Newman felt the horror long before he could see or hear anything. It hung heavy upon the air; an ominous vibration tickling his whole being with paralyzing numbness. The vibration became a nearly indiscernible hum rapidly growing louder. The sound was terrifying. As it increased in volume, the ground began to shake. Soon, his insides shook with such intensity he sickened. Some of the H'lomeh had also stopped. They shouted to one another, their faces blanched with fear. Milling about in confusion, they pointed in the direction from which they had come. Some of their alarmed beasts became difficult to control. Pah'ting, who had been behind him, came racing past. He slowed down long enough to shout; “Gorm! Gorm!” Then his orange form swept past Newman....The hum became so noisy it was impossible to understand each other, no matter how loudly one shouted. Newman could barely hear the shrill whistle of terror coming from his own animal. His lupah was becoming so unmanageable he feared he'd be tossed from the rearing creature. The lupah bolted before he could dismount, spilling him to the ground. Badly shaken, he ignored the shock. He sprang to his feet, too scared to remain where he lay sprawled. The din became unendurable. Newman clamped his hands to his ears, trying to shut out the dreadful noise. It did little good. He quickly dropped his hands, abandoning the idea. He looked to his companions, hoping to follow their lead. What he saw left him grim. From the direction of Kar'rom, the sky filled with large objects moving rapidly toward them. The H'lomeh were scattered over the open terrain without adequate cover....Sanctuary lay too many rhi away in the forests of the foothills. There would be no outrunning the gorm. ...As they came closer, he started to discern with mounting horror the true nature of the giant creatures. All the fear he'd previously felt paled in comparison to the terror which now swept his whole being. The air swarmed with huge hymenopteral creatures over twice his own size. Without hesitation, the gorm dived upon the helpless band. They closed rapidly, lancing fleeing H'lomeh with their stingers. Withdrawing their barbs from their impaled victims, the monsters lifted away in search of another target. They even attacked the lupah. The mounts reared and plunged, trying to get away. Often they threw their riders in their haste to escape. A lupah ran riderless a few paces in front of a descending gorm. Its back arched, the monster thrust its horrible stinger into the poor creature. The hymenopteran pulled away. Hovering over the writhing lupah, it inspected its handiwork. Satisfied, the gorm rose into the air to seek another victim. It had barely left before the suffering lupah stiffened and died. Everywhere men and lupah scurried in terrified confusion. Those who did not run lay convulsed in painful death throes. No matter where he looked, hideous death descended upon his friends. He choked, then vomited in revulsion. Newman wrenched himself from his shock and moved. He ran, futilely searching for a place to hide. The ground immediately around him was devoid of any useful cover. Spying a possible shelter in stand of vines at the crest of the knoll bordering his side of the wash, he rushed up the slope. Below him, a gorm flew down the gully in pursuit of a mounted H'lomeh. Riding behind the gorm's massive head was a being so horrible Newman halted. He'd finally seen the hooded figure of a Bhar-kar-d'esh warrior.... Another gorm, diving from some distance straight at him, spurred Newman into motion again. No matter how much he feinted, he could not shake the creature. Its shadow soon fell over him. CONTINUE TO COMMENT SECTION BELOW: