Fear slithered under her skin when it emerged into the space she was in and was as gigantic and tall as Orpheus.

It’s void, black-like skin told her it was a Demon. Its shape was so similar to that of spider, yet so completely different that it was off-putting.

It had eight arching legs, black and hairy, attached to a fat behind like that of a tarantula. Its upper segment was human-shaped, except backwards, arching its back so it

could see. Human elbows almost touched its forward facing back, the shoulders twisted so it could use them in front of itself. The head was arched back and upside down, and the breasts were pointing towards the sky due to its upturned body.

Three sets of human-shaped red eyes with no whites in them spanned its forehead, while its mouth didn’t have lips and the exposed gums highlighted its many fangs.

“Well, what do I have here?” it hissed at her with a feminine pitch, snapping its jaw open and shut to make a chomping sound. “It looks human, but it doesn’t smell human.”

“Stay the hell away from me!” Reia yelled.

It crawled closer, each of its eight legs working at different times. It grinned, but it looked like a frown with its face upside down, and it was more grotesque the closer it came.

“Yes, definitely human.” Its thin body made the skin around its rib bones hollow further as it took in quick breaths when it laughed. “A human has wandered into the Veil and is caught in my territory?” It came so close that the black hair dangling from on top of its head tickled her neck while it peered deeply at her. “I smell your fear, tasty morsel.”

She attempted to punch it in the face, but it ducked away just in time. It snickered, the sound similar to a wheeze, and the hoarse sound of it eliciting a terrible wave of disgusted shivers.

“Oh, how much fun you’ll be.” It reached down with its twisted arms to obtain webbing from the pointed spinner at its backside. “I wonder how quickly I can make you scream and cry.”

It didn’t need to wait long.

A scream immediately broke from Reia, muffled by webbing when it started wrapping her in it. She struggled, but it was short lived as the non-sticky webbing was strong and wound around her tightly to force her still.

Once she was wrapped in a thin cocoon, it used its claws to cut her free from where she was trapped. Lifting her off the ground, hovering her underneath its body, it started walking away with her.

Reia eyed the amulet and dagger on the ground, her heart thundering and racing.

This was no ordinary Demon. This wasn’t a weak one, but one who had eaten many humans. She wondered if the amulet would have done anything to protect her. But without it, she knew there was nothing to stop it from eating her.

A spider. Why did it have to be a spider? She couldn’t think of a more terrifying combination than a Demon and a spider, and currently she was in the clutches of it.

It took her deeper into its web-covered territory before coming to an opening that had a large hammock-like spider’s nest. It hovered above the ground, and it took her to the centre of it to lay her upon it.

Then it started climbing the trees, crawling to the canopy above until its human body dangled and made it the right way up.

“You are not as afraid as others.” It closed its eyes as its body shuddered in delight. The hairs on its legs rose and vibrated, showing Reia just how ecstatic it was that it had her. “But it still smells delicious on you, little morsel.” Its tongue came up to lick at its lipless face. “However, I desire a different emotion from you.”

Reia’s body ached in the tightness of her bounds. Her body bent in a way that wasn’t natural as her hand remained stuck to her ankle.

It leaned down with its arms reaching forward to cup her face. She couldn’t speak to it, her mouth covered by webbing, but her free nose allowed the pungent smell of rot and decaying bodies that came from it to churn her stomach with it so close.

It brushed its nose against her cheek in a stroke.

“Will you not be sad for me? I love the sour taste.”

Reia narrowed her eyes into a glare, refusing to give it anything it wanted. Its mouth opened and closed quickly, making that sharp snapping sound.

“No?” It snickered. “Is there no one you miss? No one you wish... to see?” Its voice became twisted and echoed before a shadow fell over its face.

Reia’s eyes widened when a ghost figure’s face fell over its own; a familiar one. Mother?

Blonde hair covered its own as a blue, singular pair, of eyes looked beseechingly into her own. The image was a perfect creation, looking exactly like the memories of her real mother.

“Why?” it asked her, her mother’s eyes bowing as her voice filled Reia’s ears. “Why did you bring the Demons on us?”

Her heart squeezed in her chest. She tried to shake her head, to tell it no. To tell her no.

“It’s all your fault.” Her mother’s voice made it convincing as Reia could see nothing else about the Demon. It was so close to her that it blocked out everything else. “If it wasn’t for you, we’d still be alive.”

No! Reia clenched her eyes shut, feeling tears collecting in her them. It’s a Demon. It’s not my mother.

“Why won’t you look at me, Sweetpea?”

Sweetpea. Only her parents called her that. It’s not her. It can’t be her. But how was this Demon able to conjure this?

How did it know to use that very name?

“Can you not bear to look at me because of what you did?” Reia tried to squirm but gained no room in her trappings. “You killed us, Reia.”

My name? She opened her eyes to find her mother’s face, and it was filled with anguish and pain.

“You let them eat us. You brought them to our home by the will of your soul. You attract Demons like a bad omen.”

It’s... it’s not my fault. It couldn’t be her fault. Being a

harbinger wasn’t real, it wasn’t true. It was only a label the scared gave her. “You killed us!”

A cry was wretched from her throat and sounded through her nose as tears began filling her eyes.

“You killed your baby brother!”

The face changed, a little boy, no older than three, came into view. With brown hair, green eyes, and a face covered in freckles, his face scrunched up as he wailed with little tears falling from his eyes.

“It hurwts, Wreia,” he blubbered. “Why didwn’t yew protwect me?”

I didn’t mean to! She didn’t mean to let them die, didn’t mean to do nothing. She’d heard their screams, heard their cries, heard them fighting until the sound of tearing, blood-splatters, and the suckling of blood and organs was heard.

“Pappa said for yew to always protwect me. But... But yew wlet dem eat me.”

Reia wanted to cover ears, like she had when she’d been a child, at his voice. Pain filled her chest and guilt clutched her throat. A sob came from her as tears began to track from her eyes and down her temples to roll into her hair.

“You were supposed to protect him!” her father roared, his face reddened with rage and anger as his face filtered in.

His short, light brown beard tickled her nose as he spoke over her. “Instead, you brought us death! Your mother, your brother, me. We died because of you.”

I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry!