He didn’t know what else to do. He’d lost his friend once already. He didn’t want that to happen again. Billip and Nikkel raced alongside him. “Don’t do anything stupid, Georgio!” Billip yelled. “He’s gone, Georgio!” Nikkel added. “Unless we can carve him out of that belly!” Georgio pushed through them and tore out of their hands. Closing in, he raised up his sword and charged for the creature’s bulbous belly. He swung with all his might. The blade ripped clean through the skin, and pockets of fat seeped out. Like a lumberjack, he chopped into the great beast. Hunks of flesh gave way to his sword’s keen edge. “KRO—ACK!” Still hacking, Georgio glanced back over his shoulder. A long pink sticky tongue lashed out and stuck to his face, suffocating him. It jerked him up off the ground. Dangling in the air kicking and squirming, he swung like a wild man.
