Александр Александрович Чечитов
The Texas Spider
Then Whitney went to Larry Queens, looking for help. She couldn't remember how she'd made it all the way to his house. The impatient, timid drumming of blows on the door remained unanswered for a long time. It seems like an eternity passed until an orange-red light bulb turned on over the porch of his house. A puffy face appeared in the doorway, which was ajar by five inches.
– Damn it! Whitney exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the older man. The rays of a small lamp illuminated a skull split in two, from which a burgundy liquid was slowly oozing. The right side of the cheek and forehead with a convex mole was much better preserved, and the man could still be recognized.
– Why are you yelling? Queens asked irritably, licking his split lips.
– Something broke into my house. Larry, please call the police!
Nodding, the elderly man disappeared inside the house. Evening silence enveloped the area, and even, it seems, drops of water flowed silently from the soft tiled roof. Whitney could only hear the heavy tread of Queens' retreating footsteps, disappearing into the dense blackness of the rooms.
– Listen, what's your name, – Larry's voice rattled from the, depths of the house, – you'll have to come in and help me. Dial it yourself, I don't feel well.
After spending about a couple of seconds fiddling with the door chain, Whitney got inside. The suffocating rancid air of the rooms squeezed the lungs, and Whitney Graham's neck and forehead were covered with cold, salty perspiration.
– Where are you, Larry?
A warm wave of air and a short, rustling sound near her ear were followed by the crash of things smashed behind Whitney's back. Something heavy plopped down beside her, bouncing to the side. Whitney's hand, clutching the gun, jerked, and a flash of light lit up the room for a moment.
– There are only two bullets left, – a strange thought flashed through Whitney's mind when she managed to make out the unnaturally hunched figure of Larry Queens. Now the back of his head was completely covered by a pink–red arthropod creature that looked like a spider. A small body, dotted with many eyes, throbbed and fidgeted on a gray, broken head, fingering two dozen curved paws.
