Chapter 4: Basic Instincts

Darren’s feet slapped the cool pavement, his breath tight and controlled. The sun was just rising above the treeline behind him when he arrived at the edge of town, staring at the long road that vanished over the hills. Farmland for several miles, and then plenty of forest behind them.

His mind slipped back to the events of the night before. Upon rising, he had wondered if the whole thing had been a dream, but his cock had spilled the truth. His crotch was a sticky mess that had necessitated a pre-run shower to rinse off. Marveling at the odd elasticity of the fluid, it had also occurred to him that perhaps it had been a wet dream, a fantasy intense enough that he had blown his load.

However, Ana had been up early too, and the look on her face as she rolled back to her bedroom and slammed the door erased any doubt in his mind. For whatever reason, she had attempted to suck him dry. Part of him wanted to be upset, but another part was flattered. The two emotions had been at war with one another for most of his run, but had finally been stamped out by a feeling that had smothered away the flames of both.

With every beat of his feet on the road, his eyes had taken in the life that surrounded him. He had captured an image of every bird, squirrel, and stray cat he had passed, his eyes lingering appreciatively on flowers, bushes, and even the trees. Every morning, he took his daily run, his legs powered by the fear of the phantoms behind him, pressing ever forward with the intent to escape his past.

However, today had been different. With the crest of every hill and each turn in the road, he had been hungry to see what was ahead. He no longer felt like he was running away from something, but rather toward something else, a thing that had far more promise.

He was no stranger to blowjobs, and had gotten laid more than once since coming home, but this had felt different, more primal somehow. His brain tried to break down this odd flood of endorphins running through his body, but he decided to ride it out. Tomorrow could be different, and misery would likely find him once more, but he chose to enjoy this morning’s sunrise and embrace the beauty of the world around him.

Ana. Why had she done it?

He had been under the impression that she didn’t care for him much. Was she secretly a sex freak? Was it a kink for her? Did she actually like him? He hadn’t allowed himself the luxury of considering her a sexual being, but it occurred to him now that the wheelchair wasn’t some magical damper that prevented her from pursuing such things. Clearly she didn’t allow it to hold her back from living her life.

Maybe there was a lesson there. It was stupid, but somehow she now occupied his mind in a much different way than before. He had given her plenty of distance, but now wondered what it would be like to get to know her better. There was something there worth exploring, especially if it meant taking his mind off of the darkness of the jungle.

His stomach growled. Turning around, he began the long jog back to town, his thoughts stuck on Ana. He caught brief glimpses of his squadmates peering out at him from the trees, their faces marked with paint, blood and dirt. Instead of chasing him, they simply let him be.

Ana contemplated the clothes she had put out on her bed. Her immediate impulse had been to flee in the night, but she had nowhere to run. If she were to disappear, it would immediately arouse suspicion, and Darren would likely become the number one suspect. They would search the church and discover her web, which would bring down the wrath of the Order down on her heels. There wasn’t enough time to cover her tracks and flee, it would have to be one or the other.

Which led her to her current dilemma. She had accumulated belongings in her time here, objects she felt she was unable to leave behind. Her human side had become soft and sentimental, her many years on the run now too far behind her. On the one hand, she wanted to abandon that humanity and rely solely on her instincts to flee. Unfortunately, her instincts now demanded that she mate and feed. Upon seeing Darren this morning, she barely fought off the urge to rip free of her chair and assault him, carrying him to her lair to fuck him until he was drained, and then eat him.

Never had her two halves been so far apart in their desires. For the first time in a long time, she had gazed upon her lower body in disdain for what it was. She wished that she had been born one or the other, but not both. Or maybe even been born with a mentality similar to her sisters, one that wasn’t bothered by the need to see humans as more than food.

Slipping into a pretty red top, she picked a matching tartan skirt and fastened it around her waist before squeezing back into her chair. Her front legs were already in stockings, and she shoved a pair of shoes over her feet. A feeling of anger bubbled up inside her, an irrational desire to smash her wheelchair and flee into the forest.

“Stop it,” she growled, adjusting her glasses. She hated how the world dimmed around her when she put them on, hated being confined to this chair, hated—

The back door opened and closed, the draft squeezing in under her bedroom door. Heavy footsteps came down the hallway, and the sweet scent of Darren’s perspiration filled her head, making her both horny and hungry at the same time.

“Ana?” He knocked on the door. “Can we talk?”

Scowling, she backed away from the door. “About what?”

“Um ... last night.” His voice was muffled by the wood of the door, but she could almost taste him now, her senses alive as if she was mid-hunt. “I’m not mad, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Hah. Why would you be mad?” Her chair rattled beneath her, but she took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Look, maybe it would be less awkward if we ... would you like to go to breakfast with me?”

“I...” She didn’t want to go to breakfast. Her breakfast was already talking to her and was just feet away. If she opened that door, she could have everything her heart desired right now, no web required. Pull him in for an embrace and bite him, watch his eyes roll back in his head as his nervous system shutdown.

“Meet me at Matty’s in fifteen minutes,” she nearly shouted, her mind fighting her body. “And take a shower first, you stink!”

“You can smell that?” She heard him sniff loudly. “Yeah, I’ll meet you there in fifteen.” His footsteps receded, and he went into his own room.

Holding her breath, she wheeled through the house and outside where his scent wasn’t so overpowering. Matty’s was a perfect place to be right now. Even her instincts would agree not to make a scene, preventing her from attacking him in such a public place. Right now, she needed her mind and body to work in tandem, to be a functional unit again.

The songbirds made her hungry, and she gazed longingly at a lazy rabbit that regarded her from afar. Maybe she would try to find it later tonight and suck the brains out of its head.

“Mmm.” She shook her head, focusing on the diner coming up. Hannah was already holding the door for her when she arrived.

“Where you sittin’, hun?”

“Table for two please.” For just a second, it felt like the whole diner had heard her, the volume dipping just a little. “My roommate is joining me,” she said, as if attempting to clear up any suspicion. Other than Louise or Emily, she never ate with company around.

“Sure thing.” Hannah took her to a table at the back and removed one of the chairs.

She wheeled into place and stared at the menu that had been left there. “Can I get some water?”

Hannah nodded. “I’ll come back for your order once Darren gets here.” She vanished into the kitchen and reappeared with a glass of water and a large cup of coffee, which she set down across from Ana.

Ana didn’t like coffee. The caffeine gave her the jitters and then made her sick to her stomach. Even so, the aroma was immediately familiar, and she realized that she had smelled it on Darren, that thick, bitter scent that emanated from his pores.

When he walked in, he was wearing a pair of jeans that looked brand new. It was the first time she had seen him in anything other than those fatigue pants that he wore every day. Their eyes met, and he casually crossed the restaurant, his thick arms bare in a white tank top. When he sat down, she realized she could see every muscle in his belly through the thin fabric.

Her legs twitched, and she felt her groin tighten up before becoming damp.

“Thank you for meeting me.” He gave her a nervous grin and then noticed the coffee in front of him. Wrapping his fingers around it, he sat for a bit and absorbed the heat into his hands.

“New pants?” she asked.

“I bought them at the end of my first week here, but hadn’t worn them. Decided my other pants were overdue for a good soak.” Lifting the coffee to his lips, he inhaled the aroma deeply and sighed. “I have a confession to make.”

“Oh?” Ana leaned forward to hear it, but then away when Hannah appeared. She quickly jotted down their orders and vanished.

“She could have been Special Ops,” Darren mused. “I’ve never seen anybody move like she does.”

“You were saying?”

“Oh. Right. Look, I’m not super good with people. I can be polite, and I can be quiet company, but I think we both know that I’m a square peg in a round world. I’ve got too many edges now, if you catch my drift. So, about that thing that happened ... I don’t want to spoil anything.”

Ana blinked, trying to figure out what he meant.

“This place is the first place where I’ve felt welcome in a long time. And I don’t know if last night was a one-time thing, or if you want something more. I know we aren’t close, and I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to be properly close with another person, but here it is. I’m not going to make a big deal about it if you don’t.”

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head, then pushed her glasses back up her nose.

“What I mean is that if it was a one-time thing, maybe you got drunk or whatever, I’m not gonna pester you about it, or become a problem. And I’m definitely not going to tell anyone.”

“It was a one-time thing.” She crossed her arms, happy that he was willing to let it go so easily. “And yes, I was quite drunk.”

“I see.” He looked disappointed at first, but it faded. “When I was out running, I thought about what it might mean if you did. We don’t know each other very well, but that doesn’t bother me much. You’ve got your story and I’ve got mine. I’m still struggling to come to terms with the man I became while I was ... anyway, that made me wonder if you were struggling with some issues of your own. Maybe last night was the result of some pent-up emotions, or curiosity, or whatever. I was just going to say that, if you wanted more than just that one time, then that would be okay, too.”

She almost laughed. “Oh, so it’s okay if I want to do it again? Yeah, you’re really taking a bullet for me, aren’t you?”

She regretted it the moment she said it. A dark look crossed his face and then faded away.

“What I mean is that maybe there’s more you want out of life. Not just physical stuff, but even someone to talk to, or to just be with.”

“Are you asking me out?”

“Kinda.” He sipped his coffee, his left eye twitching. “I ... look, since last night, I’ve felt ... I was having a bad dream.”

“Yeah, you were.”

“I always have them. It’s just a matter of how much of it bleeds through. But after you, uh, came in my room, I slept really well. And I still feel good. I never feel this good.”

“Like you’re high or something?”

“No. More like I’m relaxed. Like the war is finally off my mind. I know it’ll come back, but even just having the fog lifted for the day allows me to remember how good the sunshine feels.” He set his coffee down and smiled. “It feels damn good to feel the sun.”

She frowned. That was likely a mild result of her venom. She hadn’t bitten him, but it had still gotten into his system. Despite living with it her whole life, she really had no idea what her venom was supposed to do. That, and she did know that there was a variant for mating. Couldn’t have your future dinner too terrified to get a boner, after all. She vaguely recalled her mother teaching her that it made men willing to fuck as well. Poor Darren was ready to pour his heart out to her, unaware that a chemical cocktail swam through his brain right now.

“I guess, for me, it’s worth exploring a relationship with anyone who can help me move forward, even if it’s for just a day or two. Even someone with unique limitations as yourself, if that’s the case.”

Oh, you have no idea. She wanted to shut him down and simply go, to pack up her belongings and head west to Emily’s sanctuary, to leave Darren and the human world behind, and maybe snag a hiker or two for a snack.

If only it was that simple. The longer she was near him, the more she longed for him. It wasn’t simply a matter of him being breeding stock, her body had decided that he was the number one candidate. If she left, could she even stay away? Her hormones were swinging wildly back and forth now, and she felt a small amount of pity for herself.

“But, if that sounds awkward or whatever, then it’s fine if we just ignore it. That’s what I’m trying to say. I don’t even know what I would have to contribute, but if you tell me, I’ll do my best.” He leaned back and his omelette was set down in front of him. He thanked Hannah, who then set down Ana’s meal.

Interrupted by Hannah’s arrival, Ana’s mind shifted another direction. What if she could use Darren? He was clearly not turned off by the fact that she was in a wheelchair. He didn’t seem averse to being in a protective role either. Last night, she had swallowed his semen, but what if she had kept some, had gone up to her web and inseminated herself with it?

Though she didn’t necessarily like the idea of becoming a mother, her drive to reproduce was spiraling out of control. If she became pregnant, it would buy her the time she needed for the Order to move on. By then, she could flee to Emily’s sanctuary, and give birth to her daughters. She could teach them to hunt and fish and avoid mankind at all costs.

And best of all, she wouldn’t be alone.

“Let ... let me think about it.” She gave him a weak smile. The plan she had sounded crazy, even to her, but it was the only one her mind and body seemed to agree on for now. Boundaries would have to be set, and some guidelines would need to be followed. If she played her cards right, she could be pregnant by the end of the week and gone in a few months. There was now no doubt in her mind that she was going to have to leave, whether or not she became pregnant. The Order had forced her hand, making choices for her they didn’t know existed.

“Oh, good morning! I didn’t know we were having a staff meeting!” Louise stepped up to the table, dragging a chair along with her. “So what are you two talking about?”

Darren’s face went red, and he stuffed his mouth with omelette so fast that he was now unable to respond. Ana rolled her eyes at him.

“Good morning, Ms. Louise. We’re just talking about some upgrades to the church, to make our house a little more comfortable.”

“Oh, nothing drastic I hope.”

“We were thinking a new couch. I never used it, but Darren here does.” Ana smiled when Darren nodded along silently. His jaw was thick, and she could see the muscles of his neck flex when he moved. Her legs twitched, and she fought the urge to squeeze her front legs together and rock in her chair.

“Well, do you really need a couch then? I’m sure we could dig up a recliner or something.”

“No, we were definitely talking about couch. That way we could both use it at the same time.”

Louise looked incredulous. “You two actually just sit and visit?”

Ana rolled her eyes. “We’re roommates, of course we visit. It’s been nice to have someone to talk to, and Darren here has agreed to help me out with some of my ... needs.” She indicated her wheelchair, but locked eyes with Darren instead. “So, yes, Louise, it has been nice having an extra set of hands over to help me out. You were right, you told me so, am I forgetting anything else?”

Louise had clutched her purse near her chin and looked ready to explode. “I just knew this would work! Please excuse me, I need to call my brother.” She bolted off, nearly running into Hannah on the way out.

“She’s ... invested,” Darren said, watching Louise go through the front door.

“She’s like a mother to me.” Ana cleared her throat. “My official answer is yes, by the way. I think ... I’ve been alone long enough.” Her hearts were pounding, the decision somehow final now that she had spoken it aloud. “This is very new to me, and as long as you’re willing to take your time, I would like to give it a try.”

Darren’s whole face lit up into a grin. Ana sincerely hoped this wouldn’t be the beginning of the end for him.

Cyrus slammed the door of the cabin when he walked out, then kicked a rock. They had been hiding out ever since Jeffrey’s drunken outburst and had been forced to stay in an old cabin they had found during their initial search.

Not only were they no closer to finding the Arachne, but now Jeffrey was acting erratically. He knew that his mentor’s death was hitting him hard, but there had to be more to the story. He was acting more like a man who lost a brother or a wife. Jeffrey’s skills as a Knight had been greatly compromised, and now he didn’t know if he could be trusted to continue the hunt.

Cyrus needed to speak to the Order, and took the risk of driving into town. Even if he ran into the sheriff, Jeffrey wasn’t currently with him anyway. Pulling the door shut on the truck, he drove for over an hour, mulling over the lack of anywhere decent to stay. Even a shitty bar would have a payphone, but they had holed up so far away from civilization that they were now running out of food.

He hadn’t been sleeping, either. Between fighting with Jeffrey and the hunt going poorly, his stomach was tried up in knots. This creature had gone to ground hard enough that he felt like it had slipped between their fingers. Driving all across the countryside, Cyrus had hoped for a new lead, but had found none. He quit taking Jeffrey with him because he kept finding his way to the nearest source of alcohol.

Right now, Jeffrey had probably discovered that Cyrus had dumped his stash of whiskey. Cyrus would no longer tolerate his partner’s drunken ramblings, not until this issue was done.

Years of loss and sacrifice weighed heavy on him, and on the way into town, he slammed on his breaks just in time to avoid a young boy whose bike veered suddenly into the road. When he got out, he saw that other than a bad scare, the boy was fine. Satisfied that he wasn’t about to get arrested again, he drove the rest of the way down the road to the market.

He filled up his cart with plenty of fruit and veggies and then grabbed a few steaks for Jeffrey from the butcher. Just because Jeffrey was being a giant asshole right now didn’t mean that Cyrus no longer cared about him. Once the cart was full, he let the bag boy help him out to the truck, loading it up with groceries. He tipped the boy a couple of quarters and then walked over to the payphone. He didn’t bother putting any money in.

After all, they were always listening. He dialed the seventeen digit number followed by his own personal code. The phone never rang, and someone immediately picked up the other end.

“Brother Amory,” the voice greeted him with the beginning a code.

“Died in his sleep of a job well done.” After a second of silence, Cyrus continued. “This is Brother Cyrus. I would like to speak to the Oracle.”

“Oh, good,” the voice said. “The damn thing hasn’t shut up about you.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Hold on.” The phone clicked, and he waited while he was transferred. A woman’s voice spoke to him now.

“Brother Cyrus?”

“Yes. I am calling to speak to the Oracle.”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing to ask, Cyrus. He’s been stuck in a loop for days now.”

“A loop?”

“Yeah. Keeps repeating the same thing over and over again. Do you have a pen and paper?”

“Yeah, hold on.” He pulled the notebook from his pocket. “Go ahead.”

“Alright, hold on. I’m reading this to you verbatim.” She cleared her throat. “She waits beneath the light of the moon, two paths clearly before her. Though Order seeks to claim its prize, she watches them through human eyes, and the traveler adores her. In plain sight, she shall be found, her legs cradled beneath her. And she shall run, her future set, the traveler to be her guide. To walk in shadows, or the light, that is her true test. A warrior will find his end, and the future suckles at her breast.”

“Not his best work, to be honest. Tell him it doesn’t even rhyme correctly.” Cyrus put the pen away. “By the way, how do you know that this prophecy is for me?”

“He keeps spelling your name with his food. DO you have a status report?”

He sighed. “None. But I’ll keep looking.”

“Please do. We are dealing with a sensitive situation right now, but we have full confidence in your abilities.”

“Thanks.” He hung up the phone and groaned. A sensitive situation could only mean an internal issue at the Order. He remembered the time a skinwalker had infiltrated them and all sorts of in-fighting had broken out until they caught him. Shaking his head, he climbed into his truck and pulled out of the lot. Unsurprisingly, a police car pulled up alongside him on his way out.

“Afternoon,” Walters said, his eyes boring into Cyrus.

“Just grabbing some supplies, Sheriff.” Cyrus jerked his thumb toward the back. “I’ll be out of your hair, no worries.”

Walters nodded, then pulled into the lot. Cyrus let out a sigh of relief, then frowned when he saw the sheriff pull in behind him. Walters followed him all the way to the edge of town before turning around and going back.

Yet one more problem to deal with. Gripping the wheel tightly, he fumed the whole way back to the cabin. Ready to pick a fight, he stormed in through the front door, dropping his bag of groceries on the nearest table.

“Jeffrey!” He stomped through the cabin, annoyed that his partner was nowhere to be seen. He walked out through the back door and saw Jeffrey sitting on a log, his shirt off and his sword cradled in his lap. “Jeffrey, we need to talk.”

“Not before I apologize.” The man didn’t move a muscle, but his voice was strong. “I’m sorry about the alcohol. And the bar fight. I’m sorry about the last week.”

Cyrus deflated, struggling to find his next words. “Well, it’s about damn time,” he finally sputtered.

“Indeed.” Jeffrey stood up and let his blade fold itself up before sheathing it on his belt. “Sir Marcus was like a father to me. He taught me things about being a man, practically raised me as his son. The idea that such a brilliant soul could simply be sucked up into a void and denied the Afterlife...” His hands balled up. “I won’t lose myself again, not while we’re on this job. I’m sorry, Brother Cyrus.”

“I appreciate that.” Cyrus let out a breath. “Come inside. Let’s have a good meal and talk about strategies.”

“Yes, let’s.” Jeffrey walked inside and helped Cyrus prepare the food. They used an old grill to cook steaks and a veggie-kabob for Cyrus. Cyrus shared with him what he had learned on his trip, including the visit from the sheriff and the prophecy.

“Wow, not his best work,” Jeffrey said, reading over the pad.

“Tell me about it.”

“This line here, though. The traveler.” Jeffrey looked up. “Is that one of us?”

“Shouldn’t be, unless you’ve fallen in love with our prey.”

Jeffrey chuckled. “Remind me to tell you a story about a siren later.”

“Who would be the traveler?” Cyrus took a bite out of a grilled zucchini. “Someone she hasn’t met yet?”

“Or maybe one who travels. A world traveler, a hiker, a guy who likes to walk a lot, takes the bus...” Lines sprouted across Jeffrey’s head. He held up a hand for silence, clearly concentrating. Turning his head toward Cyrus, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

“I think I have a lead.”

Darren checked the fuses in the fusebox and then returned power to the panel.

“No sparks is the first sign you did it right,” Little Mike told him. “No smoke is the second.”

“No fire is the third,” he added, the corners of his mouth lifting. Little Mike had shown him how to do basic electrical on the jeeps and in the camps, and he could almost smell the stinky cigars Mike would smoke while wrapping wires.

Darren backed away from the panel and turned the light on. The basement of the church was now flooded with light, shedding light on the stacked boxes and tools that had been left behind by his predecessor. Satisfied that there was a current, he turned the light off and went back upstairs. Once he was back in his apartment, he tested a few switches to make sure the lights worked. Grateful that it had been a quick fix, he plugged the toaster back in to the outlet.

“Is it fixed?” Ana asked, squinting suspiciously.

“We’ll see.” He put in a piece of bread and pushed it down. Within seconds, he could feel the heat of the coils. “Looks like we’re in shape.” They had woken up to discover that the power had gone out, but a quick trip to the basement had revealed that some fuses had been blown. Luckily, Gary had set aside a box of fuses for both the church and the library, which had saved him a trip to the hardware store.

“Mmm.” Ana twisted the knob and rotated away. “Um, good job.”

“Yes. Thank you.” She was halfway back to her room when he spoke up again. “Say, I was wondering if you would like to do something tonight?”

Her chair stopped, and she rotated again to look at him. “What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. Dinner?”

“Um, I’m not super keen on that idea.”

“How about a walk or something after work? Talk a little?”

Indecision crossed her face, and then she nodded. “Yes, I would like that.”

“Okay.” He smiled, and watched her go back to her room, the smile sliding off of his face. He let out a breath and put the toaster back.

It had been almost a week since their conversation in the diner. Ana had been as reclusive as ever, and he had wondered if maybe she had changed her mind. With every day that had passed, he could feel the jungle creeping up on him, his squadmates eager to drag him back into the mud.

Whatever effect she had on him had been temporary, and in the last couple of days, the nightmares had returned with a vengeance. He was running on fumes, Cutter’s burnt face hovering over him when he woke.

Oddly enough, even though the nightmares had returned, his attraction to Ana did not fade. He found himself noticing the subtle curve of her breasts through her shirt, or even the cool blue veins that stood up through her pale skin. She had become this oddly ethereal being in his mind, and had begun to feature in his dreams.

Last night, she had called to him from the back of a cave, and he had gone to find her, walking away from Charlie and their gunfire long enough to see her pale form vanish from view. When he tried to follow her into the cave, he got caught up in thick vines that clung to his skin like glue. The more she called to him, the more vines that caught at him until he finally screamed in panic.

That was when Cutter had grabbed him by the boot and dragged him out on his back, smoke coming from his mouth as he screamed in Darren’s face. Darren had woken up to find that the blankets had twisted all around him, tangling up his arms and legs, and he had fallen out of bed. By the time he got back from his run, it was still dark, so he had sat in silence, waiting until he heard Ana stirring in her room.

He made some toast and put peanut butter on it. After a few bites, he tossed it on the plate. His stomach wasn’t ready for food, so he gave up and went across the street to the library instead. The library had a pseudo staff lounge that Louise had put a coffee maker in. It wasn’t as good as Matty’s, but it would at least help keep him awake.

He checked the traps for mice, but they were all empty. Louise had told him to keep the traps out until he had caught something, and he knew the scrabbling sounds she heard were figments of her imagination. Leaving the storage area behind, he saw Ana roll in through the front door, the breeze catching her hair and making it float around her like an eerie halo.

“Good morning, Ms. Rae.” A little girl walked up behind her, and Ana smiled, greeting the child in return. The little girl held a novel in her arms, and the two of them were discussing it in animated detail, moving down the hall and to the front desk. It was strange to see her so animated, as if she felt safe dropping her guard in front of this child.

It was hard to keep his eyes off of her as the day went by. He was replacing broken shelves on the second floor during story time and watched as Ana used hand puppets while reading to the children. They laughed and giggled when she dropped her voice to imitate a bear, and begged her to read another when story time was over. Later, he was repainting a wall in the bathroom when he caught a glimpse of her quietly moving through the library, her chair squeaking as she returned books to their shelves.