Author's Notes: I'm not sure if you remember Tarantula, but many people wanted a sequel. I never did get a chance to work on one, so right now here it is. Even if you haven't read Tarantula, read this anyway.
**************************************************************************************
Arachnophobia By: Hell's Huntress (R) eve413@hotmail.com
**************************************************************************************
Birds...
Birds singing.
Her eyes slowly opened then shut tight upon contact with the sun. Burrying her head in her pillow, she slowly opened her eyes again and remained frozen. She listened to the welcoming sound of birds chirping outside her window. With reality finally sinking in, Serena groaned and sat up in her bed, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She squinted and stared at her room as if she didn't belong there. A small smile rose to her lips.
For months since that incident with the spider, Serena has been having nightmares for as long as she could remember. She could still remember its hairy body...its eyes still staring at her as if it just happened the day before. It was a little over two months since it actually happened, yet everyday she still had to remind herself that she was home. That she was safe. That there were other things that happened since then...good things like Darien.
The smile grew wider. Darien.
She's been dating the man ever since that hideous Tarantula crawled into her life. Good things do come out of bad ones. However, the aftermath of living a nightmare was still evident.
Letting out a small yawn, she arched her back and stretched, only to suddenly freeze when her foot felt something. She could feel her body stiffen and grow cold. Beads of sweat began to form despite the goosebumps that were spreading all over.
Holding her breath, Serena cautiously bent over to look at the spot where her foot was under the blanket. She didn't dare move. Her eyes went wide almost instantly. Memories of the thick spider silk and Carol's death flooded back when she saw a large lump under the covers.
A small, frightened groan escaped her throat. When it finally completely began to sink in, she pushed the covers off her body and scrambled off her bed.
Meanwhile, outside her room Samuel was passing by, reading the morning papers. Turning one page, he turned to face Serena's door.
"Hey Sere, have you seen my - "
His sentence was cut short when a loud scream interrupted him. Then page he was turning suddenly ripped. He stared at it for a moment and groaned.
Paying no attention to it, he quickly tossed the newspaper aside and ran inside. A look of panic crossed his features. "What happened?!"
At one corner of the room, Serena was pressed up against the wall. Her eyes were shut and her hands were tucked behind her. She was standing on her toes as if something was trying to crawl from below.
Cocking one brow at her, Samuel looked around the room in confusion. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he slowly walked up to her and touched her shoulder. "Sere? Are you - "
Serena opened her eyes and screamed, suddenly backing up against the wall even more if that was even possible. She opened her eyes and stared at him, terror clearly written in her moist eyes. Her chest was rose up and down rapidly, accompanying the hard beating of her heart. "Sammy?" Her voice was weak and barely audible.
"Serena. - "
She suddenly threw herself in his arms, burrying her head into his shirt.
Sammy embraced his sister, a look of concern mixed with confusion splashed all over his features. "What...what's wrong? What happened? Why did you scream?"
She turned towards her bed, pointing one shaky finger at the lump under the blankets.
Sammy looked at it and cocked one brow at the strange, frozen object. "What? That little lump under the covers?"
Serena slowly pushed herself away from him, sniffing and nodding. She looked at him with angry yet begging eyes. "You better not have let that damn thing crawl out again!"
"Damn thing? What..." He stared at the lump and chuckled. "Oh, you mean Dusty?"
"Yes, Dusty! Whatever its name is." She growled at him, slowly inching towards her door.
"You think that little lump in your bed is Dusty?"
"It was soft and I felt it. It's probably your damn Tarantula."
Sammy shook his head and approached her bed, only to have her tug at his shirt before he even came within a few feet away from the wooden object. "No! Don't leave me here!"
"Well what are we going to do? Have some Tarantula live in your bed the whole time? You were heading for the door anyway."
Serena frowned at him, slowly lifting herself on top of a table standing by the door. "No, I was gonna stay her."
He grinned at her and headed for the bed once again. "Serena, I didn't let Dusty out. He's in my room...safe and sound. Besides, even if he did get out he can't make it into your room. Your door was closed."
"Maybe you need to check again. Make sure that he's really there."
"I'm positive."
"Then what's that?" She gestured towards the lump which was still frozen in the same spot."
"This thing," he pulled over the covers, causing Serena to shut her eyes. "...is my sock." He raised one white sock in the air for her to see.
Opening her eyes, she stared blankly at it then back at where the lump used to be.
Sammy grinned at her and chuckled. "I was going to ask you if you saw it when I came in. You're still nervous about that damn Tarantula? Don't tell me you still have nightmares about it."
Muttering, Serena cautiously stepped off the table and eyed his sock. It wasn't until then that she noticed one of his feet didn't have a sock on. "Of course I'm still afraid of it! Sammy, it was horrible! It killed Carol and we ran over it. What was I suppose to do? Just forget it like it never happened? It's not that easy, especially when you have to come home with another spider."
"Dusty's harmless."
"Dusty's a Tarantula. A Tarantula is a Tarantula and it scares the shit out of me."
"He's in his own little home."
"Yeah? Well I know he got out a few times before."
"Twice. He got out twice and all he ever did was crawl under the couch. Besides, the poor thing wouldn't harm a fly."
"Poor thing? The poor thing probably eats flies! Besides, your room is next to mine!"
"You always close your door."
"There are windows..."
Shaking his head, Sammy slipped the sock on his exposed foot and walked towards her. He pulled Serena into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Look, you just try to get over that stupid little Tarantula and I'll make you breakfast. Okay?"
"It wasn't little," she whimpered, mentally kicking herself for acting like a child.
He grinned at her and stepped outside her door. "Forget about Dusty, too. That...big...Tarantula isn't my pet. Dusty's different. Pancakes and eggs, okay?"
She leaned against the wall, staring at where her brother's sock once was. She growled and cursed herself for being such an idiot. Sinking down to the floor, she curled up and placed her chin on her knees. A small smile rose to her lips. Not too long ago she was yelling at Sammy for being such a brat. Now he was taller than her, he had a girlfriend, and he even sometimes acted like she was his younger sister. It was suppose to be her role to act like the older sibling that she was. But when it came to spiders, she had a hard time acting like the mature young woman she grew up to be since she turned 16 years ago.
Shaking her head, she stood up and walked towards her full-length mirror. Looking herself over, she tied up her blonde hair into a loose bun. Thin strands of hair framed her face, falling upon her crystal blue eyes. She looked at her yellow nightgown and smiled. Thinking about how grown up her little brother had become brought back old memories. For one, she used to wear pink pajamas instead of white, cream, or yellow nightgowns.
She bit her bottom lip and looked at the clock. 7:30. Darien would be picking her up in half an hour. She knew she was going to be late again, but the man was always patient. Grinning to herself, she turned towards the door, not even glancing at her bed. "Hey Sammy, let me help you with those eggs."
The hall echoed with her steps. Just when she was by the staircase, something she noticed out of the corner of her eye made her freeze. Not too far away was Sammy's room. The door was halfway open, revealing a bed, a chair, a table...
And the spider. He was right. It was safe and sound.
Serena simply bit her bottom lip and turned away, quickly running down the stairs.
~~~~~
"Huh? You're going to Lita's?" Rei blinked at her cousin while fiddling with her pen.
Darien smirked at her. "Yeah. Taking Serena along."
"And you're not taking me?" She playfully crossed her arms before scribbling down some notes on her small pad.
"C'mon, it's not everyday I get a day off. Being a doctor isn't easy. I get to see you everyday anyway."
Rei rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled when an older woman approached them.
"I'll have the breakfast special please."
Rei leaned over the counter and wrote it down. "Do you want hot cocoa, coffee, tea, or cappuccino with that?"
"I'll take the tea."
"Herbal, our breakfast tea, or chinese?"
"Chinese."
Rei smiled at the woman and sribbled down a few more notes. Darien leaned over and continued their conversation in a low voice. "C'mon Rei, I'll take you out for pizza nextime. We can even take Serena and Chad if you want."
"Well it's hard working at a hospital while being a waitress as my second job too, you know. I might be busy when you're not." She whispered back before suddenly looking up to face the woman again. "And would you like fried or scrambled eggs?"
"Fried."
"Cooked or half done?"
"C'mon Rei, don't be like that," Darien teased.
"I'll have one cooked and one half done." The woman smiled at her.
"Shush! I'm busy," Rei bit back, tearing the piece of paper off her pad. She handed a table number to the woman and smiled back. "Alright, thank you. Your order will be ready in about five minutes."
Taking the table number, the woman nodded and began talking to her companion.
Rei took the piece of paper and walked over to another counter. Pressing the bell, she leaned over and slipped the piece of paper through a slot which was big enough only to slip plates or glasses through. A man leaned over and took the paper. "Table five."
"You're not busy now," Darien followed her, this time speaking in a louder voice.
Letting out a small sigh, Rei turned to face him and leaned on the counter. "Okay, okay. What do you want? Just make it quick cause more customers will be arriving."
He cocked a brow at the woman who was already seated at her table, busily chatting away. "One cooked, one half done, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and stared at him. "That's what you wanted to talk to me about? One customer's order?"
Darien only grinned at her and shrugged. Rei couldn't help but grin back. "I'm just lucky she didn't get something else. You should've heard what the other customer's wanted. Half cooked bacon, two well done, and three crispy strips with cream and buttered toast. That's just the beginning. Is that all you want to talk about because I still have to serve others."
"Can I get coffee?"
"Pay me."
"Make it free. I'm your cousin. "
She frowned at him and shook her head. "This is Dan's Breakfast and Splits, not my own personal little restaurant. Besides, you won't even take me." She flashed him a puppy dog look and pouted.
Darien sighed, burrying his hands in his pocket. He then looked at his watch and faced her again. "What time do you get off?"
"3:30."
"No hospital work today?"
"Nope."
"Fine. I'll pick you up at 4. I'll take you and Serena out for something to eat."
"Can we take Lita?"
"If she's available, I'll ask. Anyone else you want to add to my list?"
"Anyone else you can invite," she grinned and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks. Now you better get going or Serena will be waiting. But before that...Do you want black coffee or the mocha one with hazelnut?"
~~~~~
Sammy stared at his coffee, looking at his reflection. "I thought Darien was gonna pick you up."
Serena took a sip of her cappuccino and looked up at the kitchen clock. "The man's only a minute late. It's not everyday he doesn't arrive five minutes earlier."
He grinned at her and lifted his cup to his lips. "Yeah, it's not everyday he's the one who is late instead of you."
Serena took the fashion magazine she was reading and playfully hit Sammy with it.
"Don't hit me. You already ruined my morning paper."
"It was just one torn page."
"Yeah, the page with all the sports entertainment."
Serena rolled her eyes and looked at the clock again. "I'm ready anyway. I'm dressed, I took a shower, and all I need to do is grab my jacket. We're gonna eat at Lita's Pizza anyway."
"A new record. Maybe Gusiness World Book of Records should get it."
She frowned at him and changed the subject. "I think I know why he's late. Any minute now..."
As if on que, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Sammy walked towards the door before Serena could protest. His long legs carried him too quickly for her to catch up anyway. He opened the door was greeted by Darien's tired face.
"What's up, doc?"
"Hey Sam." Darien grinned at him and stepped inside. "Your sister awake yet?"
"Over here," Serena called out, getting off the chair she was on.
Darien ran his eyes over her body twice before wrapping her in his arms. Giving her a quick kiss, he stepped back so that he could admire her entire body. "You look beautiful."
Serena turned around, allowing her apple green cotton dress to twirl around her thighs. "It's the little dress you like."
He smiled at her. "I know. Sorry I'm late. Rei wouldn't let me go until I promised her that I would take you and Lita out for something to eat later."
She smiled and glanced back at the clock. "Yeah I figured. You're only...three minutes late."
Darien turned to face Sammy, leading Serena out of the door. "You can come if you want later."
"Nah, that's okay. I gotta get some things done for work. I'll call Serena on her cell phone...if she has it...so I can let you know if I can make it."
"Yes, I have it and it's on," she rolled her eyes.
Sammy shifted his hands into his pockets and grinned. "Alright. You two have fun. Catch you later."
"Bye," Serena kissed his cheek while Darien smiled and waved. Sammy watched them from the door frame. Both of them got inside Darien's car and drove off. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Sammy closed the door and headed for his room. "Dusty, it's time to feed you."
~~~~~
"All cause of that damn sock?" Lita smirked at Serena while taking a sip of her Strawberry-Kiwi shake.
"It wasn't my fault. I thought it was that..." Serena's voice trailed off. Placing her chin on one hand, she absently stared at her Diet Pepsi while stirring the liquid with her straw using her free hand.
Lita knitted her brows together in concern. "I'm sorry. You're still scared about that thing? What was it again? That Black Widow?"
"Tarantula," she stated flatly, blowing a strand of hair in front of her nose.
"Whatever," Lita lifted a pizza slice to her mouth and took a bite. "It's been months..." she choked out.
Serena frowned, eyeing the thick cheese that was still stuck to the pizza slice and Lita's mouth. "I know. I can't help it. I mean, if you saw that thing - "
"Serena, the whole town probably has an idea of how bad it was." Lita muttered and took a sip of her shake before stuffing another bite into her mouth.
"I know." Serena bit her bottom lip, quietly watching her friend finish half of the entire French Bacon slice. A small laugh escaped her lips. "Well, you're hungry."
Lita paused halfway before she ate the bite she was about to take. "I'm hungry! I haven't eaten since breakfast and that was what...one slice of bread. Besides, I thought you were still worried about that Tarantula."
Serena shook her head, helping herself to her own slice. "I don't feel like talking about it anymore...not right now. Come to think of it, I'm hungry." She bit into the soft cheese, starting at the crust. She really didn't feel like talking, plus she wanted to change the subject.
Lita cocked a brow at her. "Crust first, tip later?"
"The crust's good."
"Pig," Lita crumpled her napkin into a ball and threw it at Serena, hitting her right on her forehead.
Serena frowned, trying her best to hold back a small grin. "You never did that since high school."
"I know." Lita grinned, taking another bite from her slice. "I just felt like it. By the way, where's your boyfriend?"
"Picking up Rei. She wanted to come. He said he was going to take someone else along. What about you? Where's your man?" She winked at her.
"Working. Poor guy won't get a day off until next week."
"Hey a week is short enough."
"A week is a year." Lita pulled out another napkin, wiping her fingers with it. She was about to take another bite when Serena threw the same napkin ball back at her.
Lita froze, shifting her gaze back to the blonde girl. Serena grinned at her and took a bite out of her own slice. Just before she was about to throw it back, the door's bell rang. Both women turned to face it.
Darien stepped inside, car keys in his pocket and a smile on his face. "Hello ladies. Sorry I'm late."
Serena looked at her watch. "It's 4:16. Seems like you keep forgetting things today."
"Sorry, I had to pick up someone." He gestured towards the door. Rei stepped inside, a blonde man beside her.
"Hi Rei," Serena stood up and kissed the girl on the cheek as a greeting. Rei smiled at her and gave Lita a quick hug.
"Darien promised he would take me." The raven haired girl took her place beside Lita.
"Oh, Serena, you remember him right?" Darien gestured towards the blonde man who waved at them.
"Andrew!" Serena rushed towards the man and wrapped her arms around him.
"Hey Sere," Andrew grinned. "How's my little sister?"
"Good...just like always." Although Andrew was just a friend, he was more like an older brother. She knew the guy since she was 14.
Andrew turned to face Lita and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Hey Lita. Long time no see."
Lita smiled at him and lifted a slice of pizza. "Pizza?"
"Maybe later." Andrew slid into the seat next to Rei.
"I didn't forget you," Serena gave Darien a quick kiss, pulling him down beside her. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.
A girl in a pink dress with a black apron walked up to them, a smile on her face and a pen in her hand. "I noticed you have new company. Anything I can get you?"
Lita grinned at the girl. "Rachel, that's Andrew, Rei, and Darien. People, this is Rachel. She works here."
The girl grinned at them, her curly red hair flipping from side to side with her ponytail. "Nice to meet you. I only started working for Lita about a month ago. Anything I can get you?"
"Nice to meet you, Rachel. Um...may I have the lemon iced tea?"
"Uh huh." She scribbled down some notes on her pad and turned to face Andrew. "What about you, Darien?"
Andrew cocked a brow at her and chuckled. "Andrew...and I'll have Coke."
"Oh I'm sorry...diet or regular?" A faint blush rose to her cheeks.
"Regular, and it's okay."
Biting her bottom lip, she turned to face Darien. "And...Darien." she pointed the pen at him as if she was pointing out that she got his name right. "What can I get you? You're Darien right?"
Darien chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I'm Darien. You have any juice?"
"Coconut Freeze, Squeezed Orange, Sweetened Orange, Tomato Cheery, Strawberry Kiwi, Lemon..."
Darien shifted uncomfortably in his seat, flashing Rei a curious glance. "Um...I'll just have the Squeezed Orange."
Rei grinned at him in response. "You have to ask...part of the job."
Rachel scribbled down more notes and raised her eyebrows at Rei. "You've done this before?"
"Yeah, I'm waitress myself. I work at Dan's Breakfast and Splits."
"Oh, I love that place! My boyfriend used to take me there everyday. That was before I started working here, though."
"Oh was he the guy with light brown hair?"
"And blonde streaks."
"Yeah, I remember you. I saw you come in every morning around 8. One of the other girls used to serve you though...not me. Why did you stop coming?"
"I needed a job. I needed money to help out with college. I used to go there around 8 cause I always had a job interview right after. It was so hard to get a job as a waitress back then. Everyone was scared cause of that little thing crawling around town...what was it? That spider or whatever."
Serena felt her back stiffen. Absently placing her elbows on the table, she stared at the pizza while quietly listening. Darien eyed Serena cautiously.
"Spider?" Rei leaned forward, her back as straight up as a stick.
"Yeah, it was all over the front covers. I think they killed it. All I know is that they found it on the road. Word had it that it was flat and torn up. Blood and guts spilled everywhere. There were tire marks, too."
Lita slowly chewed the piece in her mouth, cringing when Rachel mentioned the details about blood and guts.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think two people were involved...that girl and the doctor..." Rachel's sentence trailed off. Her eyes fell upon Darien who simply cocked a brow at her. "You! It was you! You were the doctor! And you..." she shifted her gaze to Serena. "You were that girl! Yes, yes I remember. Darien and Serena. Many people knew you, and there were pictures. Yes, now I remember."
Serena wanted to throw up when she saw the look on Rachel's face. The young girl looked like she just discovered the cure for cancer. It wasn't that she hated her. It's just that she didn't understand exactly what she went through. It was selfish, but who wouldn't feel the same way?
Rachel cocked one arched brow at Serena and changed the subject. "Okay, I'll be back with your orders."
Lita watched her leave, a confused expression on her face. "That was fast. I've never seen her switch subjects like that before. Usually she sticks to one forever."
Darien eyed Serena, squeezing her hand with his own. Serena gave him a weak smile, relieved that the girl stopped talking about it.
Silence followed.
No one said anything for a few, agonizing minutes. Serena stared at the few slices of pizza left. Andrew shifted uncomfortably in his seat, finally taking a slice. All that could be heard was the loud ticking of clocks and soft murmer of other customers in the distance. A man laughed, followed by the sound of glass crashing.
Serena's head jolted up. She sat up straight, looking around the room.
Lita did the same, a frown slowly crossing her features. "Just a second, I'll be right back." With that, she stood up and headed for the origin of the sound.
Darien gently rubbed Serena's back and planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's alright," he whispered into her ear.
"I'm so paranoid." Her gaze fell back down to the pizza, a hopeless look in her eyes.
"No you're not. Anyone else could feel the same." He kissed her forehead to silence any objections she was about to make. "It's alright."
~~~~~
There was nothing but silence. The kitchen clock's soft ticking was the only audible sound. A door clicked. It squeaked open, letting in a small ray of moonlight.
Serena slowly stepped inside, her keys dangling in her hand. The door closed shut with a soft click. Moonlight poured in through the windows. Allowing that to guide her way through the house's darkness, she made her way towards her room. The stairs squeaked silently under her steps, no matter how hard she tried to tip toe. She couldn't afford to wake Sammy. The poor guy was probably already fed up with her, especially after that morning.
Just when she reached the top, something made her freeze in place. Right next to the last step was a dark lump. Serena stared at it for a moment, reminding herself that it was probably just another sock. She didn't really care. Whether or not that was Dusty or Sammy's clothes, she didn't dare touch it.
Increasing her speed a little, she half walked, half jogged to her room. Her spine tingled when she touched the doorknob. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving. She quickly turned to face it, only coming face to face with her own shadow.
"God Serena, you're such a child!" She silently scolded herself, pushing her bedroom door open. She looked at her bed and took a deep dreath. "It's okay Serena. Just get some sleep. There's nothing there." The door closed with a click. Outside her bedroom, she failed to notice the small creature that was watching her from the wall...observing her with it's dark, black eyes.
~~~~~
5:16
Sammy sleepily walked downstairs, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He walked towards the kitchen, feeling the wall with his hands to guide him. His eyes could barely open, let alone adjust to the darkness. A wooden stool just a few inches away crashed against the floor. Biting his bottom lip, he shut his eyes and touched his big toe. He instantly pulled his foot back in pain.
"God damn - " he kicked the stool away, ignoring the throbbing pain. He stood there for a minute and leaned against the wall while waiting for the pain to subside. He looked at one of the windows, staring at the pinkish sky. The entire room seemed brighter. It was too calm for him to stay awake.
Blinking twice, he let out a small yawn and forced his eyes open. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a dark figure leaning on the kitchen counter.
"Who's there?" His voice was no more than a raspy groan.
Knitting his brows together, he slowly limped towards the figure. His hand trailed down the wall just before a small, dark creature crawled towards where his thumb was.
He moved towards the counter and froze. He caught a whisp of blonde hair in the moonlight. Squinting his eyes, he leaned foreward and touched what seemed to be an arm. "Serena?"
The figure moved a little bit, revealing a pale face and a little drool. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him, a lost look in her eyes. "Sammy?" Her voice was rough and barely audible.
Sammy cocked a brow at her and sat down on the stool across the table. Folding his arms, he placed his chin on his elbow and stared at her. "Why are you down here?"
"I wasn't sleepy." She arched her back and yawned. She stretched her muscles, creating a small cracking sound.
"I'll bet."
"What about you?" She stared back at him while rubbing her temples.
"I was sleepy, but I had to go somewhere. For some reason, I just couldn't stay in bed."
She suddenly turned away and stared out the window. That same lost look returned to her eyes. She remained silent, as if something he said just hit a nerve. "Oh..." It was all she could say. The word rolled out of her tongue more like a timid croak than a signal of acknowledgement.
Sammy tilted his head to one side as if he was studying her. "Something wrong? Other than being sleepy, you don't look too good."
Serena stared at her fingers for a moment, absently wringing them together. "I'm fine." Her voice was smooth but quiet. The way she said it nearly made him believe her. For all the years Sammy knew his sister, he could already tell what actions reflected that she was nervous or incomfortable. He knew she never stared at her fingers unless something was wrong, let alone "play" with them.
He reached one hand out to pinch her playfully. She took one look at that hand in the dark and instantly pulled back her arm, an alarmed look on her face. He only blinked at her. "What? I was only going to snap you out of it."
"Oh..." She stared at his hand, her expression changing from panic to fear. She tucked her hands down by her lap and forced a weak smile. "I didn't know."
Sammy watched her pull away from him and nodded.
Serena could've sworn he was hurt if it weren't for that certain look on his face. The look that told her he knew he was right about something she didn't admit.
He remained silent for a moment then looked back up at her. "I was right."
Bingo.
She was going to protest, but the dark tone of his voice struck her mute. It seemed to shout out the word "serious" at her. For all the years she knew her brother, Serena knew that Sammy was never really that serious unless something was wrong. Because of that, she was forced to ask one simple question. "Right?" She cocked a brow at him.
He nodded at her. "Something is wrong with you." His tone of voice remained steady and firm.
Serena shook her head at him and chuckled. "And what could be wrong with me?"
"Serena, I know you sometimes still find it hard to wake up."
"What does that have to do with something being wrong with me?"
"What more wake up in the middle of the night and fall asleep on a counter instead of your bed?" He continued, ignoring her question.
"You said it yourself...sometimes." She snorted, emphasizing the word "sometimes".
"Yes and in those sometimes, the earliest you manage to wake up is 5 in the morning. You're not the type who will wake up in the middle of the night, walk downstairs, find a nice, comfortable spot on wood over pillows, and fall asleep."
"People can change."
"You mean kinda like the way you just pulled your hand back like my hand was some kind of creature?"
She frowned at him. "I told you, I didn't know."
"Oh please! I almost always do that to you and I take you off guard each time. You do the same thing back to me anyway. So yes, you don't really know when I'll do it, but by this time you should be used to it."
"It's dark."
"I did the same thing in the dark before and we ended up having a blind pillow fight."
"That was different!"
"How?"
"It wasn't..." She paused for a moment, choking back her words. Her tone of voice lowered. "That was years ago."
"That was months ago. Just admit that something's wrong. It doesn't hurt to do that sometimes, you know."
"But what's there to admit when nothing's wrong?"
"Stop being so stubborn!"
"It's not stubborn when you're right."
He glared at her. "Fine...fine!" He grabbed the control to a nearby t.v. set. "We'll stay here and watch the morning away."
The bright screen flickered, making Serena turn away and groan. It was too bright for her.
Sammy simple squinted his eyes and sighed. "Well, there must be something a lot more interesting than having an honest conversation with my sister."
Serena turned to face him but raised one hand to shield her eyes. "Sammy, I-" Her sentence was cut short as she turned away when Sammy changed the channel.
"How about an Indian video? We don't have cable for nothing."
"Sammy," Serena sighed, "I'm sorry. I just - "
"Oh, wait. How about T.V. Guide?"
Serena groaned in disgust. "Sammy, none of the shows are good at this time. It's too early!"
"You're right. We'll settle for the news then." He flipped to channel 5.
"Sammy! I'm sorry!" She squinted her eyes, finally able to at least stare in the television's direction. "I just don't feel comfortablen talking about it."
Sammy flashed her an apologetic look. "I know. I'm sorry. Really though, we don't have to talk about it. I only wanted you to admit it."
Serena stared at him. She would never hear the end of it if she did admit it, but then again Sammy was older. She simply gave up and sighed. "Okay. I'm still terrified of spiders. I'm sorry. I admit it."
"I understand - "
"...phobia, the terror that has been striking the town for months." A newscaster's voice cut off Sammy's sentence. "Doctors do not know where it went or where it came from. All that is known so far is that there is another one of these hairy terrors walking around town, as one of the victims stated for C and C. It has been detected in several other places, all of them being hospitals. This creature is said to thrive where others of its kind rest. It is said to be the last of its fatal kind. Fortunately, this one is not as fatal as the previous one."
Both Serena and Andrew shifted in their seats. The screen flickered as a young girl covered with strange white patches was interviewed. Her voice was barely audible against the sound of ambulances in the distance. "I was in the hospital. I was sleeping. When I woke up, I was sticky and..." Her sentence trailed off as she began to cry.
One of the reporters asked her something. Serena and Andrew couldn't make it out.
The girl simple wiped her tears and choked out, "It was black and hairy..."
"That is the news for this week's early morning edition. We will be back with more updates as the day continues. Angela, back to you - "
Serena suddenly screamed, cutting off the sound from the television. Sammy's head shot in her direction. He was about to ask her what was wrong before he noticed it himself. Serena had pulled her hand away and darted to the door. On the counter was a black spider. It lifted one hairy leg and moved about an inch away from where Serena's hand was. Its black eyes stared at Sammy, daring him to move.
He did.
Sammy jumped away from the counter, just as the spider darted to the area where his hand was at lightning speed.
Serena fumbled with the door handle, trying to get it to open.
Sammy, trying to ignore what just happened, quickly grabbed a large fork from the kitchen counter and smashed it against the spider's body. Instead, the damned thing jumped to one side then quickly crawled up the fork's handle. Sammy cried out and threw the fork away, the spider still clinging to it.
"It's on the floor now!" Serena cried out, finally managing to get one lock open. Never in her life did she realize exactly how many locks her home had.
Sammy quickly ran to the door to help her open it. It was dark despite the t.v.'s flashing images. The floor looked like one black pit. Finding out exactly where on it the spider was crawling was quite impossible.
Finally, all the locks opened. Serena pushed the door open with such force, it slammed against the wall with a loud thud. Upstairs, the sound of glass crashing echoed throughout the entire place.
"Oh no," Sammy muttered.
"What?" Serena stared at him, terror written all over her face. She was shaking all over.
"Dusty..."
"What?! I thought that thing was Dusty!"
Sammy shook his head and quickly pushed the door aside even more. It bounced back due to the force. "Dusty's different. Dusty's smaller and he has some brown areas."
"But it's dark! It's hard to tell color when - " Serena screamed again and jumped away. "Something just touched my leg!"
The door's edge grinded against the floor, making it stuck in its position. The space it left was too small for them to slip through. "Shit!"
Just then, the flickering from the t.v. screen died down. Serena and Sammy turned to face it, only to have their eyes widen in horror. On the screen, one large, black leg slowly came into view. Against the bright light, it looked darker and larger than before. It slowly moved up, it's long legs covering nearly the entire screen.
Serena wanted to scream, but she could only stare. Her voice was somewhere in her throat. She couldn't find it.
Just then, another spider came into view. It slowly approached the other one, then suddenly pounced on it. Both spiders fell down and rolled on the floor to Serena's foot.
Serena finally screamed, her tears threatening to spill. She was too shocked. She couldn't move.
Sammy grabbed another fork and sent both spiders flying across the room. He quickly dropped the fork in disgust and grabbed Serena.
Serena simply stared at where the spiders were, her eyes wide in horror.
Outside, lights switched on from all the houses. Neighbors stepped outside their doors, confused looks on their faces.
Sammy tried to make the door open. In the distance, he could see the spiders crawling back across the room. One headed for the couch. The other one was heading straight for him.
Sweat ran down his neck. He quickly turned to face the door and yelled. "Help! The Tarantula...the Tarantula!" His voice was cut short, but he continued yelling anyway. "The Tarantula's here. The door won't move!"
Outside, a series of voices rose into the air. One of the neighbors cried out, "It's the thing on t.v.!"
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Sammy turned around when he heard Serena panting. "Sere...Serena what - " He looked down and saw the Tarantula just waiting at his foot. It seemed to stare up at him. Taunting him. Grinning at him. Slowly, ever so slowly, it began to crawl up his leg.
Sammy croaked instead of yelled. He couldn't move either. His leg suddenly felt hot and sticky. The black creature slowly made its way up. Higher and higher...until it rested on his knee.
Before he knew it, something just flew in out of nowhere and knocked the thing right off his knee. It smashed against the wall and slowly slid down. Dark, sticky liquid trailed along with it.
Sammy turned around and saw Serena. She was glaring at the thing, her back heaving up and down. She had a pan in her hand. She looked as if she would faint any second.
Just then, the kitchen window smashed open. That was when they noticed the red lights flashing outside their home. An officer poked his head through the broken glass then backed away. He pushed aside any more pieces of glass then looked back inside again. This time, his whole body fit through the window. More men walked inside.
Lights flooded the whole room. Serena sucked in her breath. That's when she saw the spider's color. That's when she saw the damage. That's when she noticed that it's blood...it's greenish-black blood...was dripping from the wall. That's when noticed Sammy's expression. He was terribly pale and stiff.
That's when she fainted.
~~~~~
"Is she going to be fine?" A dark, male voice cut through the darkness.
Serena listened as the distant voices grew louder and clear.
"Yes, Doctor Chiba. She was just a little shocked." A female voice interrupted, one that Serena figured belonged to a nurse.
A nurse?
She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by Darien's worried face. A girl was beside him. Her vision was still blurry, but she could tell that it was indeed a nurse.
"Serena..."
She felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her. Her first instinct was to pull away in fear, but the strong scent was too familiar. She wrapped her own arms around him and cried. "Darien..."
Darien tightened his embrace. He kissed her cheek and whispered words of comfort in her ear. "Don't worry, Serena. It's over. You're safe..."
Those words seemed too good to be true. The whole thing seemed like another nightmare...a nightmare she relived.
Serena didn't even realize she was crying until she felt the warm liquid on her cheeks. Her body was still cold and stiff. She could still feel the areas where the spider touched her...
Her eyes widened. "Sammy...where's Sammy?" She tried to pull away but was too weak.
The nurse smiled at her. "He's fine. He was in shock too, but he's a lot better now. He's waiting for you outside."
Darien looked Serena straight in the eye. "Everyone's waiting for you outside. We were all worried."
Serena lifted one frail hand and slowly wiped away her tears. "The...the spider? The Tarantula? Where..."
"It's dead. It was actually still alive when they saw it, but it was too weak to defend itself. They killed it. They found another one under the couch..."
Serena cringed. "Dusty..."
Just then, the door creaked open. Sammy stepped inside, his hands shoved into his pockets.
Serena stared at him for a moment. Sammy returned her stare, then quickly wrapped his arms around her. Serena embraced her brother, loving him more than ever. She cried again.
"Sammy, I...God, I was afraid that you got hurt." Her voice cracked. It was all she could say.
Sammy smiled at her. "I thought you were the one who got hurt. Hey, you saved me. You knocked the thing off my knee."
"But you held it back. It nearly touched you."
He frowned. "I...don't want to think about it."
Serena nodded, her eyes once again claiming the lost look. "Sammy..."
"Yeah?"
She sniffed. "Dusty...You were right. He is harmless. I'm sorry." She began to panic. "The thing just fought the other spider off, and he ran to the couch - "
"It's fine."
She wiped another tear away. "But they found him. That means..."
"He's not dead," Darien cut in. Both Serena and Sammy turned to face him. "They took him in so they could study him. So far, we think that he really is harmless. If that's the case then we have to ship him off to some sort of shelter."
"A shelter for spiders," Serena croaked.
"A shelter for him. He's in danger around here. He needs to be somewhere safe." Darien flashed Sammy an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
Sammy shook his head. "It's fine. I'm okay with it. I would rather have him be safe. Besides, I don't think I could live with a spider now..." His sentence trailed off.
A cloud of silence followed. The sunlight poured in the hospital room, lifting the uncomfortable weight.
Darien stared at two for a moment. He shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Well..there's something else."
Serena stared at him in horror. "What?"
"No, no, please don't be afraid. It's not that bad. It's just...your home. It's a wreck." He didn't know how else to say it.
Serena nodded. "I didn't think I could live there again anyway."
"You two will have to stay in here until you really feel better. There will be reporters outside. I don't think you want to go out there while you're still a little shocked."
Sammy sighed.
"But when you're ready..."
Both looked at Darien.
"...I rented an apartment next to mine for you to live in until you find a new place of your own. Is that okay?"
Sammy tried to hold back a smile. He could barely believe it. Serena, on the other hand, simply stared at Darien. Then for the first time in a long time, she smiled.
**************************************************************************************
Author's Notes: Bad? Good? Reviews please. The first one had too many details, so I toned it down a bit. Pardon any errors.
**************************************************************************************
Arachnophobia By: Hell's Huntress (R) eve413@hotmail.com
**************************************************************************************
Birds...
Birds singing.
Her eyes slowly opened then shut tight upon contact with the sun. Burrying her head in her pillow, she slowly opened her eyes again and remained frozen. She listened to the welcoming sound of birds chirping outside her window. With reality finally sinking in, Serena groaned and sat up in her bed, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She squinted and stared at her room as if she didn't belong there. A small smile rose to her lips.
For months since that incident with the spider, Serena has been having nightmares for as long as she could remember. She could still remember its hairy body...its eyes still staring at her as if it just happened the day before. It was a little over two months since it actually happened, yet everyday she still had to remind herself that she was home. That she was safe. That there were other things that happened since then...good things like Darien.
The smile grew wider. Darien.
She's been dating the man ever since that hideous Tarantula crawled into her life. Good things do come out of bad ones. However, the aftermath of living a nightmare was still evident.
Letting out a small yawn, she arched her back and stretched, only to suddenly freeze when her foot felt something. She could feel her body stiffen and grow cold. Beads of sweat began to form despite the goosebumps that were spreading all over.
Holding her breath, Serena cautiously bent over to look at the spot where her foot was under the blanket. She didn't dare move. Her eyes went wide almost instantly. Memories of the thick spider silk and Carol's death flooded back when she saw a large lump under the covers.
A small, frightened groan escaped her throat. When it finally completely began to sink in, she pushed the covers off her body and scrambled off her bed.
Meanwhile, outside her room Samuel was passing by, reading the morning papers. Turning one page, he turned to face Serena's door.
"Hey Sere, have you seen my - "
His sentence was cut short when a loud scream interrupted him. Then page he was turning suddenly ripped. He stared at it for a moment and groaned.
Paying no attention to it, he quickly tossed the newspaper aside and ran inside. A look of panic crossed his features. "What happened?!"
At one corner of the room, Serena was pressed up against the wall. Her eyes were shut and her hands were tucked behind her. She was standing on her toes as if something was trying to crawl from below.
Cocking one brow at her, Samuel looked around the room in confusion. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he slowly walked up to her and touched her shoulder. "Sere? Are you - "
Serena opened her eyes and screamed, suddenly backing up against the wall even more if that was even possible. She opened her eyes and stared at him, terror clearly written in her moist eyes. Her chest was rose up and down rapidly, accompanying the hard beating of her heart. "Sammy?" Her voice was weak and barely audible.
"Serena. - "
She suddenly threw herself in his arms, burrying her head into his shirt.
Sammy embraced his sister, a look of concern mixed with confusion splashed all over his features. "What...what's wrong? What happened? Why did you scream?"
She turned towards her bed, pointing one shaky finger at the lump under the blankets.
Sammy looked at it and cocked one brow at the strange, frozen object. "What? That little lump under the covers?"
Serena slowly pushed herself away from him, sniffing and nodding. She looked at him with angry yet begging eyes. "You better not have let that damn thing crawl out again!"
"Damn thing? What..." He stared at the lump and chuckled. "Oh, you mean Dusty?"
"Yes, Dusty! Whatever its name is." She growled at him, slowly inching towards her door.
"You think that little lump in your bed is Dusty?"
"It was soft and I felt it. It's probably your damn Tarantula."
Sammy shook his head and approached her bed, only to have her tug at his shirt before he even came within a few feet away from the wooden object. "No! Don't leave me here!"
"Well what are we going to do? Have some Tarantula live in your bed the whole time? You were heading for the door anyway."
Serena frowned at him, slowly lifting herself on top of a table standing by the door. "No, I was gonna stay her."
He grinned at her and headed for the bed once again. "Serena, I didn't let Dusty out. He's in my room...safe and sound. Besides, even if he did get out he can't make it into your room. Your door was closed."
"Maybe you need to check again. Make sure that he's really there."
"I'm positive."
"Then what's that?" She gestured towards the lump which was still frozen in the same spot."
"This thing," he pulled over the covers, causing Serena to shut her eyes. "...is my sock." He raised one white sock in the air for her to see.
Opening her eyes, she stared blankly at it then back at where the lump used to be.
Sammy grinned at her and chuckled. "I was going to ask you if you saw it when I came in. You're still nervous about that damn Tarantula? Don't tell me you still have nightmares about it."
Muttering, Serena cautiously stepped off the table and eyed his sock. It wasn't until then that she noticed one of his feet didn't have a sock on. "Of course I'm still afraid of it! Sammy, it was horrible! It killed Carol and we ran over it. What was I suppose to do? Just forget it like it never happened? It's not that easy, especially when you have to come home with another spider."
"Dusty's harmless."
"Dusty's a Tarantula. A Tarantula is a Tarantula and it scares the shit out of me."
"He's in his own little home."
"Yeah? Well I know he got out a few times before."
"Twice. He got out twice and all he ever did was crawl under the couch. Besides, the poor thing wouldn't harm a fly."
"Poor thing? The poor thing probably eats flies! Besides, your room is next to mine!"
"You always close your door."
"There are windows..."
Shaking his head, Sammy slipped the sock on his exposed foot and walked towards her. He pulled Serena into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Look, you just try to get over that stupid little Tarantula and I'll make you breakfast. Okay?"
"It wasn't little," she whimpered, mentally kicking herself for acting like a child.
He grinned at her and stepped outside her door. "Forget about Dusty, too. That...big...Tarantula isn't my pet. Dusty's different. Pancakes and eggs, okay?"
She leaned against the wall, staring at where her brother's sock once was. She growled and cursed herself for being such an idiot. Sinking down to the floor, she curled up and placed her chin on her knees. A small smile rose to her lips. Not too long ago she was yelling at Sammy for being such a brat. Now he was taller than her, he had a girlfriend, and he even sometimes acted like she was his younger sister. It was suppose to be her role to act like the older sibling that she was. But when it came to spiders, she had a hard time acting like the mature young woman she grew up to be since she turned 16 years ago.
Shaking her head, she stood up and walked towards her full-length mirror. Looking herself over, she tied up her blonde hair into a loose bun. Thin strands of hair framed her face, falling upon her crystal blue eyes. She looked at her yellow nightgown and smiled. Thinking about how grown up her little brother had become brought back old memories. For one, she used to wear pink pajamas instead of white, cream, or yellow nightgowns.
She bit her bottom lip and looked at the clock. 7:30. Darien would be picking her up in half an hour. She knew she was going to be late again, but the man was always patient. Grinning to herself, she turned towards the door, not even glancing at her bed. "Hey Sammy, let me help you with those eggs."
The hall echoed with her steps. Just when she was by the staircase, something she noticed out of the corner of her eye made her freeze. Not too far away was Sammy's room. The door was halfway open, revealing a bed, a chair, a table...
And the spider. He was right. It was safe and sound.
Serena simply bit her bottom lip and turned away, quickly running down the stairs.
~~~~~
"Huh? You're going to Lita's?" Rei blinked at her cousin while fiddling with her pen.
Darien smirked at her. "Yeah. Taking Serena along."
"And you're not taking me?" She playfully crossed her arms before scribbling down some notes on her small pad.
"C'mon, it's not everyday I get a day off. Being a doctor isn't easy. I get to see you everyday anyway."
Rei rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled when an older woman approached them.
"I'll have the breakfast special please."
Rei leaned over the counter and wrote it down. "Do you want hot cocoa, coffee, tea, or cappuccino with that?"
"I'll take the tea."
"Herbal, our breakfast tea, or chinese?"
"Chinese."
Rei smiled at the woman and sribbled down a few more notes. Darien leaned over and continued their conversation in a low voice. "C'mon Rei, I'll take you out for pizza nextime. We can even take Serena and Chad if you want."
"Well it's hard working at a hospital while being a waitress as my second job too, you know. I might be busy when you're not." She whispered back before suddenly looking up to face the woman again. "And would you like fried or scrambled eggs?"
"Fried."
"Cooked or half done?"
"C'mon Rei, don't be like that," Darien teased.
"I'll have one cooked and one half done." The woman smiled at her.
"Shush! I'm busy," Rei bit back, tearing the piece of paper off her pad. She handed a table number to the woman and smiled back. "Alright, thank you. Your order will be ready in about five minutes."
Taking the table number, the woman nodded and began talking to her companion.
Rei took the piece of paper and walked over to another counter. Pressing the bell, she leaned over and slipped the piece of paper through a slot which was big enough only to slip plates or glasses through. A man leaned over and took the paper. "Table five."
"You're not busy now," Darien followed her, this time speaking in a louder voice.
Letting out a small sigh, Rei turned to face him and leaned on the counter. "Okay, okay. What do you want? Just make it quick cause more customers will be arriving."
He cocked a brow at the woman who was already seated at her table, busily chatting away. "One cooked, one half done, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and stared at him. "That's what you wanted to talk to me about? One customer's order?"
Darien only grinned at her and shrugged. Rei couldn't help but grin back. "I'm just lucky she didn't get something else. You should've heard what the other customer's wanted. Half cooked bacon, two well done, and three crispy strips with cream and buttered toast. That's just the beginning. Is that all you want to talk about because I still have to serve others."
"Can I get coffee?"
"Pay me."
"Make it free. I'm your cousin. "
She frowned at him and shook her head. "This is Dan's Breakfast and Splits, not my own personal little restaurant. Besides, you won't even take me." She flashed him a puppy dog look and pouted.
Darien sighed, burrying his hands in his pocket. He then looked at his watch and faced her again. "What time do you get off?"
"3:30."
"No hospital work today?"
"Nope."
"Fine. I'll pick you up at 4. I'll take you and Serena out for something to eat."
"Can we take Lita?"
"If she's available, I'll ask. Anyone else you want to add to my list?"
"Anyone else you can invite," she grinned and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks. Now you better get going or Serena will be waiting. But before that...Do you want black coffee or the mocha one with hazelnut?"
~~~~~
Sammy stared at his coffee, looking at his reflection. "I thought Darien was gonna pick you up."
Serena took a sip of her cappuccino and looked up at the kitchen clock. "The man's only a minute late. It's not everyday he doesn't arrive five minutes earlier."
He grinned at her and lifted his cup to his lips. "Yeah, it's not everyday he's the one who is late instead of you."
Serena took the fashion magazine she was reading and playfully hit Sammy with it.
"Don't hit me. You already ruined my morning paper."
"It was just one torn page."
"Yeah, the page with all the sports entertainment."
Serena rolled her eyes and looked at the clock again. "I'm ready anyway. I'm dressed, I took a shower, and all I need to do is grab my jacket. We're gonna eat at Lita's Pizza anyway."
"A new record. Maybe Gusiness World Book of Records should get it."
She frowned at him and changed the subject. "I think I know why he's late. Any minute now..."
As if on que, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Sammy walked towards the door before Serena could protest. His long legs carried him too quickly for her to catch up anyway. He opened the door was greeted by Darien's tired face.
"What's up, doc?"
"Hey Sam." Darien grinned at him and stepped inside. "Your sister awake yet?"
"Over here," Serena called out, getting off the chair she was on.
Darien ran his eyes over her body twice before wrapping her in his arms. Giving her a quick kiss, he stepped back so that he could admire her entire body. "You look beautiful."
Serena turned around, allowing her apple green cotton dress to twirl around her thighs. "It's the little dress you like."
He smiled at her. "I know. Sorry I'm late. Rei wouldn't let me go until I promised her that I would take you and Lita out for something to eat later."
She smiled and glanced back at the clock. "Yeah I figured. You're only...three minutes late."
Darien turned to face Sammy, leading Serena out of the door. "You can come if you want later."
"Nah, that's okay. I gotta get some things done for work. I'll call Serena on her cell phone...if she has it...so I can let you know if I can make it."
"Yes, I have it and it's on," she rolled her eyes.
Sammy shifted his hands into his pockets and grinned. "Alright. You two have fun. Catch you later."
"Bye," Serena kissed his cheek while Darien smiled and waved. Sammy watched them from the door frame. Both of them got inside Darien's car and drove off. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Sammy closed the door and headed for his room. "Dusty, it's time to feed you."
~~~~~
"All cause of that damn sock?" Lita smirked at Serena while taking a sip of her Strawberry-Kiwi shake.
"It wasn't my fault. I thought it was that..." Serena's voice trailed off. Placing her chin on one hand, she absently stared at her Diet Pepsi while stirring the liquid with her straw using her free hand.
Lita knitted her brows together in concern. "I'm sorry. You're still scared about that thing? What was it again? That Black Widow?"
"Tarantula," she stated flatly, blowing a strand of hair in front of her nose.
"Whatever," Lita lifted a pizza slice to her mouth and took a bite. "It's been months..." she choked out.
Serena frowned, eyeing the thick cheese that was still stuck to the pizza slice and Lita's mouth. "I know. I can't help it. I mean, if you saw that thing - "
"Serena, the whole town probably has an idea of how bad it was." Lita muttered and took a sip of her shake before stuffing another bite into her mouth.
"I know." Serena bit her bottom lip, quietly watching her friend finish half of the entire French Bacon slice. A small laugh escaped her lips. "Well, you're hungry."
Lita paused halfway before she ate the bite she was about to take. "I'm hungry! I haven't eaten since breakfast and that was what...one slice of bread. Besides, I thought you were still worried about that Tarantula."
Serena shook her head, helping herself to her own slice. "I don't feel like talking about it anymore...not right now. Come to think of it, I'm hungry." She bit into the soft cheese, starting at the crust. She really didn't feel like talking, plus she wanted to change the subject.
Lita cocked a brow at her. "Crust first, tip later?"
"The crust's good."
"Pig," Lita crumpled her napkin into a ball and threw it at Serena, hitting her right on her forehead.
Serena frowned, trying her best to hold back a small grin. "You never did that since high school."
"I know." Lita grinned, taking another bite from her slice. "I just felt like it. By the way, where's your boyfriend?"
"Picking up Rei. She wanted to come. He said he was going to take someone else along. What about you? Where's your man?" She winked at her.
"Working. Poor guy won't get a day off until next week."
"Hey a week is short enough."
"A week is a year." Lita pulled out another napkin, wiping her fingers with it. She was about to take another bite when Serena threw the same napkin ball back at her.
Lita froze, shifting her gaze back to the blonde girl. Serena grinned at her and took a bite out of her own slice. Just before she was about to throw it back, the door's bell rang. Both women turned to face it.
Darien stepped inside, car keys in his pocket and a smile on his face. "Hello ladies. Sorry I'm late."
Serena looked at her watch. "It's 4:16. Seems like you keep forgetting things today."
"Sorry, I had to pick up someone." He gestured towards the door. Rei stepped inside, a blonde man beside her.
"Hi Rei," Serena stood up and kissed the girl on the cheek as a greeting. Rei smiled at her and gave Lita a quick hug.
"Darien promised he would take me." The raven haired girl took her place beside Lita.
"Oh, Serena, you remember him right?" Darien gestured towards the blonde man who waved at them.
"Andrew!" Serena rushed towards the man and wrapped her arms around him.
"Hey Sere," Andrew grinned. "How's my little sister?"
"Good...just like always." Although Andrew was just a friend, he was more like an older brother. She knew the guy since she was 14.
Andrew turned to face Lita and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Hey Lita. Long time no see."
Lita smiled at him and lifted a slice of pizza. "Pizza?"
"Maybe later." Andrew slid into the seat next to Rei.
"I didn't forget you," Serena gave Darien a quick kiss, pulling him down beside her. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.
A girl in a pink dress with a black apron walked up to them, a smile on her face and a pen in her hand. "I noticed you have new company. Anything I can get you?"
Lita grinned at the girl. "Rachel, that's Andrew, Rei, and Darien. People, this is Rachel. She works here."
The girl grinned at them, her curly red hair flipping from side to side with her ponytail. "Nice to meet you. I only started working for Lita about a month ago. Anything I can get you?"
"Nice to meet you, Rachel. Um...may I have the lemon iced tea?"
"Uh huh." She scribbled down some notes on her pad and turned to face Andrew. "What about you, Darien?"
Andrew cocked a brow at her and chuckled. "Andrew...and I'll have Coke."
"Oh I'm sorry...diet or regular?" A faint blush rose to her cheeks.
"Regular, and it's okay."
Biting her bottom lip, she turned to face Darien. "And...Darien." she pointed the pen at him as if she was pointing out that she got his name right. "What can I get you? You're Darien right?"
Darien chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I'm Darien. You have any juice?"
"Coconut Freeze, Squeezed Orange, Sweetened Orange, Tomato Cheery, Strawberry Kiwi, Lemon..."
Darien shifted uncomfortably in his seat, flashing Rei a curious glance. "Um...I'll just have the Squeezed Orange."
Rei grinned at him in response. "You have to ask...part of the job."
Rachel scribbled down more notes and raised her eyebrows at Rei. "You've done this before?"
"Yeah, I'm waitress myself. I work at Dan's Breakfast and Splits."
"Oh, I love that place! My boyfriend used to take me there everyday. That was before I started working here, though."
"Oh was he the guy with light brown hair?"
"And blonde streaks."
"Yeah, I remember you. I saw you come in every morning around 8. One of the other girls used to serve you though...not me. Why did you stop coming?"
"I needed a job. I needed money to help out with college. I used to go there around 8 cause I always had a job interview right after. It was so hard to get a job as a waitress back then. Everyone was scared cause of that little thing crawling around town...what was it? That spider or whatever."
Serena felt her back stiffen. Absently placing her elbows on the table, she stared at the pizza while quietly listening. Darien eyed Serena cautiously.
"Spider?" Rei leaned forward, her back as straight up as a stick.
"Yeah, it was all over the front covers. I think they killed it. All I know is that they found it on the road. Word had it that it was flat and torn up. Blood and guts spilled everywhere. There were tire marks, too."
Lita slowly chewed the piece in her mouth, cringing when Rachel mentioned the details about blood and guts.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think two people were involved...that girl and the doctor..." Rachel's sentence trailed off. Her eyes fell upon Darien who simply cocked a brow at her. "You! It was you! You were the doctor! And you..." she shifted her gaze to Serena. "You were that girl! Yes, yes I remember. Darien and Serena. Many people knew you, and there were pictures. Yes, now I remember."
Serena wanted to throw up when she saw the look on Rachel's face. The young girl looked like she just discovered the cure for cancer. It wasn't that she hated her. It's just that she didn't understand exactly what she went through. It was selfish, but who wouldn't feel the same way?
Rachel cocked one arched brow at Serena and changed the subject. "Okay, I'll be back with your orders."
Lita watched her leave, a confused expression on her face. "That was fast. I've never seen her switch subjects like that before. Usually she sticks to one forever."
Darien eyed Serena, squeezing her hand with his own. Serena gave him a weak smile, relieved that the girl stopped talking about it.
Silence followed.
No one said anything for a few, agonizing minutes. Serena stared at the few slices of pizza left. Andrew shifted uncomfortably in his seat, finally taking a slice. All that could be heard was the loud ticking of clocks and soft murmer of other customers in the distance. A man laughed, followed by the sound of glass crashing.
Serena's head jolted up. She sat up straight, looking around the room.
Lita did the same, a frown slowly crossing her features. "Just a second, I'll be right back." With that, she stood up and headed for the origin of the sound.
Darien gently rubbed Serena's back and planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's alright," he whispered into her ear.
"I'm so paranoid." Her gaze fell back down to the pizza, a hopeless look in her eyes.
"No you're not. Anyone else could feel the same." He kissed her forehead to silence any objections she was about to make. "It's alright."
~~~~~
There was nothing but silence. The kitchen clock's soft ticking was the only audible sound. A door clicked. It squeaked open, letting in a small ray of moonlight.
Serena slowly stepped inside, her keys dangling in her hand. The door closed shut with a soft click. Moonlight poured in through the windows. Allowing that to guide her way through the house's darkness, she made her way towards her room. The stairs squeaked silently under her steps, no matter how hard she tried to tip toe. She couldn't afford to wake Sammy. The poor guy was probably already fed up with her, especially after that morning.
Just when she reached the top, something made her freeze in place. Right next to the last step was a dark lump. Serena stared at it for a moment, reminding herself that it was probably just another sock. She didn't really care. Whether or not that was Dusty or Sammy's clothes, she didn't dare touch it.
Increasing her speed a little, she half walked, half jogged to her room. Her spine tingled when she touched the doorknob. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving. She quickly turned to face it, only coming face to face with her own shadow.
"God Serena, you're such a child!" She silently scolded herself, pushing her bedroom door open. She looked at her bed and took a deep dreath. "It's okay Serena. Just get some sleep. There's nothing there." The door closed with a click. Outside her bedroom, she failed to notice the small creature that was watching her from the wall...observing her with it's dark, black eyes.
~~~~~
5:16
Sammy sleepily walked downstairs, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He walked towards the kitchen, feeling the wall with his hands to guide him. His eyes could barely open, let alone adjust to the darkness. A wooden stool just a few inches away crashed against the floor. Biting his bottom lip, he shut his eyes and touched his big toe. He instantly pulled his foot back in pain.
"God damn - " he kicked the stool away, ignoring the throbbing pain. He stood there for a minute and leaned against the wall while waiting for the pain to subside. He looked at one of the windows, staring at the pinkish sky. The entire room seemed brighter. It was too calm for him to stay awake.
Blinking twice, he let out a small yawn and forced his eyes open. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a dark figure leaning on the kitchen counter.
"Who's there?" His voice was no more than a raspy groan.
Knitting his brows together, he slowly limped towards the figure. His hand trailed down the wall just before a small, dark creature crawled towards where his thumb was.
He moved towards the counter and froze. He caught a whisp of blonde hair in the moonlight. Squinting his eyes, he leaned foreward and touched what seemed to be an arm. "Serena?"
The figure moved a little bit, revealing a pale face and a little drool. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him, a lost look in her eyes. "Sammy?" Her voice was rough and barely audible.
Sammy cocked a brow at her and sat down on the stool across the table. Folding his arms, he placed his chin on his elbow and stared at her. "Why are you down here?"
"I wasn't sleepy." She arched her back and yawned. She stretched her muscles, creating a small cracking sound.
"I'll bet."
"What about you?" She stared back at him while rubbing her temples.
"I was sleepy, but I had to go somewhere. For some reason, I just couldn't stay in bed."
She suddenly turned away and stared out the window. That same lost look returned to her eyes. She remained silent, as if something he said just hit a nerve. "Oh..." It was all she could say. The word rolled out of her tongue more like a timid croak than a signal of acknowledgement.
Sammy tilted his head to one side as if he was studying her. "Something wrong? Other than being sleepy, you don't look too good."
Serena stared at her fingers for a moment, absently wringing them together. "I'm fine." Her voice was smooth but quiet. The way she said it nearly made him believe her. For all the years Sammy knew his sister, he could already tell what actions reflected that she was nervous or incomfortable. He knew she never stared at her fingers unless something was wrong, let alone "play" with them.
He reached one hand out to pinch her playfully. She took one look at that hand in the dark and instantly pulled back her arm, an alarmed look on her face. He only blinked at her. "What? I was only going to snap you out of it."
"Oh..." She stared at his hand, her expression changing from panic to fear. She tucked her hands down by her lap and forced a weak smile. "I didn't know."
Sammy watched her pull away from him and nodded.
Serena could've sworn he was hurt if it weren't for that certain look on his face. The look that told her he knew he was right about something she didn't admit.
He remained silent for a moment then looked back up at her. "I was right."
Bingo.
She was going to protest, but the dark tone of his voice struck her mute. It seemed to shout out the word "serious" at her. For all the years she knew her brother, Serena knew that Sammy was never really that serious unless something was wrong. Because of that, she was forced to ask one simple question. "Right?" She cocked a brow at him.
He nodded at her. "Something is wrong with you." His tone of voice remained steady and firm.
Serena shook her head at him and chuckled. "And what could be wrong with me?"
"Serena, I know you sometimes still find it hard to wake up."
"What does that have to do with something being wrong with me?"
"What more wake up in the middle of the night and fall asleep on a counter instead of your bed?" He continued, ignoring her question.
"You said it yourself...sometimes." She snorted, emphasizing the word "sometimes".
"Yes and in those sometimes, the earliest you manage to wake up is 5 in the morning. You're not the type who will wake up in the middle of the night, walk downstairs, find a nice, comfortable spot on wood over pillows, and fall asleep."
"People can change."
"You mean kinda like the way you just pulled your hand back like my hand was some kind of creature?"
She frowned at him. "I told you, I didn't know."
"Oh please! I almost always do that to you and I take you off guard each time. You do the same thing back to me anyway. So yes, you don't really know when I'll do it, but by this time you should be used to it."
"It's dark."
"I did the same thing in the dark before and we ended up having a blind pillow fight."
"That was different!"
"How?"
"It wasn't..." She paused for a moment, choking back her words. Her tone of voice lowered. "That was years ago."
"That was months ago. Just admit that something's wrong. It doesn't hurt to do that sometimes, you know."
"But what's there to admit when nothing's wrong?"
"Stop being so stubborn!"
"It's not stubborn when you're right."
He glared at her. "Fine...fine!" He grabbed the control to a nearby t.v. set. "We'll stay here and watch the morning away."
The bright screen flickered, making Serena turn away and groan. It was too bright for her.
Sammy simple squinted his eyes and sighed. "Well, there must be something a lot more interesting than having an honest conversation with my sister."
Serena turned to face him but raised one hand to shield her eyes. "Sammy, I-" Her sentence was cut short as she turned away when Sammy changed the channel.
"How about an Indian video? We don't have cable for nothing."
"Sammy," Serena sighed, "I'm sorry. I just - "
"Oh, wait. How about T.V. Guide?"
Serena groaned in disgust. "Sammy, none of the shows are good at this time. It's too early!"
"You're right. We'll settle for the news then." He flipped to channel 5.
"Sammy! I'm sorry!" She squinted her eyes, finally able to at least stare in the television's direction. "I just don't feel comfortablen talking about it."
Sammy flashed her an apologetic look. "I know. I'm sorry. Really though, we don't have to talk about it. I only wanted you to admit it."
Serena stared at him. She would never hear the end of it if she did admit it, but then again Sammy was older. She simply gave up and sighed. "Okay. I'm still terrified of spiders. I'm sorry. I admit it."
"I understand - "
"...phobia, the terror that has been striking the town for months." A newscaster's voice cut off Sammy's sentence. "Doctors do not know where it went or where it came from. All that is known so far is that there is another one of these hairy terrors walking around town, as one of the victims stated for C and C. It has been detected in several other places, all of them being hospitals. This creature is said to thrive where others of its kind rest. It is said to be the last of its fatal kind. Fortunately, this one is not as fatal as the previous one."
Both Serena and Andrew shifted in their seats. The screen flickered as a young girl covered with strange white patches was interviewed. Her voice was barely audible against the sound of ambulances in the distance. "I was in the hospital. I was sleeping. When I woke up, I was sticky and..." Her sentence trailed off as she began to cry.
One of the reporters asked her something. Serena and Andrew couldn't make it out.
The girl simple wiped her tears and choked out, "It was black and hairy..."
"That is the news for this week's early morning edition. We will be back with more updates as the day continues. Angela, back to you - "
Serena suddenly screamed, cutting off the sound from the television. Sammy's head shot in her direction. He was about to ask her what was wrong before he noticed it himself. Serena had pulled her hand away and darted to the door. On the counter was a black spider. It lifted one hairy leg and moved about an inch away from where Serena's hand was. Its black eyes stared at Sammy, daring him to move.
He did.
Sammy jumped away from the counter, just as the spider darted to the area where his hand was at lightning speed.
Serena fumbled with the door handle, trying to get it to open.
Sammy, trying to ignore what just happened, quickly grabbed a large fork from the kitchen counter and smashed it against the spider's body. Instead, the damned thing jumped to one side then quickly crawled up the fork's handle. Sammy cried out and threw the fork away, the spider still clinging to it.
"It's on the floor now!" Serena cried out, finally managing to get one lock open. Never in her life did she realize exactly how many locks her home had.
Sammy quickly ran to the door to help her open it. It was dark despite the t.v.'s flashing images. The floor looked like one black pit. Finding out exactly where on it the spider was crawling was quite impossible.
Finally, all the locks opened. Serena pushed the door open with such force, it slammed against the wall with a loud thud. Upstairs, the sound of glass crashing echoed throughout the entire place.
"Oh no," Sammy muttered.
"What?" Serena stared at him, terror written all over her face. She was shaking all over.
"Dusty..."
"What?! I thought that thing was Dusty!"
Sammy shook his head and quickly pushed the door aside even more. It bounced back due to the force. "Dusty's different. Dusty's smaller and he has some brown areas."
"But it's dark! It's hard to tell color when - " Serena screamed again and jumped away. "Something just touched my leg!"
The door's edge grinded against the floor, making it stuck in its position. The space it left was too small for them to slip through. "Shit!"
Just then, the flickering from the t.v. screen died down. Serena and Sammy turned to face it, only to have their eyes widen in horror. On the screen, one large, black leg slowly came into view. Against the bright light, it looked darker and larger than before. It slowly moved up, it's long legs covering nearly the entire screen.
Serena wanted to scream, but she could only stare. Her voice was somewhere in her throat. She couldn't find it.
Just then, another spider came into view. It slowly approached the other one, then suddenly pounced on it. Both spiders fell down and rolled on the floor to Serena's foot.
Serena finally screamed, her tears threatening to spill. She was too shocked. She couldn't move.
Sammy grabbed another fork and sent both spiders flying across the room. He quickly dropped the fork in disgust and grabbed Serena.
Serena simply stared at where the spiders were, her eyes wide in horror.
Outside, lights switched on from all the houses. Neighbors stepped outside their doors, confused looks on their faces.
Sammy tried to make the door open. In the distance, he could see the spiders crawling back across the room. One headed for the couch. The other one was heading straight for him.
Sweat ran down his neck. He quickly turned to face the door and yelled. "Help! The Tarantula...the Tarantula!" His voice was cut short, but he continued yelling anyway. "The Tarantula's here. The door won't move!"
Outside, a series of voices rose into the air. One of the neighbors cried out, "It's the thing on t.v.!"
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Sammy turned around when he heard Serena panting. "Sere...Serena what - " He looked down and saw the Tarantula just waiting at his foot. It seemed to stare up at him. Taunting him. Grinning at him. Slowly, ever so slowly, it began to crawl up his leg.
Sammy croaked instead of yelled. He couldn't move either. His leg suddenly felt hot and sticky. The black creature slowly made its way up. Higher and higher...until it rested on his knee.
Before he knew it, something just flew in out of nowhere and knocked the thing right off his knee. It smashed against the wall and slowly slid down. Dark, sticky liquid trailed along with it.
Sammy turned around and saw Serena. She was glaring at the thing, her back heaving up and down. She had a pan in her hand. She looked as if she would faint any second.
Just then, the kitchen window smashed open. That was when they noticed the red lights flashing outside their home. An officer poked his head through the broken glass then backed away. He pushed aside any more pieces of glass then looked back inside again. This time, his whole body fit through the window. More men walked inside.
Lights flooded the whole room. Serena sucked in her breath. That's when she saw the spider's color. That's when she saw the damage. That's when she noticed that it's blood...it's greenish-black blood...was dripping from the wall. That's when noticed Sammy's expression. He was terribly pale and stiff.
That's when she fainted.
~~~~~
"Is she going to be fine?" A dark, male voice cut through the darkness.
Serena listened as the distant voices grew louder and clear.
"Yes, Doctor Chiba. She was just a little shocked." A female voice interrupted, one that Serena figured belonged to a nurse.
A nurse?
She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by Darien's worried face. A girl was beside him. Her vision was still blurry, but she could tell that it was indeed a nurse.
"Serena..."
She felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her. Her first instinct was to pull away in fear, but the strong scent was too familiar. She wrapped her own arms around him and cried. "Darien..."
Darien tightened his embrace. He kissed her cheek and whispered words of comfort in her ear. "Don't worry, Serena. It's over. You're safe..."
Those words seemed too good to be true. The whole thing seemed like another nightmare...a nightmare she relived.
Serena didn't even realize she was crying until she felt the warm liquid on her cheeks. Her body was still cold and stiff. She could still feel the areas where the spider touched her...
Her eyes widened. "Sammy...where's Sammy?" She tried to pull away but was too weak.
The nurse smiled at her. "He's fine. He was in shock too, but he's a lot better now. He's waiting for you outside."
Darien looked Serena straight in the eye. "Everyone's waiting for you outside. We were all worried."
Serena lifted one frail hand and slowly wiped away her tears. "The...the spider? The Tarantula? Where..."
"It's dead. It was actually still alive when they saw it, but it was too weak to defend itself. They killed it. They found another one under the couch..."
Serena cringed. "Dusty..."
Just then, the door creaked open. Sammy stepped inside, his hands shoved into his pockets.
Serena stared at him for a moment. Sammy returned her stare, then quickly wrapped his arms around her. Serena embraced her brother, loving him more than ever. She cried again.
"Sammy, I...God, I was afraid that you got hurt." Her voice cracked. It was all she could say.
Sammy smiled at her. "I thought you were the one who got hurt. Hey, you saved me. You knocked the thing off my knee."
"But you held it back. It nearly touched you."
He frowned. "I...don't want to think about it."
Serena nodded, her eyes once again claiming the lost look. "Sammy..."
"Yeah?"
She sniffed. "Dusty...You were right. He is harmless. I'm sorry." She began to panic. "The thing just fought the other spider off, and he ran to the couch - "
"It's fine."
She wiped another tear away. "But they found him. That means..."
"He's not dead," Darien cut in. Both Serena and Sammy turned to face him. "They took him in so they could study him. So far, we think that he really is harmless. If that's the case then we have to ship him off to some sort of shelter."
"A shelter for spiders," Serena croaked.
"A shelter for him. He's in danger around here. He needs to be somewhere safe." Darien flashed Sammy an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
Sammy shook his head. "It's fine. I'm okay with it. I would rather have him be safe. Besides, I don't think I could live with a spider now..." His sentence trailed off.
A cloud of silence followed. The sunlight poured in the hospital room, lifting the uncomfortable weight.
Darien stared at two for a moment. He shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Well..there's something else."
Serena stared at him in horror. "What?"
"No, no, please don't be afraid. It's not that bad. It's just...your home. It's a wreck." He didn't know how else to say it.
Serena nodded. "I didn't think I could live there again anyway."
"You two will have to stay in here until you really feel better. There will be reporters outside. I don't think you want to go out there while you're still a little shocked."
Sammy sighed.
"But when you're ready..."
Both looked at Darien.
"...I rented an apartment next to mine for you to live in until you find a new place of your own. Is that okay?"
Sammy tried to hold back a smile. He could barely believe it. Serena, on the other hand, simply stared at Darien. Then for the first time in a long time, she smiled.
**************************************************************************************
Author's Notes: Bad? Good? Reviews please. The first one had too many details, so I toned it down a bit. Pardon any errors.