The Human Hunter

Chapter 10

"Man, it's nice to be out once in awhile," Goliath said cheerfully as he took in a deep breath of the crisp night air.

Widow didn't seem nearly as excited as he shrugged and mumbled out a bland "I suppose." He had already finished what he'd wanted of the meal he'd picked up before leaving the colony and discarded the remains of the dissolving cat in a small wooded area where it could be picked up by scavengers.

"You always got to go out, you little bastard hunter. I barely ever get to see the light of day, being a guard to the crazy humans you people bring in and working with the kids on my off time," Goliath grumbled, though there was a teasing tone to his words. Widow knew that he enjoyed working the children, too. He wished that he was allowed to be around them more often.

"You always manage to sneak out and pick up children, though," Widow said as he stopped atop a wooden fence. The sun was drifting slowly behind the homes that surrounded them, casting long shadows across trimmed lawns. He knew this was likely to be his last trip above ground, but he wouldn't let the thought bring him down.

"At least whoever killed Dects and those other guys isn't around here any longer. I can smell the kin's scent, but it's not very strong," Widow said.

Goliath walked over, easily balancing his massive form atop the sturdy white privacy fence.

"Yeah, the webbing was still completely in tact and it doesn't look like they stayed to feed, either. We also didn't see any newly spun stuff, so they probably just left after killing him... but something doesn't make sense."

"True. Normally only spiders that consider an area their territory will spin such a large web. They're too big an energy drain if they don't plan to use them to hunt," Widow added as he glanced in the direction of a sound that he could barely make out nearby. After sniffing the air, he also noticed a scent that was familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

"So, a possible rogue from our colony, or somehow, someone unrelated we haven't noticed, has been living right under our noses," Goliath replied as he followed the direction of his friend's gaze.

"I think I saw the kin that did all of that. It was completely covered in different spiders when I saw it inside one of our outpost houses. People were sent to check it out hours later and they found the three corpses of the kin stationed there," Widow said as they walked over two more lengths of fence before finding the cause of the sound, seemingly at the same time.

The little boy had light, curly blond hair and was sitting in a backyard close to where they were. Walking over with Goliath on his heels, Widow watched the child with slight curiosity. He had one small fist balled over his mouth, coughing as if he were unable to catch his breath. Widow tilted his head up slightly, taking in a deep breath to try and figure out if there was a specific scent in the air that would give him a clue as to why the child was coughing. If he had to guess, he would say that it was one of the many disgusting habits humans had.

"I smell it. Cigarettes," he said after only a moment.

Goliath nodded beside him and sighed.

"The door is open a little. See the woman inside?" the larger man said with a hint of upset in his voice as he pointed toward the home.

Widow nodded, then sighed as the little boy continued to cough.

"He probably has asthma, and the woman just doesn't care," Goliath added, clearly upset.

Widow felt conflicted for the first time during a job. He hadn't been told to retrieve the boy, and he'd never tried to save a human, but... When he felt the fence jostle slightly, he looked back over at his friend.