She’s not quick enough.

June quickly started to scale the ladder her feet slipping on the ladder rung under the waste deep slow flowing muck. She could see points of light shining through the manhole above and raced towards it.

She pressed one hand against it and pushed, slowly the heavy metal disk moved up and to the side letting light flood in. As the opening became wide enough for her to squeeze through she heard the sound of thick water sloshing and with a churning stomach looked down.

There was a large slimy, slug like creature covered in noduled tentacles and with a round mouth filled with razor sharp teeth rearing up beneath the ladder. She paused for only a moment before the scream ripped from her throat uncontrolled.

The creature moved towards her as she struggled to regain her composure, as she did she heard yells from above. There peering down the ladder at her was a young man she recognised from class and a middle-aged woman, who she guessed was faculty.

They were urging her up, screaming for her to take their hands as they leant forward.

June reached out to grasp one as she felt something wrap around her bare leg. Knowing she shouldn’t but somehow unable to resist she looked down to see the creature had a grip around her ankle. She grabbed the young man’s hand first and he started to drag her up. With the help of her new allies she struggled against the creature grip, looking down she sat the nodules stretch as its tentacle was pulled and then rupture like an overfilled zit. It’s pustulant ooze sprayed across her ankle and she wretched.

She grabbed the woman’s hand and used her free leg to push against a rung of the ladder, she felt herself be drawn a little further up, closer to freedom before her leg slipped.

She screamed as she fell half a foot to be dangling between the two above her and the creature beneath her. She was a naked fleshy rope in a tug of war “Don’t let go.” She begged the two above her.

The guy grabbed both her hands, one in each of his while he crouched over the hole straining, “Get a weapon.” He groaned towards the older women. She quickly nodded and let go. June felt the slow slide of the young mans feet as she lowered more, “Hurry.” He added.

Inch by inch June sank lower, looking down she could see straight into the round tooth filled maw the only light from above illuminating the most horrific sight she had ever seen. It felt like minutes but was probably only thirty seconds before the woman returned. She had a small knife taped to the end of a long wooden ruler. June would have laughed at the futility of the weapon if it wasn’t her only hope.