Chapter 10: Whatever It Takes
It was cloudy and gloomy, but the young woman was happy for the shelter that darkness brings. Her hands were busy weaving a shiny needle in, out, over and under in clean stitches. It was tedious and required patience. How fortunate that she had all the time in the world.
Her legs swung loosely over the side of the small home. She was hidden by the shadow provided by a much larger building next door. The bustle of a busy community gave her peace in her work. By the time the sun had hit its peak in the sky, she was finished tailoring new clothes for herself. The new body, she discovered, was very weak against the weather and the articles of fabric helped fix that. She modeled the designs after those that she had seen other women wear on the streets to blend in if only to throw attention away from herself.
A grumbling sound disturbed the air. She placed her hands over her stomach and heard it again. Food sounds good right about now. Her senses followed a very savory and pleasing smell coming from a store below. Hopefully, she had stolen enough money to pay for it.
…
The man at the bakery was as sweet as the pastries he gifted the girl. She looked so completely lost when she had entered. Her face didn't seem familiar; thus, he guessed she was a traveler from some place so distant every new object made her lose her bearings. It reminded him of his grandkids. He spent about an hour listing his products, sometimes chipping off pieces for her to taste. It was, in a way, entertaining. She seemed to also enjoy her time. Her reactions and responses were strange, but endearing. Sometimes she would even tilt her head like a curious little animal. His heart fell when she decided to leave. He had to return to work in the back, but it was nice to talk to a customer for a while. Talk wouldn't be the right word, because she hadn't said a single one, silent as night. There was another thing he liked about her. She paid generously.
…
The fall of dusk was like a starting point of a transformation. A taking over of her body. First, she felt too light and suffocated. If she stayed in place for too long, she feared floating away. It was ridiculous, but reasoning couldn't stop her legs from moving. They ran until the world blurred into one, endless sea of black and kicked up some more. When the burn in her legs became too unbearable to ignore, she felt anchored enough to slow down.
She halted in place immediately when she looked around her too familiar surroundings. How could her body betray her like this? What is there to gain? Backtracking, she attempted to sprint back down the road, away from her 'hometown'. The ache in her legs wouldn't relent and she soon collapsed in her escape. It was no use either way. There was a familiar scent poisoning the air and the roar of a vehicle closing in on her. She must've been more disoriented than she thought because it sounded like it was coming from in front of her. Like it followed her to the town instead of coming from it. She listened to the sound grow near over the intense beat of her heart as she laid there. It would be futile to run in her exhausted state, but soon it would not be her problem. The corners of her vision blackened as the vehicle pulled up and some figures approached. There was no sound or color in her vision. Just shades of red.
Even when the monster was done, the screams continued to echo through her skull. They bounced down into her bones, shaking the foundation. The screaming souls were trapped inside like she was. Imprisoned in this unnatural creation made by now-possibly-dead-men. She understood now. She was a human girl and a spider filled with toxins corrupting and enhancing both. The combination didn't mix right because it was not done settling. She could see the spider form leaking into the human form. There was a dark blue streak in her hair and red spots in her eyes. With enough concentration, she was able to make those spots disappear. Her eyes were one thing she could slip in and out of forms she guessed. She lifted up her blouse enough to reveal the small appendages hiding beneath. She tried again to move them and they twitched ever so slightly. Her stomach lurched in nausea from the movement. This wasn't something she wanted anymore. Those little limbs should remain useless or, even better, disappear. The humanity recently born in her must remain untainted. The monster and the girl must never meet.