Martin follows Regan's lead, even though he feels like it should be him leading - she's the one with experience here. It's incredible how strong the urge to scream is - instinct just rises up, to try to startle the creature off, to shout for help, something. He can hear blood pounding in his ears, can feel his heart hammering against his chest and the throb of his pulse all across his body. How much can they hear? If he breathes just a little louder? If even the tiniest little gasp should escape?

Marcus has gone frozen again, and Regan is struggling to keep him moving, but he's just white with terror, pinned before the knowledge the thing that's stalking them. Martin looks at them, his palms itching with sweat, trying to decide what to do. And then the tall stalks of corn shift and part, snapping his attention back, and the creature emerges, fully visible, his body an awful sort of carapaced monstrosity. It casts about slowly, moving spider-like enough that he feels, for the first time, like he understands why people might be afraid of those. He sways dizzily as it slinks closer, searching, listening; it's all he can do to keep his balance. He doesn't think there's time to get to the barn now. There is no escape but stillness and patience. Christ he almost wishes he could just go sort of foglike and invisible, though he barely had a grip on that before coming to Darrow and hasn't been able to do it since. It doesn't matter either way; it wouldn't protect the kids, and he's not about to leave them. So he just he holds his breath and prays Marcus can keep himself together. Don't move. Don't move. Don't make a sound.