~SkepHalo Oneshots~

Arachnophobia

⚠Trigger warning: spiders, blood, mentions of death and injury⚠

Zak swallowed as he looked into the cave. The webs were more sparse near the entrance, but they were still clearly visible.

"C'mon!" one of Zak's friends urged, pushing him forward slightly. "It's not that scary, it's just a spider. You'll be fine."

"I could die in there!" Zak was starting to shake at the thought of the creature living in the cavern before him.

"It's not like we're telling you to attack it or anything!" one of Zak's other companions said. "We just want you to see it! In and out, that's all. Or are you too scared?"

Zak's face flushed. He took a few shaky breaths before drawing his sword and entering.

"How long before he runs back out, screaming?" Zak's friends began to whisper.

"Eh, I'd say two minutes at best."

Zak's sword slashed through a few webs near him. His pace slowed as the light from the entrance began to disappear and the darkness of the cave pressed against him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a torch, which he successfully lit after a few tries.

He froze at the sound of quiet footsteps a few feet away. Slowly, he turned toward it and was greeted with eight bright white eyes. He shrieked and stumbled backward. The torch slipped from his hand when he bumped into the stone behind him; he reached out to catch it, but it landed in a puddle and was promptly extinguished.

Zak's fear became ten times more intense now that he couldn't see his surroundings. His shaking hands gripped the hilt of his sword, holding it out toward the eyes. "I-I'm n-n-not af-fraid of you-" he stammered, trying and failing to sound brave.

The spider took one step forward, and Zak immediately flinched. He turned in the direction he was fairly sure he'd come from and ran directly into a clump of webs in his attempt to escape. He struggled and thrashed as he heard the creature approaching him, each movement only making him more tangled.

This is it, Zak thought when a hand reached out and touched his shoulder. This is where I die. Panicked tears streamed down his face as he stopped his struggle, his body trying to simply shut down so death would hurt less.

The touch moved up to Zak's hair, gentle fingers running through the black strands. The boy frowned in confusion at a sound coming from the spider hybrid's mouth — was it shushing him?

Zak opened his eyes after a moment, and in the darkness he was barely able to make out a hairy, clawed leg moving toward him. He gasped and glued his eyes shut once again. "Please don't eat me please don't eat me-" he mumbled.

The hybrid stopped and giggled. "I'm not gonna eat you," he said.

Zak squinted, his emotions wracked with combined fear and confusion. "You- you can speak..?"

"Mhm!" The spider lifted his claws again, and Zak flinched. "Hey- it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." Instead, the claws cut smoothly through the webs holding Zak in place.

Zak was still shaking as he collapsed to the ground. He couldn't believe he was still alive. "I- I thought you ate everyone who came in here..?"

"I only kill people if it's necessary to save myself," the hybrid said. "I don't eat them, though." He paused. "Wait- if you thought I'd eat you, why did you come in here?"

"Well, um.." Zak fidgeted. Why was he still talking to this creature? "My friends thought it'd be funny. 'Cause I'm terrified of spiders."

The hybrid bent his legs, settling on the ground next to Zak. "They don't sound like very good friends."