Chapter 6: Gertrude
“HELP!!!!!’ a poor woman screamed. She wore a white dress and was reaching toward us. Other members of the funeral ran past her. How could they not try to help her? The living web strings dragged her back. The woman dug her other hand into the ground. The crowd running kept us from getting to her. I could see the tears in her eyes. Fear. Her fear reminded me of people who didn’t like needles. I would see the horror in their eyes when my mom had to give shots or take blood. Even in my pre-nursing training, needles scared even the biggest of people. That fear is on this woman’s face.
The webs lifted the woman in the air like a volleyball serve. I wanted to run over and help but there were too many people in the way.
“Somebody help her!” I pleaded, but everyone pushed past me, ignoring me. I couldn’t let the web take her to that woman. I couldn’t focus on the rain or cold anymore. I worried about how many would be sick, but that was before this craziness. Then Paige and Liam grabbed her by her arms. Her eyes showed signs of relief as tears escaped.
“What the hell is happening?” I heard Liam yell as I tried to get them to help. The medic in me responded to the call. My heart raced as I tried to stay focused and controlled.
“I don’t know, but don’t let her go!” Paige yelled over her shoulder. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline hit like a shot. I looked to find everyone else. To my surprise, our group didn’t run like everyone else.
Grant and Waldo held on to a black male who was being dragged by the webs. I couldn’t make out his face. I can imagine the terror he must be feeling.
“Please, don’t let me go” the man cried out.
“I can’t hold on!” Grant’s body strained to hold on to the man. The webs must be strong to resist two teenagers pulling the man.
“Keep trying!” Waldo answered back, his eyes closed. Putting his might into pulling.
“Not, this way!” Another man shrieked out. This man looked Asian and skinny. Unlike the others, he seemed dazed with a blanket stare as Emaj grabbed onto him. The webs violently pulled the man, but Emaj held onto him but started to lose ground. I ran up to Emaj and grabbed him by the waist to act as an anchor.
“Keep holding on!” Emaj cried out to me. His words felt like medicine and gave me some relief. He believed in me. He had that effect on others, and I’m not sure he knows it. Salem came and grabbed on to Emaj too.
“Lord in heaven, hollow be the name…” she prayed the Lord’s prayer. She is stronger than me because we had a stalemate with the web.
“I second that!” I mustered. Salem is the most religious of us. Even though Emaj and I attended church every Sunday like Salem. We all were in the same bible study ministry club. Salem grew up with strict religious parents. The baby of her siblings. She never forced it on you though. Neither did we.
I looked at the green-dressed woman. Her hands moved up and down in a mystical motion. Her eyes focused on the bedlam she created. The noise started to quiet down as the webs covered the mouths. The spiders started to feed on others, but we couldn’t do anything. I know I didn’t know these people who came to Teresa’s funeral, but. But it was hard to ignore them like a mother losing her kid. My heart sank as I felt something grab my leg.
I looked down to see a single web string wrapped around my leg. Jerking me to the ground from Emaj. The ground is as hard as it is cold. Unforgiving and knocking the wind out of me. I could see that more webs caught Paige and Liam by their arms. They both struggle to free themselves, but like fish caught by a fisherman, were being reeled in. Paige dug her feet into the ground like a patient refusing to go into surgery. Liam frantic movements with his arms didn’t fare much better.
I looked up to see web strings grab Emaj’s ankles and Salem’s calves. Both of them hit the ground as hard as I did, but they didn’t wince like I did. I’m used to taking dives on hard grounds from volleyball, but I wasn’t ready. They both hit the ground like seasoned stunt actors. The impact didn’t even take the wind out of their breaths. Must be from their combat training. I could feel my web dragging me through the muddy grass. Blades of dark green foliage entered my mouth along with dust, choking me. I tried to hold on to the ground but these webs were strong. It felt like trying to escape an anaconda. The pull became faster. Raspberries started to form on my legs from the friction of the ground at such speeds.
I turned to see that my friends, all 7 of us were now in front of the green-dressed woman. Her arms stretch out to either side as if she is going to embrace us. Her smile is wide and dangerous.
“You stupid mortals. You know, I used to be like you. Mortal. Before that witch turned me into a spider.” the woman’s words are soft but cold. If words could freeze we would all have frostbite. Her eyes are like ice, solid and chilly. Her breath fogges in the air in large clouds.
“What do you want?” I struggled as the webs crept close to her. I realized that I did voice it out loud. Something about her energy crawled over me. As if I had tiny spiders over my body. The closer I got, the more spiders it felt like.
What is wrong with this lady!” Waldo scorched, his heat meeting her coldness.
“Why can’t we move?” I managed to yell. My brain processed that these are webs and should be able to be broken. The webs managed to pull us up and bundle us all together. She walked as if she crawled on a spider web. Slow, almost predatory, circling us. Taking notes as if choosing which one she wanted first.
“Of course, you never heard of me. Most mortals don’t, They know of Medusa and her story at the hands of that witch. But me? Only those who read about Greek mythology know of me.” she paused and looked at Emaj.
“Arachne,” he whispered and she smiled. Touching his chin, almost admiring that he called her by that name. She didn’t answer him though.
“You seven defied me. Try to take my meals away by freeing them. So, now which one of you should I devour first?”
“ARACHNE!” a woman called out and I managed to see a woman with bright red hair. She stood there in defiance staring at the woman called Arachne. Her eyes, like a sword, were sharp and silver. Her words pierced the air. “LET THEM GO”
Arachne turned to face this woman dressed in black. I could see evil in her smile. She wanted this. “Oh look! The witch is here. Turned anybody else into a spider, Athena?”
