Page 28 of A Very Monstrous Desire

Theo was in the forest.

Chapter

Fourteen

Now that he was stationary Theo could see a gap in the bottom of the silken net. He pushed his foot hard against it and eventually broke through. Something stung him again on the ankle, and he knew immediately that it was one of the hand-sized spiders trying to close the net up. The little bastard! Theo knew what spiders used their nets for and he had no intention of being trussed up and liquified as their latest snack!

He kicked again and ripped the net along the front, giving himself enough room to push his arms through and break free. He slapped several spider monsters aside as he did so, sending them flying into a nearby tree.

Theo’s heart was racing, no question it was well into the hundred beats-per-minute at this point, and he felt ridiculously battered and bruised. But it was like being back in the clearing again. That same adrenaline was pumping through Theo, giving him a clarity that he desperately needed.

Escape.

Find safety.

Find Baku.

The actions sped through him one after the other like he was back in the briefing room, and they were orders from Becky the instructor. Theo fully intended to follow them. He pushed hard at the silken net, pulling himself free of it, and he was just in time, because a moment later and the massive spider above him would have had time to drop down and enclose him in her many legs.

Theo rolled away.

The car-sized spider monster thudded to the ground and gave a nasty shriek.

More of its tiny fellows swarmed down.

Theo ran.

Dear god he ran.

He pumped his arms harder than he ever had and he pushed his legs faster than ever before. The slightly lower gravity aided him, and Theo raced away from the monster spider and its army of smaller ones. He could hear it behind him, many legs scampering over the forest floor. But Theo was fast, he had always been fast, and he was able to clear the obstacles on the forest floor with ease.

A fallen tree here.

A boulder there.

He jumped and he leaped, and he sucked in smooth breaths of air as he went.

He knew he wasn’t deep into the forest. He could see light up ahead and his sense of direction was enough that he was sure it led back to the cliffs which meant it led back to his monster.

To Baku.

Theo went faster.

He pumped his arms.

He drove his legs.

He was surely going to make it to safety in no time...

Something barrelled into him. Something that swooped down from the forest canopy. The breath was pushed from Theo’s body as he fell, rolling once more against the forest floor. He came to a stop next to another fallen tree. It was huge despite being long since dead and splattered with globules of orange mucus. Theo quickly moved so that he was pressed up against it.

Something cried out.

Not a screech.

Not a shriek.

But a haunting howl.

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