Arachnid

There is always the constant fear of the unknown. A fear that claws at you from deep inside, its petrifying gaze rendering you immobile, susceptible to pain. Such is the fear of the unseen that lurk underneath the pitch black sea as you attempt to traverse the humming waves in the night, or the fear of something rustling behind the darkness of our closet, watching us as we sleep.

The air grows cold, wispy smoke leaves my mouth whenever I take a breath. "Mike, help me…" Anthony stands in front of me, his skin ghostly white as a thick trail of crimson slides down his cheeks. He limps towards me, his balance shifting from one side to another as he drags his foot behind him. "My eyes… Give them back…"

There it was, that familiar feeling of being unable to comprehend what was going on as your mind makes excuses to rationalize the things that you don't understand. I quickly get myself upright, putting distance between me and Anthony, the one who was pretending to be him. "Anything that bleeds, can be killed."

In between heaved breaths, I make my way to our room, found on the opposite side. It lunges at me, no regard for its battered state. I duck, barely dodging the snake like arms that attempted to coil around my neck.

"Give me your eyes, your eyes Mike… It can work…" It mutters with a broken voice, its back turned towards me. There was no movement, a suffocating game of waiting to see what the other does. I slowly step away from it, my back looking for the wooden door which led to our room. The wood presses against my back, cold from the air. "MIKE! YOUR EYES! GIVE THEM TO ME!" Its head turns in a snapping fashion as it screeches, its body still facing forward. Its limbs suddenly snap, as if broken as it contorts on its back, now crawling towards me.

My hands find the doorknob; its metallic surface was frozen. I twist and to my despair, it doesn't turn. Shit! I turn to look at it, now a horrible human spider crawling towards me. Its jaw was missing, its tongue now dangling on the floor as its hollow eyes look at me, as if it wanted to take mine. I slam my weight against the wall, begging for it to come loose. It doesn't as two hands now grapple my legs, pulling my weight from underneath. My body falls with a bang as my head hits the ground, making everything around me a blur.

"My e-eyes…" It speaks, like an animal who struggled to find the right words. My body feels heavy as it pins me down to the ground, making me unable to move. A hand appears in the corner of my eye, slowly approaching my face. "GIVE ME YO---"

Its head explodes as I feel the gore splatter all over my face, its strong rusty metallic scent overwhelming me. My ears ring as I turn to look at what happened. The spider limps, no longer gripping my legs as I push it to the ground. "Couldn't have done it when it was far away from my face?"

"What can I say? Had to deal with my own eye stealing freak." Anthony replies, extending a hand towards me. I take it, smearing blood all over him intentionally. "Asshole." He mutters as I eye the thing that almost killed me, now lying on the ground.

"Where's Mason?" I ask, trying to wipe the fucking blood all over my face. Anthony doesn't respond when we hear movement from beside us. The creature moves, twitching as it lies on the ground. Anthony steps up, revolver in hand. He cocks and the gun barks, spewing flashes that illuminate the dark. "Talk about overkill."

Anthony loads more bullets into the clip, their golden bodies entering the chamber with a clink. "Better safe than sorry. Here." He hands me the revolver, now pulling a handgun from the holster wrapped around his leg, its opaque black body shining in the low light.

"How much you got?" I ask, counting the bullets I had stored in my pocket.

"Enough." He says, now cocking the handgun. "You're thinking what I'm thinking right?"

I nod, now looking at the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. The living room was now trashed, with furniture thrown all over the place. "Looks like witchy's a lot closer than we thought." My feet make their way across the room, scouring the area for any sign of movement as we make our way upstairs. There was a thud from one of the rooms, and another.

The second floor was a lot bigger than expected, containing one restrictive hallway with a number of doors on either side. A small light was placed at the end, flickering. I slowly walk, listening as Anthony follows swiftly behind. There was a gunshot, loud enough to rattle the house, followed by a loud shriek. Bumps follow, as if something had fallen to the ground.

I signal for Anthony to stop as I look at the light at the end of the hallway. Blood red, its pristine white light was no longer flickering, now replaced by a dark crimson glow. I hear dripping, as if a tap was left open. Rheya steps out from the room at the end of the space, with disheveled hair and carrying a knife on her hand, There was a loud scraping sound as she exits, her other arm seemed to be carrying something heavy.

She stops, frozen in place. "Itsy Bitsy Spider…" She sings, her voice a chilling sound despite being pleasant. "Climbs up the bloody spout…" Rheya looks at us, slowly walking. Behind her, a body was being dragged across the floor, scraping the woodwork. "Hello little bugs…" She speaks as she saws the body's head off of it, causing a bloody mess as she heaves the knife into the neck.

The rose-red pool slowly makes its way towards our feet as she tosses the head towards us. It rolls, now drenched in blood. 'Mason.' She speaks again, her voice condescending as she scoops up a handful of blood and drinks it, her face one of pure ecstasy. "My kids need to eat." Numerous spider-like creatures slowly creep from the rooms, crawling their way from the darkness. "And it appears dinner is served."