Johann woke up to a pounding headache. He tried to sort through his clouded memories and regain his bearings. The artillery barrage came to mind and his body jolted up, only to meet stiff resistance followed by a pain flaring from his shoulder. It was difficult to see in the dark and only a few rays of light broke through the tree canopy above from which rain drizzled down. He took a deep breath of hot air and coughed at how humid it was. A dark mass engulfed him up to the neck and no matter how strong he shoved, he couldn’t get it to budge.
The realization struck him in the gut as he remembered the spiders breaking into the bunker from all sides and Hans, poor Hans. He failed his last friend because he wanted to stay and fight. If anyone deserved to be dead then him and not Hans.
The dream was real, and he found himself wrapped in silk. He twisted his neck a little and noticed that what he assumed at first to be rocks were in reality other cocoons. Dozens, perhaps even a hundred other bodies laid strewn around him. One of the shapes in front of him wiggled.
“Hey,” Johann shouted. “You know what happened?”
“Who’s that? Can you get me out of here?” the man said in English.
Johann repeated the words in his head until he deciphered the meaning. English was very un-Germanic. He had an adequate amount of knowledge of the language he picked up fighting the English but this man made it worse by speaking the American dialect. Still, the American was his only source of information and he needed to gain as much as he could in order to escape. He cleared his throat, “Du you know where we are?”
“I was crossing No-man’s-land when a spider the size of a car attacked and stuffed me in a cocoon.” He sucked in air. “No, I don’t know where in God’s name we are.”
“I hate spiders,” Johann said, matter-of-factly. They were both attacked by spiders, confirming that he wasn’t hallucinating. “If we take the size of a normal hunting spider and multiply it by a factor of ten, then we have our vile assailant.”
“You don’t say.”
“A spider like that would normally devour its food on the spot but they have kept us alive,” Johann pointed out.
The American gave a hearty laugh. “I guess they’re really swell once you get to know them up close.”
“Unlikely.” A cold sweat broke out down his back as he continued to put the unfortunate pieces together. “Hunter spiders might wrap their prey up as a gift for their mate or even children.”
His laughing stopped. “Are you kidding me? You mean to tell me there’s more than one of them.”
Johann gazed over to the other cocoons. Hopefully there were others that were still alive as well. “I fear so. There were at least two that attacked the bunker I was in and by the amount of cocoons here, lots.”
“Shh! You hear that?”
Johann held his breath and listened. He concentrated on the soft rustle of wind passing. It carried with it a rhythmic shuffling. His heart leapt against his chest. The same noise he heard moments before the spiders attacked the bunker. Silence was no longer essential as he put all his remaining energy into his arms and legs, trying to kick down and shove at the same time. The wound in his shoulder protested, sending out sharp pains that coursed through his body. He ground his teeth together in an effort to hold back the pain. Life had taken a dreadful turn for him. He would have been better off dead on the battlefield, at least then it would be over with.
The sound intensified as it closed in, coming in from all around. Soon enough, the sheer number of spiders overshadowed his expectations pouring into the opening. Hundreds of spiders, each the size of a cat, along with one five foot tall spider emerged.
Johann recognized that ugly face immediately as the spider that had assaulted him. Unless they all just looked that way. In which case he had even more problems to worry about.
A woman sat on top of the spider, obscured mostly by darkness. She leaned into the light, her smile widening at the sight of them. With graceful ease she slid down a front leg and landed on the ground. The smaller spiders scuttled back, creating a space for her to move closer to the cocoons. Pale white skin glistened in the moonlight accompanied by pitch black hair that fell to her breasts. She wore a simple sleeveless shirt that left her stomach exposed, leaving little to Johann’s imagination.
“The language of the Germanic tribesmen. You might be useful,” she said, gazing at Johann with narrowed eyes.
“Tribesmen?”
“It appears our guests have woken and need some tending to,” she said as she approached the American. She slipped out a dagger from the small of her back and sliced the silk wrapping open. “I apologize for keeping you waiting but there were other matters that needed my attention. I’m Zafira, the chieftain amongst the Erythrai and welcome you to my domain.”
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“That’s very kind of you,” Johann said as he wriggled in his cocoon. “Would you mind helping me out as well?”
A shimmer of hope settled into him. This Zafira seemed in tune with the spiders and might show him the way home or at least keep them safe until they reached civilization. She winked at Johann but held out her hand to the American and helped him settle on his feet.
“You must be thirsty from your hardship.” Zafira went back and retrieved a waterskin. She removed the plug and handed it to him. He didn’t hesitate to take it from her and gulped down the contents within seconds.
“Thank you ma’am. The name’s Herbert Gibs. I’m afraid these… spiders attacked us and brought us, well, here.” He scratched the back of his head. “You wouldn’t happen to know the way back would ya?”
“Herbert,” Zafira repeated, rolling the t off her tongue. Her eyes wandered down the length of his body. She asked Johann to translate what he said and smiled. She held herself proudly and didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by the situation they were in. “Tamulan is nearby. You and your friends are welcome to stay with me until you feel adequately rested.”
A moment of silence passed between them in which Zafira looked to Johann and cocked her head. He rolled his eyes and translated what she said for Herbert.
“That would be very kind of you ma’am.”
“There is one small token I require in exchange.” The woman took a twig and drew on the ground, then pressed it into the man’s hand and pointed at her drawing. “You want me to take you back home. Where might your tribe’s chieftain reside?”
Herbert’s eyes wandered from Zafira, to Johann and then back to Zafira before he did as she said and made a marking.
“Well done,” she said. “Now, for your reward.”
The tip of her finger trailed his face and slashed open his shirt and trousers, letting them fall to his ankles. She glanced down and smiled then raised her sights again and kissed him. Their lips locked, her hand pressed against the back of his skull.
Johann couldn’t see what was happening but noticed that her slitted eyes were fixed on him. A chill ran down his back. He tugged and pushed but still couldn’t get himself to budge inside the cocoon.
The woman pulled back, ripping the tongue out of the man’s mouth. It hung between her teeth as she continued to stare at Johann. A grin spread across her face as panic settled into Johann.
The American turned around, blood gushing out of his mouth. He staggered back towards the cocoons, hands slowly raising to his face. Eyes widened as he realized what happened. He moaned for help but Johann was still trapped inside. The other cocoons stirred but he couldn’t make out any faces.
Zafira marched after him and kicked Herbert to the ground.
A group of spiders dashed out from cover, digging their fangs into his flesh with solid crunches. Crunching replaced the screaming as they tore off piece by piece of his body. Within moments the spiders each had their share and scattered back into their crevices with their prize. Only a pile of blood and a few bones remained where he had fallen.
Johann cringed. His stomach heaved, spilling an acid taste onto his tongue but he forced it back down with a gulp.
Zafira sighed with her hands at her hips as she looked away from the mess and focused her attention to Johann. She freed him from the cocoon and held out a hand, inviting him to step closer to her. “Let’s see what you’re made of, dear.”
Johann anticipated a repeat of what just happened and remained still. The surrounding forest was immensely thick with only small gaps in the tree cover to give him any clue as to where he would be going. He had a feeling that if he ran, he’d get lost in there. Besides, his fight or flight instinct died with Hans. All he had left was a letter and a woman waiting for him to tell her he couldn’t save a single person in the war.
Spiders peered out from their cover at him. Their dark bulbous eyes mirrored his death in a thousand ways. Zafira appeared to have some measure of control over these creatures. He didn’t even realize spiders could be domesticated.
People stirred from their sleep and called out for help. Johann ran to the nearest cocoon and clawed at the silk. He stopped and quickly padded his uniform in search of a knife or bayonet to cut it open. He froze, realizing that he left the bag with all his equipment back in the trenches. Unarmed in hostile territory.
Zafira gripped his shoulder and spun him around. Only a few centimeters separated them from each other, both in distance and in height. She studied his face. “You’re the one, aren’t you?”
“Stay away from me, you monster.” He took a step back, ignoring the pleas of the man beside him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Zafira held in at his words and considered for a moment before pointing at his shoulder. “The bite of the Amazonian spider tranquilizes its prey. On its own, it’s not deadly but it’ll get infected over the next few hours. You’ll lose your arm shortly after and then die.”
Johann ground his teeth together as he played through the scenario she depicted. It was hot, but he couldn’t tell if it was the weather or his body coming along with a fever. He tentatively reached up and stroked the dark purple gash on his shoulder. The wound flared up, making itself known throughout his body. “So, what if it’s true? I’m dead either way.”
The small distance between them evaporated within a heartbeat. Zafira pulled him close to her, a hand gripped on the back of his head.
Zafira brushed her lips against his. The kiss left behind a sweet taste when she pulled away and examined the wound on his shoulder. The next moment she lunged forward, teeth sinking into his skin.
Johann shook and struggled to get away from Zafira but she gripped his arms and held him firmly in place. He feared what might come next that he would fare similarly to Herbert and be devoured by spiders. What he needed to do was escape and find his way back to headquarters or, better yet, a hospital. Pain ripped through every artery of his body but instead of going outward, it came inward and ran through to his shoulder where Zafira continued to suck. His eyes rolled back in their sockets as she sucked in the poison harder.
The absence of the poison made him aware of just how weak his body had become. His knees shook, but he held himself up and leaned against Zafira.
“Let me make you mine,” she whispered. The words rolled off her tongue as she embraced him. Her fingers combed through his damp hair.
Worry, fear and even the war were forgotten for a few tender moments. He took in her vibrant scent of wild berries. Surrender himself entirely to her. “That’s a good idea.”
Zafira [https://i.ibb.co/28fw36w/Zaf.png]