Spiders in Ohio
The mall was packed. It was noon on a Saturday, a week before Halloween, and people were loading up their carts with sweets and paper ghosts and plastic ghouls. Children swarmed the costume shops, as well as some nostalgic teenagers.
"Doesn't Halloween give you such a sense of nostalgia?" Rachel asked Finn, holding onto his arm and holding up a children's princess costume from the rack.
Finn looked back and forth nervously. "Rachel, don't you think we're a little old for Halloween? Or at least… a little old for this store?" he said in a low voice.
"You're never too old for free candy, Finn. At any rate, I don't actually need anything from here; I've had my costume ready for months. I just wanted to… take a trip down memory lane."
"Uh, cool," Finn tried to ignore the glares of passing adults. "What are you going as?"
"I'm going as Elpheba from Wicked. I already have the green face paint, the hat, the broomstick, the clothes, and instead of saying trick-or-treat I'm going to sing a section of a Wicked song of their choice."
"So… you'll be like a Halloween caroler?"
Rachel smiled. "Yes, I suppose so."
Meanwhile, Puck emerged from the mall's grocery, holding a plastic bag with four cartons of eggs in tow. He headed into the pharmacy and sauntered to the toiletries aisle, checking over his shoulder. Whistling, he grabbed a couple rolls of toilet paper and slipped them into his bag. He considered shoving one into his pants for an added bonus, but decided against it when it started ripping against his zipper. He checked over both shoulders and strolled out, smirking.
One floor up, inside a costume and decoration shop, a little girl was skipping around the room. She had long, dusty-brown hair and wore a warm fall jacket. She was no more than seven or eight years old.
A plastic jack-o-lantern caught her eye and she galloped over, giggling. She bent over to inspect the goofy, grinning orange face. She noticed a tiny black spider crawling over one of the eyes.
"Hey there, little guy!" she whispered, extending her finger and trying to get the spider to crawl onto it. She loved all sorts of creepy-crawly little things, and laughed at the girls who screamed at the sight of a single spider.
Another spider crawled out from underneath the Jack-o-lantern. The girl giggled.
A few more spiders crawled out. Dozens crawled out. The girl's eyes widened and she walked quickly to her mother without a word.
She tugged on her mom's arm. "Mommy," she said, pointing at the Jack-o-lantern.
That's when the screaming started.
Rachel whipped her head around. "What's going on?"
"Probably a Halloween gimmick," said Finn.
People in the store started screaming and flooding toward the exit. Finn and Rachel were caught in the stampede of screaming children and forced to retreat with them.
"What's going on?" Rachel cried again.
The entire ground floor was filled with people in hysterics, sprinting toward the automatic glass doors. Finn stared at the escalators to the upper floor.
At first Rachel thought it was some sort of tar or oil spilling from the second floor. A lead weight dropped in her chest when she realized what it really was.
A massive wave of wriggling black spiders was pouring down the escalators. It was like the tide coming in from the oceans of hell. They swarmed everybody in their path, covering and biting them until they were trapped in a black cocoon of legs and fangs.
Rachel was terrified of spiders.
Finn grabbed her arm and pulled her into the crowd, running toward the exit. He said something but she couldn't hear him over the screaming.
Suddenly Puck was by their side.
"What's happening?" he yelled.
Rachel pointed wordlessly to the black mass behind them and he started running with them.
The exit wasn't far, only about 30 feet away. The thick, massive crowd made running like wading through syrup. People fell and were trampled, shopping bags flew through the air. Rachel kept an iron grip on Finn and Puck's arms as they pushed their way past the crowd.
The spiders were coming closer now, and the exit was a bottleneck. The automatic glass doors only opened far enough for about five or six people to fit through at a time but people were trying to squeeze through by the dozens.
The three of them were only ten feet away now. The spiders were closing in and Rachel felt like her veins were on fire. She wouldn't have been able to move her legs if Finn and Puck weren't carrying her along with them.
They were almost through now, and the spiders were only a dozen feet away. The screams of the people behind them were amplified and muffled as they were overtaken and then bitten.
Finally the three of them broke through into the brisk October evening. An alarm sounded and the doors slid shut behind them. Somebody must have gotten to the security booth and locked down the entrances.
There were still a dozen people left at the doors. They pounded at the glass, their eyes pleading. Rachel and Finn covered their eyes and Puck turned away as their screams were cut off.
The air was silent except for some residual sobs and people revving their engines and driving away. Some people, including the three teens, stayed and stared in through the glass at the thick carpet of spiders.
The ground rumbled and the floor in the middle of the mall exploded. More screams broke out as a giant hairy leg reached out of the hole, followed by eight more. A spider the size of a lion stood in the center of the ground floor.
Red and blue lights flashed like grounded fireworks, boxed in by black and yellow tape.
The shoppers had been called back to the scene that night to bear testimonials to the police. Most of them had stayed home, but a few dozen had come back to the mall, which was now surrounded by policemen and soldiers from the military base.
Rachel hadn't let go of Finn's arm since they'd escaped through the automatic doors a few hours earlier. She stared blankly through the glass at the writhing black mass inside. It couldn't be long before the small ones found the vents and poured outside. Rachel shivered in the October night air.
Quinn and Kurt had also been shopping when the spiders appeared, and they and Puck now stood beside Rachel and Finn. Quinn had her hand on Puck's shoulder and Kurt stood with his arms folded across his chest, trembling.
A bulky man in uniform approached them. He obviously held a higher rank than the other soldiers. He shook his head.
"Why is it always the kids that get stuck in shit like this?" he said. "I'm General Dawson, Lima Military base. What was each of you doing in there?" He was gruff, but seemed friendly enough.
None of them spoke. Rachel hadn't spoken at all since they'd escaped, which was unusual for her.
Quinn was the first one to speak up. "I was buying a new dress. My mom's throwing a dinner party this Saturday…" her eyes were slightly misted as she spoke, but no tears escaped.
Kurt spoke next. "I was buying decorations. My dad loves Halloween. It was my mom's favorite holiday." His voice was quiet and quivering.
The man looked to Rachel and Finn. Rachel seemed not to notice him, so Finn piped up. "We were on a date… Rachel was looking at costumes. She said they made her feel nostalgic."
They all looked at Puck. He scratched his mohawk.
"I was volunteering at the animal shelter."
"The mall doesn't have an animal shelter," said Quinn.
"…I was building one—"
"Okay, okay. Did any of you happen to see where the spiders came from? Any cracks in the walls or holes…"
The teenagers looked at each other, shaking their heads.
"We were in the costume store," said Rachel, finally speaking. "Then I heard screaming… and people were running… and then we were caught in the crowd and we were running… and there were these things behind us.
Everyone was silent.
"Excuse me," said a voice behind them.
They all turned to see a young man ducking underneath the police tape. He had dark curly hair that was cut short and thick eyebrows which sat upon a dashing face. He was dressed expensively and had glistening hazel eyes.
The General held up his hand. "Sorry, sir, no civilians—"
"Agent Blaine Anderson, FBI," he interrupted, flashing his badge and I.D.
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "FBI? You can't be more than sixteen. How old are you?"
"Irrelevant," said Blaine. He glanced at Kurt. "Take a picture, honey, it'll last longer."
Kurt wrinkled his nose.
"General Dawson, Lima Military Base," said the General, sticking out his hand. Blaine ignored it and strutted over to the glass doors.
"Don't get too close, Agent Anderson," said General Dawson.
"This is my investigation now, I'll handle this."
"How did the FBI get an agent here so fast?" asked Finn.
Blaine smirked. "We're the eyes and ears of the country. We're ready for anything."
He peered into the mall through the glass. Everybody stared at him, waiting for him to speak.
"Well, those are spiders alright," he said.
The rest of them raised their eyebrows. "Um… yes…" said General Dawson.
"Well, there's a lot of them alright."
Quinn let out a breath of exasperation. "He's useless."
Blaine ignored her. "How are you planning on taking them out?"
"We've got an envoy of gas bombs on the way. In a couple hours, we're gonna hit those little suckers with enough neurotoxin to take out a herd of elephants," replied General Dawson.
"Do you know where all these spiders came from?" Blaine didn't look away from the doors.
"Well, not exactly—"
"Have you considered spider flu?"
The General blinked. Nobody spoke.
"…what?" said Quinn.
Blaine turned and began walking away from the mall. "Have all the witnesses checked for spider flu. They could burst at any second." He brushed his hair back. "Looks like my work here is done."
Kurt grabbed Blaine's shoulder before he could duck back underneath the police tape.
"Wait a minute, you didn't do anything! You can't just abandon us!"
Blaine turned to Kurt and raised a finger. "Now look here-"
There was a loud thump behind them.
They all turned slowly to the automatic door.
The lion-sized spider threw itself at the glass with surprising force, causing cracks to appear.
"Mother of God…" muttered General Dawson. Soldiers and policemen got into position around the door.
"Stand back," said Blaine, drawing a pistol and aiming at the glass. "I've got this under control."
The giant spider sprung as if from a catapult, smashing through the door and bombarding the onlookers with shards of glass. It landed right on one of the soldiers, instantly sinking its dagger-like fangs into him.
For the second time that day, Rachel and her friends were swept into a screaming panicked crowd. Gunshots fired all around them. Spiders flooded out the mall entrance. The giant spider leapt around like a nightmarish grasshopper, taking a new victim every time it landed.
They ran to Finn's car just as the massive arachnid bounded onto the hood right in front of them, crushing the engine. Rachel screamed. They started running again just as it sailed over their heads.
"Where do we go?!" yelled Puck.
"The hotel, it's close!" cried Kurt in response.
Most of the witnesses had made it to their cars by now and were swerving to avoid the people on foot. The five teens were buffeted by the countless bodies around them. Rachel looked behind her to see the black wave that once again set her veins on fire.
"Shortcut! This way!" called Kurt, pulling them out of the parking lot and into a large patch of shrubbery. They were now out of the crowd, but the dry and brittle bush branches tugged at their legs and snagged their clothes. Quinn's cardigan got caught and she had to slip out of it, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. To the teens' dismay, a portion of the spiders broke off from the swarm to follow them. They doubled their pace, but the spiders crawled through the shrubs easily and were quickly gaining.
Finally they emerged out of the bushes and onto the sidewalk just outside the hotel. Finn pulled open the door and pushed everyone inside, slamming it behind him. Rachel's legs turned to jelly and she collapsed. Finn rushed to her side. Puck ran his hand back and forth over his mohawk, his face slick with sweat and his breath shaking. Quinn's arms were covered with cuts and scratches and her yellow dress was torn and muddy. Her eyes were screwed shut and she was gripping a fistful of her hair so hard it looked like it would tear off of her scalp. Kurt was almost hyperventilating and tears streamed down his face. One of his shoes had come off in the bushes, but he didn't seem to notice. They could still hear the muffled screams outside.
The man at the counter was bewildered by the commotion and these hysterical teenagers who had burst into the lobby.
"What's wrong?" he asked. They ignored him.
"Rachel?" said Finn softly.
"I'm okay," she murmured, standing.
Puck closed all the curtains in the room. "Lock the door," he told the clerk, who quickly obliged. "We'll stay here."
"What if other people have to get in?" asked Kurt.
Puck shook his head. "They'll find other places to go. We can't risk any spiders getting in here by opening that door."
Kurt shook his head.
"He's right," said a familiar voice. They all turned.
"Oh god, it's you," said Quinn, her lips curling with displeasure as Blaine strolled toward them.
"You came here? You didn't stay out there with the soldiers and the policemen and try to hold them off?" said Finn, scowling.
"All I've got is a pistol, genius. It's not very effective against swarms of tiny insects. You should be grateful I'm here; I'm the only way you're gonna survive this god-awful situation," said Blaine derisively.
"First of all, spiders are arachnids, not insects. Second, you're the one who thought this was all because of spider flu," muttered Kurt.
"I don't see what that has to do with—" Blaine narrowed his eyes and stared at Kurt. "Oh my god, you've got it, don't you."
"What?"
"You have spider flu! You're gonna explode into a swarm of spiders any second!"
"There is no such thing as spider flu!" screamed Quinn.
"We can't stay here," said Rachel suddenly. Everyone turned to her. "We have to find the other Glee kids; we can't just leave them out there."
"Oh no," said Puck, shaking his head. "Are you insane? I'm not going back out there. None of us are."
"Rachel's right," said Finn. "They have no idea this is coming, it'll take them all by surprise." Kurt nodded as Finn spoke.
"It'll be on the news. Our friends are smart, they'll find a way to keep safe," said Quinn, standing by Puck's side. "We can't risk our lives to find them when they're probably much better off than we are."
"Why don't we try calling them?" asked Kurt.
Finn took out his phone and grimaced. "This place has always had terrible service. I can't get a signal."
"How are we even supposed to get out of here? The streets are swarmed, we wouldn't last ten seconds," said Puck.
"If you stupid people are done being stupid, come with me," said Blaine, who had kept silent during the whole exchange. He flashed his I.D. at the clerk and tilted his head. The man's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. He went behind the desk and unlocked something, pulling out a large black duffel bag and setting it on the counter. Blaine picked it up and started up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" asked Finn.
"The roof. Are you coming or not?"
The five teens looked at each other and followed the FBI agent up the stairs.
Quinn shivered as the October wind swept over the rooftop. Her arms stung with the cold and the scratches.
Kurt looked over the edge of the building. Hundreds of spiders still crawled across the road, and he even saw another giant, this one slightly larger and more tarantula-like than the one that had broken the mall doors. "I was afraid of that," he muttered to himself.
"This rooftop isn't safe. Spiders can climb, you know," he said to the others.
"We won't be staying here," said Blaine, setting down the duffel bag.
"I didn't know spiders could jump like that," said Puck. "Do you think somebody bred it with a rabbit or something…?"
"It was a Salticidae, a jumping spider. They're capable of some very agile leaps," said Kurt.
Everyone raised an eyebrow at him.
"I… kind of have a fascination with spiders. I did a science report on them in sixth grade."
"Here we go!" exclaimed Blaine, pulling what looked like a thick telescope on a tripod out of the duffel bag. There was a curved three-pronged set of spikes protruding from the end. The teens realized with a start that it was a grappling hook.
"Why on earth does an FBI agent have a grappling hook waiting for him at a hotel?" asked Finn.
Blaine smirked. "Oh, did I forget to mention? I'm Blaine Anderson, Secret Agent." He flipped open his FBI I.D. and sure enough "Secret Agent" was written under "Specialization".
"Why would a secret agent announce that he's a secret agent on his I.D.?" asked Quinn.
Blaine's smirk disappeared and he tucked his I.D. back into his jacket, frowning at Quinn.
"My branch of the FBI keeps emergency packages in cities all over the country. Why do you think I came to this crappy hotel? They don't even have a freaking elevator."
Blaine fired the hook at the nearest building, which was shorter and about 40 feet away. It was connected to a string of other buildings which would be easy to jump to or climb. He took a zipline handle and attached it to the rope. Sticking his tongue out at Quinn, he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and slid down the rope on the handle. Once he reached the other building, he flung the handle and it slid back up the rope into Finn's hands.
Finn looked at Quinn and Puck. "We're going to help our friends. Are you coming or not?"
Puck still looked hesitant. Quinn shook her head. "I'm not leaving. There's food here, and plenty of places to hide or hold out. There are fire axes to defend ourselves…"
"Goddamnit, Quinn, would you grow up?" yelled Rachel.
Everyone turned to her. Her hands were balled at her sides and her steely gaze was focused on Quinn.
"Glee members have always been there for each other, particularly you. This isn't our stupid high-school problems anymore, Quinn. This isn't us being there for you when you were pregnant, or for Kurt when he was bullied, or for the team when we went to Nationals. This is us being there for each other to fucking survive. This is life and death, and dammit our friends need us!"
They were all frozen. Nobody had ever seen Rachel this enraged. She was prone to hissy fits and bouts of haughty indignation, but she never shouted like this.
Quinn stood before Rachel, her eyebrows raised and her mouth slightly parted. Finally she nodded and took hold of the zipline.
"Let's go save our friends," she said.