Spider's Bite
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Kermit kept watch while Matthew meditated. He glanced over at the old priest and knew from the look on his face just what Matthew was thinking. His thoughts too would drift toward the young priest struggling to survive. The "funeral" had been a ruse to draw out the spiders from their nest, but they got more than they bargained for. No one had thought to contact those people who had been harmed from the crimes that Peter Caine had supposedly committed. When they showed up, it nearly caused a riot, yet Kermit had to admit it had its desired effect. It meant that the reaction by some of the people was genuine and not staged. It had also been far easier to spot Kai Mow in the crowd. Kermit hoped that someone would have the good sense to contact those people after the fact. It was going to be hard enough to explain to those involved the full story.
Just as Kermit was thinking of ways to explain to Sandra Mason that their young resident Shaolin wasn't some crazed crime boss from all the media attention that would soon follow, a car pulled up and entered through the gates to the mansion. It pulled up to the front door and out stepped their quarry.
Kermit was about to rouse Matthew when the old priest suddenly came alive, and from years of practice, rose from the ground almost as fluidly as his son.
"Blake, you there?" Kermit called into his headset. "Looks like the head man has showed up. Better start moving in, slowly."
"I read yeah. Back up is on its way."
Without another word, Matthew headed straight for the front door, before Kermit could stop him.
"Matthew . . ." Kermit tried to grab the old priest, but missed and muttered under his breath, "Wait for backup. Now I know where Peter gets it from." Kermit at first stayed rooted to where he was, watching as Matthew approached the main entrance. Then letting out a deep sigh and drawing his desert eagle, he quickly moved behind the priest to cover his back.
"Where are you going?" he hissed in the priest's ear.
"To take care of the nest." Matthew quietly stated.
"That's supposed to be my job."
"I am not talking about the people."
"I don't understand," Kermit questioned.
"Watch and learn," was Matthew's instructed reply.
Kermit fell silent and did as Matthew advised. What was the old priest up to?
The ex-mercenary followed Matthew down a corridor away from the populated areas of the mansion. He kept a lookout as Matthew entered a door that led to the basement level. 'Where are you heading old man? Kai Mow couldn't be down there,' Kermit asked himself. What was down there anyway?
Kermit paused as Matthew held up a hand. Footsteps could be heard coming closer. Both men tried to melt into the shadows. As the footsteps passed, Kermit silently let loose the breath he had been holding and his grip loosened slightly on the handle of his desert eagle. He nearly jumped when Matthew placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and signaled him to follow. Kermit continued to take up the rear and nearly bumped into Matthew who stood in front of a door leading to some unknown destination.
"Why did you stop?" Kermit hissed in Matthew's ear.
"We are here."
"Fine, let's get this over with," Kermit stated and stepped around Matthew to open the door.
"Kermit, you must not go in there."
"And why not? If this is where the nest is, we can stop them."
"You do not understand," Matthew stated. "You have not been properly prepared." Matthew reached into a brown leather pouch that looked very similar to his son's and pulled out a small vial. "You must drink this."
"What is it?"
"It will help protect against the poison."
"Matthew you're not making any sense. I'm a cop. All I need is this to protect me," Kermit argued and lifted his desert eagle into Matthew's view.
"Against a human enemy, yes. But we face no ordinary enemy."
Matthew's words silenced the ex-mercenary and despite his green shades, confusion could still be read in his face.
Matthew held up the vial and without another word handed it to Kermit. The look in his eyes told Kermit to trust him.
Not fully understanding, Kermit took the vial and swallowed the contents in one gulp. He didn't even grimace at the bitter taste. Kermit watched as Matthew brought a similar vial to his own lips and downed the liquid then turned and opened the door.
Matthew was the first to step through, but when it came time for Kermit to make his move, he halted just inside the doorway. Even through the green shades he could not believe what he saw. The room felt as if it was alive. Webs hung from the ceiling and stretched across every area of the room. But that wasn't what caused him to pause, it was what rested in the center of the webbing. Within the center sat a woman, cradling what looked to be a large cocoon. The woman looked up to stare into Kermit's face.
"Hello Kermit," she stated. "I'm sorry that things didn't go the way we planned. I hope you can forgive me. I did save your life once. Would you like to meet our children?"
Kermit started to approach Emma when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned toward Matthew and understood the look of caution that was on his face.
"Don't worry. I've dealt with her before."
Stepping forward, Kermit's eyes fell to the bundle that Emma cradled in her arms. He could see that the cocoon had been split open to reveal what lay inside. As his gaze fell on the contents of the cocoon, his mouth suddenly dropped open and he quickly peddled backward toward the door. For in the cocoon were hundreds of black widow spiders, some in the process of morphing into human form.
Continues with Part 36
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2002.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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