The Spider

The Spider was surprised. She didn't expect an answer at four in the morning, much less that the person on the other end would sound as if he had been awake, and waiting to hear from her. He seemed happy that she had called.

"Hello? Are you there?" he asked. "No need to be shy. I've been waiting for you to call."

"Who is this?" she said, her voice only a whisper into the pay phone.

The night was dark, the neighborhood ravaged. Storm clouds gathered above the Spider as she stood on the cracked pavement, surrounded by darkness. In the distance, miles away, she could see flashes of lightning. Rain soon.

"My name is John," he said. "Maybe I should have called myself something else, I don't know. I kept thinking about it, but it all seemed so silly, so it's just me. John. Just John."

"What do you want, John?" she asked. "The police have Farracone now. They have the drugs and the money now. You aren't getting that back."

"Oh, I know," John said. "That's OK. The last thing I needed from poor Frank happened tonight, when he gave you my phone number. It'll be good for him to get some rest in jail for ten years or whatever."

"You're scum," the Spider hissed. "Is that what you wanted? You wanted me to have him arrested, so you can take over his organization, move drugs in Grimm Town yourself? Because that's not going to help you. I got Farracone, and I'll get you the same way."

John laughed.

"No, no, Little Spider. I only am in the drug business out of necessity. That's where the money is, unfortunately, and I need a lot of it. But I don't like drugs, never used them. Horrible stuff. I'll be happy to get out of that scene entirely. And I need you to help me do that."

"I'm not helping you do shit except to end up in the same place that Farracone is once I find you. You don't know what I'm capable of. I'll find you."

"But I do know what you are capable of," John's voice dropped down to an intimate whisper. "It's my business to know what is and what's not. I know a lot about you, Spider. For instance, I know that you just had an orgasm."

The Spider's mouth clapped shut, she almost gasped out loud before she stifled it. How could he know that? There's no way he could know that.

"I know, Spider," John went on. "You need to believe me. I don't know the details, if you gave yourself the orgasm, or if someone else did. But I know. I can

hear

it. Over the phone I can hear it. I think it's a beautiful thing."

"You don't know shit," the Spider said in retort, but it was only a croak... even she could hear the confusion in her voice.

"I

do

, though, Spider. I know all

kinds

of shit. It's what I do. Remember: it's my business to know what

is

and what's

not

. And I can help you know what is and what's not, also. I'm your friend."

"Look here, 'Just John'", the Spider almost yelled, recovering her composure. "I don't know what your game is, but I'm going to stop it. You can't hide from me! I'll find you. You hear me? I'll find you and shut you the fuck down, same as all the other assholes on my streets."

"But I'm not hiding from you, Spider," John replied, affably, agreeably, his voice smooth and silken. "I haven't gone through all the trouble that I went through just to hide from you. I want to see you. I want us to get to know each other. You could come over right now, if you wanted to. I'll give you the address. I'm only in Northpoint. Not far from where you are. You can come here tonight."

Hardly, she thought. No way am I walking into whatever this motherfucker has waiting for me.

"I'll deal with you later."

"Sure," he said. "I understand. It's very late, you've had a big night. You put away a major criminal- with my help- and you did whatever it was that led to that delicious orgasm I can hear in your voice. It might be time for you to rest."

"I don't rest much. I'll be catching up with whatever it is you have planned soon enough, asshole."

"Language, Spider! I hope you catch up with me very soon. In fact, I think you should catch up with me in just a couple of nights. I have something very illegal planned, involving more of those awful drugs, and someone should definitely stop me."

"Fuck you. What are you going to do?"

"I won't tell you now. If you call me tomorrow, maybe a little earlier than four in the morning next time!- I'll be happy to tell you exactly what I'm going to do and exactly where I will be doing it at, and you can come and stop me. Put me in jail or whatever you need to do."

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"Because, Little Spider," John's voice was like honey in how reasonable he sounded, "I want to see you. Get to know you. Get to know you better. For instance, I don't really like this whole 'the Spider' business. I'd like to know your name, your real name. Who you really are. Will you tell me?"

"No!" she yelled. "Of course I won't!"

"Please," he asked. "Have I been rude to you? Haven't I been your friend so far? Haven't I been as honest and open with you as I can? All I'm asking for is the same."

"No," she told him again. "I won't tell you my real name."

"I really want you to, though," he went on. "It's

important.

I can't explain right now but it's very important that you be open with me, honest with me, and there can't be any barriers to that. There just can't be. I'm John. Just John. And you are?"

For a second, that sounded reasonable, actually. When you meet someone, you tell them your name if they've told you yours, right? Why not go ahead and be sociable, just tell the man your name, it seemed to the Spider.

"Hi John, I'm-"

But then she caught herself. Motherfucker!

"I'm not telling you my real name, John. You'll go to jail never knowing who put you there, same as all the rest."

John sighed.

"Well, I don't think you mean that. I think you are just tired. I think you've had a big night, and you need to rest.

Sleep.

I suppose you are more or less nocturnal, doing what you do... out all night, finding criminals, finding evil, and stopping it. I guess that's me in this story, the 'evil'. I guess I'm the villain, but I'm really not, and I think that you'll see that..."

A drop of water hit Anna on her nose. She came to with a start. It was raining. When did that happen?

She looked at the phone, still in her hand, now beeping at the lost connection.

I guess I fell asleep, Anna thought. That boring motherfucker put me right to sleep.

With a crack of thunder, the sky opened up, and the rain began to pour down in cold, gray sheets.

Maybe I

should

get some rest, the Spider thought.

And she slipped out of the storm, and back into the shadows.