Queen of the Sandworms
Chapter 8: The Nest
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Beetlejuice screamed as he free fell through the pitch black darkness, making his messy blonde hair stick up. Beetlejuice tried moving his arms to feel anything, but all he felt was the cold slapping the front of his chest as he descended through the air.
Soon, the seemingly never ending hole began to gradually curve. Beetlejuice felt his body make contact with the tunnel in the darkness, and began to slide down it. Beetlejuice would have enjoyed the ride if he didn't know what was at the end of it.
He rolled left and right. His hands lightly ran along the side of his body, helping him stay balanced as he continued through the tunnel system. Beetlejuice blinked when he saw small lights up ahead. They were a bluish- green. Once he got close enough, he saw that they were glowing rocks. He passed by them with speed and continued on down the Sandworm tunnel.
Soon, more began appearing inside the angled Sandworm tunnel, lighting the way for Beetlejuice, and making the tunnel glow a tinted turquoise color, as if he were underwater. Beetlejuice tried slowing down, but his red fingertips began to hurt, so he let himself slide down till he got to the end.
The end came suddenly. Beetlejuice hit into one of the glowing rocks and found his upper half falling forward. Beetlejuice rolled forward till he finally slowed to a stop. He quickly got up, ignoring the pains in his shoulders and arms as he looked around where he fell.
The tunnel had opened up into a huge cavernous area. It was bigger than a football field, and the ceiling went upwards as tall as the empire state building. The whole place was filled with tunnels in the sides like a sponge; but that was not what Beetlejuice was looking at. All over, the place was infested with Sandworms.
They came in and out of the tunnels like maggots in a body. Their high pitched cries were heard echoing all throughout the place. Everywhere Beetlejuice saw black and white stripes, and razor sharp teeth.
Some were seen curled up sleeping, others were seen feasting on some poor creature one of them caught from above. They interlaced and slithered around or over each other. They looked like a bunch of black and white striped noodles. Some were small at around fifteen feet long, possibly babies, while the others that towered over them were the full grown adults that were around fifty to seventy feet long.
The place was damp and dark, except for the glowing green blue rocks seen all over the place. Lighting the place up. The glowing rocks were bigger then in the tunnel Beetlejuice came through.
Beetlejuice's legs began to shake as he stared at all the Sandworms with wide eyes. This was too much for him to handle. He was in a nest full of Sandworms. There were too many for him to even consider being close to. There had to be more than five hundred of them!
Beetlejuice began to take a couple steps backwards, telling himself that this was a bad idea over and over in his mind. Suddenly, he bumped into something. He stopped and felt the back of his hair stick up like a cat's. His body shook all over. Beetlejuice could feel his heart jumping around like a wild animal in a cage. Ever so slowly, he turned his head around.
He screamed when he found himself face to face with two sets of sharp striped teeth. His screams echoed along the walls of the huge place. All of the Sandworms turned and saw the striped clad ghost. They bared their teeth and slithered over toward him and the other Sandworm.
Beetlejuice fell to his knees and curled up into a little shivering ball. He placed his hands over his head and buried his face into his knees. "LYYYDDIIIIIIAAAAA!" he screamed in a shaky voice as the Sandworms loomed over him and opened their mouths.
Lydia appeared in front of Beetlejuice's petrified body in her Sandworm outfit. The small, dead Sandworm head was pulled over hers. She placed her spear in front of her body in defense and glared up at them. She hissed angrily. They all hissed back and started to shift where they loomed over the two.
Lydia hissed again and made other strange noises. A couple shook their heads angrily and others glared at Beetlejuice's body with hatred. The ghost was an intruder, therefore, he must be eaten. Lydia stayed put, protecting Beetlejuice.
Gradually, the Sandworms slithered away from the disguised girl and scared ghost. Once they were all gone, Lydia turned around and glared down at the shaking ghost. Her right pale hand clenched her spear, making her knuckles turn even more white.
"I told you to leave," she said firmly. Beetlejuice didn't answer. He stayed in his frozen ball state. Lydia continued staring down at the ghost. After a couple minutes of no answer, she tried again. "Beetlejuice?" The ghost was not moving. Lydia reached down and touched the top of Beetlejuice's head.
He still didn't move.
Lydia sighed. He must have fainted, she guessed. Then, she turned away from Beetlejuice and cried out a strange cry. Instantly, the Sandworm she was with before, came up from the ground and loomed over her. "Help me take him to my place," she told her loyal Sandworm. The Sandworm eyed the stiff, unmoving striped ghost and growled at him, baring its teeth.
Lydia hissed back at the Sandworm, and ordered it again. The Sandworm stopped growling and looked down at Lydia. Finally, it obeyed. It lowered its head down, and scooped the unconscious ghost up onto its nose. Lydia climbed on top of its head, then the Sandworm lifted its head upward to a dug out hole in the side of the Nest and placed Beetlejuice down.
Lydia made a noise to her loyal Sandworm, thanking it. The Sandworm made a noise back. It silently turned its head to the side and eyed Beetlejuice. Its' red eyes glowed. Then, it silently left Lydia and the unconscious ghost where it left them...
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