Haven: Revenge of the Viper (10 page)

She was a great mother. It was a shame he didn’t tell her that more often. He would have to fix that going forward, he thought. Sam cleared his throat, pulled out a piece of paper that had been in his pocket and began to roll it between his finger tips.

“Mom?” he said, almost hoping she wouldn’t answer.

Alisa lifted one of her eye lids slightly startled.

“Hey, Sam …” she said sleepily. Sam’s gaze fell from his mother to the floor the moment she looked at him.

“Um, I wanted to talk to you about something.” She opened her other eye and turned her head toward Sam.

“Okay … is everything all right?” Her tone was cautious now, not knowing whether to be worried or not yet.

He began to straighten out the paper with his fingers. He cleared his throat, trying not to sound so nervous.

“Well, yeah I’m okay, but what I wanted to say was about the other night, I’m—”

“Dinner is served, so come and get it!” Sarah said abruptly.

Sam almost jumped out of his skin. He looked up at Sarah with a grimace. Sarah frowned, mouthing the words “What did I do?”

He shook his head and looked back down at his mother, but she was not looking at Sam anymore. She was staring at the small piece of paper in his hand.

“Sam, where did you get that?” she asked. Her tone was serious now.

“What?” Sam asked.

Alisa sat up quickly and grabbed Sam’s forearm.

“Sam, where did you get this?” Her voice was loud and he could tell she was frightened.

Sam looked down at the paper, not realizing what he had in his hand. It was the candy wrapper he found in Mrs. Cambridge’s front lawn. The candy wrapper that belonged to the stranger.

“I found it outside,” he said, feeling her grip tighten on his arm.

“When, Sam? When did you find it?”

“The other day, outside. Why? What’s wrong?

Travis and Sarah both turned at the commotion to see Alisa leap from the couch.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Sarah asked, her smile fading.

“They’ve found us, they know we’re here! We’re in danger!” Alisa said, clearly frightened.

“Mom, who are you talking about? Are you talking about the man in the coat?” Sam asked, trying to keep up.

Alisa’s face turned white. She got up from the couch and headed quickly toward the kitchen.

“Kids, get in the car now!”

Travis looked at Sam; they stared at one another for a moment, knowing that once again they had stumbled onto something bad.

“Mom, why are we leaving? What’s going on?” Sarah asked insistently.

Alisa desperately searched the kitchen counter for her car keys. “Where are the keys?” she yelled. She turned to look back at Sam who stood frozen by the couch. His face had gone pale and his eyes were fixed on something above him.

Alisa followed his gaze with her own eyes until she saw what Sam was looking at. Moving from the ceiling down the living room walls were hundreds of black and green spiders, scurrying in a massive swarm toward her son.

“Run, Sam, run!” Alisa yelled.

Chapter 8

S
am ran around the couch and into the kitchen to join the others. His eyes were still trained on the multiplying spiders across the room. He stood in a tight circle with his mother, Travis, and Sarah, watching as the rest of the living room was covered by the swarm of spiders. Thin, black, hairy legs carried the spiders down the walls of the house, onto the floor, and over the couch, until the entire living room was alive with movement.

“Mom, what’s happening? Where are they all coming from?” Sarah cried out.

“Everyone stay close!” Alisa shouted back in response.

She turned to open the kitchen door but suddenly stopped when she saw more spiders scurrying between the door and its frame, swarming in from the outside.

The house began to creek and the walls shuddered with the movement of the spiders. Sam watched as deep cracks spread across the kitchen ceiling and small pieces of plaster fell to the floor. The light fixture above them fell loose to one side, exposing several wires. Sarah and Travis jumped away, startled, as sparks rained down. The light flickered on and off like a slow-moving strobe light.

Hundreds of black and green spiders descended from the ceiling cracks on thin, emerald strands of silk. Their tiny legs twitched in rapid succession as their bodies spun in slow circles until they reached the counters and floor.

Everyone stood motionless, watching as the first group of spiders migrated from the living room to the kitchen within seconds. Their long legs tapped the hard wood so fast it seemed like they were gliding across the floor.

The screeching sound they made was all too familiar to Sam and Travis; thoughts of their escape from the cave were still fresh on their minds. Sam would never forget their round bodies with the three green stripes and small circle near their heads. Just the sight of them made him cringe.

The spiders quickly overwhelmed the kitchen, covering the counters and floor in green and black. At first, Sam thought they were moving into the kitchen to attack them, but that was not the case. It looked like the spiders had no interest in them whatsoever. They scurried by, less than an inch in front of where Sam, Travis, Sarah, and Alisa were standing, but never once broke formation. They had one purpose in mind, and that was to gather in the center of the kitchen.

“Back, children! Back!” Alisa shouted as she continued to edge the group against the wall and out of the room, giving the spiders room to maneuver around them.

She glanced to the front door as a means of escape but it too was covered in spiders. The spiders had formed one wide, winding path that lead from the front door to the kitchen. There was no way out. They were trapped.

Sam stood gawking at the large gathering of creatures as they jumped and climbed over one another. It wasn’t the mass chaos it looked like, he thought. The spiders were working together within the pile. They were trying to reach a predetermined location. Just looking at them made Sam’s stomach turn. Rapidly, the pile grew larger, and within seconds it had transformed into what looked like a small mountain in the kitchen. It must have been at least six feet tall.

“Mom, we have to get out of here!” Sarah shouted. Her voice trembled as she yelled and her hands were shaking violently. Sam glanced over at Sarah; he had never seen her so scared in his life. Her once olive skin was now pallid and pasty with fear, drained of all color.

“I’m with her!” Travis agreed. His skin looked clammy too, but he was calm as he spoke.

“Move over near the fireplace!” Alisa said, pointing in the direction of the living room. Not a single spider remained in the room beyond them; it was as if nothing had ever been there. Sam, Sarah, and Travis moved quickly past the pile of spiders to the fireplace as instructed.

Alisa looked to the living room window and front door again as a possible exit. But this time it wasn’t spiders that stopped her, but a tremor in the air. The feeling grew more intense as the tremor became stronger. But there was no mistaking it now—something was definitely blocking the air current around her home.

Frustrated, Alisa cursed herself; it had been too long since she had used the elements. This was something she should have felt early on. The rebounding current could only mean one thing—a Binding spell. Someone, or something, must have cast the spell around the house once they were all together, locking them in and everything else out. There would be no way out now. She would have to hold the spiders off until the spell was broken from the outside.

“I think we have a problem,” Travis said, his hand quivering as he pointed to the kitchen.

The large mass of spiders had begun to change shape, becoming flatter and longer, fusing into something much more dense than before. Flashes of white burst from its center, sending narrow bands of light streaming out in every direction.

Alisa stood, bracing herself in front of the children. The light was so intense that she could hardly look at it. Sarah and Travis shielded their eyes and Sam covered his as well, but he made sure to keep one eye on his mother who stood bravely in front of them.

The sound of dying spiders filled the room with a deafening, ear-piercing screech. Sam watched as their bodies twisted and melted together in a morbid self-sacrifice. A black sheen fell upon the mound as the last of the spiders dissolved. Sam’s shoulders tightened and his forehead began to sweat.
This is not going to be good,
he thought.

Alisa saw the mound slowly begin to move, sliding, inching its way across the kitchen floor and into the living room toward them. The flashes of light made it difficult for Alisa to see, but she noticed not a single spider remained, only a solid black mass that was ever changing.

Small lumps surfaced randomly around a thin, black membrane. Something was pushing its way out from the inside. Alisa swallowed hard as she saw the likeness of a human skull press and stretch against the horrid cocoon. There was something alive in there and it was trying to get out.

Suddenly, a long arm tore its way free from the black mass, revealing a gloved hand. Alisa's body went numb, and Sarah gasped and covered her mouth. Travis was staring so hard that his eyes appeared damp and overly bright.

“I’m guessing whatever that is won’t be happy when it gets out,” Travis said, his voice cracking. Sam couldn’t speak; he couldn’t feel his legs either. But he could feel his heart pounding in his ribcage.

A pair of boots and a man’s legs were the next recognizable features to penetrate the cocoon, followed by its waist, chest, and shoulders.

“Mom, what … what is that?” Sarah whispered. Alisa could feel her daughter trembling as she touched her shoulder. Sarah was beginning to become unhinged. Travis reached over next to the fireplace with one hand and grabbed a shovel from the collection of fireplace tools that hung suspended on a pewter stand. With the other hand he gently pushed Sarah behind him. Sarah looked at Travis and hesitated, unsure what to do.

“I’m not going to let anything hurt you,” Travis said. His tone was absolute. She nodded, somewhat shocked, and stepped behind Travis who turned and stood resolute in front of her. Not knowing what to do, Sam did the same and grabbed the poker from the fireplace, holding it out in front of him.

The flashes of light from the cocoon began to dissipate; one by one each stream of light was silenced by the darkness, leaving only the tall ominous figure standing in front of them. The room fell silent except for a slow methodical hiss reverberating from the dark creature.

It was tall and extremely muscular. It had a flat black exoskeleton with overlapping scales that covered its entire body like a snake. Alisa stepped back as the menacing creature stepped forward. Its red reptilian eyes pierced the dark hood that hung like a veil, concealing its face in shadow.

Sarah was the first to react when she saw the creature in its full form. Her shaking hand grabbed Travis’s arm.

“That’s no spider,” she whispered. Her voice was quivering and her eyes were wide and fixed at the bottom of the creature’s traveling cloak. It was moving, writhing back and forth in a serpentine motion around its feet as if it were alive.

A hand, the size of a normal man’s, firmly gripped a staff. Part of the creature’s black glove was torn up to its forearm, revealing sallow skin that was cracked and weathered like rotted wood. Its fingernails were long and stained with blood.

The creature’s staff was a twisted, tangled array of human bone and dark wood. The pommel was a single protruding serpent with eyes made of crimson gemstones that flickered in the dim light.

Alisa stared in horror; her heart was racing, adrenaline pumped through her body, and her senses were as alive as they had ever been.

“No,” she said, “it … it can’t be.”

Sarah’s grip tightened around Travis’s arm. He was tense but if he was scared he didn’t show it in his face. He seemed intent on protecting her and that gave Sarah the courage to speak.

“Mom,” she asked softly, “what does it want with us?”

Alisa stared in disbelief at the creature she had helped to eradicate so long ago. Its menacing form was all too familiar from her days of battle in the Great War. But here it was in her home—a Viper, and it was alive.

“Sarah, don’t speak. None of you move,” Alisa commanded. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Suppression keeps you calm; calm places you in control,
she thought to herself.

“You will not hurt my children!” she said sharply to the creature in front of her.

The Viper stood motionless, its eyes moving slowly back and forth between her and the children. Its bloodcurdling hiss was once again the only audible sound in the room.

Alisa was running out of time; that much she knew. The Viper was sizing her up and soon it would unleash its dark magic on both her and the children. She could not let that happen, she told herself. She would have to hold it off and buy time for Xavier to break the spell. He was out there and he was trying to save her, she had to believe that. Without that, there was no hope of survival.

Alisa eyed the Viper’s flowing black cloak gliding on the floor as if a gentle breeze were blowing it. But there was no breeze; the cloak was alive, and it was just one of the many weapons the Viper had at its disposal.