“Awk,” Leader authoritatively declares in approval after everyone finished assembling a big pile of their carried meat.

  With that, the group dissolves and streams back out into the tunnel, all unity disappeared. Frantically tailing the mob for fear of getting lost in these depths, I scuttle after. They no longer move as one, yet they still somehow flow towards the same destination deeper down the tunnel. The dim ambient light never gets any brighter, seemingly coming from nowhere in particular. However, I can see everything perfectly clearly now. As if I’m supposed to be here. Made for it. It’s so natural and easy. Even the musky air is somehow refreshing. Why had I ever doubted coming down here?

  The tunnel dumps us out into a giant cavern at the end. All along the walls are countless more holes and ladders, allowing thousands more of the little men to come and go in constant business. There’s so many of us down here! Is this home then? These wonderful people in my group, they’ve taken me home! Safe, warm, glorious home!

  So taken by the hoards of my discovered brethren, I miss the most obvious decoration. At the center of the cavern floats an enormous ball of light. It’s similar but not exactly like the one at the hill’s peak that spat out all of our food. This one’s… shinier? More glossy. It’s not just a simple light this time. It shines out a picture? A moving picture! There’s people inside it that we can see, contained as if in a cage. How did they get in there?

  The picture rapidly shifts as if running towards something. In its focus is a small group of large men covered in metal and skins. They react to the picture’s arrival, yelling and pointing. Raptly held by the scene unfolding, I accidentally stand as an obstacle in the path.

  “Dum!” a little man behind me frustratedly yells at the back of my head. “Don ind!”

  Shoving me as hard as he can, I topple out of the tunnel’s exit and fall down into the cavern. Landing hard on my right shoulder, I hear a loud crunch.

  “Ha!” another little man at the base points and laughs at me briefly as he scrambles by. “Don dum. Tak pen. Dum dum.”

  The pain is overwhelming. Is it broken? I can barely move my arm. My eyes watering fiercely, I grit my teeth and tightly clench at it with my left hand to distract from the pain. What should I do?

  Mindless of my situation, the others from my group climb down a rickety ladder above me and meander deeper into the cavern. Following again, I hope someone can help wherever it is that they’re heading. That strategy has worked so far. Can’t simply stay here and suffer. Clearly the laughing one won’t help me.

  Hobbling after as best I can, we arrive at the base of the giant picture. Up close, the group is now almost as hypnotized by its existence as I was. They smile and cheer loudly as the picture shows half a dozen similar little green men pounce on one of the larger metal men. The tall man teeters like a tree being felled and then strikes the ground hard. One of the little men is crushed by his tumble, but the others never cease the continuous rain of attacks with rocks, sticks, or metal bits they all hold in their hands. It’s madness. Everyone is screaming. The metal man’s outer shell breaks and crumples from the poundings. The little men begin tearing red smears out every time they pull back their strikes to repeat. Soon the big one stops moving, but the littles don’t halt their assault.

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  Those around me here cheer even louder at the event. They raise their arms, intensely thrilled by the gruesome scene.

  “Een! Een! Een!” they all chant, hopping up and down while anxiously reaching as far towards the light as they can from their lowly position beneath it.

  Standing behind them, I realize that something is raising itself up from the floor amongst us. A narrow, miniature, twisting tower? It’s made of the same dirt and mud that everything seems made of here, flowing so seamlessly and naturally up from the ground.

  Soon the tower has grown significantly taller and wider than any of us. It bends over and quickly snakes around the cheering group. It moves so fast, and I’m the first it grabs. I can’t avoid it with my injury. The others don’t seem to care. They keep cheering, their intensity only growing more feverish as whatever this is raises us all high into the air.

  On the way up, the view of the picture grows clearer. The tides have turned since the first big man fell. The rest are now effortlessly slaughtering the little ones in a furious rage of revenge. Despite that, the ferocious green ones charge with enormous, eager smiles adorning every one of their faces. Death and danger is meaningless to them. Despite their rage, the big ones still maintain a lingering hesitance. Fear. They hold their ground and defend rather than rushing blindly like the others. Why?

  Thankful that the fascination distracts me from the pain, I relax in this creature’s grip. However, the moment’s respite ends as it suddenly cracks like a whip and throws us towards the light. Violently sailing through the air, the others never cease their loud jeers and cheers. The light pulses brightly, blinding me as we collide.

  Hitting the ground in an uncontrolled roll, I reopen my eyes to see the others immediately bounding back to their feet and scrambling towards the sounds of combat in the distance. What happened? Where are we? Holding tightly to the same instinct that’s helped me so far, I also weakly stand and awkwardly run after the others, trying desperately to ignore the pain.

  The group synchronously tears through the foliage in perfect formation as if a long practiced pack of wolves. There’s a clear mission, although it escapes me. All I know is that I must follow. I don’t even know how to get back home from here, wherever it is. If I lose these few, then I lose my lifeline. I must keep up.

  As the violent sounds grow louder, we move into a clearing. Inside are a handful of our brothers futilely struggling against the same large men from the picture, while bodies of others litter the ground everywhere. They’re losing badly. How could so few possibly take down these bigger, stronger creatures?

  “There’s more of them?!” one of the big ones shouts at our sudden arrival.

  How can I understand him so clearly? The others have all been such a struggle. Who are these people?