3. Amber

Chapter three

Amber

I was a responsible woman and valued safety and money over a night’s debauchery. Thus, I had only two watery beers the entire three hours we were at the bar, and I spent the remainder of my time enjoying the finer delights of on-tap carbonated water and something that claimed to be a $2 hamburger. No matter—there were few things I wouldn’t eat at that price. Emily and Phoebe became outright pleasant once their lecturing was done, and the conversation turned to admiring the wildlife show that was a bar at night. The wildlife show attempted to pull me in a few times with its imitation of a mating ritual, but I wasn’t in the mood. However, I was in the mood to see what sort of quip would make a man leave me alone the fastest. Apparently, the winner was “Oh, I sell timeshares, we should totally connect!” followed by “Yes, my antibiotics are done so I’m ready to mingle!”

Eventually, our night drew to a close and it was time for me to head back to my car. I had work in the morning and the dishwasher deserved to see me at my best. Stabby Tabby in one hand, keys and purse in the other, I strolled along, checking over my shoulder every so often.

The summer night was humid, making the darkness take on a more oppressive feeling than it would otherwise. It really brought out the sewer scent that occasionally tinged the air. Once in a while a car blasting angry music drove by, followed by a fleet of respectable sedans bearing their rideshare stickers. Pedestrians waddled here and there, some inebriated—most not—but none lingered. As a result, the streets were relatively occupied, and this area was well-lit. These streets were about as safe as a woman could expect in a major city at night. But still, one couldn’t be too careful in the dark.

A rustling and creaking broke out behind me. I turned, expecting to see a squirrel, or a raccoon. It was not a squirrel, and I wished it was a raccoon.

A dark shape—like a big dog but leggier —rushed toward me, knocking me off balance before I could take in what happened.

“Fuck!” I screamed, somehow still standing and slashing and thrusting at the thing with the Tabby. The Tabby made sticky contact. The creature hissed and backed off enough so I could see what it was. Or more accurately—what it wasn’t.

It wasn’t a dog. It was a spider—a dog-sized spider with razor teeth and eerily human red eyes. Lots of human eyes. A black ooze dripped from where I stabbed it, a too-tiny indent in its mass. Then again, Stabby Tabbies weren’t designed for mythological creatures, and that’s what this was—a creature from one of the new worlds. And apparently someone didn’t feel like staying home.

“Help!” I screamed, turning and searching for anyone to save me. I couldn’t outrun this thing—I couldn’t hope to try. And I was alone. No one was close enough to help. There were some people in the distance, but could they even hear me over the city’s noise?

I would have to get away on my own.

Crouching, I faced the creature, trying to stand on wobbly heels. I would get out of its way, and it would hunt something better. Maybe a giant insect. Anything but me.

One step back.

Two steps—

The spider lunged towards me, only this time an unmistakable sensation of fire and then ice broke through the skin on my shoulder. It bit me.

The fucker bit me.

A moment later I collided with the sidewalk, my head somehow mostly avoiding the pavement. My breath knocked out of me, I struggled. I was not going to die from some overgrown Halloween prop. My shoulder cried out in pain, a cramping agony that made my arm spasm, even as the fire seared with each movement .

Away. I had to get away. I stabbed at the creature, desperate. Some of my strikes made contact that would have devastated a human. But the spider held on. A full-on hunting dagger would have struggled with something this solid.

Within moments the bite on my arm became numb, a feeling that quickly spread through my arm. I dropped the Tabby. All the feeling in my hand was gone. My arm tingled, asleep and useless. My chest felt as if it were smashed in a vice, smothered as I was by the spider, its bristly body pressed against my face. I struggled to breathe. My mouth filled with its thick, black fur, the creature’s dark leathery skin clearly visible through the patchy barbs.

My vision blurred. The spider turned into two and then back into one again as the world melted. My heart raced, the pulse echoing down to even my toes. Each breath was a struggle, a fight against the looming dark. And then…I stopped thinking. About anything.

Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that the spider bit me. This wasn’t so bad. Everything felt just fine. I was like a little butterfly singing in a field of cotton candy. Everything was so beautiful and shiny.

Smiling, the last thing I saw was that the spider, mouth open and fangs about to lunge into my neck, was suddenly lifted off me. In its place was a dark figure, with silver eyes so bright I lost myself in them.