Above the Spray Lakes
At the base of the cliff, the monstrous spider righted itself onto its seven remaining legs and strode towards the cliff. Its steps were wobbly at first but steadied by the time it began to crawl up the vertical rock face below El and Laura. The face at the front of the thorax turned up to them and screamed with incoherent rage.
“We should leave.” El took several steps back from the ledge, pulling the short girl with him.
“Agreed. We need to get within cell phone range to call for help.” Laura quickly scanned the ground for her phone. It lay off to the side where it had been dropped in the confusion of the fight. She dashed over and snatched it up. “Thank God, it's not broken. Take it, turn into an owl and fly away.” She took El’s hand and placed the smartphone in his palm. “Get within reception and make the call. I can make sure Spidey follows me until help arrives.”
El shook his head, “I can’t fly. I broke a wing when I landed, it will take hours for that form to heal.” They continued to back away from the cliff, clattering noises now audible as the mutant neared the top. “Run!” The young man turned and began running, his form blurred momentarily as he changed into a timber wolf.
“We really need to work on your communication skills El!” Laura tucked her phone into her pocket as she began running after her teammate. With a glance behind her, she could see the spider crest the cliff and scuttle after them. She turned back just as she ran into a pine branch, spinning her off to the side. After stumbling for several steps she regained her footing and sprinted after the wolf.
Running through the forest the spider was certainly not quiet. It snapped branches and smashed its way through bushes in its pursuit. Laura noticed that El was not leading them on the same meandering sort of path that had led them up the mountains, but straight down the slopes and forested inclines.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Time blurred for Laura as she sprinted in El’s wake. Down the side of the first mountain and into a deep V junction between two other granite peaks. They had enjoyed a leisurely hour’s run into the mountains but were now covering ground as quickly as possible.
The mutant crashed along behind them; never further than a hundred feet back, but not gaining either. A mad cackling arose behind them from their pursuer.
Run fast, but carefully girl, Laura thought. If you stumble and fall it will be on you. It might not be able to kill you, but Lassie will come back to fight it and get killed protecting you.
El concentrated on his stride and looked ahead to pick the clearest path. His wolf hearing could easily keep track of the mutated spider. He was aiming them back to where Laura’s truck was parked. Unfortunately, they were running in the path of the wind so he could not smell if people were ahead in order to avoid bringing the monstrous spider upon them.
Twenty minutes further down the slope, El corrected his due north course, veering to the west sharply.
Laura swerved her path to keep right behind him. “What gives? Why change?” Even with her enhanced stamina, it was hard to force out long sentences while sprinting. Maybe he smelled people and it trying to lead the spider away from them.
Almost a minute later the malevolent laughter of the mutant altered pitch and the sounds of its passage changed. El slammed to a halt and whirled around, forcing Laura to run around him before she was able to stop herself.
“What is…” her question was left unfinished as the large wolf sprinted back in the direction they had both came. Further ahead she could see the shape of the mutant running away from them into the forest. “People, oh God!” Laura took off at a run in pursuit.