Keep to the streets.

"No, we should stick to the streets. I would rather not have some Pseudosects get the jump on us in those barrow alleys." Rebecca firmly rejected Julie's proposal. She felt it would be too dangerous in the alleys, and that having a clear field of view in the streets would be better. Julie simply nodded, knowing the soldier probably had the right idea.

The two continued down the streets for several minutes, wary of every sound they heard and doing their best to stay alert. At one point, they heard the sounds of distant gunfire and a few screams, but it seemed quite far away. All they could do was hope whoever was attacked made it out ok, and that it was not the captain or the rest of the team. Julie couldn't help but feel anxious, her grip on her pistol so tight her knuckles were white, and she clenched her teeth as she looked from side to side, expecting Pseudosects to come at any moment.

Meanwhile Rebecca seemed calm and collected on the outside, striding ahead with confidence, her rifle at the ready. Yet on the inside, she was a complete nervous wreck too. She was afraid of getting caught, and the horror of having that Brood Flies ovipositor shoved down her throat still had her shaken up. However, Rebecca refused to show Julie she was on edge, so she put on a brave face and kept going.

As they rounded a street corner, the pair could hear a faint buzzing coming from farther down. Rebecca was the first to see the source, several large Pseudosects flying through the air, and she recognized them as Ovi-Wasps. The looked like a strange combination of a praying mantis and a wasp. Their lower halves resembled a wasp, with a long abdomen ending in a stinger, four insectoid legs connected to a narrow body, while the front end was like a mantis, its two front legs ending in scythe like forearms and its head being that of a mantis. They were flying towards the pair, a group of eight at least, and they spotted the two young women and rushed towards them.

"Shit, run!" Rebecca shouted and Julie, lifting her rifle and letting off a quick burst which downed one of them, but the rest seemed unfazed and kept charging. Julie wasted no time in obeying, breaking into a sprint and Rebecca soon followed, letting out a string of curses as they fled.

Unfortunately, the Ovi-wasps were much faster than the two of them and Rebecca was the first to fall. One of the large Pseudosects pounced her, knocking her down and jabbing its thin stinger into her back. The redhead let out a strangled cry, and then suddenly went limp as the paralyzing toxins swiftly took hold. Julie turned to look, seeing her companion once more at the mercy of these monsters. She did not hesitate this time, and quickly turned to fire her pistol at the Ovi-wasp on top of Rebecca.

"Get off her you freak!" She shouted, and the Ovi-wasp was struck in the face, falling over dead. However,... Julie couldn't aim her gun at the rest of the swarm in time, and they easily flanked her. One of them darted around to her behind, jabbing her with its stinger. Pain erupted from where it struck her, but it quickly faded, along with all other sensations. Like a creeping cold, a numbness spread throughout her body, and Julie collapsed onto the ground. She tried to weakly reach for Rebecca, but soon her arm fell limp.

Once the venom had taken fully taken hold, Julie was left unable to move, but was still conscious. All she could do was watch helplessly as Rebecca was seized by an Ovi-wasp and flown away, with another one picking her up soon. The rest of the swarm continued on their hunt, while Rebecca and Julie were flown away... Their imaginations running wild about what was to come...