The pavement on which Aldo and Dec were standing suddenly exploded into the air, sending chunks of dirt, rocks, and gravel flying with great force. The two men were thrown to the ground and landed face down, unconscious.
A horde of ants emerged from the gaping hole and immediately swarmed around Aldo-Dec. Elijah froze where he stood, as did Drew and Phebe. The hands and feet of the two Deformities captured by the ants were ripped off. Their bodies were immediately transported to the pit.
The swarm of other ants turned their attention to Elijah, Phebe, and Drew. The claws on their mouths clicked, clacked, then moved quickly to catch the three humans they saw.
Elijah jumped off the hood of the car and ran as fast as he could to avoid the ants, followed by Phebe and Drew. They ran as fast as they could down the highway, which was now filled with ants. The creatures came out of the holes, so many of them. They followed Elijah, Phebe and Drew.
