In the Spider's Web

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.

*****

It wasn't a restful night. I awoke several times to cry, remembering all I had lost. I also awoke several times to noises, and froze in fear, heart pounding, as I waited for my captor to return.

Finally morning came. I awoke with a start from a nightmare where I'd found my neighbor, Mrs. Williams, dead in the hallway, blood still oozing from her nose, mouth, and ears. That had actually happened. I wasn't sure I believed in God anymore, but, just in case, I thanked him that my family was safely in Idaho.

Provided, of course, they were safe. I had no way of contacting my family. My phone had lost its charge long ago, and I had no idea if the cell towers were still operational. Cell towers required power, right? Even if they had some sort of backup power supply, it had probably run dry a long time ago.

I shuddered, banishing a mental image of my little niece, Clare, covered in spots and already bleeding from the nose. They were ok. I had to believe they were ok. If I started to think otherwise, it would break me.

I went out on the balcony and surveyed the city in the early morning light. It was a patchwork of strange jungle and urban ruin. No lights shone from the remaining windows. No people walked the streets. Skyscrapers reached for the sky in their empty glory, and, in the distance, I could see the towers of the nuclear power plant. The mainland was only barely visible, a far distant shore.

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look on my works, ye mighty, and despair..." I muttered.

"What was that?" said a voice above me.

I looked up and stifled a scream. It was the spider monster. He blinked down at me, smiling. "Did I hear you right? Your name is Ozymandias?"

Despite myself, I sniggered. "It's a line from a poem. It's about... Decay. The crumbling of civilizations."

My captor sobered, looking out at the ruin of a once great city. "Appropriate." He looked down at me, frowning. "Do you have any idea how many of your people are left?"

I sighed. "If whatever happened is contained on this island, around 7 billion."

Mattias froze, blinking. "Seven... billion?"

I shrugged. "If whatever happened is limited to here. If it isn't..." I shrugged again.

Mattias frowned. "According to my studies, the impingement of my world into yours seems to be a localized phenomena, measuring no more than 2 hecta in radius."

"Hecta?" I asked, frowning.

Mattias shrugged. "Measure of distance. Your island is roughly 2.3 hecta in radius. In short, unless there are other areas of encroachment more than 1238 hecta away from the my workroom, this effect is limited to the island."

I frowned, attempting to calculate distances. I quickly gave up, but not before concluding that Idaho was too far away for me to be certain it was safe. "Do you have any idea what caused it?"

Mattias shrugged again. "I have dedicated some study time to ascertaining the cause of this phenomena, mostly out of curiosity, as the origin of this incursion is unlikely to be pertinent to my continued well being. Or yours, for that matter. However, I have yet to deduce the inciting incident, or any catalysts."

"A simple no would have worked," I sighed.

Mattias laughed. "I will admit that I am, at times, rather verbose." He smiled. "If you like, I could study the encroachment further, and make you aware of my findings. Do you have any background in basic alchemy, or the structure of ley lines?"

Slowly, I shook my head.

"It is alright. I can teach you," Mattias said. "Now, I need to examine your reproductive tract."

My eyes widened. "Hell no!"

Mattias sighed. "I just need to scent your pheromones and feel your uterine opening. I need to know when you will be receptive to my seed."

I backed away. "No."

Mattias cocked his head, suddenly seeming far more spiderlike. "You are my mate, Beloved. You should accept this. It will make life easier for both of us."

I shook my head. "I won't let you do this to me!"

Mattias sighed. "We were getting along so well. Pity." He moved in a blur, capturing both my wrists and binding them together in front of me. Then he scooped me up in is arms and carried me to the bed.

I screamed. "Let me go!" But it was no use. A loop of webbing beneath my arms anchored me to the bed. The monster deftly removed my pants from my flailing legs. Then he forced them apart. Loops of webbing secured my ankles to the bed, and then my thighs.

The monster frowned down at me. "Are you comfortable?"

"I'm webbed to the fucking bed! What do you think?" I snapped.

The spider creature sighed. "Aside from that. I don't want to cause you pain, Beloved."

I glared at him.

He sighed again. "I will begin my examination, then."

He leaned close to my pussy and inhaled deeply. Then he exhaled. Warm breath rushed past my clit, making me shiver. "You smell good." He inhaled again. I felt his words as little puffs of air against my pussy lips. "I failed to properly appreciate this when we met, but now..." He sighed in contentment. His tongue flicked out. Stroked me.

I squirmed. "You said you were just going to sniff me and feel up my cervix. You didn't say you were going to-" I shrieked as he found my clit with his tongue.

He laughed, and gave my clit another caress before saying, "If you had cooperated, I would have kept to the business at hand. As it is... I think I shall combine business with pleasure." I squeaked as his tongue delved deep into my pussy, and pressed my g-spot. That was one strong tongue!

The spider monster pulled back, and fished around in his pouch. "I know I put it in here... Ah!" He pulled out a small glass jar full of a pink liquid. Then he held it close to his mouth and breathed on it. His breath misted the jar, and before the condensation could fade away, he drew a symbol in it. The symbol glowed briefly, and then faded.

The creature unscrewed the jar and dipped his fingers in. "This should act as both a lubricant and an aphrodisiac. I was going to save it for the impregnation, but I think I'll test it now. If I pay close attention to your reactions, I should be able to make a stronger batch for the big event."

Aphrodisiac!?! "Fuck you!" I tensed up as his fingers got closer, waiting for the cold touch of-

I blinked, and moaned as his fingers slid in. "It's... warm." Really warm. It felt sooooo good... I moaned again.

Mattias laughed. "Of course. It's a rather basic spell, but quite effective."

As he carefully rubbed it in both inside and around my pussy, I could feel my sensitivity growing. The feel of Mattias's warm breath was almost enough to make me cum...

He sighed. "The only issue with using this is now I can't lick you. If I did, I might get wound up enough to do something I'll regret later."

I blinked up at him. "Why would you... Ohhhh... Regret it?"

Mattias shook his head and smiled sadly. "I don't want to pleasure myself at your expense. This-" he caressed my clit, "Is already an indulgence. I don't want to take it any further. At least, not until I must."

I squirmed. "Weren't you originally going to eat me?"

Mattias blinked. "Yes. I fail to see the relevance of that observation."

"It's just that-" I moaned, and then gasped, as Mattias's skillful fingers played me. "N-nevermind."

Mattias pulled out a small, perfectly round ceramic sphere carved all over with symbols. "Fortunately, I have something much better than my tongue to pleasure you with. This," he said as he held up the stone for my inspection, "is called a pleasure ball." He flicked it with his thumb, and it started to vibrate. "Most females enjoy the sensation greatly."

I shook my head. "N-no. I- I can't take that. T-too intense..."

Mattias smiled. "I bet you can. I want to see you writhe. I want to feel you clench around my fingers. I want to hear you scream." Then he pressed the ball against my clit.

I screamed, alright. I came, then and there, clenching so hard his fingers were forced out of my pussy. My movements were constrained by my restraints, but still, I writhed.

"Please!" I begged. "Enough!"

To my surprise Mattias pulled the ball away. He smiled gently. "How about something a bit slower? For a while, anyways."

I nodded. "Slower. Please."

Mattias got out the jar again. He dipped his fingers in, and then slid onto the bed behind me. He released the webbing that kept me prone. "Sit up."

I sat, and then moaned as he began to work the pink liquid into my shoulders.

"Feels good?" Mattias asked.

"Uh huh," I murmured.

When my shoulders were coated in the liquid and massaged into a state of bliss, he moved on to my upper back. Then my lower. Soon my entire back felt tingly. Mattias continued, working out knots that had been there since this whole mess started. The back of my neck got the same gentle treatment. Mattias pulled me back to lean against him, and started on my breasts.

He worked from the outside in. I moaned as he worked the liquid into my cleavage, and then around the sides, closer and closer to my-

My eyelids fluttered and I gasped as Mattias gently massaged my nipples. "Ohhhh..."

Just as the sensation was about to become too much, Mattias moved on to my stomach. He worked the muscles there, too, and worked in the liquid. Idly I wondered how much of that stuff he had.

Mattias moved on to my legs, or, rather, my inner thighs. He started near the knee and moved higher... And higher...

I whimpered. "Please," I begged, not entirely sure what I was begging for.

Mattias's thumb brushed my clit. I came, and came, and came. I wasn't entirely certain when Mattias switched his fingers for the pleasure ball, or when his fingers forced their way between my spasming muscles to rub my g-spot. All I knew was bliss...

My series of orgasms wound to a close. I was limp against Mattias, my head resting against his shoulder. "That was nice," I slurred.

Mattias gently slid out from behind me, and lowered me to the bed. I felt him releasing my arms and legs as I closed my eyes, enjoying the aftershocks of my orgasms.

He kissed me on the forehead. "I have a web to check," he murmured. "I will be back soon, Beloved."

I nodded sleepily. "You do that," I slurred. "I'll be here."

Mattias's eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled. "I know." His smile widened. "You will make a wonderful mother," he said as I drifted off to sleep.

*

The first thing I saw when I awoke was Mattias. He kissed my forehead. "Good morning, Beloved."

I tried to reply, but found that I could not. "MMMMPH!" I'd been gagged with webbing.

I looked around. I was cocooned in one of Mattias's webs, high in the air over the city. The wrappings were so tight I could barely breathe, let alone move. I fought them.

"Struggling is pointless," Mattias told me. "You are my mate, Beloved. It is past time you accepted that."

I felt him pat my stomach. I looked down, and my eyes widened. "MMMPH!" I was very obviously pregnant.

Mattias lovingly stroked my distended stomach. "Our children," he purred in my ear. "Can you feel them moving?"

I could. Oh God, I could! The wriggly feeling in my abdomen made me cringe.

Mattias's hand went to my pussy, the only part of me not shrouded in webbing aside from my eyes. "You and I will have many children together. So many children..."

His eyes met mine, and he smiled. "I told you you'd make a wonderful mother."

*

I awoke, gasping. The first thing I did was look down at my stomach. Still flat. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's it," I muttered. "I don't care how good he makes me feel. I am out of here."

The only question was how. The only way out that I'd managed to find involved carefully traversing a ledge not much wider that a foot into the room next door. I was really high up, though. The thought of slipping off that ledge made my heart pound. And what if the room next door didn't have a way out?

I took a deep breath, and thought about the alternative. I was not going to become that spider's captive womb. I cringed, imagining his offspring in my stomach. And what if I didn't survive the birth? One way or another, I was out of here. I grabbed my backpack and slipped it on.

I went out to the balcony and looked at the ledge. I gulped. Don't look down. Whatever you do, don't look down.

Carefully, I climbed onto the balcony railing near the ledge. The ledge was level with the railing, so all I had to do was press my stomach against the building and slide my foot to the right. Slide my left to join it. And I was off the balcony. Ok. I could do this.

Slide my right foot again, and then my left. Right foot, left. Right foot. Left. My hands, pressed up against my sides, were trembling. Right foot. Left. Sweat dribbled down my forehead. I blinked to keep it out of my eyes. Right foot. Left. Right foot. Left. Right foot-

My right foot slid onto empty air. Screaming, I fell.

Right onto the other balcony. I'd fallen because I was there, and I'd slid my foot off the balcony railing. My stomach heaved. I struggled unsteadily to my feet and threw up in a corner.

I waited until the heaving of my stomach ended. Then I waited a bit longer, breathing deeply, as I tried to stop trembling. Finally, I stood, and tried the balcony door. It was unlocked. Thank God. I entered the apartment.

The apartment was huge, so finding the outside door took a bit of looking. And there were skeletons. But I'd gotten use to those. Once I was out of the apartment, I headed toward the stairs.

Fortunately, the stairwell had windows. Without light, I'd never have made it to the ground floor. As it was, the journey was a long one. I had to rest a few times on the way down.

Finally I was out of the building. Free. I sighed with relief, and looked around. Where should I go? I picked a direction at random and hurried away. It would not do to linger.

An hour later, I had to stop to rest. I was hungry, too. I removed by backpack and pulled out a twinkie. Opening the wrapper, I took a bite. I had long ago gotten sick of the sweet taste of the packaged pastries, but, as sealed items were the only things that hadn't rotted months ago, I ate them anyways. Sugary snack items and chips were the easiest to find. Sometimes I got lucky and found a gas station or grocery store that had packaged nuts or jerky. Finding canned food just made me feel depressed. I had yet to find a can opener, or any other way to break into the preserved contents.

Clean water was in very short supply. Water bottles were universally prized by survivors like me. Most of the time I had to make due with juice, soda, and the like, or rainwater.

I tried to avoid other survivors. Early on I'd been beaten up by a group and had my supplies stolen. I'd nearly died of dehydration before I'd managed to find more bottled liquids. I also knew from finding bodies that the plague that had started this mess was still very much present, as were numerous other diseases, both ordinary and new. If I met other survivors, I might catch something.

Thirst dried my throat. I needed to fill my water bottles, or find new ones. I looked around, and saw a gas station. Might as well start there.

Unfortunately this gas station had long ago been picked over. I sighed, and left to continue my search.

I searched gas stations and grocery stores, all the while moving steadily away from my prison. I found a fountain with a basin full of water, but it was stagnant, full of algae and bugs. Eventually I found a grocery store that still had some stuff in the back room.

Night was fast approaching. I needed to find shelter. The grocery store would not do. Neither would many other buildings. Monsters were perfectly capable of entering them. I'd played cat and mouse in the aisles of a grocery store before, and had no desire to do so again.

I chewed my lip thoughtfully, looking around. I saw a back alley filled with a half collapsed building. A dumpster was visible through the rubble, but, with a little rearranging, I could hide it.

I finished my work just after sunset. I lay down in the dumpster, shivering. Soon prowling footsteps padded the streets. Alien shrieks, wolf-like howls, and a few all too human screams split the night. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Morning would come all too soon.

I awoke to the sound of shifting lumber. I looked up at the dumpster's roof, terrified. Something was digging through the rubble. I held my breath, trying not to make a peep.

I heard a thumping sound as something settled on the dumpster's roof. The soft clacking of giant mandibles. This was not good. I tensed, preparing to burst out of the dumpster, push past the monster, and run.

There was a screeching of metal. Before I could react, an enormous stinger pierced the metal of the dumpster's side, driving straight into my arm.

Fire filled my veins. I screamed. My cry quickly cut off as my muscles spasmed. The spasms continued for what felt like forever. Then I went limp.

I struggled to move. I needed to be ready to run. I needed... But my limp muscles refused to obey me. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I was paralyzed. Helpless.

The cover of the dumpster opened. If I could have screamed, I would have. Bulging compound eyes peered down at me. Sharp mandibles clacked. I was looking up into the face of an wasp the size of a horse.

The wasp studied me, and then peered back over its shoulder. A female voice, surprisingly musical, said, "Looks like one of the natives." The monster turned to peer down at me again. "Nice and squishy. Perfect for the larvae."

Great insect legs encircled my limp form. Still paralysed, I was unable to resist as I was lifted from the dumpster. The wasp's wings buzzed loudly. It took off, carrying me into the night.