In the Emergency Room, Hospital doors banged open as a gurney bearing Steve was rushed through. Darren and his Dad followed with a doctor.
"What kind of spider was it?" The Doctor asked.
"I think some kind of a tarantula." Darren said hesitantly.
Kuri gave him a look. Seriously?
"Where is it?" The Doctor asked.
"It got away." Darren said.
Darren's Dad held up the camera.
"We have a picture of it." Dad said.
The doctor took it as a nurse met the gurney.
"Anaphylactic shock. Get Doctor Lund. And we need to download a photo to poison control." The doctor said to her.
This is as far as Darren went. Steve was wheeled in, surrounded. Syringes were drawn, handed in. Steve's skinny arm hung over the gurney.
Darren looked on, Sick for Steve. Scared. Unaware that his world had only just started to crash down around him.
Kuri looked at him pityingly.
Dr Lund was Tough, no nonsense. Marching along, carrying a print-out, coming to a stop where Darren sat on a plastic chair. He stuck the print-out into his face. The PHOTO of Madam Octa.
"How did you make this and why would you make this?" Dr Lund demanded of Darren.
Kuri gave him a glare. "You'd better start over, doc. Be a little kinder this time."
Dr Lund took a deep breath and obeyed her, starting over. Darren gave Kuri an incredulous look. "Fine. What is this? Poison control couldn't ID it. In fact, the department of Entomology at Harvard couldn't find it in their data base. So either it's a new species or it's a fake photo."
"If Darren said he took that photo, then that's the truth."
Dr. Lund just stared at Darren. Then:
'What have you done to him?!" Steve's mom cried.
She approached, her eyes on Darren. Disheveled, cheap looking, she hasn't quite started her hangover yet. She lunged to grab Darren, but Kuri protected him again.
"Did you hurt Stevie?! Did you?!" She said.
Kuri took her hands and murmured something Darren didn't quite catch. She sat down beside them, weeping, and Kuri murmured to her and patter her back.
"Your friend's going to die unless we find out what's in him." Dr Lund said.
Darren looked down to where light spills out from Steve's room. His friend was going to die in there.
Kuri caught Darren's hand and squeezed, whispering. "You know what to do."