Connelly watched as Willard struggled to remove the creature from his head. The beast shot its stingers at Willard's facemask and was actually managing to scratch it. Connelly screamed as she lunged forward, wrapped her hands around the creature and yanked it off Willard's head. She held the creature out away from her and in a single violent motion, slammed the creature down on her bent knee. Its chest split open and oozed black blood. Connelly dropped the creature to the ground. Willard hopped to his feet. "Thanks, boss."

Connelly leaned forward on her hands, breathing hard. Willard's hand on her arm pulled her up and shifted her mindset back into survival mode. He pulled her into the tunnel, moving quickly downward, toward whatever new hell hid beneath Europa's surface.

CHAPTER 27 -- STALKING

Connelly stumbled down the steep incline, following Robert, and fighting to keep herself upright and moving. Through the com system she could hear the panting breaths of Robert and the occasional verbal spur from Willard. It was their presence that kept what little logic remained in her mind locked down. They had always been her secure anchor. And she had never needed them so much in her life as now, when her anxiety was threatening to take over and remove her will to fight.

They'd been bumbling through the tunnels for nearly a minute and the small creatures had yet to overtake them. While agile and mobile in the open cave, they had trouble negotiating the rapid turns of the cave system. But they were there, waiting for one of them to stumble, to slow. Then they would pounce.

She glanced over her shoulder, watching for the tiny predators. Her headlamp cut through the darkness. Willard was feet behind her and off to the side, giving her a perfect view of the tunnel behind them. She could see a mass of creatures surging towards them like water forced through a tube.

"Keep going," Willard shouted. "We're almost there."

"Almost. Where?" Robert asked between wheezy breaths. It was the exact question Connelly wanted answered. Had Willard explored more of the cave system than they knew? Maybe that's why he was really late in rescuing them at the sphere? Maybe he'd already been here? Connelly's mind cleared slightly as new thoughts slipped past her growing anxiety.

Choi had mentioned that the Europhids had taken control of Peterson. Maybe the same thing happened to Willard? If he were under Europhid control, this could all be a ploy to get them deeper into the cave system. She felt a pain like a baseball being forced through her chest and into her throat. Her broiling anxiety devoured her remaining logic.

Connelly felt her body fall away from her. Consumed by the pain in her body, she found it impossible to focus on her footing or even care if she was eaten alive. She bounced into one wall, skipped across the ceiling and careened into the opposite side of the cave.