When Esang reached the pond, the greenness and the serenity of the place almost made her forget the reason why she came in the first place. But she stopped short at the thought. Places like this, it should be swarming with voices, insect voices which should be numerous, but apparently, there is not a single insect living in the vicinity. 

Esang looked around. No caves. Only a small hole at the side of the small pond. She peeked through it and was surprised when a single centipede scurried away from her. 

"What are you?!" it asked. 

Its body was elongated and flat. Each segment of its body contains a pair of legs. Its color was brown but with a tinge of reddish orange if you look closely. Kenneth definitely won't be able to handle this one even if its length was only a few millimeters long.

"Hello," Esang started. 

"Go away!"

"You're a house centipede aren't you?" she asked ignoring the centipede. "What are you doing beside a pond?"

"Go away! I don't need another weird human." 

"Another?" Esang asked. Is it what Tris was trying to tell her? She studied the centipede, it was afraid.. Of what? She never thought insects could be capable of this much fear. "What happened to you?"

"Too noisy. Too noisy. Why can't they leave me alone?!" the centipede said. It seems like it has forgotten her. 

This time Esang went ahead to the inside of the centipede's mind. It was a fatal mistake. She fell down, unable to feel anything around her. Inside the centipede's mind was chaos. It does not have any eyes but it can hear everything, the sounds, the noise, the screaming. It was all too much. There are a thousand species of centipedes but this certain specie has a million voice congregating together in a single mind. Too much even for a human mind like hers. She felt herself spiraling out of control. 

She can't leave the centipede's body. Yet, the million voices all whispered to her the same words. Help. Children were missing. Help. Children were lost. Help. Tempted to follow a little man. Help. 

Inside the centipede, she could hear the chaos of other insects outside the small hole and she knew she was somehow the cause of it. Without a lid to her thoughts, she was conversing with every insect within the range of her ability. In doing so, she was sending out the chaos as well. She felt some insects dying, especially the peaceful ones who're not accustomed to the noise. 

Yet, no matter what she did, it was too much, she cannot leave, she can't do anything. "Who are you?" This time it was a voice of a human. The human was about to face her when a hand covered her eyes, pulled her away from the hole, carried her and jumped with her into the pond.

Things became quiet and that instant, she knew she's back on her own body, her oxygen-deprived body who can't breathe underwater, who can't move from the vise-like arms that was gripping her. She knew the pond was shallow but why does it feel so deep. She exhaled and instinctively inhaled the water. She knew she was drowning but the arms around her didn't let go no matter how much she claws at it. She felt herself getting exhausted, her arms losing the power and then she felt her consciousness slipping away, until it went black. Her last thoughts were on Aunt Agnes, Kenneth and Etta and hoped that whoever her assailant was, they would find him. 

To be continued.... 

A/N: 

I know, the centipede at the top look gross, but imagine being able to get inside its head? Hahaha! Without further ado, enjoy and tell me your thoughts on the comment section below!