Chapter 1 - The Solution

This story contains things that may not be known. Read on if you desire the secrets to be shown. (In other words, spoilers.)

You haven't felt the true meaning of fear until you've met a giant spider. Of course, I would've been feeling a lot less fearful if my odds were better—my best weapon was a spear that I threw together five minutes ago. Or then again, maybe not, because even when I see normal spiders I tend to have a heart attack.

The mother of all spiders stood only a stone-throw away from me, and was steadily advancing. She raised her claw-like appendages and hissed at me, which I assumed translated as kill the scientist. Her body was a moving boulder that was covered in webs. A horde of smaller spiders followed in her wake, each of them at least as big as me. Every so often she would excrete another, adding to the angry mess. I readjusted my sweaty hands on my spear and thought about my options.

My odds were terrible; my forms of defense were a suit made from logs and a shoddy weapon. Other than that, all I had on me were arts and crafts materials and some carrots. I hadn't planned on incurring the wrath of the spider queen on my expedition for supplies.

No, fighting was definitely out, unless spiders had a secret weakness to carrots. I would have to outrun them, which would be easy enough since the giant spider was having a hard time keeping up. The queen was following me at a steady pace, seemingly unable to run.

Let's see, I could go around the swamp and go back to my camp, but that would mean the spiders would follow me there. What if—wait, what was that?

Next to the lagging spiders by the edge of the trees, I saw flash of pink and yellow. It was only a flicker, but it was enough to distract me—there was nothing here that had Easter pastel colors, or at least nothing I had encountered yet.

What in the name of science could—

A crushing pain in my arm sent my thoughts screeching to a halt. One of the smaller spiders had taken advantage of my daze and had bitten down on my arm, which was protected in my wood armor but still in the spider's vice-like jaw. The wood cracked as the spider forced its fangs deeper.

I cried out and hit the spider with the point of my spear, stabbing it a few times for good measure.

"Nasty buggers." I breathed, cradling my injured arm.

I readied my spear again, preparing to take on whatever came close, but to my surprise there were no other spiders coming to attack me. The entire spider horde was going in a different direction, toward the trees where I saw the glimpse of pastel.

"What's wrong? Am I not good enough to eat?" I called at them. Even as I said it, my shoulders slumped with relief. Spiders were easily distracted, and I was saved if they started fighting another beast.

The forest rustled as creatures ran through its branches, making it look like a chaotic sea of living trees. Spiders surged through one end of the tree clump, appearing to be driving something out. The thing they were chasing fled through the pines, nothing more than a pink blur, exiting on the other side of the forest. Now that nothing was blocking my view, I could clearly see what was scampering away.

I sucked in a breath and choked; the creature wasn't a creature at all—it was a little girl.

"How?" The word came out as a whisper.

I'd spent a summer and winter in this inhospitable world, convinced that the only other humans here were the dead ones. How had she come here? Who was she? What quarrel did Maxwell have with a child?

The girl stumbled and fell just after leaving the cover of the trees. The spiders were not too far behind, and they would reach her within seconds. She was only a few feet away from the edge of the swamp, where resided dangerous beasts of all kind, ready to kill the unsuspecting traveler.

An idea pieced itself together in my mind. It would be risky, but not impossibly so.

Sounds like a plan. I smiled dryly. My methods were nothing, if not drastic.

Ignoring the pain in my arm, I sprinted to where the girl was trying to recover from her fall. A few spiders noticed me and tried to take another munch, but this time I was ready for them. It only took around three hits to kill one, so if I attacked them one at a time then I wouldn't have a problem. I just had to grab the girl and go before the swarm hit.

Now close enough to touch her, I spoke up.

"Little girl, come with me if you don't want to be spider food."

The girl looked up, blue eyes assessing me. She didn't look nearly as frightened as she should be—in fact, her demeanor was placid compared to mine, as if the whole business of falling and being eaten by spiders was merely an inconvenience. A stray thorn bush was wrapped around her ankle and tangled in her skirt.

I tore the bush branches, freeing the girl but leaving twigs attached to her skirt. Well, it was no time to be picky. Gently grabbing her delicate hand, I helped her up.

"Hurry now, those spiders are right on our tail." I gave a tug and tried to pull her along, but it was like trying to move a sack of potatoes. With her heels digging into the ground, the girl kept looking up at me, then at the swamp before us, her brow furrowed with worry. I managed to get her to the edge of the swamp, but just before we stepped over the boundary she pulled back on my hand.

"Sir, I'm not sure that's the best idea. We'll surely find more enemies in the swamp." She said. If I hadn't been right next to her, I doubt I would've heard her airy voice.

"Of course we'll find more enemies. That's the idea." The girl looked at me, her lips puckered. I knelt and connected my gaze with hers. "Look, I know we've just met, but I need you to trust me. I know what I'm doing, but I need you to cooperate if we're going to get out of this alive. Do you think you can do that?"

With wide eyes, the girl nodded. I couldn't help but give a small smile at her serious expression.

The spiders were a few tree-lengths away now, and within moments they would overwhelm us.

"Alright." I held her hand firmly. "Don't stop running, not for anything, understand? Don't stop until you reach the other side. Are you ready?"

One of the spiders gave a loud hiss, making me jump. There was no time to waste.

"Go!"

The girl shot forward, easily pulling me along; I had to take awkward strides to keep up with her tiny legs. The clacking of shuffling spiders followed us as we avoided thorny trees and skirted spiky bushes.

Persistent little monsters...well, let's see how they handle this.

The ground ahead was uneven and shifting, which could only mean one thing: tentacles.

"That's it!" I breathed. Tentacles were dangerous denizens of the swamp, and they would attack anything that came near them with a spike-covered tip. They would hide under the ground until something passed by, and fortunately for us there was a slight delay in their reflexes.

Passing over them quickly, I felt a rush of air hit my back as the tentacles shot from the ground, writhing. They thrashed the spiders in their tracks. I could hear a chorus of spitting growls as the spiders were tossed around like tennis balls.

I turned and saw that just about all the spiders were curled up in death or would soon be that way, and the only one left following was the queen. It would take more than tentacles to kill that monster off.

"What...now sir?" The girl was panting, her yellow hair matted against her forehead. Once she released my hand, it was hard to ignore the numbness in my fingers; they prickled as if tiny invisible spiders were dancing on my hands. The thought made me shiver.

"Don't stop running. Go...the end of the swamp is just...past that pond. I'll meet you on the other side." I gasped. I tried not to think about the double meaning of that last part.

Releasing her hand, I pointed in the general direction of my camp. She looked at me with eyes that were wide like an owl's; apparently I wasn't the only one who understood both meanings.

Her face was taut with concern. I could almost see the cogs turning in her mind.

"Alright sir. Goodbye for now." Her voice was careful, as if she was thinking about her word choice.

I didn't have time to be suspicious—the spider queen hissed in the distance, probably wanting with every fiber of her being to eat my face. It distracted me for a moment, and when I turned back to face the girl she was already gone. Good, one less thing to worry about.

Now that I was alone, my heart rate was on the rise. I hadn't realized how much the girl had calmed my nerves until she was gone. Now that I had to face the giant arachnid alone...well, the very thought made my insides freeze.

The spider approached on her stilt-like feet that ended in sharp blades—a single swipe and everything would be over. Her face, which was set low on her body, dripped saliva from her triangle shaped mouth and left a trail on the ground. I felt the blood drain from my face and clenched my spear tighter.

"Go for the eyes!" I shouted, lunging towards the spider's face.

The man and the girl, destined to meet.

Now staying alive will be a great feat.