Darkness haunted every step I took, obscuring the cave as I walked forward, torch hissing in the air. Other than my crimson flames, nothing but pitch black greeted my eyes. A cool air crept up my back, sending gooseflesh down my arms, as I walked through the cavern, stopping only to examine the two ways forward.
The pathway to the right, once illuminated, revealed rocks and fallen debris, but a clean way forward. The second whispered of scuttling, webbing guarding its opening. I grimaced and stepped forward, lowering my torch and ducking beneath the web.
The tunnel beyond seemed alive. Every surface was covered in sticky web that wafted as I moved by, sending spiderlings scattering. Their black bodies shone ruby in the firelight. A smile tugged at my lips as a palm sized spider landed on my shoulder, caressing the bare skin softly as she moved closer to my hair.
Everything, from spider to spiderling, scattered as I entered a larger cavern. Some were the size of my horse, scaling the walls rapidly and disappearing into the darkness above me. My light barely illuminated the creatures above me, showing me only the white web that hid their bodies. Nothing dared come closer with the torch flickering beside me.
With a deep breath I looked at my torch before dropping it to the ground. The fire sputtered and slowly muted as the damp cave took its toll. Shadows lingered long and hungrily on the walls as the darkness closed in around me.
A faint sense of fear touched my gut as my eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Shapes and shadows seemed to move, writhing and shivering in provocative ways. I took a steep away from the dying light only to feel the brush of something thin against my shoulder and hair. I turned, seeing nothing, but the silvery wisp of web that hung there.
Another ghostly caress caught my shoulder before I stepped away, further from the light. Only black emptiness waited before me. My foot was caught first, stepping into the sticky thick fibres and becoming instantly immobile. A hand moved to steady myself, only to press against the fibrous web and become lodge.
Vibrations shuddered along the great web. I pulled, losing my balance when nothing would free me, only to end up more in the web. It bounced with every movement I made. Deliberately I struggled, making the web shudder around me. It jiggled in response as hundreds of legs moved upon it.