The frightening thump of human feet raged like war to the animals below. On the surface, it was normal. To the underground, it risked their very lives. George's skin glistened in the simmer of sunlight seeping through the cracks in the floorboard as he laid as still as a statue, praying that the rotten wood would not crush under the weight of the giant. Thina quickly dug a hole in the ground and hid. Then, as fast as it happened, the stomps receded. The lives under the house got to live another day. George sighed, relieved. Minuscule sounds of pattering feet resumed, filling the darkness.

“George! You should have waited for the right moment!” Thina shrieked with anger. George had once again missed the chance for a feast of red-ants. The spiderling rolled eight eyes and trudged away from his sister, annoyed by her constant nagging.

“I'll show you I can hunt! I'll catch a whole family of worms!” George thought with determination. However, he did not catch a whole family of worms. In fact, he could not even catch an ant. George sighed with disappointment and crawled back home, dragging his four other legs behind him.Suddenly, George caught something from the corner of his eighth eye. Two ants, giant ones. They were scuttling across the soil, scavenging for food. George's eyes lit up. He hid behind a piece of scrap wood, bursting with excitement. The ants never stood a chance against this determined spiderling. George pounced with all the youth in his eight strong legs, and smiled with glee as he saw the absolute horror on the two ants' faces when they saw the glint in their predator's eyes. The venom flowed intravenously. It did not take long for his prey to succumb.

George cried out, with the ants in his mouth, “Momff! Dafff!”, pride in his giant, elated eyes. He dropped the two ants like a dog playing fetch with its owner. Thina rushed over in disbelief. “…G-good-j-job?” Mom and Dad on the other hand, complimented him for completing his first successful hunt. George beamed at his family.

“Thump!”

Everyone froze.

The underground knew that sound, but this one was too loud, too close. Without warning, all sunlight was blocked out. Everyone turned towards the source. A human face. A colossal titan. Screams filled the once peaceful land. The human shouted something, disgusted, but the underground did not understand. It was hell on earth. Everyone was scurrying around, horrified. Predators who would have had a feast of insects were desperately trying to escape the fate they knew they could not. Then, the human pulled out a spray-can. It was all over for the lives under the floorboards.