Spider Read online

  ‘Hang on, let’s watch,’ Steven said, coming in and putting a cup of tea in front of her. He settled next to her in another chair, his big hands around a cup of what she hoped was tea. He pointed at the TV. ‘Protesters again? Why on earth do they want to draw attention to themselves? Crazy people.’

  Since Lara had gone missing, Steven liked to read or watch every news article about Jelvias for information on his daughter. Beth began on her sandwich and watched uninterestedly, too tired to care. The banner-waving protestors believed Jelvias were aliens and had arrived on Earth within the last few years, but everyone knew—every sane person knew—that Jelvias had lived side by side with humans ever since both species branched away from the Neanderthals.

  Over the noise of the rowdy activists, the reporter was trying to interview a neurologist who was trying to explain the reason for the protestors’ agitation.

  ‘Neurons in the brain have an amazing ability to gather and transmit electrochemical signals and, in some people, we think the neurons have manifested their anxiety into something that they believe they can control.’

  ‘Like aliens?’ The reporter laughed and nodded her head towards the activists behind her.

  ‘No, on the contrary, these demonstrations are their control. We all know Jelvias aren’t aliens and it’s absurd to think so, but somehow these poor people believe that they are.’

  Steven snorted and sipped his tea. Bored, Beth started on her next sandwich, but her interest was piqued when the interview was interrupted by a banner-waving protester who’d dodged the police picket line. The banner read:

  WAKE UP, WORLD!

  The activist grabbed the reporter’s microphone, knocking her into the startled neurologist, and screaming into the microphone, said, ‘Wake up, world! Wake up! Wake up—’ before he was hauled away by the police.

  Steven hooted with laughter. He pointed at the screen. ‘Did you see that? Idiots everywhere!’

  The camera flicked abruptly back to the studio. ‘Apologies for that disruption. We’ll come back to our reporter on the street shortly,’ the anchor-man said, shuffling papers. He turned to his colleague, saying conversationally, ‘What makes some people believe Jelvias have only been here for a few years instead of forever?’

  ‘That, Jerry, is the mystery. And now for the weather,’ the colleague said, and the TV screen changed.

  ‘Oh, have I missed it?’ asked Alison, coming in from the kitchen. The Jelvias fascinated her and always had done, for as long as Beth could remember. ‘I do wonder why the Jelvias came here. Do you know, Bethy?’

  Beth finished her last sandwich and brushed crumbs off her chest and onto her plate. ‘Mum, they haven’t come here. They’ve always been here.’

  Alison looked surprised. ‘Have they really? You’re so clever, Beth.’

  ‘Yep,’ said Steven with a sigh, ‘and it looks like they’ll end up ruling the entire planet if our population doesn't start growing again.’

  ‘I wonder what they wanted with Lara? Maybe we should ask them,’ said Alison.

  Standing, Beth chuckled and said, ‘Good luck with that, Mum.’

  ‘Next time I see one, I will,’ Alison promised.

  Alison was so well protected from the outside world, there was zero possibility of her meeting a Jelvia.

  TWO

  Later that evening, Beth placed two frothing pints on the bar and took the payment from the customer just as the doors crashed open and a man charged into the pub.

  The noise of his entrance caused the pub to fall silent with only the TVs in each corner of the pub continuing to make a noise. The man looked wild, his face sweating, his mouth twisted in terror. There was a wet patch on the front of his jeans. He weaved through the crowd, shoving and pushing people out of the way. Drinks went flying as chairs and tables tipped.

  ‘Hey!’ Beth yelled. She looked at Colin, but he was already coming around the bar to confront the man. Regulars of the pub were at his side, ready to fight in his corner.

  But the man dropped to the floor at Colin’s feet, crying out, ‘Help me!’

  ‘What the fu—’ Colin began, but the pub doors flew open again, cutting off Colin’s words. His mouth went slack, and his eyes widened. Beth’s head whipped around to see what had terrified him.

  A Jelvia stood in the doorway.

  Someone screamed, another yelped. Several people disappeared under tables; others began to run for the back entrance.

  ‘Nobody move!’ the Jelvia barked, and they all froze. It was as if someone had pressed an Off button—everyone was scared stiff. Beth was one of them; she couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. The Jelvia was terrifying. His long black hair was lifted by a gust of wind from the open door, making him look even more frightening. He was huge. His thick arms hung at his side, and his claws were exposed, extending from each fingertip. One side of his face was blackened and his throat was undulating with unspent venom.

  The Jelvia’s prey crawled between table, chair, and human legs towards the bar. So far, he was hidden by the obstacles. The Jelvia stepped further into the pub, allowing the doors to close after him. It was dim in the pub, but Beth didn’t doubt that he could see quite well. But he wasn’t looking at the ground where his crawling quarry was; he was peering towards the back door of the pub where he thought the man had gone.

  Beth glanced at Colin. Colin was looking for the crawling man. He’d hand the man over in an instant if it’d protect him from the Jelvia—most people would.

  Beth crouched down slowly when the Jelvia was looking in the other direction. On all fours, she met the man coming through the bar and pointed frantically to the trapdoor just past the doorway behind her.

  The trapdoor led to the cellar.

  The man stank of fear—fear and piss. He flinched away from Beth with a whine of terror, but then he seemed to understand what she was telling him and wriggled on his stomach through the doorway.

  Beth watched him pull open the trapdoor, and once the door had closed after him, she stood up slowly and peeked over the bar. The Jelvia had come further into the pub. People were cowering in fear of him. He could’ve stood easily at seven feet tall, and almost as wide. Typical of his species, he had no facial hair, and on his right cheek Beth could see that the ‘blackness’ was a tattoo of a spider. One of the insect’s legs disappeared into the Jelvia’s mouth. It was the most horrible thing Beth had ever seen.

  It suited him.

  ‘He came in here,’ the Jelvia said. His voice was clipped and had a slight accent. ‘Those hiding him will die.’

  Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

  Beth glanced over at Colin. He looked frozen in terror.

  ‘You have five seconds, and then you are all dead,’ the Jelvia said.

  ‘He went out the back door,’ Beth said quickly.

  The Jelvia’s head whipped around and he fixed her with a stare from his all-black eyes. They appeared dry, bottomless, soulless. Beth lowered her hand, which had pointed across the pub towards the other exit.

  She glanced at Colin, who looked at her with a ‘what the fuck are you doing’ expression.

  The Jelvia eyed the door, and then looked back at her. He knew the man hadn’t gone through the door; he wouldn’t have had time. Plus, there was a table barring the way.

  ‘Four seconds,’ the Jelvia said.

  Beth tried to think of the government guidelines regarding interactions with Jelvias. In her fear-fogged mind, she could recall only some of them:

  Do not attempt to fight back. They will automatically kill if threatened.

  Sit on the floor with hands on your head. If this is impossible, put your hands behind your neck and bow your head.

  Do not look a Jelvia in the eye.

  Do not engage in conversation. They will attempt to trick you into saying something provoking.

  Answer any direct questions with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to avoid angering them.

  Be compliant.

  So far, Beth had
broken most of them.

  The Jelvia with the spider on his face was walking towards her, and all the guidelines scattered from her mind. He stopped and observed her. The bar was still between them, but Beth didn’t feel protected. She backed against the wall-mounted bottles of spirits that hung behind the bar, but then stopped. Her family, her life, had been all but destroyed—then this despicable race had taken the only family member keeping her sane—her sister!

  ‘Three seconds.’

  Suddenly she didn’t care anymore. Her family had been devastated. Whatever they did, tragedy followed them. Beth saw no reason to hope things would ever be different. She was cornered and trapped by life itself.

  ‘What are you going to do, Spider? Kill us all? Will that get you what you came in here for?’

  Spider jumped over the bar. Beth screamed. It was an involuntary reaction. The optics crashed behind her as she banged into them. The Jelvia’s movement and her scream caused the rest of the patrons to panic. There was a mad dash to leave the pub.

  But Beth wasn’t going anywhere.

  Spider grabbed her chin and tipped her head back. His fingers bit painfully into her jaw, and his extended claws pressed into her cheeks. He stared down into her upturned face. She glared back at him.

  ‘Two seconds,’ he said.

  Then, his head jerked up suddenly as if he’d heard something she hadn’t. He looked back down at her. Still holding her jaw, he took her around the bar, forcing her to walk backwards, until he saw the door leading to the backroom. He pushed her through the doorway as Beth clutched at his wrists. Her hands couldn’t reach around them. His claws lay relaxed against her skin, but at any time he could use them to rip her face off.

  He let her go, and Beth stared up at him in surprise. She’d expected to be killed. Absently, she rubbed her sore jaw.

  ‘Open it,’ he said, pointing to the floor.

  Beth looked down at the trapdoor. The Jelvia knew she’d hidden the man in the cellar. She hadn’t saved him. She’d killed them both. She looked back up at Spider and shook her head.

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘I won’t help you to ruin yet another family’s life.’

  ‘Another family’s life?’ the Jelvia asked. He leaned over her and took a lock of her hair in his fingers. He tugged it, making her wince.

  ‘Yes, another family. You’ve ruined mine, so kill me if you want, but I’m sure as hell not going to participate in helping you kill someone else!’

  Spider’s expression was deadpan as he stared at her. Then he let her hair go, bent, and pulled open the cellar door. Straightening, he grabbed her around the back of the neck and made as if to shove her headfirst into the dark cellar. She screamed in alarm, but he stopped short, holding her facedown above the opening as her arms wind-milled. She stared down into the dark with only a Jelvia holding the back of her neck to prevent her from falling.

  ‘I won’t just kill you,’ he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear, ‘I’ll kill your family. Your friends. Your acquaintances. Your fucking paper delivery boy. Understand?’

  Beth whimpered and nodded her agreement.

  Spider pulled her up and let her go. She turned to climb down the narrow cellar steps on shaky legs. It wasn’t a deep cellar. Beth could barely stand upright in it, and Spider would certainly not be able to. She purposely kept the light off, hoping the Jelvia wouldn’t see the man she’d hidden. She couldn’t see him; he was probably hiding behind the many crates and beer barrels.

  She heard Spider behind her as he followed her down. At the bottom, she stood to the side to avoid his touch, but Spider didn’t step all the way into the cellar. He held on to the opened roof part and looked around.

  Beth couldn’t control the startled jump as she saw his glowing, reflective eyes in the dark. She’d forgotten Jelvias could see in the dark. He’d see the hiding man with or without the light.

  ‘Why are you protecting him?’ Spider asked, the strange light of his eyes seemed to beam on her.

  Before Beth could make any reply, hands clasped her ankles and then her legs were pulled out from under her. She tumbled to the floor with a yell, and then, just as quickly, she was yanked up onto her knees as something cold was pressed against her belly.

  The hunted man moved to a crouch, pulling her up with him. He was holding her directly in front of him like a human shield. Beth could smell the man’s fear. His sweating fingers gripped her hair, and his knife dug into her belly. Beth felt a bubble of laughter in her throat. This situation was ridiculous. She was between a Jelvia and a madman holding a knife against her stomach and she didn’t give a fuck.

  ‘Get over there, Jelvia,’ the man said.

  ‘And if I don’t?’ Spider asked.

  ‘She gets knifed.’

  ‘Oh, just get on with it,’ Beth said and twisted in the man’s arms. ‘Kill me, for fuck’s sake!’

  Spider chuckled. ‘You’ve picked yourself a suicidal hostage. Not your day, is it?’

  The word ‘suicidal’ shocked Beth and guilt filled her. Her death would mean leaving her mother behind. She became still.

  ‘Get over there!’ the man shouted to Spider. He sounded desperate and the knife moved from her stomach to press against her throat. It nicked her skin and Beth felt a trickle of blood.

  Surprisingly, the Jelvia did as the man asked and, crouching low, stepped against the far wall where the man had directed him. The cellar was probably as wide as it was deep — more like a pit beneath the pub than a proper basement.

  As Spider moved, the man and Beth edged towards the steps. She was once again forced to walk backwards as he climbed the stairs. She stumbled slightly, and the knife cut deeper into her skin. She whimpered.

  They had almost reached the top when Spider called out from his dark corner, ‘It’s a shame, really. I wanted you alive.’

  Beth didn’t know which of them Spider was talking about. She looked into those glowing, vibrant yellow eyes. They weren’t fixed on her—but they weren’t looking at the man either. They were somewhere between her legs. She looked down and, from the light of the opened trapdoor, glimpsed her attacker’s legs between hers.

  Beth didn’t have time to react as the knife fell away from her throat and clattered down the steps. The man slumped against her, throwing her off-balance, and she was pitched forward down the steps. But instead of landing on the hard concrete, she fell into Spider’s arms.

  THREE

  Those bright yellow reflective eyes stared down into her face.

  ‘I wanted him alive, sweet cheeks,’ he said. ‘But I had to kill him to save you. I just hope you’re worth it.’ He set her on her feet but pressed her against the cold wall, holding her there with a hand pressed against her chest. ‘You know, I’m pissed that he died. He had information that I wanted.’

  Beth whimpered. She couldn’t see the dead man. Spider’s bulk blocked him from her view.

  ‘Nothing to say?’ asked Spider.

  ‘I d-didn’t ask you to save me,’ she said, turning her head as she felt his breath on her face. She was suddenly afraid he was about to kiss her—or worse. His hand was heavy on her chest.

  ‘You interfered with Jelvian business,’ he said.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, pressing her face against the wall as far as she could so she didn’t have to look into those ghoulish eyes.

  ‘Look at me,’ he said.

  She whimpered. ‘I… I can’t,’ she said.

  ‘Look at me,’ he repeated.

  Slowly, she turned her head and raised her eyes to look at him. She couldn’t see his face clearly. Light fell from the opened trapdoor, but it was behind him.

  ‘You interfered in Jelvian business,’ he repeated as if he was talking to a simpleton, ‘and that’s a crime.’ He lowered his already stooped bulk until he was kneeling on one knee. ‘Ready for your punishment?’

  She stared at him, not comprehending.

  He smirked at her, and then jerked her away from the wall and over his kne
e.

  Her shocked scream changed into a gasp as he yanked down her leggings and underwear. She began to struggle, but the swats on her ass shocked her into submission. She hadn’t time to understand what was happening, but she was soon screaming as the sting from his hand covered her entire ass. It burned. She began to kick, but it seemed the more she struggled, the harder the Jelvia spanked her.

  Finally, his hand rested against her throbbing backside. She’d stopped screaming and was sniffling instead.

  ‘I bet you’ve never had a good spanking before, have you?’ he asked.

  She shook her head, scared he might start up again if she didn’t answer. His hand was rubbing her ass, gently squeezing and caressing the hurt. She felt him raise his arm and she whimpered and closed her eyes in readiness for the sting. His hand covered her entire cheek, and her flesh wobbled beneath the impact. Her other cheek was slapped just as hard. Then he reverted to cupping her ass, stroking and squeezing.

  She pressed against his thigh, trying to get some leverage so she could move off him, but his forearm was across her back.

  ‘What are you trying to do, sweet cheeks?’ he asked.

  ‘Please, enough. Either kill me or let me go,’ she said.

  He half laughed and continued to stroke her. She felt his eyes on her ass. Her leggings and knickers were around her knees. He could probably see everything. She felt mortified with embarrassment and rage.

  She struggled, pulling one knee up to push off his thigh. He ignored her efforts and slapped her ass again, forcing her to fall back against his leg with a grunt. She elbowed him, but he didn’t seem to notice it, just continued to spank her. His arm was almost leisurely on her ass; the blows weren’t even that hard anymore. It was just a rhythmic movement of his hand against her rump.

  ‘Why do you want to die?’ he asked as he continued to spank her.

  ‘I-I don’t.’

  ‘You don’t now, but you did a moment ago.’ His hand rubbed her backside, tracing her crack with his fingers. She could barely feel it. Her flesh felt so numb. She lay limp over his leg, spent, her buttocks on fire. She didn’t realise she was sobbing until his big hand gathered her hair off her nape and lifted it off her sweating neck and draped it over her shoulder.