppard to duck as a haze of dust showered down on him. He listened to Ronon move away from them as the others joined him below the hole and awaited Ronon's report.

Eventually his head popped back into view. 'Looks good. It's low, so we'll have to crawl, but it should be safe.'

Comparatively, Sheppard supposed. But nothing about these tunnels could truly be described as safe.

Sheppard dropped to one knee and knitted his fingers together to offer the others a boost, Ronon doing the rest of the work as he hauled them through. Once they had both scrambled clear Ronon stuck his hand down and Sheppard jumped up to reach it. He allowed the Satedan to pull him up until his free hand could grasp the rocky sill and help to lever himself through, He groaned slightly as Ronon grabbed his tac vest and tugged him up, but hoped it hadn't been too loud. As Ronon told the others to go on ahead, he soon realised it had.

'How bad is it?'

'Huh?'

Ronon huffed out, annoyed. 'I know you're hurt. There's blood on your vest. I've felt it twice now and it's getting worse. How bad is it?'

'It's nothing. Just a scratch,' Sheppard assured him.

In the faint orange glow of his gun, Ronon's brow furrowed. 'I know you're lying. Can you keep going?'

'Yeah…I'm good.'

Ronon didn't look too sure about that, but he had little choice other than to accept the answer. 'You go ahead. I'll watch our six.'

Sheppard didn't remember delegating team leadership to the man, but he understood Ronon meant to protect him, and knew there wouldn't be a damn thing he could say to change his mind. So, he crawled after the Teyla and Rodney, thankful his friend had kept the question between just the two of them so the others could keep their minds on escape.

The low passage seemed endless; a tiny channel which sloped gradually upwards. It could well have been a natural formation, but it was also possibly an air duct down into the stifling lower levels. Whatever it was, it kept them out of sight of their pursuer, and that was alright by him. What wasn't alright was the way his head now swam, and fatigue dragged at his sorry carcass. He'd promised Ronon he was okay. He couldn't pass out on him now and block his exit.

A sudden cry from just a few feet ahead sent a surge of adrenalin through him that immediately dispelled any thoughts of his brain checking out.

'Teyla!'

He scampered forward at the sound of Rodney's panicked cry and found him desperately clinging to one of Tesla's ankles as she dangled into the tunnel below. There was barely enough room to reach around the man, but Sheppard squeezed in next to him and caught hold of her other leg, helping to pull her back up to safety at the expense of his already shredded skin. Once the adrenaline surge passed he fell back, physically spent.

That was when he felt it.

The thump of steps reverberated through the floor, shaking his entire body before the sounds became clear enough to decipher. The growl that followed chilled him to his soul.

It had halted right beneath them.

They all froze, but the creature didn't move on. It remained below them and fell silent as it listened for a clue as to their whereabouts. It could probably smell them at that proximity. It wouldn't take long for it to figure out their hiding place.

Terrified, McKay emitted the tiniest of whimpers – barely audible really – but it was enough. The brute smashed against the thin rock floor between them with a force that shook Sheppard and his friends off balance. 'Get going. Go!' Ronon yelled, and Teyla slipped down the side of the opening that had earlier sent her spilling. Rodney followed as Sheppard righted himself, but the monster heard their movements and thrust its hand through the hole to their level. It snatched hold of the front of McKay's vest and tried to rip him down through the craggy breach as he spread his arms and legs wide to brace himself against the tunnel walls. With another burst of adrenalin unleashed, Sheppard lunged, grasped the hand, and tugged his knife free from its holder. He stabbed repeatedly at the balled-up fist clutching onto McKay's clothes. The skin was tough, like tanalised leather, but some of his strikes pierced deep enough to cause it to screech in pain.

Then it let go.

The sudden shift in its position left Sheppard with nowhere to go but down through the hole. He crunched face-first onto the solid floor beneath, stunned into semi-consciousness. It took a few seconds to return to his senses. His right cheekbone throbbed like a bitch as he pushed up to his hands and knees, his eye already closing up from swelling.

'Sheppard…run!'

Ronon's urgent instruction pierced the veil of confusion like a beacon in the fog. He scrambled to his feet and checked back over his shoulder long enough to see his friend desperately clinging to the beast's raised hand, caught as it was about to strike. But he wouldn't be able to hold him for long.

He sprinted in what he hoped was the direction they'd been heading in before his untimely descent, feeling the gradual, almost imperceptible incline sap his remaining strength with each increasingly leaden step. He could barely catch his breath, aware of the sense of something baring down on him, but unable to kick into a higher gear to put space between them. He spun in time to avoid the taloned swipe the creature aimed his way, but fell as he lost his balance, his legs no longer strong enough to keep him upright.

The repeated thump of an incessant stream of energy blasts was enough to divert the monster's attention away from him and buy him time to react. There was another opening to his left, one just big enough to force his way into. Perhaps he could shield himself in there…or perhaps it led elsewhere. But that left his friends to battle the creature without him. No…he wouldn't abandon them to save his own ass. There had to be something else he could do.

Teyla let loose a hail of bullets and he joined in, while Ronon's gun still pounded away. Even Rodney fired off a few rounds, though his side arm had little hope of making any headway through the creature's thick hide. But the onslaught hurt it to some degree, and it reared back to roar its displeasure. A curtain of rock dust showered down, followed by several loud cracks. Sheppard, fearful of separation from his team, darted forward, hitting the floor again just as the ceiling of the tunnel crashed down and blocked the passage between them and the incessant, raging beast.

Once the dust and rock settled, silence prevailed. His ears rang from the cacophonous collapse, and it took Sheppard a while to get his bearings and figure out which way was up. A discarded P-90 sat in the dust, its flashlight dulled by the grimy haze hanging in the air. Beside him, Teyla lay in a dusty heap, her hair covering her face. Afraid she might be hurt, he stretched out and grasped the arm closest to him, and her head instantly jerked up, filthy and a little bloodied, though her eyes remained bright. 'John…are you alright?'

Relieved, he nodded. But he really wasn't.

Rodney coughed fit to dislodge a lung and crawled over their way. 'Please tell me that wasn't the only way out of here.'

Sheppard had no idea, but even if it was, at least they had respite from the attack.

'No,' Ronon called over as he emerged from a side tunnel. 'I felt air flow coming in this way and I think I see light…at least, less darkness anyway.' Compared to the rest of them, he looked relatively unscathed. His reflexes really were second to none.

They had been trapped down there for hours now. There was every chance the sun had set, and very little light would break its way into the tunnels from outside now. Sheppard swiped up his P-90 and staggered to his feet, Ronon swiftly at his side to steady him as he swayed with the change of position. He allowed the contact until he was certain he would not fall, then nodded his thanks and a silent instruction that he was fine to go it alone.

Beside them, the pile of rubble stirred. First one tiny rock rolled down, then another, then a sort of mini landslide began, with dust and miniscule stones rolling out into a large pool of detritus.

'Ooohhh, that's not good,' Rodney whined, and backed off a few steps.

'No…no, it's not,' Sheppard agreed, as he shone his flashlight on the debris. It swelled, and a growl rumbled out from it. 'Okay…let's go.'

Teyla caught hold of Rodney and ran through the opening, dragging the befuddled and exhausted scientist along with her. Ronon jerked his head toward the side passage, a clear indication that he was not about to allow Sheppard to bring up the rear. Sheppard didn't argue. Ronon was much better equipped to protect them from an assault than he was right now. As they turned the corner, another growled rang out, this time louder. It spoke of strain and frustration, of a creature hell-bent on breaking through to finish the job it had started. It had taken multiple kill shots from Ronon's weapon, and most likely at least a hundred bullets. Why wouldn't the damned thing just die already?

Even though the airflow was stronger in this direction, Sheppard was soon short of breath again, his legs leaden as he tried to keep up with Teyla's pace. Obviously sensing his struggle, Ronon caught his left arm just as his legs buckled, and wrapped it around his shoulders to keep him upright as he propelled them both forward. Sheppard didn't complain. The Satedan almost carried him, but he wasn't too proud to admit to himself that he needed the help right now.

'I think I see stars,' Teyla called back to them, and she stopped just briefly to point out what she meant. Through a narrow fissure they spied a parallel tunnel opening out into a cave entrance, and in the distance, specks of starlight. And it was all tantalisingly withheld from them by the almost entirely solid stone wall that separated them from it.

'Wall's not too thick. Could probably shoot through it,' Ronon suggested, casting his eyes back over his shoulder as the monster hollered and the sound of rocks tumbling carried their way. It was pushing through. It seemed they had little choice.

'Are you kidding? You'll bring the whole tunnel down on us!' Rodney practically screamed, but even as the words left his lips, a hint of resignation dulled his eyes.

'I'm not sure there's any alternative,' Sheppard breathed, startling as a crash of rocks rang out again. This time it was followed by the steady thump of footfalls. And they were getting louder. A quick glance around at everyone, and he made his decision. His gaze fixed on Ronon. 'Do it.'

They backed up as far as they could, while Ronon repeatedly blasted their barrier to freedom. Streams of crackling energy wriggled across the craggy surface that filled the passage with an eerie red glow. Sharp fragments fired out from the impact site, while others rained down from the rock above them. Over the noise, Sheppard heard the furious call of the creature, getting closer as it narrowed in on their position. This was going to be close…so close he now pondered whether he preferred death by claws or cave-in.

Before he could decide, the wall crumbled in front of them, a huge chunk of the rocky tunnel above them crashing down along with it…

A/N: Uh oh. Have no fear, Chapter 2 is coming soon.