Chapter Two – Like Flies

I relaxed my hand off the barrel grip of my SUB2000 and let it fall down to my side casually, and with my now free hand zipped up my jacket. My mind wandered to the knowledge that there was still a quarter of a casserole waiting for me at home. I let out a sigh.

"Come on man, at least seem interested." My partner for the night Josh said. He was likewise holding his Kel-Tec in a similar fashion to myself.

"How interested can I be? We're just stood in a corridor." I gestured to the long oak-panelled hallway.

"I didn't say be interested, Nick, just seem it." Nick retorted. "You and Nancy done anything good today?"

"Nah man nothing special. When you've been with your girl for as long as I have Valentine's is just another day." I replied. "Just another day when card shops try to pedal some cheap shit with hearts on it."

"Yeah I suppose."

"How about you and… remind me what her name was again?"

"Bro, I've told you this already. You were there when I first met her." There was a tinge of irritation in Josh's voice, but it was more hopelessness. I wasn't good with names…

"You just move through these girls so quickly its hard to keep up." I joked with him. "Besides she was using her stripper name when we first met her remember?"

"Fuck you man." Josh replied, a smirk on his face indicating he took the joke. "But nah bro this girl is different. Like everything seems right with her, you get me?"

"Wow man you've fallen hard." I laughed. "So what did you two lovebirds get up to?"

"Ahh the usual man. Romantic walk in the park, meal at Mazur's, bit of fun in the car, you know how it goes."

"You're ridiculous." I laughed. "Come on, time to do a lap."

The pair of us set off on our patrol route. Job was simple – walk around, look intimidating, and if anyone is trying to get to Silvermane himself shoot the bastards full of holes. That's the sort of instructions you get when you work for the big man of the Maggia. Shoot first, ask questions later, try not to put too many holes in the furniture. Although the New York Maggia were still the top dogs of the criminal underworld, the new wave of freaks definitely had an impact on the money the boss was making. There's only so much a gang can do when you had robotic octopus monsters and electric men causing chaos.

And that's saying nothing when you factor the Spider into the equation.

He showed up on the scene about six or seven years ago – messed things completely he did. After that the freaks began following. First old men in bird costumes, that was one thing, but by the time men made of actual living sand appeared I almost called the job quits and moved to Chicago.

Things have changed though.

The Spider is different. Quieter. He doesn't talk as much now. The guys he puts away now stay away for longer, usually in the hospital. We've all noticed it. The Dons have noticed, the grunts have noticed, hell, even the kids buying cigarettes have noticed.

There's something dark in the Spider now.

Josh and I patrolled for half an hour before returning to our static posts. He began bigging up his girl again – Sandy I think. Might be Sally? Again, not good with names. The kid was really infatuated. Hope it works out for him. I really do. After a while though we ran out of things to talk about – there's only so much you can say before you need a break.

I checked the clip in my gun and flicked the safety on and off, bored out of my mind. Josh turned to me: "I need a piss."

I nodded and watched as he wandered off down the corridor, and I leant against the wall getting ready for a few minutes of quiet.

"Nick!"

"What do you want Josh? I'm not wiping for you!" I shouted back.

The kid sprinted round the corner, face pale. "He's here!"

My stomach dropped. "Who?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"The Spider."

I flicked the safety off and readied my finger near the trigger, and set off towards the direction Josh had come from. "Did you see him?"

"No."

"Then how do you know?" I asked, before rounding the corner, and seeing exactly what had shook Josh up so much.

Round the corner was a large open room, the corridors opening onto balconies overlooking the lower floor, and stairs at the far ends. Hanging from the ceiling were three bodies, wrapped in white webbing. They were capable men, and men who had been taken and knocked out without any of us hearing. I turned to Josh and put a finger to my lips, more to try and calm my own nerves than his. I looked towards the large double doors on the second floor walkway on the other side of the room which led to Silvermane's private quarters. I pointed in that direction.

"Where are we going boys?" A cold voice asked us. Josh screamed and turned, letting loose a volley of bullets into the wall behind us. I turned just quickly enough to see the dark red and blue blur move towards Josh, who in one quick motion was launched onto the floor below with a crack. I raised my gun to the spot where the Spider was; or rather was not.

Josh's fall hadn't been for nothing – his gunfire and body hitting the floor had summoned more of us. Three on the lower floor and four on the walkways.

"The Spider's here!" I shouted, just before the lights went out.

"Damn right he is." The cold voice echoed.

The room filled with flashes of gunfire as hell broke lose. I sprinted across the walkway towards Silvermane's door – top priority was protecting the boss. As I rounded the corner my feet were taken from underneath me as the Spider's webs latched on. I held my gun up, flicking the torch on and saw the creature moving across the walls, inhuman like and contorted. He moved as quickly as if he were running on flat ground. His large white eyes, emotionless and menacing, flashed in the dark as the torchlight shone across them. I aimed my SUB2000 and squeezed the trigger, at the same time guards across the walkway did.

By the time the bullets left the barrel he was already gone, vanished into the dark. I pulled my knife out and began to slash through the sticky webbing as I heard a scream from one of my associates, then saw his body fly into a wall nearby with a smash that suggested there were certainly bones broken. I gave up and pulled my feet free of my boots, and sprinted through the doors. I dived under a hail of gunfire – Silvermane was already awake and accompanied by two more guards.

"What the hell are you doing!" The slim elderly man shouted, more a statement of anger than a question.

"I thought we could have a nice romantic meal Silvio." That chilling voice said.

Before any of us could do anything we were impacted by webs – I felt myself pinned to the floor being crushed by the webbing whilst the righthand guard got a faceful of silk. He instantly dropped his gun and started clawing at his face. The Spider launched himself into the room, kicking the gun of the lefthand guard up into his own face, and I saw a messy scatter of broken teeth skid across the floor as the man hit the ground. Silvermane sprinted for the door, but a web likewise attached to the back of his nightrobe and pulled him straight back into the room and down onto the floor with a snap as he landed awkwardly on an arm. I tried to pull myself free, but the webbing was too strong – the other conscious guard was having similar issues. The Spider moved to him and slashed a hole in the webbing around his face, and the man took a deep breath of oxygen, before the Spider launched a quick spin to his head, sending him flying.

Silvermane began to drag himself towards the gun on the ground, but the Spider got there first. "Do you want this?" He asked, and kicked the rifle in the direction of the Maggia boss which collided solidly with his chest – more cracks. "Don't tell me you already had a date? Who will I go to the ball with now?" The Spider gave the old man a swift elbow to the head knocking him unconscious, then threw him to the ceiling and webbed him still.

Then he turned to me.

"Sweet dreams." He said, before he kicked me in the head, and my vision flashed to black.

Song Recommendation: Lullaby - Destroyer of Light