"This is it. No way to escape now," I said to my nearest companion as we walked deeper into the cave. Jose didn't respond with his mouth, but his wide eyes spoke loud and clear; he was terrified. I can't deny that I shared in his dread. Only the most foolish or ignorant weren't afraid of the enemy we faced.

"Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if it had never come at all," I said. Jose said nothing. The crucifix hanging from his neck reflected the light from the entrance. I tried to comfort him, "You remember the story, don't you? Of the woman who stared it in the face and lived. If you don't die by the poison, it can only harm you if you choose to let it."

"But she did die, from the poison," Jose replied in his familiar accent. He was right. The team continued deeper into the tunnel.

"Infrared says it's eleven and a half kilometers in!" Lieutenant Newman called out gruffly, the leader of the expedition. Jose shivered. The cave was growing darker with each step. The tunnel was large, like a grand hotel lobby made of rock. The beast that dug it must have been staggering in size. We were armed only with basic weaponry, flashlights and masks to protect us from the poison.

We entered that cave to rid the world of what had become known as the Dark Terror, an alien that came uninvited to this planet ten years ago. The power it wielded brought unforeseeable disaster upon humankind. Those who weren't killed by the poisonous sickness it spread either fled or were eaten by it. It came out only in the shade of night, and burrowed unimaginable tunnels during the day to travel by. That's where we had gone. I was part of a special seven-man team, selected, hired, and trained to kill the monster. The sun was up and we knew by its tendencies where the beast would be lurking.

"Ten more kilometers...wait, nine more." His voice sounded fearful. "It's coming for us!" shouted the lieutenant. "Eight...seven." Each of us drew our weapons and secured our masks. Even five years of training couldn't prepare us for a surprise like this. Nobody had ever seen it run. I tried to do the math in my head to figure out the monster's speed; I couldn't.

"What are we to do?" asked one of the team uneasily.

"Five...four," the lieutenant continued. Everyone fixed their gaze and their lights on the forbidding blackness ahead. At any moment the mythical beast could appear.

"Three...two...one...it's right on top of us now. Nobody panic!" commanded Newman in a hushed tone. Seconds turned to days and minutes to years. Suspense gripped us. Jose answered every eerie sound with a whispered prayer. "Remember your training," Newman said quietly. "We are immune to its poisons and it can only eat those who let it." This brought a ray of hope. I began to feel confident again, but then, it spoke.

"He lies to you," it said slowly, with a terrible and broken, yet soothing and alluring voice. "If I wanted to eat you, I could have already. I am your friend, your ally." Its words were hypnotic and spellbinding. "You have no need to kill me. Imagine how powerful you could become. I have nearly destroyed your planet. How much more could we do together?" I felt strange, overpowered and tired. "I can bring you everything you desire. Come with me." My senses began to cloud. I wondered what it would be like having such a monster as my slave. My eyelids grew heavy.

Then, suddenly, an arm—or tentacle, rather—reached down from the roof of the cave and swept up one of the men! I snapped out of my daze only to find that I seemed to be the only one who had noticed! Then another team member was taken, followed by another! Fully aware of what was happening now, I remembered our strategy. We needed to lure the creature outside where a container and tanks of cryogens were waiting to catch and freeze it.

Without thought, I reached for my grenade holster and flung an explosive toward the beast. In that moment, I saw it by the light of the blast. It was similar to an enormous black octopus. At the tip of each of its long tentacles were claws unlike anything I had ever seen. That got its attention. It reached for me. I ran and narrowly escaped the grasp of its tentacle. By providence, we hadn't gone far into the tunnel. I ran faster than I thought possible. My heart beat like a cylinder. The monster gained on me. The entrance was within view now. I saw the trap, the mechanical operators, and the sun. I could feel the ground quake as the creature chased after me. It reached out to grab hold of me, but I ducked through the trap, into the open air. I heard the rig spring behind me. Falling down, I sprawled onto the green grass. The sounds of shouting and rushing of the freezing gasses met my ears as I gasped. The monster shrieked awfully as its body became ice.

Footsteps came thumping toward me on the soft ground. They were those of Jose and Newman, the only other two who came out alive. Jose leaned over me. "You've done it. We won."

"No, we've only put it to sleep."

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