Game on

The spider

The laughter tore through my mind as I stared at the door. What was holding it shut? There was no discernable handle and the far away yells of the Other were only getting faintly louder. Kestrel was trembling, her nails digging into her palms, but her jaw was set. She wasn't going to run.

The laughter changed in pitch into something more akin to a scream and a memory of another terrible scream shook me. A shadow of rage filled me and an image of a darkened pew exploded into my mind.

"Ah!" I gasped, holding my head. Everything went out of focus and only  wild anger filled me. I had been cheated of something and now I could feel everything-

"Nameless! What's wrong?!" Kestrel shouted, but her voice came in and out of focus like a badly tuned radio. I blinked and the prison stairs blurred above me. The scream echoed inside and...faded.

I breathed in and out, the howling of the demon taking over again. But I remembered something! I was murderously angry...Kestrel's hand on my arm made me flinch.

"Are you okay?" She asked, the trembling of her hand shaking my arm. The echo of thwacking sneaked into the prison hallway and I knew the Dungeon Master was getting closer. I could analyse my memories later. We had to save the Other.

"I'm fine," I replied, my voice raw as if I had really been screaming. I met her soft eyes, not innocent but oddly pure. They were a honey amber.

"Let's get this door open," I said, and terror intensified her shaking. I shrugged off her arm and glanced at the door again for a way to open it.

"There's a bolt!" She shouted and gestured to the left side of the door. An iron grey bolt was holding the door shut, blending in with the door itself. I was surprised she noticed it when I didn't. Maybe she was better at this game than I thought.

I placed my fingers on the bolt and the freezing cold of it shivered through me. Kestrel stood behind me, her breaths quick and uneven.

"Are you ready?" I asked her, unsure of what our plan was. We didn't even have a weapon.

"No, but...you won't go without him,"  she said. "So let's get this over with."

I nodded, knowing I couldn't leave anyone to that laughter. Terror coated my bones as I gripped the bolt and pulled it back. The door creaked open, unveiling darkness.

The laughter cut off the moment the door creaked open and all light vanished. The sound of a whip was gone and only a faint faraway moan pierced the silence. A scuttling coming from a corner of the cell made me tense and I knew I didn't want to go inside. I wanted to throw fear away, and wish I'd never known its icy touch.
But there was a man in there who needed help.

I took my first step inside the cell and the temperature dropped, until goosebumps lined my skin.

In the shadows, a strange shape shifted and the scuttling noise of nails scraping against stone came slightly closer. Kestrel entered behind me and her whimper was shockingly loud.

"Help..." the Other said quietly, the sound coming from my left. I couldn't make him out and the light from the corridor seemed to be fading.

I took a step towards him, listening intently in case the creature came any closer.

One step, two steps...

I reached out an arm and felt something warm.

"You came..." he whispered and I wrapped a hand around what seemed to be his arm and pulled him up. Kestrel appeared behind me and gripped him.

"Come on, we need to move..." I muttered, desperate to leave. He staggered and something dripped onto my hand. He was bleeding. Shit.

We took an unsure step towards the cell door and then something moved in the right corner. It reminded me of a spider, its limbs elongating, changing shape from what it had seemed before. A leg darker than shadow hit the ground with a thud and it began to stretch, gaining its footing with frightening speed.

"Let's go!" Kestrel yelled, shattering the silence completely.

I dragged the Other towards the door, with Kestrel doing the same but we weren't going fast enough. And then it stepped into the light and I knew nightmares were real.

A warped giant spider leered at us, half blocking the door. Its face was still demonic, the sharp teeth spraying spittle, and wide red eyes stared out at us. Its skin was an inky black and covered in gooey red sores. A leg twisted in an unnatural direction, attempting to grab Kestrel. She stood still, her mouth open in horror.

"No..." the Other groaned, leaning against me so that I nearly toppled.

I shoved him away from me and pulled her out the way of the spider leg.

"Well, well...look what I've caught in my little web." The thing spoke in a deep growling voice. "I smell a soul for the taking."

It was as if its voice had frozen us. Another leg came swinging towards us and it was getting closer to fully blocking the doorway.

"Run!" I shouted, and grabbed the Other and Kestrel by the arms. I forced them to move, my arm muscles burning from the strain. The Other was so heavy...

The spider dragged itself right, trying to catch us. Its leg went for me this time and I responded by kicking at it savagely as we passed.

"AHH!" A monstrous set of teeth snapped at me, and they were so close but the Other was going even slower and Kestrel tripped-

I gave them both an almighty shove and they fell though the doorway. I nearly lost my balance and the whisper of teeth nicked my clothes as I dived through the door and twisted, slamming the door shut.

The door rattled and a howl of rage shook the prison.

Spittle from the monster dripped down the back of my neck. My heart was pounding, so quickly that I thought it would stop dead. Kestrel and the Other were splayed on the floor.

I exhaled and leaned against the wall beside Kestrel, getting as far from the cell door as I could. Sweat dripped down my forehead, despite the chill.

"That was..." Kestrel whispered, and went silent.

The Other was breathing heavily on the floor. His face was obscured but the blood was a bright red leaking from his shoulder. His outfit was marred, the confident air he normally had was destroyed.

I calmed my pounding heart, chasing away the nip of anxiety. I couldn't give in to panic. I crouched down beside him, checking his shoulder.

"Let me see," I said. The wound was a long cut, which was probably caused by the whip. He let out a small moan as I moved his shoulder to get a good look at it.

"You saved me," he murmured. "Why?"

I could feel his gaze pierce my skin.

"Because I couldn't leave you in there. No one deserves that."

"Anyone else would have run," he said softly. His hand rested on my forearm.

"Use this!" Kestrel half shouted, interrupting our odd moment. She thrust a ripped piece of her top (which didn't look very sanitary) and I tied it over his wound. He moaned in pain as I tightened it.

The thwacking was a tiny bit louder in the distance and I winced as I helped him get to his feet. He was weak, but recovering now that the monster was gone. All three of us eyed the stairs which led upwards.

"Do you think it's going to be worse up there?" Kestrel asked.

"Is that even a question?" I responded, noting the stone steps worn by age. "This is only my second game, but it's harder than the last one."

"The games in the old part of the city are always worse," the Other muttered, and I turned to look at him. "Because they're closer to the centre of this place."

The centre? Our eyes connected again and I felt a faint spark of electricity.

"We need to go, guys, the Dungeon Master is still looking for us," Kestrel said, and I looked away from him.

As we ascended the stairs, the sound of shattering glass drifted from the upper floor.