Who cares? Get out!

The monsters fought brutally as Tara cowered in the corner.

The hairy beast was fast and strong but the vines spread over so much of the chamber that the walls seemed to be alive. The massive spear served the ape-thing well: whipping it wildly about the chamber it managed to hold its ground against the innumerable tentacles, crushing and splitting them till purple sap oozed into the earthen floor. The Vine creature instinctively pulled back its main body from the punishing fury of the beast, gradually tightening the noose of its tendrils. If if could bring down the beast it would be fed for weeks to come. It had all night and an excess of limbs. The Beast seemed to agree, hacking apart any vine that came within reach. If he could just get to the main body he could rip the plant apart.

Tara couldn't make out much of what was happening, the dim light from above mixed with the cacophony of bestial roars and heavy blows made it difficult to get her bearings. The titanic battle unfolding in front of her brutalized her senses and shook dirt from the ceiling. Beginning to hyperventilate she pushed back against the wall of the cavern, feeling her way, grasping for a way out, a hiding place, anything! Without warning she tumbled backwards, letting out a squeak of surprise she landed with a splash in thick mud. A passage! An escape from this terrible place!

Tara started to scramble down the hole before thinking, 'What if it's a dead end? What if I get stuck and the creatures eat me?' her muscles froze as her panic started to overcome her. A writhing tentacle whistled past, striking her naked rear "Ai!" She flew forward into the hole, sliding to a stop in deep sludge. 'Get a grip Tara, they'll trample you if you stay here.' Rubbing her stinging backside she steeled herself and began crawling through the muck of the tunnel. The dirt muffled the noise of the battle but also reminded Tara that she was trapped under several tons of rock and dirt. 'Hang in there Tara, just a little further... It's just like the tube slide you loved when you were young...' Forcing herself to take slow breaths helped quell her nerves but the feeling that there was not enough air continued to grow...

Just as claustrophobia began to rear its ugly head the sounds of fighting quieted behind her. She paused. 'Should I go back? I can't hear anything...' She was weighing her options when she realized that a tiny trickle of water was flowing past her arms and legs. 'Water has to go somewhere...'