Chapter 5: The Great Ant Prison Break (That Almost Failed Immediately)

Aya had had enough.

First, she got reborn as an ant. Then, she found out she was stuck in an underground slave colony. And finally? The retirement plan was literally getting eaten alive.

NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. I AM NOT DYING AS INSECT SUSHI.

If she wanted to avoid a future where her coworkers turned her into a protein snack, there was only one option— Escape.

Part 1: The (Accidental) Perfect Distraction

The entire colony was still in a state of pure chaos thanks to Aya's terrible pheromone accident.

Soldier ants were frantically running around, looking for a non-existent enemy invasion. Worker ants continued their tasks with mild confusion, pausing only to exchange pheromones that translated to something along the lines of:

"Uh, is it just me, or is management freaking out over nothing again?"

Aya, meanwhile, was sweating bullets.

Which was weird, because ants don't sweat.

Okay, okay, let's think logically, she told herself. I'm small. I don't need a huge exit. I just need a small crack, a little tunnel leading out—

Then, she saw it.

A tiny, narrow crack in the wall.

It was so small that the larger, older ants wouldn't even be able to squeeze through.

Jackpot.

Part 2: Operation: Tiny Idiot's Great Escape

Aya casually (very un-casually) scuttled toward the crack, trying to act natural.

Worker Ant #1 passed by. Worker Ant #2 passed by. Soldier Ant #3—

Oh crap.

A massive, armored soldier ant blocked her path, mandibles clicking in suspicion.

"Where are you going?" it demanded, its deep, commanding pheromones resonating in Aya's mind.

Aya froze.

Her antennae twitched nervously as she desperately tried to think of an excuse.

Say something, brain!

Through sheer instinct, she shot out the most random pheromone message she could think of.

"Uh. Gathering food."

The soldier stared at her.

Then, slowly, it tilted its antennae forward, touching hers.

OH GOD NO, DIRECT PHEROMONE COMMUNICATION?!

Aya's brain exploded as the soldier's thoughts entered her mind.

"Liar. You have no food."

OH CRAP. OH CRAP. OH CRAP.

Aya panicked.

Desperate, she hurled another pheromone signal—

"I AM A VERY IMPORTANT ANT AND MUST GO ON A SECRET MISSION."

Silence.

The soldier stared.

And then, somehow, miraculously…

It just shrugged.

"Oh. Okay."

And left.

Aya nearly collapsed from the sheer absurdity of it all.

Part 3: The Crawl of Freedom

Still riding the high of her sheer dumb luck, Aya finally reached the crack.

She poked her tiny ant head through first, checking for obstacles.

No guards. No terrifying enemies. Just a dark, narrow tunnel leading into the unknown.

This is it. This is my one chance to escape this hellhole.

Summoning every ounce of courage, she squeezed through the crack.

…And immediately got stuck.

Are you kidding me?!

For agonizing seconds, Aya wriggled uselessly, her tiny mandibles clicking in frustration. Behind her, she could hear the chaotic colony still scrambling over the false alarm she had caused.

If I get caught now, I am so dead.

With one final desperate push, she popped through the crack like a piece of bread from a toaster and tumbled face-first into dirt.

She did it.

She was free.

Part 4: Wait, This is Worse

Aya stood up.

For the first time since her horrifying rebirth, she finally saw—

The Outside World.

It was huge.

Too huge.

The ground stretched endlessly like a never-ending wasteland. Massive blades of grass towered over her like skyscrapers. Shadows loomed from gigantic trees, their roots twisting into impossibly deep tunnels.

The scent of earth, rotting wood, and distant danger flooded her hypersensitive ant senses.

Worst of all—

There were things moving.

Big things.

Fast things.

And all of them looked like they could squash her in a second.

Aya immediately regretted everything.

I—I didn't think this through.

Before, she was trapped in an underground slave colony.

Now, she was in a massive, terrifying world filled with giant creatures that could kill her instantly.

She stared at the endless terrain before her, her tiny ant body trembling.

Then she took a deep breath—

And immediately started running in a random direction like a panicked idiot.