The Roach that fought back

A Story by Franklin

I promise I don't have a thing for roaches. This just seemed like a very cool perspective to tell a story from.

Light. A deafening shriek of terror. Then the thundering of footsteps �" usually in the opposite direction, but not today.

My antennae detect the rumbling in the air. The heat from their bodies. They're…looking at me. No doubt, contemplating methods for my elimination.

There is a ringing inside me. A stinging notion that I must flee. I catch the underbelly of the metal box they store their food in from the corner of my eyes. The darkness is inviting.

I want to flee. To hide. To live.

But what happens if I don't? If I don't scurry away as they expect me to. If I don't give them the pleasure of a chase. If I push back…

As if to answer my question, the mountain of a man makes his move. He slams down with that familiar ferocity of theirs. The air parts, my legs tingle. I scurry to the side but I'm too late. The object bashes into me. I squeeze my body, allowing my pronotum armor absorb most of the shock.

I surrender conscious control of my limbs, letting instinct take me �" only partially. In a quick maneuver, I'm one with the darkness under the food box. I scurry up the walls seeking a vantage point. The shelves provide the perfect cover for me and I do well not to waste it.

Suddenly, the room goes bright. My advantage has been stripped and with it, the second blow comes. I evade it, crawling up the object as it makes contact with the ground. I must get close.

I jet up his arm. It is warm and as rigid as the earth I walk upon. An exoskeleton I am not equipped to break.

He flails around, sending me flying across the room onto a counter. The third blow lands almost simultaneously. My armor gives way and I feel two of my limbs shatter. The air shifts again as his weapon descends for the fourth blow.

This is it.

My body is moving. I will the last of my strength to my wings and in a frail attempt, I shoot for his face. He screams as I make contact. The vibrations jerk me as I fall to the ground, his screams still tearing through the air.

I pull myself under the counter, waiting. Battered, in pain, but waiting. The screams grow distant. I hear the door slam and the night grow silent once more.

A beat. Two. Ten. Nothing happens.

I seize back control of my body and the pain intensifies. He will be back. With weapons that will suck the life out of me, I am sure.

But, for now. In this moment, I have sent the giant away. And that is enough.