They Came After Me

by C S Allen

  “My God, what the hell just happened?” Olivia asked, as she got up off the floor.

  I looked back at Olivia and then saw Emma lying on the seat. “Emma, it’s okay to get up now. It looks like a part of a tree fell on the hood,” I stated.

  Emma sat back up and looked at the windshield. “Don’t ever ask again, ‘how much worse can it get,’ Will, my nerves can’t take any more of this crap,” Emma said.

  “Uh guys? I don’t think trees bleed,” Olivia said, as she pointed toward the front.

  I turned around to face the windshield and saw red streaks trickling down from the top edge. “What the . . .?” I stated. I opened the car door, took a step out, and looked at the hood. I wasn’t prepared to see what was lying on the car. “Oh my God,” I said in disbelief.

  I didn’t hear the girls get out of the car to look at what I was seeing. Their screams made me wake from my shock at seeing Mike broken up on the windshield and hood. I didn’t know what to do next as I heard the girls screaming and calling out Mike’s name. I was totally out of reality, and everything seemed to just slow down like I was underwater.

  “Will, Will, Will!” Olivia yelled at me to get my attention.

  I looked over at her and Emma standing on the other side of the car. “Let’s just run for it. We don’t need this car!” I looked back at Will and then looked up at the trees, wondering how he had fallen from the sky. Through the rain, I could see what looked like cobwebs on the treetops. Why would there be massive cobwebs covering the trees? I thought. I looked back at Mike’s broken body and saw that he looked like he was partially covered with webbing.

  Hisss!

  I looked in the direction of the sound and then Olivia yelled, “Get in the car!”

  I looked over at Olivia, who was pushing Emma backwards, and wondered why she was yelling.

  Hisss!

  I looked again and could see something black in the woods; it was coming our way and had a lot of legs to it.

  “William! Get in the fucking car!” Emma yelled.

  I quickly got back into the car and slammed the door closed. “Lock the doors!” I yelled, as I locked the two front doors. Whatever that thing was in the woods made me shake with fright. It looked like a giant spider in my mind, and logic told me that it had to be. Webs in the trees, Mike covered in webs, and Steve was pulled under with what looked like a spider leg. We all stared in the direction of where that black mass was.

  “We have to get out of here or we’re gonna die,” Olivia said somberly.

  “Guys, was that a friggin’ giant spider that we just saw?” Emma asked us.

  “I don’t know, but I’m starting this car and pushing this damn tree out of the way,” I replied. No one argued if I should or shouldn’t try to push the tree out of the way. The car was big enough, and I didn’t care if the tree broke the whole front end.

  “Okay, here we go,” I said. I started the car and quickly put it into drive and crept up against the tree. I gave the car some more gas as the tree was moving slowly out of the way until it caught another tree and got stuck. “Shit!” I yelled.

  The car started sounding rough, and I thought that it was going to seize up. I didn’t want to be stuck on the dirt road and have to stay in the car while whatever that thing was came to kill us. I put the car into reverse, turned my body around to look out the back window, and drove back toward the cabin.

  Chapter Seven

  “Will, what are you doing?” Emma asked. I didn’t say anything because it was obvious that I was going back. “No, no, no, we can’t go back to the cabin, Will. We have to get out of here!” Emma yelled this time.

  I stopped the car right at the front door of the cabin and turned off the ignition. “We can live in this car or go back into the cabin and figure something out. Whatever that thing is out there, it’s killing us one by one. It’s dark out there with this shit storm going on, and I’m cold as shit. I’m going back inside and whatever you two want to do is fine with me,” I said and turned back around to the front of the car and reached for the door handle.

  “We’re going with you, Will,” Olivia stated.

  The cabin door was still wide open just like we had left it, and the three of us went inside and closed the door. I quickly went to the back door and closed that one as well and pushed the kitchen table against it.

  “Let’s put together some kind of plan before we all go crazy here,” Olivia stated.

  “I can’t take anymore of seeing this place. I just want to go home and wake up from this bad dream,” Emma stated, sitting down on the couch.

  “First of all, we can’t go outside without worrying about that thing coming after us. Second, we are trapped here because the car can’t get past that damn tree. Third, the wood for the fire is soaking wet so we can’t have a fire,” I stated.

  “No, we can have a fire by using the chairs to burn. The headboard and footboard to the bed are wooden, so if we need those, we are going to use them to keep warm,” Olivia said.

  “I can’t believe this is happening to us. I don’t understand what’s going on,” Emma said, while shaking her head in disbelief.

  “We’re going to war with that thing out there. We have to survive any way possible, even if it means killing it before it gets us,” Olivia stated.

  “Okay, what do we know about this thing so far?” I said, looking at the girls.

  “It’s big and looks like a black spider,” Emma stated.

  “It hisses, and there are webs in the trees,” Olivia replied.

  “You were swimming with Steve and he went underwater. And now Mike falls from the sky or the trees,” I said to Olivia.

  “Spiders can’t swim first of all, and spiders are not the size of a dog. However, there’s big-ass cobwebs in the trees, and something with a lot of legs walking around outside. Can we please come up with something rational that we are dealing with?” Emma asked.

  “Guys, I know this is going to sound stupid, but could it be an alligator or a wolverine?” I asked.

  “Maybe it was one of those things,” Emma stated.

  “Well, how did Mike fall from the sky?” Olivia asked.

  “He could have climbed a tree while injured and maybe died up there and fell out,” I stated.

  “We have to kill this damn thing before it kills the rest of us. I can’t take this shit being scared anymore. We have to make weapons right now and then get the hell out of here,” Olivia stated, as she walked toward the bedroom.

  “What are you thinking of, Olivia?” I asked, following her.

  “I think if we can use the footboard or the headboard posts for spears, then we can defend ourselves,” Olivia stated, while grabbing hold of the footboard post.

  “Damn, I’m not doing so good as a man protecting anyone here, I’m sorry, you guys,” I said, looking at Emma, as she walked into the bedroom.

  “I always knew you were a pussy, Will, and lately you’ve proven it to us,” Olivia said, smiling, while unscrewing a bedpost.

  “Well, if we are being honest, Olivia, I always thought you were a pretty bull dyke who didn’t know if she wanted a guy or a girl,” I said, pointing at her and then at Emma.

  “Funny you should say that, Will, I thought the same thing about you,” Emma said, laughing.

  Olivia grabbed two bedposts off of the footboard and put them on the floor. “Excuse me, you two, but if you move out of the way, I can do better,” Olivia said, pushing by me and then Emma. Olivia went to the headboard next and started to unscrew another bedpost. “Shit, this one is cracked right down the middle,” Olivia said and dropped that one onto the bed. “I have one more to get, and that one better not be broken in the corner,” Olivia stated, as she climbed over the bed on her knees, and then unscrewed the last bedpost. “Yes, perfect. We have three weapons to use as spears!”

  Hisss!

  “Son of a bitch, I hate that thing!” Emma yelled.

  I ran over to the window to see if I could see out front and
find whatever it was that was making the noise. Then we heard a commotion on the roof like something had fallen with a thud and rolled off the roof toward the backyard.

  “What the hell now?” I said, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Just you wait, bitch, I’m going to kill you,” Olivia said, looking up at the ceiling and shaking one of the bedposts. “Damn right,” Olivia stated, looking nervous.

  “What do you guys think about covering our windows from whatever it is out there?” I said, looking at Olivia.

  Olivia didn’t hesitate at answering my question. She grabbed ahold of the mattress and started to pull it off. “Give me a hand, Will, let’s put it up against the window standing up,” Olivia said, while pointing at one side of the mattress. We got the window secured and then decided to use the box spring mattress for the living room.

  When I pulled the box spring mattress off of the bed frame, we were surprised at what we found.

  “Holy shit, is that a rifle?” Emma asked.

  I dropped the box spring halfway off the frame and just stared at the rifle with shock. “Hell yeah, it is!” I stated, while Olivia quickly reached over the footboard to pick it up.

  “There’s ammo also, guys!” Olivia said, pointing down at the box spring. I pulled the rest of the box spring off of the frame and held it.

  “I have never used one of those before,” Emma said, looking at Olivia holding the rifle.

  “That’s okay because I have,” Olivia stated, while checking to see if the rifle was loaded.

  “Is that a shotgun or just a regular rifle, Olivia?” I asked.

  “It’s a regular rifle, Will, but it will take down a bear if I hit it. Move that thing out of the way so I can get some ammo,” Olivia said, waving me out of the way.

  “Let me go put this against the living room window, and I’ll be right back,” I said. It seemed like it was late in the evening as I walked into the living room because of the stormy weather outside. I was thinking about what we were going to use for water and food. We had plenty of water at the lake, but I wasn’t going to go outside with whatever that thing was out there. The other thing I wondered was how we were going to sharpen the bedposts with just steak knives. As I walked over to the window and placed the box spring against it, I saw something lying on the ground. It was about six feet long, close to the car, and looked almost human. I just couldn’t see it well enough because of the darkness and the rain coming down against the window.

  “Hey guys, come here a minute. I need you to look out this window and tell me what you see,” I yelled, while keeping an eye on whatever was lying on the ground.

  Olivia came up behind me with the rifle and asked, “What do you need, boy?”

  “What do you see over there by the car?”

  Olivia stared for a moment and gasped. “Oh God, please no, no, I can’t look anymore,” Olivia stated and looked away.

  “What’s wrong, Olivia?” Emma asked, walking from the bedroom.

  I was concerned about what would cause Olivia to look away like that. “Olivia, what’s wrong?” I asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

  Olivia had tears running down her face and said, “It’s Steve out there.”

  Emma and I both looked at each other and then looked out the window. When I heard what Olivia said, I had at least ten questions run through my mind at the same time. How was that Steve out there, and how would he get from being dead in the water to the front yard? I couldn’t see what Olivia was seeing, so I asked her how she knew that was Steve outside.

  Just as Olivia started to say a word, Emma interrupted and said, “She’s right, Will, it’s Steve.”

  I just couldn’t see what they were seeing. “Give me the rifle, Olivia, I have to go out there and see for myself,” I stated, while holding my hand out for the rifle.

  “Just point and pull the trigger if you need to, Will,” Olivia said somberly.

  Emma stopped looking out the window when she heard that I was going to go outside and looked at me. “Please don’t go out there, Will, I’m scared.”

  “It’s going to be all right, I have a rifle, just watch me out the window,” I stated to the girls.

  “If you see that thing that killed them, Will . . . make it suffer,” Olivia stated, looking at the rifle.

  I did a quick look out the window and didn’t see anything and then headed to the door. I opened the door just an inch and looked again before heading out. I quickly closed the door behind me and held the rifle like a soldier at war. Once I cleared the front porch, I turned around and pointed the rifle at the rooftop. It was clear from any monster that may have been lurking around, thank goodness. I quickly turned back around and trained the rifle onto whatever it was on the ground. The rain was causing me to be half blind because it was coming down so hard on me. I slowly crept toward what now looked like a person on the ground. The girls were right; it was Steve. I was in disbelief. How is this Steve on the ground in front of me? I asked. Why does he look like the life has been sucked out of him? I couldn’t bear to look at my friend like that; it was awful. After confirming that it was Steve lying there, I turned to walk back to the cabin.

  Thunder struck again, causing me to jump and pick up my speed. Just then, I heard screaming coming from the cabin, and I quickly looked toward the living room window. Emma and Olivia were hitting the window and screaming at me to turn around. I turned around without pointing the rifle and saw something coming from down the dirt road in my direction.

  Hisss! Hisss!

  “Will, get inside!” Olivia yelled from the open front door.

  I was mesmerized by the way the thing was moving left and then right, coming towards me. Then I felt Olivia grab me by my shirt collar and pull me backwards inside the cabin.

  Emma slammed the door shut and then locked it behind us.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Olivia yelled. “Why did you just stand there looking at that thing out there?” Olivia asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything move like that. What was it?” I asked Olivia.

  “Do I look like I know what the hell that was? I was too busy trying to save your ass from getting killed,” Olivia stated.

  We heard the hiss again, and then it got on the roof somehow. The thing was walking everywhere on the roof, scaring us three almost to death. Emma was now visually shaken.

  “Wha, why didn’t you shoot that damn thing, Will?” Emma asked me. Her eyes were wide open.

  “I forgot what the hell I was doing. You two freaked me out by yelling and screaming to turn around, and then when I did turn, I was trying to figure out what I was looking at.”

  Olivia was standing against the door. “We are going to kill that damn thing from inside this cabin, guys. From now on, we will be watching out these windows for that thing, and when we see it, we’re going to shoot it. Right Will?” Olivia said, pointing at the rifle.

  “I’ve never shot a rifle before to be honest with you, Olivia,” I said sadly.

  “You know what? Give me that rifle, and I’ll kill that bitch out there,” Olivia said, reaching for the rifle.

  I hesitantly gave the rifle to Olivia because I felt I became less of a man just then. I couldn’t help that I had never been around guns of any sort growing up. I had done just about everything that a boy does with his dad, but shooting wasn’t one of them. Olivia stood at the door with the rifle and became an army drill sergeant all of a sudden. She told us who was going to watch out the windows, when we were allowed to have something to eat, and when we could have a bathroom break. I felt like I had joined the army all of a sudden, but I didn’t argue. We needed a plan, and she was right. Emma stayed in the living room, and I went in the bedroom. Olivia would switch around with us every hour so we could get a break.

  “What about tonight when it gets dark out there?” I asked Olivia.

  “Since we can’t see anything outside, we go to sleep,” Olivia answered.

  We heard more noises from the roof,
and this time, there was a shuffling sound from the side.

  “What the hell is that sound now?” Emma inquired.

  Olivia quickly went over to the window and looked out. “Oh my God,” Olivia stated.

  Emma and I looked out the window, but we didn’t see what Olivia was surprised about.

  “What?” Emma asked before I could.

  “Where’s Steve?” Olivia asked sadly.

  More shuffling went across the roof as we looked up again at the ceiling. Then it sounded like something slid off the roof and landed with a thud onto the ground. We turned quickly to look out the window, and we could see Steve’s mangled body on the ground. Olivia and Emma screamed, and I closed my eyes and almost soiled myself. I had never seen anything so grotesque in my life until what happened with Steve. He looked like a clump of elbows, knees, and torso, and his head was under his body.

  “Let’s get the hell away from the windows and stop looking out,” I said.

  Emma and Olivia were trying to be strong and not cry, but it was hard to hold it back.

  I took the rifle from Olivia and said, “I’ll stand guard, watching the front, you two go sit down on the couch.” I took a few steps back from the window so I didn’t have to see Steve lying there on the ground. Emma and Olivia took my advice and sat down on the couch together. I was shaking inside my own body and didn’t know if the girls could see it or not. I kept looking out the window for that thing to come down off of the roof, and it did. Long, black, hairy looking legs of something descended slowly from the top of the porch. “Um, guys, it’s, it’s coming down,” I said, backing away from the window.

  I raised my rifle to point out the window when the girls came over beside me. We just stared in disbelief at whatever it was slowly coming down.

  “When it comes down, shoot that bitch through the window, Will, and kill it,” Olivia said angrily.

  I didn’t say a word; I just aimed at that thing outside. The legs or whatever they were coming down looked like it was stretching out to the ground. I thought it was trying to come down off the roof, but it wasn’t, it was reaching for Steve’s body. I was hoping that this thing was coming down so I could unload everything into it. I wanted so badly to kill it, so we could get the hell out of the woods. The next thing I saw was Steve’s mangled body being hoisted up to the roof by those black legs.