The Broken Road

I would like to say that this peice has not been edited yet because I just finished writing it two minutes ago. This story is a personal one to me and is riddled with little inuendos, hinting about certain people or situations that I am dealing with lately. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!

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                The winding road that lay before me is dark and twisted. The asphalt is riddled with large cracks and potholes as far as the eye can see. Dark trees stretch over forming a high canopy that takes away any light that might have helped to illuminate the path. I take a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh as I start to walk up the road; I am sure that this will get better, after all, doesn’t everything?  Hoping over obstructions and stepping around the potholes seems to be the way to manage the treachery; or so I thought.

                I make it to the canopy of trees and quickly find out that I am not alone here. Spiders start to slide down on their long silky web and a few of them land on me. I frantically brush myself off and knock the massive arachnids to the ground; they are the size of my hand. A dull ache forms on my shoulder blade, “Damnit, one of them bit me!” I exclaim. I look down at one of the spiders and stomp her as hard as I can; a loud CRUNCH echoes into the forest and two legs go flying into the distance; the strong scent of whiskey wafts into the night air and I notice some half dissolved pills have fallen from her stomach. I move on in hopes that I won’t meet any more of those monstrous creatures although the further I walk into the unknown the darker it gets; it is now close to being impossible to see.

                My shoulder is throbbing now and I can feel the welts forming from the vicious spider bite. My vision seem to be changing, everything looks sharper and certain images pop out at me; as if I were watching a 3D movie. I pull out my zippo lighter from my pocket and strike the flame into life. As soon as the light is cast hundreds of creatures scatter off of the road into the twisted woods. I scream in fear, I definitely didn’t expect that to happen; I didn’t even hear any of these animals approaching! “What is up with the size of these monsters?” I wonder as a huge centipede scurries away, it must be at least eight feet long!  With this tiny flame as my guide I continue to make my way through this nightmare. I think of a quote by Winston Churchill where he states “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That’s exactly what I intend on doing.

                The canopy seems to be thinning out a bit and I haven’t seen any more creatures since I have my lighter ablaze. I look down at my worn and battered shoes and I pray that this phase in my life will end soon. I can’t wait to move on from this hellish state I am in. I look up to find a massive spider web just inches from my nose. I jump back in shock and look at this terrifying but amazing construction. The web stretches to the highest point of the canopy and covers the entire width of the road. The strands of the web are as thick as a tow rope; and then I wonder what the creature who built this looks like… at that very moment the fluid in my lighter runs out, and I am yet again cast into the darkness.

                                Something is coming, I can hear ripping sounds along with massive clunks as it steps closer. The humidity rapidly increases and it now feels like a sauna; I am vigorously shaking my lighter in hopes to get it to light once more. Heavy breathing can be heard now and the massive clunky footsteps have stopped. I strike the flint on my lighter and nothing happens; the heavy breath is getting closer, I can feel it.  I shake my lighter again and flick the wheel down; a short flame bursts into life and I look at the ground for a stick. I find one and break it to a manageable size and try to take off my shirt. Searing pain stops me; I can’t lift my right arm higher than my shoulder. I manage to get my shirt off using my other arm and wrap it around the stick; then light it on fire. My back now feels as if it has been stabbed with a red hot iron.

                Now that I have a decent light I re-examine the massive web that was before me and to my horror it has been ripped open; the hole is gigantic. I quickly turn around and inspect the area around me; I see nothing.  Cautiously I begin to step through the hole in the web, making sure I don’t get caught in the sticky rope; as soon as I place my right foot on the other side of the opening there is a loud BOOM that causes the ground to shake. I slowly turn around to see massive jaws directly in front of my face and thirteen black eyes. The monster lets out a terrible, ear splitting shriek, showing off how big those jaws will open; mucus and saliva fly everywhere and cover me. I wipe the slime off of my face and turn to vomit as I try to run; once I regain my bearings I force my legs to go as fast as they can, moving deeper and deeper into this nightmarish road…..

                I wipe the sludge off of me as I continue to run; jumping through webs and dodging other large insects who are also trying to get away from this giant. I begin to notice that this spider has been particularly busy; I see two men who have had the life sucked out of them and then dismembered, one of them is still alive but seems to be slowly bleeding out as he struggles to be freed from the web. Various insects are stuck in her web as well but they haven’t been physically harmed, yet. One giant cock roach squirms attempting to untangle itself, however he is not strong enough; a camera lies on the ground a few feet in front of him. I keep moving; the canopy has now dissipated to a few trees and the full moon casts down an eerie shine. I look behind me and see her; all of her. The moon shines on her abdomen which has the pattering of a leopard, her eyes never blink and seem to have a red glow in the light; her stance almost seems awkward and shy, but menacing at the same time. An incredible roar breaks the silence of the night and she charges at me full speed. I turn around to find that I am looking into the entrance of a cave, “Where the hell did this come from?” I wonder, “Oh, the hell with it! Let’s get this over with!” with those final words I enter the darkness.

A faint blue light coming from in between the cracks in the rocks aids my vision as I try to find my way along the slippery surface. The path I am now on is taking me at a steep downward slope; the air is growing cold. I begin to wish I still had my shirt and then realize that I haven’t felt any pain from my right shoulder in some time, which concerns me; I push the thought to the back of my mind and focus on what is in  front of me. The light grows brighter as openings that look like arched doorways start to open up to my left. I reach up to get a good grip in the wall to pull myself onto a high ledge; and then notice it’s not a rock I am holding on to. A body wrapped tightly in web, except for the face, falls on top of me as I grab the hand. Her eyes are clouded white and streaks of infection are pulling away at her mouth. Spiders fall from her nostrils and crawl out of her mouth as her body tumbles toward me. I scream and push her away as I lose my footing and fall through an arch doorway in the wall.

 I land hard on a rock slab a good six feet below. Everything in my body hurts; I roll over and cough up blood. “Great” I say sarcastically, holding my ribs. I sit up and can hear fain whimpers coming from somewhere in this cavern. I climb down off the slab to the sand floor below and start to look around, “Hello?” I ask. “Are you okay?”

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I open my eyes and crawl out of bed; the clock reads 3:45 AM. I walk down the hall and check on my daughter who is sleeping peacefully in her room; snuggled up with her stuffed animals. I smile and whisper, “I’ll never stop fighting for you, or protecting you, or loving you.”

Sean Kendrick