Chapter 23: Inferno Arachnid

Chapter 23: Inferno Arachnid

Inside the next house, they stumbled upon a gargantuan spider-like creature, adorned with scorpion claws of immense size. Instead of eyes, gaping holes punctuated its head, while its entire body bore an eerie blend of neon green and orange hues. Curiously, it seemed entirely unfazed by their presence.

John scanned their surroundings, formulating a plan. Carefully, he seized a picture from the wall using one hand, the other clutching his dagger in readiness. Propelling the frame across the room, it shattered with a resounding crash. Instantly, the creature was in motion, lunging at the source of the noise, its claws digging into the shattered glass.

He signaled Alice to remain quiet, conveying his intentions. Swiftly removing his shoes to minimize noise, he picked up another picture frame and approached the colossal arachnid with caution. Remarkably, it remained stationary, unperturbed by his approach. Tossing the frame a short distance away, the creature lunged once more, its claws gouging the ground where the frame had shattered.

Seeing an opening, John sprang at the creature, his dagger finding its mark in its head. A shrill cry echoed as the creature flung itself back, its claws attempting to seize John. In an acrobatic display, Alice intervened, her scythe hooking one claw and severing it. The spider let out a final, ear-piercing screech before collapsing, leaving John to finish it off by beheading it and severing its limbs.

Amid the aftermath, Alice's exuberance bubbled over. "That was so cool! Not much of a fight, but still fun. How did you know it would react to sound?"

John hushed her enthusiasm, emphasizing caution. "Quiet down, Alice. We don't know if there are more of them around. Let's search the rooms, and we'll discuss everything properly once we're certain."

Their exploration yielded no further spiders, yet a room unveiled a chilling discovery—silk threads and cocoons, some human-sized, others smaller. John grimly revealed the truth. "This was a nest, it probably belonged to the spider we just killed. The tall cocoons might hold humans which will be food for the small ones that are probably eggs. were going to need to torch this place before those eggs hatch and the entire area becomes a hellscape of spiders."

Alice's though didnt seem to really care or focus much on his words though. " yeah yeah I get it, but won't we be wasting the silk here? And the spiders could be used as weapons to throw at peoples faces, or traps that burst up biting people, ooh ooh or even allies that we can train and ride or use as a swarm of attackers! oh and you still need to tell me how you thought of using the picture frame to distract it earlier mister!" Alice says, hands on her hip and doing her best to look stern as she demanded a answer.

"There was a zombie anime I remember watching, didn't watch much of it and it was on my long list of shows to finish but in it they reacted to sound rather than movement because they where blind and this thing didn't respond when we es ntered and behaved in a similar way to the zombies from the anime, if it could see or even just react to movement it would've attacked much sooner or try to ambush us, but still something is wrong about this I'm just not sure what yet." John tells Alice, trying to figure out what was a miss before it struck him like lightning "It's a mate! there's another one out there bringing back food! Damn it, Alice we need to act fast and burn this place down asap!"

Under his urging the two of them quickly took action. They gathered anything flammable from the house, any wood, fabric, and paper they could find where thrown into and in front of the webbed room even a bed and blankets. As Alice procured more materials, John started to think of a way to get the fire started. "Okay I have a idea on how to start the fire, well I'm busy here why don't you take out the spider we killed? It might have one of those core things and the chitin and maybe other parts could be useful later." He tells her, using his dagger to pry open a plug socket as soon as he saw Alice had left not wanting her to see or get ideas on trying to do the same herself down the line.

With the house poised to become an inferno, John created a spark using some of the plug wires, lighting a small patch of paper. A small fire eventually started and began to slowly spread. Once he was sure the fire would keep spreading and consume the house John left and joined Alice outside. As flames danced and ate away at the house, John and Alice watched from across the street, making sure the entire place would burn to ashes and the baby spiders along with it.

As the flames roared, Alice couldn't contain her excitement. "You must be in your element right now having used some kind of fire magic else how else could you have done this? And just so you know this just proves to me you've got to be some kind of fire fetish, not judging it can be hot hahaha. Or your finally embracing your inner pyromaniac."

Chuckling, John told her properly what he did. "Actually, all I did was cause an electrical fire by messing with some wiring, it's really dangerous but I've done some wire work before off the books, so I knew what I was doing, well mostly, it wasn't fire magic. But you're right, there's a certain satisfaction in seeing this."

The blaze's glow cast Alice in an ethereal light, her face bathed in the fiery glow. "Too bad we don't have marshmallows. This would've been the perfect bonfire." Alice says, slight madness carrying in her voice.

Shoulder to shoulder, they watched as the house succumbed to the fervent blaze.The sky slowly darkening, the bright orange flames creating a strangely beautiful contrast against the darkening night. The only noises from the fire crackling and loud popping noises coming from the house.

The serenity of the moment was shattered by an ear-piercing screech that reverberated through the air, accompanied by the unsettling tremors of the ground beneath. Emerging from the chaos was a nightmare incarnate—a colossal spider-like creature, similar to the one they had encountered earlier but this one being the size of a bus and instead of holes upon its face large eye stalks staring at the fire as it approached. Its grotesque form displayed a chilling blend of dark neon blue and vivid blood red, while its sinister eye stalks swiveled with a predatory intent as it grew closer and closer.

Draped across its immense body were seven cocoons, each as large as a human, serving as macabre sustenance for its mate and potential offspring. Its return to the blazing den had ignited a frenzy of rage, amplifying its monstrous wrath. Yet, its instinctual fear of fire compelled it to hesitate, its advance thwarted by the searing flames.

The creature's massive claws struck the surroundings with furious abandon, as if venting its infernal fury upon the world. The inferno's crackling flames served to enrage it further, casting an eerie glow over its chaotic dance. Slowly its eye stalks fell on Alice and John, their presence and the fallen corpse of its mate causing its fury to reach far greater heights. Driven by murderous vengeance, its screech shattered the air as if letting loose a horrifying battle cry as it lunged forward, closing the distance with incredible speed.

Alice seeing a fight coming felt grinned widely, her blood practically burning at the prospect of a fierce battle, her grip tightening around her weapons—a knife and a scythe swapping constantly between the two. Her eyes burned with madness as she prepared to confront the monstrous adversary. Beside her, John clutched his dagger, a mix of fear and resolve coursing through his veins. His bulky frame, in stark contrast to Alice's nimbleness, knowing he wasn't fast or agile like her or used to fighting he hardened his resolved and focused on doing the best he could in this, his first real fight against a large enemy.

The clash commenced—an intricate ballet of survival as the creature's colossal claws sliced through the air with ferocious power. Alice moved with an uncanny agility, guided by her madness, her instincts allowing her to dance through the chaotic onslaught. The gleam of her knife and scythe blended seamlessly with the fiery ambiance, delivering precise strikes at moments of vulnerability. In contrast, John's movements were hesitant and calculated, his inexperience evident as he did his best to dodge the creature's onslaught.

The creature was like a violent storm, constant attacks and swings of its claws as it tried to hit them, John only barely managing to dodge but Alice weaving and practically dancing between its strikes, her every movement when she attacked was a calculated strike, her blade finding its mark with uncanny precision. John's role was different; his strength lay in distracting the creature, his sturdy form enduring the hits he couldn't dodge, the coat seemingly absorbing the brunt of the creatures blows but didn't mean he didn't feel them, each unavoidable blow was like a sledgehammer against him, but forcing himself on he kept on fighting, refusing to go down or stay down.

The creature's eye stalks seemed to focus on Alice. It lunged and swiped, but she danced around its blows with an almost unnatural grace. John's contributions were marked by grim determination—shielding Alice from a few strikes that threatened to land on her that she wouldn't have been able to dodge, Absorbing the blows meant for her lithe frame knowing that if she goes down it could spell the end for both of them.

Minutes stretched into an eternity as the battle raged on, injuries accumulating as they fought. John bore the brunt of the creature's attacks, his sheer size and strength enabling him to withstand the onslaught if just barely. Meanwhile, Alice darted around the creature like a phantom, each movement calculated and deliberate but still suffering cuts and scraps from the beast.

Then an opportunity emerged—an instant of vulnerability in the creature's assault. Alice seized it, her knife finding a gap in the creature's Armor. Simultaneously, John's dagger grazed its underside, leaving a shallow wound but deep enough to hurt it. The creature recoiled, its screeches echoing in pain and fury.

Alice and John seized the moment, acting in unison. With a daring maneuver, Alice sliced through a tendon on the creature's leg, causing it to stumble well John took the opening to force his larger form to collide with it, sending it crashing into the remnants of the burning house. Flames enveloped the creature, its instinctual fear igniting a blind panic.

As fire devoured the creature, its screeches grew desperate and frenzied. A monstrous fireball erupted as its blood proved to be extremely flammable casting an eerie blue light across the battlefield as it burnt. The once-formidable adversary met its end in a blaze of agony, its torment silenced by the consuming inferno.

Exhausted, battered, and singed, Alice and John emerged from the aftermath. Their battle had been an intricate dance between madness and determination, each playing a pivotal role in their survival. Smoke hung heavily in the air as they caught their breath, the echoes of the battle still resonating around them.

John's eyes met Alice's, a silent exchange of acknowledgment passing between them. Alice's madness had guided their actions, her nimble prowess complemented by John's steadfast endurance. They both bore the scars of the battle, a testament to their sacrifice and victory.

The remnants of their struggle smouldered in the distance, a testament to the intensity of their duel. Slowly they made their way back home, to clean themselves up, patch up their injuries and get deserved rest some rest. The body of the smaller spider creature dragged behind them.