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“I told Nilani you were up to something. She didn’t believe me.”
My torso whips around at the sound of Sibbie’s voice. She’s standing at the entrance to Everett’s chamber, blocking our way out.
“I knew we didn’t string you up there long enough. Diedra and Nilani wanted to cut you down but I knew it was too soon. Someone like you needs to be broken. I could tell from the look in your eye the next time you saw this blood bag that there was still something there.” She grins at me, revealing bloodstained lips.Everett’s blood. “Are you in love with him, pet? Do you even remember how to love?”
I square up to Sibbie and she laughs, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. I used to think she was beautiful, but now I see that any parts of the girl that existed before Jorogumo consumed her soul are long dead. She’s nothing but a pretty outer shell with a black heart and no conscience. I take one long moment to mourn that girl. The one who must have been terrified when her body was transformed. The young woman who lost her freedom and any chance at a normal, happy life outside these walls. I give her my condolences, setting her free. And then I strike.
Sibbie’s cruel eyes are wide as my front two legs come down hard across her face and torso. She screams, anger deepening the sound. I’m rewarded with two trails of blood that pool across her cheeks and chest.That’s for feeding on Everett. My triumph is short-lived as Sibbie lunges for me. Her larger form topples mine in an instant. Our arms clash together as she struggles to pin me down and I fight to push her away. Her hands grip mine, shoving them down on either side of my face. I’m worn out, overworked, and low on blood. Sibbie, on the other hand, is freshly fed. My lower eight legs thrash but do nothing to shift Sibbie’s massive weight above me. Her hands grip my wrists to the point of pain, while her front two legs rise up to just beneath my throat. She presses the tips flat, leveling them against my neck and cutting off my air supply. I gasp, the lack of oxygen making me flail like a fish out of water.
“I will string you up, you traitorous bitch, and deny you the death you’re so desperate for no matter how many times you beg for it. I’ll string up your plaything nearby, so you’ll get a front-row seat when Mei devours him aliv—”
Two massive hands lock around her throat, snatching the sound of her voice from the air. Through my blurred vision I can just make out Everett’s face behind her. Sibbie jerks in his hold. Anger darkens her lovely features as she’s forced to choose whether to release my hands and pry Everett off or let him choke her out.
She swipes out at him with one of her back legs, knocking his feet out from beneath him. To her obvious dismay, Everett maintains his hold as he falls, dragging her down with him. Her body shifts a few inches, just enough for me to wriggle loose. I roll away, catching my legs beneath me and rising to my full height. Sibbie has already shaken Everett loose. My fury builds as she lifts him off the ground like a ragdoll. I charge forward, gasping as one of her hind legs swings wide and punctures my shoulder. She spins, pinning me to the wall as the tip of her leg drives deeper into my muscles.
Heat glows off the left side of my face and I turn to find a torch no more than six inches away. How fortuitous for me. I snatch it from the wall and drive the flames into Sibbie’s cheek without hesitation. Her screams of pain fuel me. She clutches her face, stumbling around the chamber. I swing the torch her way and she cowers in fear. The moment she lowers herself to the ground, Everett kicks out, driving his foot into the undamaged side of her head. She drops to the ground and goes still.
“We need to leave.” I grab Everett’s wrist, hauling him out of the chamber with me. His movements are sloppy and slow. I don’t know how much blood Sibbie took, but it’s clearly affecting him. “Come on.” I grab him, scaling the wall and just as quickly dropping back to the floor. My legs are shaky, their strength all but nonexistent.
“What is it?” Everett’s voice is raspy.
“I’m exhausted. And Sibbie…” Hot blood oozes from the wound on my shoulder. I palm the injury, working to staunch the blood. It’s leaving my body too fast. I don’t have time to heal. I don’t have—
“Drink,” Everett urges, pressing his neck up to meet my lips.
“It’s too dangerous. The sickness—”
“Drink, now, or we won’t have a chance at making it out of here.” He’s right. I hate that this whole plan is hinging on me and my ability to get us to safety. I cover his mouth with my shaky palm. Without the distraction of lust to take the edge off, this will hurt. My fangs slice easily through the soft tissue of his neck. I’m careful, but there’s only so much I can do to lessen the pain of my bite.
His screams are louder and harder than ever before and I’m grateful a majority of the sound is muffled by my unyielding palm. Was this how he sounded when Sibbie took advantage of my absence? The very thought makes my rage reignite. Bitter, tainted, fearful blood coasts down my throat, making me cringe. The instinct to gag rises up in me, but I swallow it forcefully down. I don’t have time to be picky right now. It’s life and death in this moment, and mine’s not the only life on the line.
Everett is shaking violently when I retract my fangs. His skin is pallid and sweaty. I shrug him into my arms, bearing his full weight. Signs of the sickness are more prominent now. Guilt pushes up alongside the bile in my throat. It’s not ideal to have weakened him further, but it gave me the strength I needed to get us out. Once we’re free I’ll nurse him back to health. Surely the toxin will dissipate as his body pumps fresh blood through his tissues and organs. And if no one ever feeds on him again, I’m certain he’ll recover.
There’s a small, nagging part of my brain that keeps reminding me that no man has ever been left alive long enough with the sickness to see what it takes for them to recover. I shove that truth to the back of my thoughts. We’ll simply have to be the first.
With my body reinvigorated and Everett’s blood thundering through my veins, I scale the walls with ease. The next part of my plan has arrived and my nerves are making it even harder to keep that spoiled blood down. The nearest torch is six feet ahead. I race toward it, snatching the thick wooden base from its perch and lifting it high above me. The flame dances just beneath the thick canopy of webbing that covers every ceiling and fills most chambers in this place. The cavern that contains the most webs is the elder chamber. Having lost their human forms completely, they no longer sleep on the ground. Instead they create intricate woven systems of web sacks and hammocks. Which is exactly why there are no torches allowed in the elder chamber.
Five other cavern openings exist between my current position and the elder chamber. That should give me enough time to get to the exit before the flames reach Nilani and the others. On the off chance any of them escape their beds unharmed, they’ll be met with a raging fire devouring every silken web in sight. A momentary flush of guilt freezes my fingers where they’re squeezed tightly around the torch. The Jorogumo will die, but so will the feeders. Innocent men who have been dragged down to hell to keep the monsters fed.
I considered freeing them. I could have unlocked their chains and sent them on their way. But if they’ve been fed upon, the sickness already lies dormant in their blood. What would it do to the world outside? What would happen when a doctor took their blood, only to discover something monstrous within? It could be toxic to the other humans, contagious even. And what if they do survive? Will they tell others of this place? Will the villagers come with their pitchforks to hunt the monsters below?
I can’t risk anyone investigating down here too deeply. If any of the Jorogumo survive and the villagers come too close… No. The cycle ends here. I can’t care for the other humans the way I will be caring for Everett. Their sacrifice will ensure no one ever knows what happened down here and that no one will be taken and tormented in the same way ever again. Humans are fragile. I have no doubt they’ll perish. Especially considering I’ve already sent my tiny spider friends to deliver a near-fatal dose of venom to each. They’re the same kind I used to knock Everett out before dragging him down here. By now the men are all unconscious or in near-delirious states. Soon they’ll be dead. It’s a harsh truth, but my only concern now is Everett. I brought him down here. I’ll get him out.
As for the yokai, if they don’t die in the fire, they’ll starve in the rubble. Neither ending is harsh enough for the sins they’ve committed.We’vecommitted. But it will have to do.
I flex and ready all eight of my lower legs, preparing to move faster than I’ve ever moved before.This will work.It has to. Keeping Everett tight against my body, I raise the fire to the canopy above and allow the flames to make the barest of contact with the sheet of webs. A small flame flickers into view. The second it’s alight, I throw the torch down the hallway, trusting it to fuel the carnage, and run for my life.
My yokai form sends me speeding through the darkness, feeling as though the very jaws of death are snapping at my heels. The tunnel brightens behind me. I tell myself not to look back, but despite my best efforts, I turn my head. The fire has taken to the webbing even faster than I imagined. The tunnel has already begun to heat up, forcing me to push my body to its breaking point to outrace the all-consuming fire.
The tunnel’s exit comes into view just as the first of the screams reach me.They’re awake. The faintest glow of a honeyed sunset reveals the outline of the cave’s mouth. The air is raging hotter behind me. This time I don’t look back. I can’t risk the second it will take to turn my head. More cries echo through the cavern. Fear spikes in my blood as I scale the wall, heading toward the curtain that hides my slender escape path.
Everett’s screams catch me completely off guard as his body is tugged from my hold. I grab his shoulders, catching him before he plummets to the ground. My mind is unable to comprehend what has just happened. I didn’t drop him, he was pulled from my grasp. But by who? As the fire chases away the last of the shadows from the cavern’s dark corners, I see her.
Sibbie’s burned and disfigured face is twisted in rage as she sinks her teeth into Everett’s calf. He screams again, the sound sending knives through my heart. We don’t have time for this. The fire is so close now that it’s become hard to breathe. I can’t fight her off in here.
Using muscles I never knew existed, I drag both Everett and Sibbie up to the ceiling. The hairs on the backs of my legs begin to singe as I rip the curtain away. My body launches through first, with Everett close behind. Sibbie is the last to exit the cave. She’s hanging, still latched to Everett’s leg. The three of us hit the ground harder than expected. I tuck Everett against my body, minimizing his fall and taking the brunt of the impact. Our collision with the forest floor knocks Sibbie loose, breaking her hold on Everett. I lunge at her, gripping her by that silky, pale neck and wringing it with every bit of grip strength I have in me. She flails, clawing at my eyes and slashing at me with her legs. My skin burns as she cuts me open again and again. It’s painful, but I don’t loosen my hold on her throat. Having freshly fed on Everett, my wounds will heal quickly.
The entrance to the cave ignites into a fiery bonfire fueled by the excess webbing coating its exterior. My grip never falters, and Sibbie’s seconds without air tick by. Her hands slow before falling limp at her side. Just before she blacks out, I toss her body into the fire. Her screams echo the sound of my victory. This time I don’t leave anything up to chance. I watch as she burns alive, waiting until she’s nothing more than a charred husk curled in on herself. Soon she’ll be nothing but dust.
