In The Maze

Chapter twenty-five (Newt)

It had six metal legs, a gray-blue body with a short neck and small head, and a long, metal tail that had to have been ten feet in length. It was probably eight feet tall and I couldn't make out any discernible features except a mouth lined with pointy teeth and a single, beady black eye. A patch of white scar tissue took the place of the lost eye.

Acting on autopilot, I analyzed my opponent, searching for weak points. But a cyborg hybrid is much different from a human.

If I was fighting a person, I would aim for their eyes, nose, throat, and compression arteries. I could use a reverse elbow strike to disorient them then a hook kick to the solar plexus to knock them down. I could use a blade to slice major arteries and veins or use a shoulder throw to incapacitate them. Some of the most vulnerable body parts in humans include the kidneys, larynx, wrists, and jaw joints. A strong hit to the back of the jaw can knock a person out and just two pounds of pressure is enough to send the nose cartilage into the brain.

Since I was dealing with a monster from my darkest nightmares, I needed a different plan of action. Using its size against it and attacking swiftly, I had a higher chance of survival. I had no clue where its organs were located, so I targeted the neck and joints of the legs. First, I needed to take care of that eye.

The griever sped towards me with enormous strides. Before it could get more than twenty feet from me, I stopped and lined up the knife with the target. Using the Mumyou-Ryu technique so the knife wouldn't spin, I threw the knife into the beast's remaining eye.

In the background, I heard someone yell, "Take that, you overgrown spider!" But all my attention was focused on the raging griever. Despite its size, it moved faster than I had expected. It could move each leg individually and the tail was difficult to avoid.

Dancing between its barrage of strikes, I struck back whenever I could. Dodge, lunge, stab. Dodge, lunge, stab. The tip of its tail opened up to reveal a syringe filled with blue liquid. It tried to stab me with it, but I sidestepped and smashed the syringe with my machete as it passed. Spinning around I gripped the handle with both hands and cut the last couple of feet off its tail.

The griever brought one of its front legs down with an unearthly shriek. Moving too rapidly for me to fully dodge, the metal sliced through my left arm. Cutting through my skin like a knife through butter. I bit my tongue to stifle a gasp. A hot, burning sensation traveled up and down my arm as blood began flowing from the wound.

Growling, I ducked into a roll and sprang up on the griever's opposite side. I brought the machete down as hard as I could on the cables built into its spider-like legs. The colored wiring ran the entire length of each appendage and around the base of its tail, interwoven between metal plates. I assumed they aided in its mobility.

The wires sparked and fizzled when I got past the rubber casing but I didn't stop hacking until they were completely severed. By the time the griever spun around the entire hind leg was limp, dangling uselessly. I repeated the process with another. It roared again and attacked with increased vigor as if I had pissed it off.

Ducking, dodging, and rolling, I managed to avoid its teeth and tail that swung wildly, trying to catch me with each wide sweep. By sheer luck, I avoided being trampled. Each stomp of the creature caused the ground to shake, sending tremors up through my feet. I didn't know if it had a sense of smell or hearing, but it kept up with my movements, so I assumed it did. I managed to ram the blade deep into the slimy flesh on its side, disgusted by the black liquid that gushed out.

The griever turned before I could dislodge the blade. Letting go, I jumped back only to be met with its tail. The blow knocked the air from my lungs and the force of it sent me flying back. My diaphragm ached and spasmed as I tried to suck in a breath. Instinctively, I rolled to the side when it tried to stomp on me, bringing both of its front legs down, ripping up grass, and leaving divots in the Earth.