Haven: Revenge of the Viper by D.C. Akers Page B

room was alive with movement.
    “Mom, what’s happening? Where are they all coming from?” Sarah cried out.
    “Everyone stay close!” Alisa shouted back in response.
    She turned to open the kitchen door but suddenly stopped when she saw more spiders scurrying between the door and its frame, swarming in from the outside.
    The house began to creek and the walls shuddered with the movement of the spiders. Sam watched as deep cracks spread across the kitchen ceiling and small pieces of plaster fell to the floor. The light fixture above them fell loose to one side, exposing several wires. Sarah and Travis jumped away, startled, as sparks rained down. The light flickered on and off like a slow-moving strobe light.
    Hundreds of black and green spiders descended from the ceiling cracks on thin, emerald strands of silk. Their tiny legs twitched in rapid succession as their bodies spun in slow circles until they reached the counters and floor.
    Everyone stood motionless, watching as the first group of spiders migrated from the living room to the kitchen within seconds. Their long legs tapped the hard wood so fast it seemed like they were gliding across the floor.
    The screeching sound they made was all too familiar to Sam and Travis; thoughts of their escape from the cave were still fresh on their minds. Sam would never forget their round bodies with the three green stripes and small circle near their heads. Just the sight of them made him cringe.
    The spiders quickly overwhelmed the kitchen, covering the counters and floor in green and black. At first, Sam thought they were moving into the kitchen to attack them, but that was not the case. It looked like the spiders had no interest in them whatsoever. They scurried by, less than an inch in front of where Sam, Travis, Sarah, and Alisa were standing, but never once broke formation. They had one purpose in mind, and that was to gather in the center of the kitchen.
    “Back, children! Back!” Alisa shouted as she continued to edge the group against the wall and out of the room, giving the spiders room to maneuver around them.
    She glanced to the front door as a means of escape but it too was covered in spiders. The spiders had formed one wide, winding path that lead from the front door to the kitchen. There was no way out. They were trapped.
    Sam stood gawking at the large gathering of creatures as they jumped and climbed over one another. It wasn’t the mass chaos it looked like, he thought. The spiders were working together within the pile. They were trying to reach a predetermined location. Just looking at them made Sam’s stomach turn. Rapidly, the pile grew larger, and within seconds it had transformed into what looked like a small mountain in the kitchen. It must have been at least six feet tall.
    “Mom, we have to get out of here!” Sarah shouted. Her voice trembled as she yelled and her hands were shaking violently. Sam glanced over at Sarah; he had never seen her so scared in his life. Her once olive skin was now pallid and pasty with fear, drained of all color.
    “I’m with her!” Travis agreed. His skin looked clammy too, but he was calm as he spoke.
    “Move over near the fireplace!” Alisa said, pointing in the direction of the living room. Not a single spider remained in the room beyond them; it was as if nothing had ever been there. Sam, Sarah, and Travis moved quickly past the pile of spiders to the fireplace as instructed.
    Alisa looked to the living room window and front door again as a possible exit. But this time it wasn’t spiders that stopped her, but a tremor in the air. The feeling grew more intense as the tremor became stronger. But there was no mistaking it now—something was definitely blocking the air current around her home.
    Frustrated, Alisa cursed herself; it had been too long since she had used the elements. This was something she should have felt early on. The rebounding current could only mean one thing—a Binding spell. Someone, or