Every morning before she opened her eyes, Ava hoped it would be back in bed at the hotel to signal an end to this nightmare. Not that she minded so much the trees, she had gotten rather used to spending time up in them with Miguel when they needed a nice getaway. And they proved a nice vantage point. But the killer sized bugs were a constant looming threat that made it difficult to relax. While she wasn’t a fan of early mornings on the best of days, Miguel’s return from his night shift patrols meant staying awake while he got in some rest. Though she didn’t go far, his head pillowed in her lap as she quietly stroked fingers through his hair, on alert for any threats.
Supplies were scarce but not impossible for them to obtain, and she was rather pleased with the blanket that Miguel managed to secure for them. A small comfort when there wasn’t much. She was wondering how much they should ration for dinner when she felt his hand and obediently kept her mouth shut, understanding the danger.
Miguel heard the sound first, his senses far more acute than hers, but it didn’t take long before she picked up on the buzzing growing closer. Quickly. While the terrestrial insects had been easier for her to fend off, Ava hadn’t encountered anything flying yet, and she froze up briefly in dread when she finally spotted them. Even from a distance they were far larger than they had any right being, her eyes darting around for cover. The problem with shrubbery, as she darted near one, was that most of them were already claimed by other critters. A beetle poked its head out at Ava, hissing and snapping, and she stumbled backwards, frantically looking for alternatives. “Uh,” she responded, knew she could phase into anything if she needed to, but unwilling to just abandon Miguel. Fuck it, she rustled the bush again, this time stomping through the beetle’s hard shell when it lashed out, smashing it dead from the inside. She gestured for Miguel, not sure how much time they had.