Torment of Tantalus

by Bard Constantine

  Chapter 14: Araneae

  The fog gave way to rain so quickly that Elena didn’t notice when one ended and the other began. The downpour came from nowhere without warning, drenching them with shock-cold water and limiting visibility to only a few yards. The deluge created roiling streams that cut jagged lines through the moist earth, cascades of water fell from the heavy foliage like miniature waterfalls.

  “This is worse than the fog. Can’t see a thing.”

  It was hard to keep her voice controlled. Hard to maintain any semblance of normality when reality itself was being rewritten in the language of madness. She had no idea how they managed to get through the attack by the twisted, faceless monsters out of some horror movie. The training had taken over, turned her reflexes automatic. Adrenaline turned it all into a hazy stew. She was just glad to be alive.

  “Yeah.” Ariki stepped carefully, his eyes sharp for incoming threats. “Anything can be out there.”

  “This is crazy.” Hayes’ face was streaked with bug guts like camouflage. “This ain’t what I signed up for.”

  “Shut up, Hayes.” Ariki gave him a warning glance.

  “What—you just wanna pretend like Lurch wasn’t killed by faceless monsters with bugs for blood? What the hell is this place?” His face contorted. “I mean, did we die on that ship? Is this, well…you know?”

  “Seriously?” Nathan’s face was strained. Elena could tell he was trying hard not to keep his fear in check.

  “Hell yeah I’m serious. I can admit it. I never really thought about it before. You know, afterlife and all. How could I?” Hayes looked up with red-rimmed eyes. “I mean—I did some pretty bad things. You know, in the field. Things I’ve never told anyone. One time there was this kid, this stupid kid in Afghanistan that got too close to—”

  “Shut up, Hayes.” Ariki cautiously pushed aside a thick green leaf taller than he was. “We’ve all done things. You can’t dip your hands in blood and expect to come out clean.”

  Elena glanced at Nathan. He stared ahead with a blank expression. She had heard rumors. Something about him possibly killing his father. It was hard to imagine him hurting anyone. No wonder he was so remote.

  Hayes babbled on as if he couldn’t stop. “So what does that mean? You think we died on the ship? Maybe we all sank at sea, and this is where we were…taken?”

  Nathan blinked, then turned with a smirk. “You think we took a group trip to Hell? Like some discount if we all go together? Get a grip, man. We’re on an island engulfed by an Aberration. Deal with it.”

  “You deal with it, Nate. Maybe if you had more guts than mouth, Lurch would still be alive.”

  Elena felt her face flush. “Geez, Hayes. You just don’t stop, do you?”

  “Why are you always standing up for him, Ruiz? He your little bitch, is that it?”

  “I’m about this close to—”

  “To what, Ruiz? What are you gonna—”

  The threat abruptly ended when Nathan jabbed his handgun against Hayes’ temple. His face twisted into someone Elena didn’t recognize.

  “You think you’re in hell, Hayes? Keep pushing me, and I’ll send you there.”

  Hayes stared in disbelief. “You out of your mind, dude? You really wanna go ape-shit on your own detail? Get a grip, man.” His eyes rolled over at Elena. “Tell him, Ruiz.”

  She carefully laid a hand on Nathan’s arm. “Come on, Nate. Cool it.”

  His eyes darted from her to Hayes before he lowered his weapon. “Yeah. Okay.”

  “What the hell’s gotten into you, Nate? This isn’t you.”

  “Maybe you just don’t know me, Elena.” Without his glasses, his face looked different. Harder. That was unexpected. He was right—it was a side to him she had never seen before. Maybe the rumors were right.

  “You dipshits finished?” Ariki glared at them. “Or do you want to keep flexing on an island full of living nightmares?”

  “Tell him that.” Hayes gave Nathan a hard stare as he walked past. “You point heat at me again, you better pull the trigger. Psycho.”

  “Get your asses in gear. And try to keep up.” Ariki led the way, picking his steps carefully as he crossed a rushing stream. Hayes followed, scanning the murky foliage.

  Elena gestured to Nate. “Go. I’ll take rear.”

  He hesitated. “Maybe I should—”

  “Don’t argue with me. Just do it.”

  He gave her a shaky grin, but nodded without comment and fell in behind Hayes.

  “How’s your vision, Nate? Can you see without your glasses?”

  “It’s okay. I don’t really need them, anyway. Just a bit nearsighted is all. Don’t worry about it.”

  She was surprised by his resilience. He was a noted control freak with OCD tendencies, and had never seemed the type to quickly adapt to unexpected change. But he appeared almost calm, as though his earlier moment of panic had never occurred.

  Maybe he’s just holding it all in. God knows that’s all any of us can do right now.

  The terrain seemed to fight against them; slick, tangled, wet and dark. Even with the rain, it was still blazing hot. She glanced up. The canopy of vines and branches nearly obliterated any view of the sky. Everything was oversized, as though she and her squad had been shrunk to the size of ants. The foliage creaked and quivered, as though something heavy skittered across, just out of the range of sight…

  A hand dropped on her shoulder like a pale tarantula, jolting her from her thoughts. Stifling a scream, she spun around and raised her weapon.

  Sid Damon’s skeletal smirk greeted her. “I don’t think you understand the concept of rear guard at all, Private Ruiz.”

  ∞Φ∞

  “They came from everywhere.” Damon’s face was decorated by a fresh, livid gash that ran from scalp to chin. Blood oozed, mixing with the rain and painting his collar crimson. “We all got separated. Ravens were all over the place. Fighting the creatures. Like they were on our side or something.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in this business. Done a lot of things people might question. Never lost any sleep over it. But this…” His voice trailed off, eyes glazed and distant.

  Ariki nodded, his tattooed face grim. Hayes’ face was pale, his eyes lost as if in memory. Even Nathan seemed to understand. His lips were clamped together, his eyes locked on the moist ground.

  All of them are killers, even Nate. The thought was unsettling. Until the attack on the ship, Elena had never fired a round at a live target. She didn’t count the bizarre monstrosities as human, didn’t feel any guilt or remorse about their deaths. But to kill a human being, much less a number of them…she shuddered, not wanting to imagine what questionable things someone like Damon might have done.

  His fingers quivered when he lifted a damp cigarette to his lips. “But this. This is on another level altogether. I read the briefings, watched Michael McDaniel’s interviews, but still didn’t get it. Didn’t understand exactly what we were up against.”

  Ariki glanced up. “You think the others are still alive?”

  “I don’t know. I heard someone scream. Couldn’t say who it was. We all sound alike when we’re being torn to pieces. I doubt any of us are going to leave this place alive.” A mirthless grin slashed across his face.

  Elena swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. “Any idea what direction we’re heading?”

  “I tried climbing a tree to get a lay of things. Had to come back down.”

  “What, you scared of heights?” Hayes’ quivery smirk vanished when Sid impaled him with a withering stare.

  “No. There’s a lot of webbing up there.”

  “Webbing? Like…spider webs?”

  “Yeah. Like spider webs. If the spider were the size of a Humvee.”

  The group went silent as the comprehension settled in.

  Damon grimaced at his wet cigarette. He flicked it aside as he stood up. “Well, that’s enough rest. Got a feeling the longer we stay in one place, the more
likely the chance of something hunting us down.”

  “Can’t argue with that.” Ariki’s heavy muscles flexed when he hefted his belt-fed MCR AR15 rifle. “We need to keep moving. This is an island. Can’t be too hard to find a laboratory on it.”

  “Supposedly,” Nathan said. His expression was dejected, his voice monotone.

  “What do you mean, ‘supposedly?’ It was in the briefing report. The lab is somewhere in the vicinity.”

  Nathan gazed at their rain-drenched surroundings. “Yeah it could be. It could just as well be another dimension, too.”

  Hayes scratched his head. “You mean…like another world?”

  “Who knows? That storm came from out of nowhere. It’s been verified that ships and planes have vanished without a trace in the Bermuda Triangle. Where did they go?”

  “The bottom of the ocean,” Ariki said. “Simplest explanation.”

  “Yeah, maybe. Or maybe they came here. Michael claimed he saw Guy enter into another dimension. Maybe we crossed the threshold in the storm. Maybe we’re not in our plane of existence at all.”

  Ariki shook his head. “Look, I like to keep things simple. Here’s simple: this is an island. Meaning we keep moving and eventually cover enough ground to find this laboratory. Maybe even find our missing scientists. Either way, it’s gotta be better shelter than out here.”

  Damon nodded. “Suits me. We’ll follow your lead. I’ll cover your rear.” He leered at Elena. “Unless you want to put your lives in Private Ruiz’s hands again.”

  She snatched up her MK8 and slung it over her shoulder. “Whatever, Damon.”

  “Don’t feel too bad, Private. I’d have thought you and your little boyfriend would be dead by now.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  Raspy laughter scraped from his throat. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

  ∞Φ∞

  The rain continued its assault. Floodwaters roared by, swallowing the dry ground. At the most shallow, the water was ankle deep. But sudden drops into waist deep or higher were frequent, and nearly everyone had to be hauled out at one point or another.

  It’s a miracle none of us have drowned yet. But in this place, it’s only a matter of time before something awful happens.

  The jungle was another enemy; thick with hazards, rank with the scent of rot. It tripped them up with hidden footfalls, restrained them with thick creepers and vines, oppressed them with stifling humidity. All the while, the sensation of watching eyes prickled Elena’s skin. Every shadow quivered with movement, every branch and leaf swayed from winds that never touched her. The rainforest seemed to grow thicker and more menacing with every faltering step she took. Whispers prickled her ears, obscene murmurs just out of range of comprehension, sick giggles and garbled undertones coagulated with the promise of torment.

  “This ain’t cool, man.” Hayes licked his lips and flinched at every sudden movement. “This ain’t cool at all.”

  “Stay focused.” Ariki’s voice was calm, but Elena wasn’t fooled. She knew he felt it too. It was as if the jungle was about to vomit madness all over them. Ahead of her, Nathan’s head jerked back and forth, as if he feared an attack from his blind side. She glanced behind to see if Damon was affected as well.

  He wasn’t there. Only pouring rain and blurred forestry were visible. Her breath caught in her throat. “Hold up.”

  Ariki had to yell over the roar of the deluge. “What is it?”

  “Damon’s gone.” She gestured helplessly.

  Ariki plodded over to stand beside her. He squinted into the heavy rain, gritting his teeth. “Dammit, what the hell?”

  “They got him, man.” Hayes jerked his rifle back and forth. “Didn’t hear nothing. We’re next. We’re next, you hear me?”

  Ariki seized Hayes by the collar. “Cool it, Hayes. Try to keep it together for once in your life.”

  Hayes looked about to explode in a wide-eyed tirade, but was cut off when his feet left the ground. Only Ariki’s grip on his collar stopped him from being yanked upward with irresistible force. Ariki quickly dropped his machine gun and secured a grip with his other arm. Even then his muscles strained from the effort of trying to pull Hayes back down.

  With Hayes yelling and flailing his limbs, it took a few seconds for Elena to see the almost transparent threads latched onto his back and shoulders. The strands stretched into the gloomy canopy, where they were swallowed by darkness. But Elena felt it. The nearly overwhelming sensation quivered across her skin like diseased, dead fingers.

  Something terrible is up there.

  Gunfire erupted from behind her. She automatically flinched and ducked before realizing the shots were aimed upward, at their unseen enemy. Leaves and branches showered down from the deadly barrage.

  Damon stepped from a tangle of thick, green brush, firing his HK417 in methodical bursts. His eyes gleamed, a tiny smile scrawled across his face. He looked as though there was no other place he wanted to be.

  Elena raised her own rifle and joined in. Looking into the gloom, it was clear that a massive shadow was moving across the branches, some misshapen form that looked too large for the limbs to support.

  Don’t think about it. Just shoot.

  She opened her mouth in a wild yell as she squeezed her rounds off, her shots mingling with Damon’s in a concert of blazing gunfire. Nathan joined in as well, firing twin handguns in the same general vicinity. Ariki was finally able to pull Hayes back to the ground, where they both fell into a deep, muddy pool.

  A squirming, multi-limbed creature tumbled from the gloomy darkness, snapping thick branches in its wake. It struck the ground with enough force to spray the entire group with cascades of dirty water. She shrank back from the twitching abomination, desperately trying to hold back the urge to vomit.

  The spider was a writing tangle of irregular limbs and pale meat. The abdomen was grotesquely oversized and nearly opaque; milky liquid swirled with formations that looked almost like screaming human faces pressed against the membrane. The rest of the body was covered with long, wiry hairs. The thorax was fused with a head that appeared to be all eyeballs and quivering feelers. Something like a human shriek emitted from a maw lined with protruding fangs.

  Elena couldn’t tear her eyes away. She couldn’t escape. All she could do was keep shooting, unloading her entire magazine into the thrashing monstrosity. The others followed suit until the roar of muzzle fire drowned out the angry rain. Bristly, elongated legs were shredded, the abdomen exploded in a spray of milky white. Green guts mingled with red blood when the ammo was finally spent. The creature’s body was pulp, steaming and raw.

  She looked at the others. Nathan had already turned away, propped against a nearby tree trunk as though his legs were useless. Hayes’ face was twisted in a mask of revulsion, seemingly unable to stop staring at the thing that had nearly captured him. Ariki focused on reloading his firearm, but the occasional glances he gave the creature were enough. He was as shocked as any of them.

  Damon returned Elena’s gaze with a tight grin. “That’s how you carry rear duty, Private.”

  She hesitated before giving him a curt nod. “Thanks.”

  He seemed about to respond, but froze instead, scanning the treetops. “Time to go.”

  She looked up. The branches thrashed as dark shapes skittered across them.

  A great many dark, skittering shapes.

  “Go!” Damon clenched his teeth and fired upward.

  Command became action. Elena and the rest of them ran.

  The jungle was a green blur, shrouded by rain and shadows. Ariki led the way, pausing only to fire a few volleys at their pursuers. At times he unloaded at the foliage, clearing a path for the rest to follow. Hayes ran alongside, cursing and screaming in alternating intervals. Nathan sprinted just ahead of Elena, and Damon breathed down her neck from behind.

  “Faster, dammit! They’re right on our six!”

  Someone yelled directly ahead. Elena plowed through a tangl
e of vines and heavy leaves before arms seized her. She thrashed with wild strength, nearly smothered by paralyzing panic. She and her attacker staggered as she fought to free herself…

  “Calm down, Elena! It’s me.”

  She exhaled violently when she recognized Nathan’s voice. She sagged in his arms, trembling from the sudden drop of adrenaline.

  “Nate…what the hell—?”

  Her heart nearly exploded from her chest when she saw why he stopped her so suddenly.

  They had come to the edge of a sheer cliff. The opposite edge was more than forty yards away, overlain with vines that draped over the edge until they were lost in a cloud of mist. The river below was a frothy, furious serpent, but the drop was too steep to attempt a dive. It would be suicide to jump from that distance.

  There was nowhere to go.

  “Where’s Ariki?”

  Hayes turned around, looking on the verge of a massive panic attack. “He couldn’t stop. He fell. I…I didn’t see him after he hit the water.”

  Elena turned around. Daman ran toward them at full speed, his eyes wide with disbelief. “What are you stopping for? They’re right behind me!”

  “It’s a cliff, Damon. The fall is too steep to—”

  Damon never slowed. He brushed past them and leaped into open air. They stared in shock as he fell faster than she thought possible, dwindling before her eyes. A tiny splash was the only register that he struck the water.

  Spittle flew from Hayes’ quivering lips. “Oh my God!”

  Elena turned toward the jungle and opened fire, spacing her shots to cover as much space as possible. The branches swayed with the weight of the grotesque bodies. One of the spiders toppled to the waterlogged ground in an explosion of broken branches, but the rest continued to advance with nightmarish speed.

  There were too many of them.

  “The hell with this, man.” Hayes nearly sobbed as he took a deep breath.