Seven Saviours

A slow, deep, vicious growl gave me shivers down my spine and made the hair stand up on my body. I was shaking uncontrollably. The growl got closer as my eyes scrambled around the room trying to make sense of the situation. My eyes exploded as the animal approached the door. Within the frame stood a a wolf-like creature. It's eyes were a dark black, its fur was matted and stained with blood as it locked its deadly gaze at me. It stood dead still with siliva lining its razor sharp teeth and dripping out of its mouth on to the floor beneath. I saw the wolf move an inch and I instinctively reached out and grabbed the first thing I could get my hands on. My hand collected a big shard of glass and at that moment, the wolf pounced on me. I felt its back legs trample mine and as its front legs crushed my chest, I jammed the glass through the wolf's throat. I groaned in agony as the glass tore through my hand like a knife through butter. I pushed the wolf's carcass off me and clenched my teeth as the pained seared up my arm.

I slowly got to my feet, fueled by adrenaline. I grabbed a white cloth that was lying on the bench and tied it around my hand. It turned from white to red with the flick of a switch. The windows of the room were shoddily boarded up, with wood, filing cabinets and desks pressed up against various potential points of entry. There were papers scattered all across the room, broken lights above, a doctor's surgery type chair and two computers still sitting on the bench. I touched the mouse and a short second later the computer grumbled before the screen lit up. Up popped a screen with surveillance camera recordings. I quickly scanned the room and saw the camera located in the far corner, aimed directly at the chair in the centre of the room. I pushed play and saw a man in a labcoat standing over the chair. He walked away to the bench to reveal that it was I who was strapped in and unconscious. I was fixated on the screen and had drowned out any other noise. He walked back into view holding a needle. He turned and looked up to the camera and spoke.
"If you're watching this, then I am no longer with you but I can help you. This injection will make you immune to the black blood virus. Good luck" he said with conviction and inserted the needle into my vein. He pulled the needle out and his attention was immediately drawn to one side of the room. In the edge of the screen emerged a dark black animal. I couldn't quite tell but it seemed very similar to the one that attacked me. He glanced at me quickly before running to a door, pulling down a filing cabinet and fleeing in one quick motion. The wolf ran in the same direction out of view of the camera and left me lying on the chair.

I walked away from the computer. I'd seen enough. I wasn't safe. I grabbed a machete off the floor. It had a long black handle and covered in blood and filth. It was lying on top of a map with 'x's' marked across it. The markings were scattered across the map. I had no idea what they meant but I knew they must be important. I placed it in my trousers pocket and but it got stuck on something. I pulled out a brown leather wallet and opened it up. It had identification, revealing my name to be Shaun Hunter. On the wall were serveral sheets of paper, markings and scribble the doctor I assumed had put there. It was his research into this 'immunisation' he seemed to create. From the research I gathered that memory loss was the only known side effect and there was no guarantees how long it would last.

I couldn't stay in the room any longer. I needed somewhere safe, some shelter, some food and some answers. I exited the room the same way the doctor had. I stepped aside the filing cabinet and into a hallway. Doors had been busted open and rooms raided for whatever they were worth. The ceiling had wirings hanging from it with sparks of electricity dancing throughout the room as they swung in the wind. A light beamed at the end of the hallway, illuminating the doorway. I stopped just short of heading out and looked outside. The sun pierced my eyes and I squinted and held my hand up to block it out. The grass was overgrown, the road had cracked and raised uneven as if an earthquake had tore it apart, buildings had grafitti up the walls reading messages such as 'Armageddon' and other apocalyptic ramblings. Windows had been smashed, cars burned and flipped upside down. It was beautiful, in an anarachic, chaotic sort of mess.

I pulled out the map to have a better look. I wasn't sure where I should go but I thought I'd head to where the closest 'x' was marked. It didn't seem to be too far from here and that seemed the most logical move. I decided to keep off the main road and walk just off it. I wanted to be able to see everything but I didn't want to be seen. I walked behind buildings and ran across a large paddock of grass and up to the back door of a house. I pulled my knife out slowly and turned the handle. The door creaked ajar and I stepped inside without making a sound. The house seemed empty and didn't look like anyone had been here in a while. I closed the door behind me and checked the rest of the house out. I walked past the kitchen, desperate for a bite to eat but I knew I should check the rest of the house. I pushed open all the doors on the way and the house was clear. The last door was to the bathroom. I walked in and looked in the mirror to clean myself up. I took my shirt off and an wet my shirt in the basin and wiped my face, removing the blood, dirt and wolf siliva. I untied the cloth that was around my hand very slowly. The glass sliced deep from one side of my hand to the other and across each of my four fingers. It rendered my hand lifeless. I knew I'd have to clean it or it could get infected. I scrummaged around the bathroom cupboards looking for something to clean it and cover it. I found some medical pads and a bandage and a bottle of what looked like to be an anti-septic of sorts. I unscrewed the lid, stuck my injured hand over the sink, braced myself and flooded my hand with the liquid. I groaned in pain and ripped my hand from the stream. It felt like I washing my hands in acid. I reached for the pad and pressed it on to the wound. The pain slowly receeded and I wrapped it up in a bandage to keep it in place.

I walked out of the bathroom and searched the kitchen for something to eat. The kitchen was exceptionally clean, especially considering the state of the rest of the neighbourhood. There wasn't much food left. Maybe someone had taken it all, but that seemed strange considering the rest of the house was spotless. I kicked back on the lounge with a bottle of water and an apple that was in a fruit bowl on the bench. I placed my feet on the brown coffee table in front of me and took a bite of my apple. I crunched into it and my mouth started salivating. It was so juicey and flavoursome. I picked up the remote control for the television and it flicked on. The screen was a fuzzy black and white with a voice recording repeating a message stating 'This is an emergency message from your Government. Stay in doors, lock every window and door and keep safe. You will be updated shortly...'
My attention was quickly diverted from the broadcast to the sound of a car roaring through the street with people yelling and shouting out loud. I raced to the window and slightly pulled back the curtain and peeked out. A Range Rover had pulled up at the house across the road with 5 or maybe 6 people accompanying. They had rifles and were dressed in camo army pants and black singlets. They jumped out and approached the door and kicked it in aggressively. There was a few seconds of silence before the noise errupted. A gunshot went off and piercing screams filled the sky. A young girl and boy were dragged out by their limbs and thrown on to the grass in the front yard and another lady followed shortly kicking and screaming. She too was thrown on the ground followed by a thumping kick to the ribs. Two of the men from the Range Rover walked out carrying potato sacks full of stolen goods and threw it in the back of the car. One of them whistled to signal it was time to leave and everyone walked towards the car. As the last of them were about to get in, his eye was met with window from which I was watching from and he paused. I jumped back from the blinds and there was silence. I wasn't game to look outside to see if they were coming; but I didn't need to. I heard footsteps approaching, crunching on the concrete as they walked up the driveway. I tried to scamper away but I couldn't find my feet. I was crawling, desperate to find somewhere to hide. I got up and slammed into the wall of the loungeroom as I headed down the hallway. The door was kicked down with an almighty thud. I froze like a deer in headlights. My heart stopped, my head was pounding and I was short of breath. All of a sudden I was yanked by the shirt from within a room and pulled out of sight into the garage. A boy led me to a set of stairs leading to the roof of the garage or an attick of sorts. My legs were heavy and felt like I had concrete shoes on but I made it up half a second after him. He turned and pulled the stairs up by a metal chain and slapped his hand over my mouth, signalling for me to be silent. We sat, not moving, slowing our breaths to be as silent as possible. We could hear the men walking through the house, pushing doors open and breaking glass on their way.
"There's no one hear. Let's go" said a deep voice, spoken with much authority.
"I saw something, I know I did" exclaimed a second voice which must belong to the person who saw me."I said now!" retorted the first person, and the footsteps faded away to silence once again.
I looked over at my saviour and he had a deathly stare. I pushed the stairs and headed down followed by the stranger.
"Who were those people?" I asked cautiously.
"Have you been dead for the past month or something?" he replied sarcastically.
"I lost my memory after an a man injected me with something to make me immune to whatever it is going around. I was unconscious and I woke up and I was attacked by a wolf and I have a lot of answers I need to find.' I hurriedly blurted out. I was still in a lot of shock.
"So you don't really know what's going on?" he replied.
"No, I don't really know anything." I said.
"My name is Darren and this is my house they broke in to looking for you." he said shooting me a foul look. "The country has gone to shit and maybe the world. There's a virus which has killed almost everyone. The wolves you spoke about? They're not even the worst of it." he exclaimed, terrified by his own words. His face turned a ghostly white and in that moment, I could tell that he was tired of all this; mentally, physically and emotionally.
"Thank you, Darren. I'm sorry for all the trouble but I'll be off now." I walked off to the kitchen, picked up my machette and headed towards the door. I turned the door handle and felt a tug at my shoulder. I turned around to see Darren pulling his arm back off my shoulder.
"Where are you going? It's not safe out there." he queeried.
"It's not safe here either. I'm not sure yet. I have a map with some markings on it that the doctor was working on. Maybe they'll lead to some answers." I pulled the map out of my pocket and Darren's eyes were fixed on it too, swept with intrigue.
"So you want to head here?" Darren asked while pointing to the closest 'x'.
"Yes, I have nothing except this map. These markings must be important for something. I need to know what they mean." I desperately announced.
"You won't make it alone. You don't know what's out there. I've seen things, horrible things."
"I don't care. I don't have anywhere else to go so I'm going. You think you can just hide here forever?" I questioned.
"I don't know where my sister is and I watched my brother die. I had to run away from him while he was lying on the floor motionless. Do you know what that's like? said Darren softly, in an attempt to stop his emotions pouring out like water from a broken fire hydrant, but it didn't matter. I could hear the emotions in his voice. He was very broken inside.
"You can either hide here all day and all night or you can come with me. I want answers and I'll go as far as I need to until I get them." I said, hoping to rally Darren to walk alongside me.
"I'm sorry but you'll have to go alone. I just can't. I can't do it." He walked to the closest room, reached around the corner and pulled out a backpack. "Here, take this. I've packed it with a few things in case I ever had to leave but you need it more than I do." He pushed the bag into my chest firmly with nothing more than a 'goodbye'. We both turned our backs and parted ways.

I stood outside the back door and glanced at my map. It appeared to be a few hours walk, which is about all the time I had before nightfall hit. I wanted to be there before nightfall so took a deep breath and headed off. I had the sun beaming into my back, soaking up all the rays and keeping very warm. I walked along without much thought, just one foot forward followed by the other and the ocassional mouthful of water to keep hydrated. It was unusually quiet, with only the slight sound of the breeze and the calming rustling of the leaves. There was no voices playing in the streets, no birds chirping away and no little critters rummaging through the thick scrub.

The minutes became hours and my feet were beginning to ache. The sun was setting behind the mountains and cloud coverage engulfed the sky very quickly and it became uncharacteristically cold in a matter of minutes. I tossed the back pack off my shoulders and unzipped it to grab the blanket that was inside. I wrapped it tightly around myself and kept marching on. I couldn't quite tell how much further but surely it wasn't too far. The clouds turned from a light grey to an ominous dark grey, almost black and with it brought ferocious rain and howling winds. I scrambled for cover in a near-by cave hiding in amongst some trees and scrub. I put my bag down in the corner and spread my blanket out to get it dry for the night. I'd be spending the night here so I made sure I'd be as comfortable as possible. I gathered some small twigs in the centre of the cave and opened up the bag and pulled out a pack of matches to light a fire. With one quick flick of the wrist, the match lit up and took to the sticks with ease. Before long, the entire cave was illuminated and I was immediately warmer. I huddled up close with my hands over the fire to warm them up. I used the backpack as a pillow, laid my head down and closed my eyes.

My mind played back the days memories, as if I were physically reliving them over. Starting off with waking up on the floor, being attacked, finding Darren and him tugging on my hand before I was about to leave...My eyes shot open like I'd been given a double dose of adrenaline and I scampered back into the corner of the cave. Darren didn't touch my hand, he grabbed my shoulder. The fire had burnt out and was smouldering away with the embers providing a dim light. I traced my eyes from the fire to the cave opening which had been sealed. I looked up even further to see an enormous spider on the roof of the cave, staring at me with all eight eyes. It's outline was almost as big as I was. I was completely paralyzed with fear. My feet felt like they were in cement boots, buried two feet underground and my chest seized as if I was trapped under a car. My stomach dropped and my head began spinning before collapsing to the floor.

I awoke what could have been minutes or hours later, hanging upside down from the roof of the cave, wrapped up tight in the spider's web like a coccoon. The blood had rushed to my head and my head was aching and my eyes couldn't focus. I could feel the spiders long, hairy legs latching on to me. A dark figure came out of nowhere and slashed through the door the spider had created with her web.

The spider detached itself from me and left me swinging violently across the room. I tried to tense my muscles and break free but it was too tight and the silky web was far too strong. The spider had arched up on all 8 legs with its fangs pinching together in anticipation. With one swift motion, the dark figure was merely a blur in the room as it darted from the entrance to the spider and appeared to do a variation of a somersault roll under the spider, appearing at the other side standing upright and motionless, as a gymnast after performing an aerial manoeuvre to please the judges. A few short seconds after, the spider collapsed in a heap. The figure came over and sliced me free as I tumbled out of the spider’s cocoon. I tucked in my head and landed heavily on my shoulder and rolled onto my side. I looked at the figure who was now looking at the spider. Darren had rescued me. I couldn’t imagine ever being so happy to see anyone, especially someone who I’d only just met. My eyes drifted to look at what remained of the spider. I was completely taken aback by what lay in my vision; there was now a beautiful woman lying in place of the spider. She lay on her side with one arm tucked under her and the other in front of her chest. Her long brown hair was delicately placed on the floor behind her, revealing her soft, pale skinned face at rest. She was quite young, her eye lids closed and her lips gently pressed together. She looked so at ease, so peaceful.
Before I even had time to speak, not that I’d be able to put any letters together and make a word, Darren turned back and spoke to me.
“That was an Arachne. She’s dead now.” He said in a concerning manner. He was clearly frightened by what he had done. His voice had lost its character and his skin had lost its colour. He looked as if his soul had temporarily left him.
“A…a what? I stuttered.
“An Arachne. I told you. I warned you. I didn’t want to have to do that.”
“Do what? What did you even…how did you?” I said, attempting to grasp what had just happened.
“I killed it with a silver blade. That’s the only thing that can kill an Arachne. I told you things had changed and that wolves were the least of your problems. We’ll stay here until morning. Nothing should disturb us with the web covering the entrance.”
Darren sat quietly leaning up against the side of the wall with his eyes closed. I didn't know what to say to him and got the impression he didn't want to talk. I crawled up on the floor to keep warm and used my backpack as a pillow once again. I was utterly exhausted. My whole world had been thrown into a blender and switched on full speed. Darren was in a situation quite similar to me. He knew all this stuff existed; he'd seen it, but he hadn't faced it yet. He was trying to feel safe in his house and away from all this. It's probably the reason he has survived for so long. A lot of other people didn't seem to have been as fortunate as he. I put my head down and closed my eyes as my body gave its last ounce of energy to getting comfortable as I drifted off to sleep.