Briar felt a momentary pang of guilt as she left the man in the dust, but it faded about as fast as it came. He was getting in her way, after all, and if it was a choice between her and him, she came first! Besides, maybe he wouldn't get crushed to a pulp, and then they'd both escape! Win-win! Either way, his sacrifice bought her some time.
...Except, as it turned out, it didn't buy much time.
She heard Jocelyn cry out in alarm, the sound fading off oddly, and then after a perplexed pause, the monster was after her again.
Sweat beading on her face, Briar poured on the speed to try to keep the distance she'd gained, but the creature had a longer stride, and it wasn't long before it advanced on her--
And it wasn't long before she saw that her route was a dead end.
She skidded to a stop and spun on her heel, ready to bolt forward and hope for an alternate path, but it was too late; the creature already blocked her path, and Briar's breath caught in her throat as she stared up at it, shadowy and menacing in the light of her stone and its own glowing eyes. It lifted its fist with a bone-shaking roar, and with a yelp, Briar threw herself to the ground to avoid getting pummeled by a rocky fist. She turned her fall into a practiced tumble and felt wind rush past her as its fist missed her by inches, and when she popped back up, it was with her back against the wall. Well, shit. This plan had gone terribly wrong. Where was her human sacrifice when she needed him?!
"Hey, buddy," she said with a nervous grin as the creature raised its huge fist again. She pressed back against the wall and stared down between its legs, considering her options. Do the crazy thing and try to bolt between them? Stay here and get smashed? Fantastic options, both of them! She was bracing herself to run when the monster took a lumbering step forward, and the block it stepped onto sank into the ground.
Clearly, it could only be activated by something as heavy as it.
The wall opened up behind Briar and, with a yell, she fell backwards and went tumbling head over heels until she landed upside down on her back and went sliding down a chute that made a sharp turn at the end.
Which sent her crashing straight into a familiar, squishy body at the end.
"Ow!" she yelped, winding up half on top of him. She pushed herself up and stared down at him, then grinned broadly and ruffled his hair. "Aww, hey look! Blindie, you're alive! Fabulous! See, I knew it'd all work out. Everything's going perfectly according to plan."