Waste Worm

I looked back at its chasing body, the wounds from some of the pickaxes were clearly visible on the squirming worm.

That means I should be able to harm it. Luckily I never once dropped my pickaxe.

I remembered the tunnel but it wasn't doing me much good as apart from the main passage all the other tunnels led to dead ends. Nonetheless, turning into these dead ends ahead of the worm wasn't a bad idea.

Its shrieking grew louder as it nearly caught up to me. One person wasn't enough for this crazy thing!

With a gait in my step, I turned into one of the dark tunnels just before it could get me. The sudden turn made It fly past me and with a tight hold on my pickaxe, I swung down on its passing body barely managing to hit its lower section.

The pickaxe dug past its sharp needles passing off as hair and caused it to release a sharp screech and flinch visibly. It hurt my ears but I didn't care.

The worm turned its ugly head after my resolved attack, It was ready to assault me and viciously tear me apart. But I wasn't going to let myself die, I dislodged the pickaxe quickly. The haste made allowed one of its hairs to cut my arm but that didn't matter right now.

With its open jaw and a bloodthirsty screech, the worm pounced on me. I swung my pickaxe a second time. The hit landed cleanly on its head going as far as digging through it.

It screeched a painful wail, as it suddenly found itself on the ground underneath my feet. It started to convulse, it shook violently making me start to lose the grip on my pickaxe.

"Just die you overgrown dirt worm!" I yelled out of impulse as I placed my foot on its head to hold it down. I quickly took another swing before it got a chance to escape. The resistance was visibly smaller after the second swing.

I kept at it. I struck it at least 23 times before the worm finally showed no signs of movements. The pickaxe which should have been used to mine solid waste was now covered in worm juices.

It was truly putrid but luckily I was wearing a suit so even the fluids that did fall on me weren't actually touching me. Plus, this wasn't the first time I ended up covered in filth. That was a sick prank by the way.

I still couldn't relax though as I was afraid the worm wasn't truly dead. I circled it, carefully examining its body. The head was the only part that was full of holes, everything else was still in pristine condition.

"Y-you you killed it?" I turned my head after hearing the astonished words of a woman. It was Grey, it seems she came back after noticing that the worm wasn't chasing them.

"That I did" I nonchalantly replied. I am not sure if I should be feeling anything right now other than disgust. I now need a shower. The suit alone doesn't make me feel clean enough.

"Amazing!" Her words of praise were something new to me but I didn't make a fuss over it. I mean, it would be nice to get a picture of myself using the dead worm as a stepping stone but I can't afford that pointless luxury.

Grey then escorted me back. We met up with some officer-like person who gave me some instructions and told the others to get back to work.

The whole ordeal was quite troublesome, after my successful kill of the mutant I was sent away to disinfect myself and the suit. I was also then told to meet up with a so-called Barry Tone.

No longer feeling dirty and disgusting and now wearing my previous clothes, I entered a nice office. It seemed ordinary yet clean. The tag outside said Tone so clearly this was the right office.

Ah, there he is. Behind the pile of paperwork. A well-dressed man with sleek black hair and slightly less pale than usual skin poked his head out of the pile of work.

"Dan Owens" He said simply in his baritone voice. Hm? Isn't that a pleasant coincidence.

"Yes?" I stood by the side of the door. I probably seemed rude and disinterested but so be it.

"You managed to kill an adult Waste worm, by the laws of the subterran government you are entitled to compesation." Is what Barry told me.

"That's great" I just might be able to pay my phone bill now.

"The compensation for killing it is no more than 100 but since you also left the raw materials intact that will be 150 merits" He tapped away on a tablet after saying that. He was probably transferring the merits into some sort of merit bank.

"You may leave now. Go home if you so desire, the event clearly affected you a bit" I think he was referring to my deadpan expression. He dismissed me with a wave of his hands but before I could leave the office…

"Oh, right. Are you interested in joining the army? They could use a brave person such as yourself. Of course, that's assuming you pass the necessary test" Barry's words were definitely enticing but I'll have to postpone my judgment until I find out the duties of a soldier in this place. Then again it can't be worst than my current position.

"I'll have to consider it first." I thus told him. He frowned a bit but he soon returned to his serious expression and got back to work.

I closed the door behind me and secretly celebrated. A small victory, but definitely worth celebrating. Based on my luck I thought I would die when facing that ugly thing. Ugh, I never liked worms in the first place.

With a skip in my ste- Ouch… I stubbed my toe on a loose floor tile… I am never skipping again...

I wonder if I can sue for compensation? I pondered over the matter as I carefully walked down the white hallway. Come to think of it everything here is pretty silent. Everyone must be hard at work.

I walked down some steps and I was back in the building's lobby. The place was dead now though, apart from the overseer from before who was staring at me resentfully, there was no other person in sight. There must be a story behind this.

I ignored the man and headed out the door. I breathed in the fresh air of the outside. Well, the fresher air, this is still underground.

I remembered there was a phone carrier store somewhere down the main road so I headed down that way. I wasn't worried about not having a merit card since I don't think those exist.

There seems to be some sort of database that holds everyone's face and name. I will soon find out all there is to this world with the power of the internet.