Kingdom Gone

WEBBED

Sam is having a blast.

"Do you see these things?" She yells from across the highway.

"Yeah, I see them. Believing? Still workin' on that." I call back, surrounded by what I think are animals.

We are walking along this wide overpass scattered with wrecked cars when a herd of these things came walking through. They're about waist height, walk on two legs like ostriches, but have no wings or arms or any other appendages, just a dog-like snout on their furry, oval shaped, bodies. They even pant like dogs, and sniff us as they pass by.

"So. Fucking. Creepy." Nijah, whispers, reaching out and touching one. All it did was sniff in her direction, but other than that, did nothing.

"Did the radiation do this to them?" Circe asked.

"Most likely. We've seen what it did to Arcadus and the Leviathan, maybe instead of making animals huge and scary, the ones exposed to huge, direct amounts turned into. . . Mutts." I pet one of the things, and it sniffs, then licks my hand.

Sam walks back over, one of the Mutts squirming in her bionic arm. "I'm gonna call him Droolius Caesar." As if planned, a huge pile of drool falls from its snout and splats on the asphalt.

"We don't need an animal sidekick, Sam. But there is some meat on them bones, so maybe-" Nijah stops mid sentence, looking around.

Before she could say what she sensed, all the Mutts begin howling and running, taking off as a herd down the highway.

"What is it, Nijah?" I ask, looking around.

"More than a dozen. Big. And right beneath us. We need to go."

We take off sprinting down the overpass, weaving between rusting cars. In just a few meters, we catch up with the herd, all of them stopped in front of. . . nothing. The road was open.

I make my way to the front of the herd and see the front row squirm and squeal, like they're trapped in some invisible net. The hell?

The Mutts begin to bark as a giant hairy leg reaches over the side of the overpass, then another. And another.

"What is that?" Circe whispers as the others join me.

Nijah slowly knocks an arrow back on her bow. "It's a giant-"

"Spider." I finish her sentence as the first enormous arachnid pulls itself over the side and onto the asphalt. It's body is the size large car, covered in thick brown hair, including its 20 foot long legs. Half a dozen black shiny eyes sit on the front of it's head, each the size of a cantaloupe.

"These fuckers were bad enough normal size." Nijah says, firing off an arrow directly into the mouth of the closest monster. It explodes, painting the road with green goop, the spider's body slumping and falling back over the edge. More legs reach over the side, the Mutts running around in circles.

"There's hundreds of these things. Their nest must be right below us!" Nijah says, shooting another spider.

"We have to get off the highway." I look at my phone map briefly. "Run to the next exit, I'll cover you guys."

I cradle my shotgun, running towards the nearest spider. My first shot severs a leg, making the monster fall. I run along the side, slicing at the hairy appendages with my katana, but I can't stop them all. One monster makes it over the edge and shoots a slimy stream of webbing at the girls, tripping Sam. I sprint back and run up it's back leg, stabbing my sword hilt deep into its abdomen. It lets out a pained squeal and tries to knock me off by bumping against the railing, but I press the muzzle of my shotty against its head and fire. The thing sways back and forth before falling back over the side. Before I jump off the spider, I catch a glimpse of the underside of the overpass, and see hundreds of these things emerging from holes in the ground and climbing up the support beams.

I roll when I land and sprint down the highway, shooting and slicing as I go. I spy the top of Circe's head disappear down the incline of the off ramp when the herd of Mutts catch up with me. As we run, I hear squeals come from them as the giant spiders chasing us shoot their webbing at them and reel them back down the highway. Suddenly a feel something splat against the back of my jacket, and yank me back a couple feet. My arm slips out of one sleeve, but I hold on with everything I have on the other.
"I swear to God if your webbing leaves a mark on this jacket, I'll come back and kill your entire extended family!" I yank my jacket towards me and slice the slimy substance off, then turn and take off sprinting down the off ramp.

As soon as I'm halfway down the incline, I see Sam throw a small car at me. Stunned, I drop down and slide underneath it, the back tire nearly taking my face off. I come to a stop and look back to see the vehicle mash a spider that must've been close on my heels. I give Sam a look as I join her and the others, and we run down the street into town, leaving the creepy arachnids behind.