I wake up alone and wrapped in something sticky and moist.

How much time passed while you were knocked out? You don’t have a clue. Every inch of your body is both sore and wrapped around itself. Your arms and stuck to your sides, and your legs are tied together.

You try moving, but it drains you of your energy in just a few seconds. “Fuck…”

You lay on your back with your eyes closed while you heave. The cave is glowing blue. Moisture drips from the ceiling and echoes when it hits the ground. At least there are no more webs…?

All your stirring makes it hard to hear the faint sound of the approaching figure advancing in your position. In fact, you hardly noticed them until they kicked your side. You heave and cough, squirming in your strong bonds.

“Stop squirming,” the voice complains. “I haven’t even hurt you yet.”

The cave doesn’t provide much light, even with its unnatural glow. So you squint and lookup. A short girl with dark hair in pigtails stares down at you. She blinks, but you see no reflection, so you figure it’s too dark to see any more of her facial details.

“Who are you?” You groan.

“That’s my question to ask,” she grunts, kicking you again. “So answer it!”

“Warren,” you manage. “Warren Visser…”

“I’ve never heard of you,” the girl leans in. Her makeup is coal-black around her eyes, and she has tattoos on her forehead, making it look like she has multiple eyes. “The girl won’t talk to me at all, so you’re already more useful.”

“My, uhm…traveling buddy? She’s alive then?” You try to move, but she places a foot on your chest. You clear your throat. “I’ll take that as a maybe.”

“I keep killing people, and someone comes back. Why is that? Can’t I just be left alone for more than a week? Do you like dying? Do you want to die?” She crushes down on your chest with her foot and then stomps on the ground in frustration. She sounds young; you just can’t pin down anything about her.

“If that could be avoided, I’d appreciate it,” there are so many questions you have to fight to ask that you start getting a headache. You know you’re in danger.

She crosses her arms and places her other two on her hips. “You should have just stayed away. I don’t like being bothered. And if I let you go, you’re going to bring your friends and call me.”

You double-take. You squint and lean forward. “What in the fuuuck?”

Her eyes widen, and her nose points at you as she leans in. “What is it?”

“What happened to you? You’ve got four fucking arms.”

“Some kind of fucking spider, right? Jackasses in the lab couldn’t even tell insects and arachnids apart,” the spider-girl spreads her arms out and looks down. “But. This isn’t about me. This is about you and what I should do.”

“Well,” you begin. “You could let me and my friend go. I can guaran-fucking-tee we won’t be coming back. That girl I came with doesn’t even like spiders.”

As soon as the words left your mouth, you wish they hadn’t. But, instead, the girl with four arms snarled and lifted you without effort. “I don’t like you, regular humans, either, yet I keep having to interact with them!”

Wrapped in your cocoon, you realize it’s hopeless to do anything other than talking since. So your only other option of defense was to lay down like a slug.

“I- I like spiders!” You retort. “I think you’re awesome, actually! I wish I had four arms and could spin webs.”

The girl lowers you, but it’s just to examine you. Her lips curl in a smug smile, and she grabs your head with her top set of arms and tilts your head. “I should kill you for lying.”

“I’m not lying!(?)” You stare at her. Now that you’re looking at her, you’re able to see more of her. She’s more human-like than you thought. You figure the tattoos on her face are more of a skin pattern of a genetic makeup than something self-inflicted. Her body is tight, fit, and well-built but was small, all considered. Her skin had a soft purple tint, and her eyes were black like a rodent but had more life behind them, giving her an intelligent look, even as she glared at you. Whether you were or went into spiders, you thought she looked kind of…cute in a weird alien way.

The girl must’ve picked up on your thoughts because she stuck you to the wall so she could get a better look at you. All you could do was remain stuck there until she decided something otherwise.

“I’ve had a lot of people plead and beg before, but to openly admit that they like spiders or that I’m cool-”

“I said you were awesome.” You cut in, slick-like.

She rolls her dark eyes and crosses all four of her arms as she starts tapping her feet. “Killing you seems like a waste. You aren’t as barbaric as the others. And you’re kind enough to talk to normally.” She then brushes back her hair. Her toned arms flex slightly as she breaks into a stretch. “But, judging by your uniform and overall appearance, people will come looking for you if you don’t return.”

You didn’t tell her that was unlikely since everyone seemed to expect you to die, but you weren’t going to give up your advantages for nothing. “That’s right. I promise you I wouldn’t tell a soul about you or this cave. Shit, I’d even lie and say I found some crazy bear in here and killed it.”

“How about your companion? The one that wouldn’t talk. Would she do the same thing as you?”

“I can’t speak for her,” you reply. “But, I know I can convince her to leave you alone.”

She groans in anger. “You’re not from around these parts. You’re literally the first person I’ve spoken to that’s even offered some like that. How dare you make me think about whether or not I should trust you!” She shouts and stomps and then starts pacing around.

“Well, what do you want to do for you to trust me.” You sigh. “I’m down to give you my pinkies for your trust. I only request that you make sure you finish off the person I’m with if you kill me. Quick and clean. And together.”

The spider-girl face goes slack. “You love her.”

Heat washes over your cheeks. “Love is a pretty strong word. I just care about her.”

“I think you love her.” The mutant then smiles and hugs herself and spins. “I wonder what it’s for someone to act in love with me! To be killed beside someone you cherish, how romantic!”

You try to say something, but before you can say anything, the girl continues. “Have you fucked each other raw in the woods yet? How about a cave or-”

“Hey, whoa! You can love someone and not fuck them! Think about like, family or like, the same gender.”

“So, you’re aren’t gay or attracted to someone in your family?” Her question seems genuine, but you aren’t sure how to reply. You didn’t expect it to turn so suddenly. “Heh, man, that’s weird. My brothers and I always played with each other.”

“Man, it got so hot in the cave right now. A-are you going to let me go or…?”

She eyes suspiciously. “Why are you in a rush?”

“Places to be,” you stammer. “Uhm, don’t want anyone to look for me either.”

“No one’s going to start looking for you so soon, are they?” She seemed a little saddened by the news. “We could chat and play for a little bit. Get to know each other.”

You stifle a laugh and squirm. “We’re both adults. We can chat if you’d like.”

“I’d rather play.” She says.