Page 72 of Marc
“You okay?” I asked her.
She was clutching her blaster in her hand. She nodded.
We turned a corner, and I saw the doors to the hangar ahead. We’d almost reached them when a weird sound filled the corridor. A strange scraping, chittering noise.
We all tensed.
“What the hell is that?” Jameson said.
Jess frowned. “It sounds like stridulation.”
“What now?” I asked.
“The sound insects make when they rub their legs or wings together. It’s a defensive behavior.”
Suddenly, Colbie looked up, and her eyes went wide. “Marc, look out!”
I moved instantly, falling backward, and whipping my carbine up.
The giant spider-like monster was clinging to the ceiling, rubbing two legs together. It was larger than a dog and had a set of nine eyes on the front of it.
All nine were locked on me.
I landed on my back. The monster’s mandibles opened and closed either side of its mouth, then it dropped from the ceiling, aiming for my head.
I fired.
The spider monster screeched, its body shuddering in the air as I shot it.
It landed on my midsection and I grunted. I bucked it off, ready to fire again, but it was dead. It left a trail of slimy ooze on my armor.
“Marc.” Colbie was beside me in an instant, her face white.
“I’m okay.” I pushed to my feet, then reached out and touched her cheek. “You?”
She nodded, her gaze scanning my body.
Jameson stepped over the body of the dead spider. “All right?”
I nodded.
Then he turned to the hangar. We quickly and quietly made our way through to the maintenance area.
Jameson stopped. “Fuck.”
As we stepped inside, it looked like there were even more cocoons than when Colbie and I had first come here.
“Any threaders?” Jameson said.
We all scanned the space. It was eerily quiet.
“Nothing,” Kai replied.
Jameson’s face twisted. “Burn it down.”
I smiled. “With pleasure.”
Zeke and Jess flanked me. We held up the hoses connected to our flamethrower packs and aimed.
