《Embracement》


 Unwanted Nuisance

    "I''m so bored. Maybe some snack would do."


    I haven''t been outside for days. Just laying around, staring at the ceiling as if that would pull me out of my life''s rock bottom.


    "Come on, Enon Musk. You and your Mesla must do better than this...This is murder you know."


    I walk down the empty streets, eyes sticking to the phone screen. The stock market has been in a deep crisis lately due to frequent industrial facility burnt-downs. And that''s also the reason my finances went from nearly zero to red now.


    Suddenly, appears from afar a blurred silhouette walking towards me. My anxiety kicks in nearly immediately.


    "Oh my god... Please don''t be someone I know. I look like a freak right now." - I mumble to myself while covering my face with my arm.


    "Take! Dude, are you good? You boy worried me so damn much!"


    That silhouette seems to have recognized my identity and rushes to me with the loudest voice possible as if he wants the whole neighborhood to peek outside their windows and glance at a scared freak about to piss himself.


    "Raynor. Hi." - I greet weakly.


    Raynor grabs my shaking shoulders with his strong firm hands.


    "You have not been picking up phone calls. Nor texts! What are you up to? I mean, I know it''s been a hard time for you lately, and you need some time, everybody does!"


    He looks at me with concerns overflowing his shiny black eyes. But I cannot even look straight at his face. Instead, I kept making eye contact with the ground as if the real Raynor were down there.


    "Your sister passed away. I understand that it ain''t easy for you to face it. The accident happened too suddenly..."


    "That was NOT an accident!"


    I heard grunts in my hardened voice and my chest became stiff as stone. Ah, here it goes again. Everyone keeps telling me that the only person I consider family died just because it was an unlucky day for her. They all know that it''s bull-dump. There were deep sharp wounds on her back. She was murdered. Someone sliced through her rib cage as if it were made of butter. Yet the police are not bothered enough to investigate further just because she was an ''insignificant laborer'' of an insignificant company. Just because we were nothing in this corrupted city.


    "Okay okay, I''m sorry boy. You know I ain''t mean it. All I wanna say is that Take, you have a friend. Don''t try to keep it all to yourself, it ain''t good. You have me. Seeing you like this hurts me too!"


    "Leave me alone."


    I shrug Raynor''s hands off my shoulders, head towards and stride quickly. My head spins indefinitely. I shouldn''t have gone outside. ''Snack would do'' my butt. I should have just stayed in bed waiting for time to crawl slowly till I died rotten on the sheet.


    "Takehito! I''m sorry!"


    Raynor chases me down. It didn''t take him long to catch up with me with his athletic body and his tall figure.


    "I said ''Leave me alone''. Didn''t you dig it?"


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Takehito. Actually, I wanted to tell you somethin''. About your sister''s death. I''m starting to think that it ain''t just a coincidence either. Maybe there was something shady behind all this."


    His words stopped me for a few seconds. I threw a doubtful glance at him.


    "You''re just trying to lure me out. Lemme tell you, all these games don''t work on me."


    "I''m being serious Take. I''ve been doing some research for a while now. I found some leads that could be useful."


    Raynor knows ''some people''. He is a veteran himself. Got himself injured in a battle back in America, and now he is here, retired, and picked up a new weapon to wield beside guns - Japanese katana. Half of his profile makes his words trustworthy enough to change my cocky attitude. Or at least, adjust it a little.


    "How about us discussing it in a cafe? I know one with very good milk crepes near the station."


    I heave a sigh. I''m unsure how many parts of this is the truth, or whether he could really help me get some useful information that proves my stance. But something is better than nothing, isn''t it? I''m in despair right now.


    ...


    In the cafe


    "I''ll have two milk crepes and one cappuccino, please!"


    "Two milk crepes and one cappuccino, got it! What about you, sir?"


    The waitress turns to me, waiting patiently for the order. Her stare scares the freak out of me. I have no idea what to order. I try to speak, but my voice seems to be stuck in my throat and I end up making a weird little squeak. I despise how socially awkward I can be when I get nervous.


    "He''ll have an espresso. Thank you!"


    Raynor saves me from an incoming heart attack. The waitress smiles gently, confirms the order, and then leaves.


    "You can have my cappuccino if you want since it''s easier to drink." - Raynor smiles, leaning back on his chair to enjoy the relaxing coffee scent filling up the air.


    "Tell me about what you said earlier. What do you know?"


    "I will, Take. Relax a bit." - Raynor laughs, waving his hand.


    "I know a guy. I will let you talk to him. But right now, I need to use the toilet for a while, if you don''t mind."


    He stood up and walked away. Is this guy even being serious? I couldn''t relax. My hands couldn''t stop messing with the cutlery on the table, and my head felt scorching for some reason.


    Suddenly, a person came sitting down on the chair Raynor just left.


    "Hello."


    It was not Raynor. I was stunned for a while. It is a young teenage boy with a short bob in top red kungfu uniform. Someone I don''t know. He was sitting there, crossing his arms and staring at me.


    "W-Who are you?!" - I heard my voice trembling while lowkey freaking out.


    "My name is Yang. Nice to meet you."

 Monster

    "Erm, Yang, very nice to meet you, but I seriously think you have mistaken me with someone else. We haven''t met before, and I don''t know any Chinese. Sorry if I had a wrong assumption of your race though. Anyways¡­ I think my friend is gonna need that seat."


    The young teenager in red kungfu uniform crossed his arms, stared at me with his black sharp eyes while considering something.


    "Well, I think we will need to work on this from the beginning. Can you come with me? This is something very urgent."


    "Urgent? How urgent?"


    "''The world is doomed if we don''t take immediate action'' kind of urgent, I guess."


    Who does this teenager think he is? Some kind of heroes who are bound to save the world? Is this some kind of chuunibyou symptoms? Or is he trying to scam me?


    Flustered with too many questions, I decided that it is at best for me to screw off as fast as possible from the potential problems.


    "I gotta go. I just remembered I have an appointment with my friends. It''s fun talking to you. Really."


    As I quickly devoured the milk crepe and my espresso and stood up from my seat in the teenage boy''s surprise glance, an ear-splitting sound banged into my eardrums. Right after that, the impact from something as huge as a small asteroid hitting the ground rocked the building and knocked me down on the floor. Furnitures and glasses in the coffee store were rolling and breaking, mixed with the scream of the shop owner and other customers. Lights were flashing and many of them popped.


    "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?"


    "This is not good," whispering to himself, the teenage boy dashed outside as quick as a squirrel, holding something that looked like a toy Japanese katana.


    "This is not good? What is not good? Don''t go out, you may get hurt!" I screamt to the silhoette of the teenager, whose warning he definitely did not hear.


    "Everyone, let''s get outta here!" ¨C Ray came swirling like a storm, picked some people who fell on the floor up and quickly lured them to the emergency exit.


    "Takehito! Can you get to the safety zone? Bring these people with you. There seem to be people who are stuck downstairs due to the impact. Imma go down and take a look! Also, do not go outside!"


    Ray then disappeared as swiftly as when he appeared.


    "Everyone, this way! Get to the emergency exit!" ¨C I started screaming too, trying my best so that other people could hear my instructions. There was a little bit of pushing, but they managed to head down the hallway safely.


    I would have entered the hallway and hushed too, if it didn''t come to my mind that there was still a teenage boy outside. A mixed feeling of anger and heroism rose inside of me, shoving me to go out and bring the teenager to safety. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I stumbled outside with shaky legs and the heavy, gasping breath of someone who hadn''t stepped far from home in a long time. The moment I walked out of the caf¨¦, a terrifying gust of wind slapped my body, accompanied by a piercing, high-pitched shriek that rang in my ears. It was so loud that my knees buckled, and I dropped to the ground, pressing my arms tightly against my head to prevent the sound waves from tearing my brain apart.


    When I regained my composure enough to open my eyes, the scene in front of me nearly froze me in place. A giant spider, as large as a two-story building, its body covered in stripes and fur, was waving its legs through the air. Surrounding it were enormous webs, as big as ten fishing nets sewn together, blanketing the buildings in white.


    As if sensing my presence, its six enormous eyes shifted toward me. The fangs protruding from its furry mouth sent a chill down my spine.


    "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?", I screamed in silence.


    Its massive legs, like tree trunks, slammed into the ground. It began lunging toward me and crawled at an incredibly fast speed. With each step it took, the ground shook.


    I felt an invisible force push me, causing me to fall onto my back. My eyes were dry from the overwhelming gust of wind coming from the creature, but they remained wide open. My soul seemed to be sucked out of my body by the giant spider''s gaping mouth.


    "Get up! What are you doing? Get up, move! RUN!"


    My mind screamed at me to run from the impending, horrific death, but my stiff muscles refused to budge even an inch. It was as if the suffocating spider silk was tightly binding my body.


    The spider stopped in front of me, bringing its shiny, slimy black head closer to my face, letting out a shrill screech. This was it. My life would end here.


    I shut my eyes tightly, accepting my fate of being torn apart by a giant insect. My entire life flashed before my eyes as the creature''s hot, foul breath blew across my face.


    "What have I even accomplished in my life?" I thought. "I wish I had lived a more meaningful life..."


    Just as the regrets flooded my mind, the spider let out a painful scream and quickly retreated. Crimson blood spurted from its right side, mixing with the green slime covering its body, pouring onto the ground in a dirty muddy color. One leg or two fell down right in front of my motionless body.


    A small, quick figure darted forward, blocking me from the spider. My head was spinning, and all I could see was the flickering light of a katana, as if it were burning right in front of me.


    It was the young man who had suddenly appeared in front of me earlier.


    "What are you doing? Can''t you see it''s dangerous? Why aren''t you running? And what are you even doing out here?"


    I staggered, using every bit of weak strength in my body to stand on my trembling legs.


    "Sorry... I thought you might be in danger, so..."


    Yang paused slightly at my answer but quickly regained his high alert stance, focused on the spider.


    "Yeah. I''m fine. A low-level demon like this can''t even scratch me."


    "Demon...? What is it, exactly? And, what about the katana you''re holding? It''s... burning...?"


    "If you want answers to all your questions, this isn''t the time."


    By some strange force, the deep wound on the spider''s body quickly healed as if it had never been cut. New legs grew from the severed parts, replacing the lost ones.


    The spider retreated. From its stinger, it spat out a massive web of pure white, covering all the buildings around us. Then it swiftly climbed up the largest one, hissing and baring its slimy fangs in a challenge.


    "It''s healing itself! How are we supposed to kill something like this? We''re going to die here!"


    "We''re not going to die. I''ll take care of this demon."

 Yang of the Tailung Clan

    Yang gathered momentum, ran around the side of the spider, swung his sword to cut through the thick webs. As the spider began to fall from the giant web that was severed, Yang leaped up to attack it.


    However, the spider wasn''t targeting Yang, who was armed and ready to fight.


    It was coming after me, unarmed. With its eight giant legs, it quickly closed the distance.


    "Damn it. Run!"


    My soul was in disarray, but this time my body was ready to adapt. I ran desperately out of the deadly corner with a dizzy mind. I couldn''t run straight because behind me was a large building.


    "It''s going to catch up to me!"


    Yang landed after a failed jump, starting to sprint towards me.


    At a crucial moment when one of the spider''s legs was about to pierce my abdomen, Yang''s blazing sword made a swift cut. The spider''s leg reaching out for me again fell to the ground.


    The spider recoiled, emitting a raspy sound of resentment. Its leg regenerated in an instant.


    "I guess we can''t separate. It keeps avoiding me and will only aim at you."


    "What is it...?"


    My mind was still not ready to accept the existence of the monster in front of me.


    "A spider. When I say run, run. And run close to me, don''t fall behind!"


    "Run! Let''s go!"


    We both ran towards a row of seats near the building. Yang was incredibly fast. I, though taller than him by a head, struggled to keep up.


    The spider became more alert. Its body swiveled continuously to keep us in its sight.


    It seemed to be trying to find an opening to seize me and make a feast.


    As we neared our destination, Yang veered off, charging straight toward the spider and slashing a long path from its belly to its shoulders. Blood and viscera sprayed out like a fountain.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    As the spider writhed in pain, Yang angled a sword towards it, and leaped up, hovering in the air. He pulled out the sword, gathered strength, and decapitated it. His entire body forms a swirling vortex of bright flames. The spider collapsed to the ground without strength.


    "What... Cool..."


    I muttered to myself, eyes still unable to believe the horrifying yet fascinating scene I had just witnessed.


    Yang, together with the rough head covered in blood, fell to the ground. He stood upright on two legs, trying to wipe the slimy goo off the sword with a look of disgust.


    "Disgusting... I hate creatures like this."


    I was still standing, trying to enjoy a sense of relief after the horror I had just experienced.


    Suddenly, from a distance, a child''s voice echoed.


    It came from a corner of the street, two buildings away. Behind the spider.


    "Are there still people not evacuated? The police haven''t arrived yet." I wondered, sitting down on a chair, and exhaling.


    Behind Yang, there was a commotion and shuffling.


    Countless thick white threads extended from the severed neck of the spider, shooting towards its body sprawled on the ground, reconnecting the head to the torso.


    I watched the horrifying regeneration with a desperate look.


    "Are you kidding me?"


    Yang jumped back into a defensive stance, trying to come up with the fastest possible strategy. He quickly ran towards me to prevent me from being eaten.


    But this time, its target was not me.


    The spider turned its back, darting towards the street behind.


    "It''s heading towards the kids!"


    "The kids? Damn it, are there still people here?"


    Just as he said that, Yang also rushed after the spider.


    I panicked. Then I realized from where I was, I could reach there faster than the spider and Yang.


    We were in a triangular position, where the edge connecting me to the children was much closer than that of the spider and Yang. So without thinking much, I also sprinted towards them.


    "I hope I make it in time! Legs, run faster!"


    And for some reason, maybe due to imagination or nerves being overloaded, it seemed like my fatigue had evaporated. I felt like I was running faster than ever.


    At the street corner, I saw two children huddled together, trembling. Seeing someone approach, they looked at me with fear and pleaded.


    "Save us...! There''s a monster...!"

 Cute Little Children

    I embrace the two children tightly, trying to comfort them. Tears and snot run all over, soaking my hoodie.


    "It''s okay, you two will be fine. My friend is very strong, he will stop the monster. Now we need to get to safety first, okay? You will be safe there."


    Before I could explain further, I heard the hissing sound of the spider approaching rapidly, along with the ground shaking more and more violently. With no other choice, I lifted the two children onto my shoulders, using all my strength to run towards the narrow alley ahead, hoping the spider would struggle in the confined space.


    Whether it was due to my desperate strategy or thanks to Yang, perhaps a combination of both, the spider still hadn''t caught up with us. But I couldn''t spare a thought for that. I needed to get the kids away from danger. I kept running, one street leading to another, farther away from what lay behind.


    Suddenly, a strange feeling surged within me. I felt like a true hero. I felt like I could do anything. Even though my legs ached as if they were about to fall off, I felt as light as a feather. My heart felt light and warm.


    After running for a while, I noticed a familiar figure at the end of the street.


    "Ray...?"


    "Takehito?! What are you doing here? I told you to find shelter, didn''t I? Do you realize this area is on an Orange alert?"


    There are four levels of disaster alert defined by the military. White alert is the lightest level, which can be used for things like theft, robbery, and individual crimes. A yellow alert is related to mass killings, medium earthquakes, and things that begin to require military intervention. An orange alert is the next level, related to terrorism and, I guess, things like this giant spider. Red alert is for severe natural disasters or atomic weapons, things that can sweep the whole city or country off the map without any trace behind.


    I stopped in front of Ray, gently placing the two children on the ground and panting heavily.


    "I''m sorry... You can interrogate me later... But first, can you take these two to safety...?"


    Ray knelt down on the ground, placing his hand on the children''s shoulders, comforting them.


    "I think there are still people who haven''t evacuated from here... When I ran here, I heard them... They might still be trapped in the buildings by the spider''s webs..."


    "Alright, I understand. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Now go to safety first! This place is a 5-minute walk from Zone D, take the kids there! I''m counting on you!"


    With that, Ray disappeared into the darkness. I followed his instructions, lifting the two children back onto my shoulders, running towards safety Zone D.


    By the time we arrived, my legs were numb. Zone D was a large safe area. There are 12 such safe zones scattered throughout Tokyo, named from A to L. In Shinjuku, there are two zones, C and D.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Inside the crowded shelter, most people wore expressions of confusion and fear, their eyes staring vacantly. The oppressive atmosphere in the large bunker weighed down on my spirits. But something didn''t seem right.


    Why were their reactions so intense?


    Yes, there was a giant monster approaching, causing the ground to tremble, possibly destroying a few small houses. But if that was all, why wear such expressions of deep sorrow and terror? Could it be...?


    "Mommy!... I want my mom! Waaaaah...! WHERE''S MOMMY? WAAAAH...!"


    A child within the crowd cried out. The father beside her immediately embraced the little girl, holding her close to his chest. He too began to cry.


    "Your mom will be back soon...! Don''t worry, Kana...!"


    Unable to contain my curiosity and fear, I urgently asked a woman standing nearby.


    "What happened to them...?"


    She froze, her eyes red and teary, avoiding direct eye contact with me, instead staring fixedly at the ground.


    "Perhaps his wife has been eaten... Just like my husband..."


    Eaten? What did she mean? Hadn''t the giant spider always been where we were? With Yang''s vigilance, it wouldn''t have had a chance to target anyone but me...?


    "Those demonic spiders... They are as tall as humans... And incredibly fast too..."


    "Splurt..." she said abruptly, raising her right hand towards her neck.


    "And then his head fell off... And it started to mangle his head...!"


    With that, she collapsed to the ground, wailing uncontrollably. She clutched her face tightly, unable to stem the flow of tears streaming through her fingers like a river.


    "They are everywhere... They crawl up their giant webs and eat people in the buildings..."


    "Indeed... I saw many dead people on the way here..."


    I stood frozen, as if bound by invisible forces, pressing against the cold hard ground. I could feel cold sweat trickling down my spine, my hands, and feet.


    "What in the world is happening? Are there more than one giant spider? Why haven''t I seen anything else besides that giant spider?"


    As I thought, I suddenly remembered Yang. Without much further consideration, I turned and ran out of the shelter.


    "Where are you going? It''s dangerous out there, you know? You''ll be killed by them!" a man called after me.


    "I know, but my friend is still out there!"


    At some point, I started referring to Yang as my friend.


    Ray would probably be fine, as he is a former soldier. And he is very skilled. Moreover, police backup will arrive soon...


    Ah, it all makes perfect sense now.


    My thoughts flowed incessantly at the same pace as my feet.


    So that''s why the police haven''t arrived yet. They have to evacuate a large number of civilians. And they have to fight those rampaging monsters. They can''t just come straight to the giant spider and Yang.


    But why haven''t I encountered any "baby spiders" yet? And I haven''t seen any corpses on the way to Zone D. Apart from the giant spider, the location where I was just now was eerily peaceful.


    Could it be...?


    Without hesitation, I sprinted back to Yang, my mind racing with a singular thought: I had to reach Yang and warn him before it was too late.