The pool was deep and ice cold. As her head resurfaced, Hatty gasped for breath and desperately kicked her legs, reaching out for the muddy bank beside her. Her mouth filled up with gritty water, it ran down her throat and out of her nose. She coughed and spluttered, thrashing her legs harder and grasping hold of a thick vine. She clung hold of it and heaved her body out of the cold water. Her legs and arms trembled as she lay on a bank of mud and rotting plants. The smell was putrid. It was an overpowering smell of death. Hatty rolled over and spat out the bile which had risen to her throat. She gazed up at the hole that she had fallen from. It looked so far away and was surrounded by a web of tree roots which snaked and weaved in and out of the thick earth above. Roots hung down from the dark earthy ceiling like snakes. She was in some kind of underground cavern. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realised just how vast it was. It stretched as far as her eyes could see, with a plethora of deep black pools of water which snaked and twisted around mounds of rotting vines and earth.
Hatty sat up with a yelp as she realised that the mound she was lying on was moving beneath her. Her voice echoed, making her jump again. Something was pushing its way out of the wet mud. She scrambled to her feet and edged backwards to the waters edge. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle, sending her splaying to the ground. Its grip tightened and it began to pull her back into the cold water. Hatty kicked her legs wildly and desperately clawed at the ground, trying to grip onto anything which would stop her from being pulled into the murky depths. She managed to cling onto a weed and eventually the thing loosened its grip, enabling her to kick it off. She pulled herself back onto the mound and gasped. Bursting their way through the rotten leaves and mud were hundreds of huge green slugs. These were not your everyday garden slugs either; these slugs were a foot long, as thick as a soup can and donned three rows of razor sharp teeth at either end of their sticky, pulsating bodies. They lifted their heads' off of the ground and appeared to be smelling the air, following the scent directly towards Hatty. They squirmed and wriggled across the ground, leaving a network of thick yellow gunge.
Hatty had a choice to make; did she fight off the slugs or did she jump into the water once more and face whatever creature had grabbed her leg? Slugs continued to emerge from the soil, making it look like a huge breathing belly. Hatty’s heart raced as she watched the slugs move closer. She peered around the cavern, looking for a way out. She could see a small crack in the cavern wall next to the neighboring mound, which looked big enough for her to squeeze through – maybe it led out? It meant that she would have to chance the water and whatever lurked below. The ground beneath Hatty's foot moved and a slug pushed its way out from between her legs. Its body brushed against Hatty's ankle leaving a long trail of slime. It burned! Hatty jumped back and instinctively stuck her ankle into the cold water, washing off the corrosive slime. The choice had been made, she had to swim across. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pushed herself into the deep pool once more.
Hatty sat up with a yelp as she realised that the mound she was lying on was moving beneath her. Her voice echoed, making her jump again. Something was pushing its way out of the wet mud. She scrambled to her feet and edged backwards to the waters edge. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle, sending her splaying to the ground. Its grip tightened and it began to pull her back into the cold water. Hatty kicked her legs wildly and desperately clawed at the ground, trying to grip onto anything which would stop her from being pulled into the murky depths. She managed to cling onto a weed and eventually the thing loosened its grip, enabling her to kick it off. She pulled herself back onto the mound and gasped. Bursting their way through the rotten leaves and mud were hundreds of huge green slugs. These were not your everyday garden slugs either; these slugs were a foot long, as thick as a soup can and donned three rows of razor sharp teeth at either end of their sticky, pulsating bodies. They lifted their heads' off of the ground and appeared to be smelling the air, following the scent directly towards Hatty. They squirmed and wriggled across the ground, leaving a network of thick yellow gunge.
Hatty had a choice to make; did she fight off the slugs or did she jump into the water once more and face whatever creature had grabbed her leg? Slugs continued to emerge from the soil, making it look like a huge breathing belly. Hatty’s heart raced as she watched the slugs move closer. She peered around the cavern, looking for a way out. She could see a small crack in the cavern wall next to the neighboring mound, which looked big enough for her to squeeze through – maybe it led out? It meant that she would have to chance the water and whatever lurked below. The ground beneath Hatty's foot moved and a slug pushed its way out from between her legs. Its body brushed against Hatty's ankle leaving a long trail of slime. It burned! Hatty jumped back and instinctively stuck her ankle into the cold water, washing off the corrosive slime. The choice had been made, she had to swim across. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pushed herself into the deep pool once more.
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