The pain ended suddenly.
I stopped screaming. A hush fell over me. The only sounds I heard were the pounding of my heart and my wheezing, panting breath.
I opened my eyes. The night was a blur of purple and black.
“Peter?” My voice was muffled by the heavy rubber mask. But at least the bugs were gone. Vanished. “Peter?”
I squinted out through the eyeholes of the insect mask. “Peter!”
Where were we? We weren’t standing in front of the tall hedge. We appeared to be in a thick woods.
My eyes finally focused on Peter. To my surprise, he didn’t turn to me. He was staring wide-eyed, straight ahead.
I turned to follow his gaze — and cried out in shock.
“Peter — what are those things?”
“Big insects,” he answered. His whole body shook, but he didn’t move his eyes. “They’re … like giant praying mantises, Monica. A dozen of them. I — I don’t believe it!”
“They’re taller than we are!” I cried.
The smooth green insects were at least eight feet tall. They had long, slender heads with bulging black eyes as big as teacups on each side. Their antennae swayed in the wind, making a scup scup scup sound as they bumped each other.
They stood erect on their back legs. I saw giant wings draped behind their backs like silvery capes.
Their mouths moved up and down rapidly. It took me a while to realize they were chewing. Chewing … chewing … Their teeth made a grinding sound that made my ears ache.
“It — it’s like a horror movie,” Peter murmured, moving closer to me. “How did this happen?”
“The mask,” I said in a whisper. “It must be the evil magic of the mask.”
We watched them, listening to their grinding teeth as they kept chewing … chewing …
And suddenly they were moving forward. Coming at us quickly, antennae whipping the air as they stepped over the tall grass on their broomstick legs.
Grinding … grinding … grinding …
Their huge black eyes glowed as they lowered their flat heads.
“Peter — run!” I gave him a shove and lurched to the side.
“Oh, noooo.” I let out a moan. Nowhere to run. The big insects surrounded us. They formed a tight circle, trapping us.
They raised wiry front legs. They rubbed them together in front of their flat chests as they stepped closer.
“Wh-what are they going to do?” Peter stammered. “Eat us?”
“The mask,” I muttered. “The insect mask is doing this.”
I knew what I had to do. I had to pull the evil mask off.
I grabbed the sides and tugged.
No.
It didn’t budge.
I grabbed it by the top. But the rubber was too slippery. I couldn’t grasp it tightly enough.
Chewing … grinding … the insects stepped closer. Their antennae waved rapidly over their heads.
Frantic, I grabbed the bottom of the mask. I tried to pull it apart so I could free myself from it.
No. No way.
“Peter — help me!” I cried.
Too late.
A giant mantis lowered itself — and bumped its head against the side of my head.
“Owww!” I cried out as pain rocketed down my head, down my body. It felt as if I’d been slammed by a wooden board.
It battered me again. Slammed its long, heavy head into mine.
Stunned, I felt my knees fold. Pain shot through my head and down my whole body.
And before I could move, it lifted me. Lifted me in its short, sticky front legs.
Lifted me off the ground. And pulled me up … up … toward its enormous grinding teeth.