TODAY, OUR TEAM MEMBER, AUTHOR, RICHARD 'DOC' CORREA, IS SHARING HIS CHILLING HALLOWE'EN SHORT STORY, 'THE SPIDER' #RWRTeamBlog #ReadWriteRepeat
The Spider
©️ R. A. “Doc” Correa all rights reserved.
The Spider has always been, the Spider will always be. Its’ tangled, twisted web, weaves through all of eternity.
Travis Billings wakes as he bolts upright, his heart racing, sweat dripping off his chin. The sheets and blankets of his bed are soaked. That damn dream again!
It’s been this way since the shooting five weeks ago, every night the same dream.
Each night he retraces his steps, every twist and turn of the uneven alley. Slowly creeping down the stairs, pistol at the ready. The shadowy figure in the dank hallway just outside the dim glow of the flickering light bulb. Again, Travis calls out, “San Antonio PD! Raise your hands!”
Each time the shadowy figure starts to raise his hands, then the flash from the pistol that was covered by his sleeve. Travis feels the .50 caliber slug strike the trauma plate of his bulletproof vest. The pain! He falls, dropping his weapon. The shooter moves up to him, aims at his head. Then the sound, a chittering mixed with the rustle of dried twigs. The shooter looks up, and he screams.
The massive chelicerae come out of the gaping pitch-black hole in the ceiling, clamping onto the shooters head. He hears the mans skull crack, brains and blood ooze out of the torn flesh. Then he’s gone, yanked up into the darkness.
Travis gulps in air as he starts to scream, but the pain from his broken ribs knocks him out.
After a few moments he barely regains consciousness. Through the reddish haze that fills his eyes he sees the slender dark-haired woman in the form fitting black dress kneeling next to him. She gently places her fingers on his lips, then bends down and kisses him. He has never been kissed like this before.
He feels he’s falling into a dark warm embrace that consumes his whole body.
She breaks the kiss, and softly says, “At last I’ve found you.” Then the mysterious woman picks up his radio. She keys it saying in a calm, almost cold, voice, “Officer down, basement of the St Joseph’s Catholic Church.”
She drops the radio, stands up, and drifts down the hall until she’s standing under the hole in the ceiling. She reaches up, then a blurry black fog surrounds her as she scurries up a ‘rope’ into the dark hole in the ceiling.
Travis blacks out again, waking when his partner and the EMTs arrive.
The dream ends.
He shakes his head and looks at the clock, 3 am. No point in going back to sleep, I’ll just have that damn dream again! Travis stands and goes to the bathroom.
As Travis showers he thinks about all that has happened since the shooting.
When his partner came to visit him in the hospital he told him the whole story. When Travis got to the woman using his radio to call for help his partner told him, “Dude, I didn’t hear a woman’s voice on the radio, I heard yours!”
When he told his watch commander about the hole in the ceiling his boss replied, “Detective Billings we checked out the hole in the ceiling, there was nothing there. I had an officer crawl up there and look around, nothing. There is nothing up there.”
While shaving Travis thinks back on his visits with the department shrink. They talk, and they get nowhere. All the shrink ever says to him is, “Detective Travis the kind of trauma you’ve suffered can cause these kinds of dreams. You have PTSD, serious PTSD. We have to find the underlying cause, you have to open up to this process or I can’t help you.” Because he feels Travis hasn’t opened up the shrink won’t sign his ticket. Until he does Travis is condemned to desk duty.
He’s dressed and ready for work, but it’s only 4:30 am. His shift doesn’t start until 8, and it’s just desk duty, just more paperwork.
He closes his eyes, and sees her face again. Then he sees those massive chelicerae grasp and crush her. No! I have to save her!
Travis goes to his closet and retrieves his two backup guns. He places one in his ankle holster and the other in his shoulder holster. Looking at the clock he sees he has three hours before his shift begins. The church is only fifteen minutes away; I have plenty of time.
He rushes out the door and hops into his beater. After fifteen minutes Travis pulls into the church parking lot. As he steps out of his car he pulls out his Maglite and turns it on. Moving to the back entrance of the church, near the alley, Travis opens the door, and moves down the stairs, then into the hallway.
As he moves cautiously down the hall with his pistol drawn, he looks for the hole in the ceiling. There it is! Travis avoids moving under the hole. He sees the flickering of light stream from the end of the hallway. A candle?
The woman in the black dress stands holding the candle. “At last, you’ve come.”
She beckons to him to follow her. The dark-haired woman enters the room at the end of the hall. She turns to him, steps up, and kisses him passionately. At first it is cold and hard, then he feels like his first kiss, the same thrill, the same intensity. He is falling, falling, spinning out of control. She leads him to the bed in the room. The dark-haired seductress slowly undresses him and pushes Travis back onto the bed. “I’ve waited so long for you. I thought I’d never find you.”
She slips out of her dress and crawls onto him. They meld together. His temptress consumes him in fiery passion. Once they’ve climaxed she reclines next to him. “Sleep now my love. Sleep knowing that you are the father of a generation.” His eyes close, and Travis Billings drifts into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When Travis wakes he tries to sit up, but he can’t. He feels around with his hands and touches sticky cords holding him down. Looking to his right Travis sees a large lump covered by gossamer threads. Then he remembers from high school biology, That’s a spider egg sack.
He hears a noise to his left and turns to look. The woman is standing near him, smiling. “Oh, my love, you’re finally awake. Soon our children will wake too.”
Travis hears popping and cracking coming from the egg sack. He looks over to see dozens of fist sized spiders clawing their way out of the eggs and strings. They rush over and surround him. The spiders start to chitter, to his surprise Travis understands what they are saying. “Daddy, we love you!”
As Travis looks back at the woman the spiders swarm all over him and start to devour Travis. As he feels his consciousness slip away a tear runs down the woman’s cheek. As the candle in her hand flickers, she seems to morph into a massive black widow, then back to the woman. “Goodbye my love,” she whispers. Then the woman starts to chant…
… The Spider has always been, the Spider will always be. Its’ tangled, twisted web, weaves through all of eternity.
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AUTHOR BIO
.R A. "Doc" Correa is an author known for his science fiction novels, short stories, and poetry. He grew up in Los Angeles during the 1950s and 1960s, later serving in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve, and Rhode Island Army National Guard for over two decades. After retiring from the military in 1993, he pursued a career in computer science and worked as a test engineer and test manager.
Correa's literary works include his debut novel, Rapier, a sci-fi adventure set in the late 24th century after the genetics war. He is also working on a sequel, Razor, and a prequel to the series, The Young Kathy Masters Chronicles. His stories often explore themes of adventure, survival, and human resilience. His fascinating short stories are published in the What If? anthology series and Campfire Tales by Golden Box Books.
He currently resides in Fountain, Colorado with his family.
R. A. "Doc" Correa's inspiration for his novels stems from his diverse life experiences. His military background, in particular, has influenced the themes of survival, resilience, and adventure in his works. Additionally, his passion for science fiction and his creative imagination drive his narratives, as seen in his debut novel Rapier and its upcoming sequel.
R. A. "Doc" Correa has mentioned that his literary influences include classic science fiction authors who shaped the genre. Writers like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert Heinlein have inspired his storytelling, particularly in their ability to blend imaginative worlds with thought-provoking themes. Additionally, his own life experiences and creative collaborations have played a significant role in shaping his unique voice as an author."
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COMING SOON: On Wednesday, 21st October, we are delighted to welcome back our guest author, Toni Kief, who is sharing
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