3strangeknightssaga

Episode 7

Our friends had arrived.

Scott and Kathy got out of the Truck.

If you have ever seen Disney’s ‘Three Musketeers’, the character of Porthos

looks just like Scott. The sound of their voices are nearly the same, as is their

sense of humor. It’s uncanny. Scott was wearing the riot gear from his job as a corrections officer. Complete with sidearms.

Kathy has always reminded me of a young Maureen O’Hara. Her flowing red hair, bright smile and independent attitude made her a joy to have around. Kathy was dressed in the Kevlar outfit that she had received in during our last adventure in Vegas. She was also equipped with matching 45’s on her hips.

From the RV, ‘The Frying Dutchman‘, exited Robert the Hair. His tall thin frame covered head to toe in leather. His long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was carrying his twin Uzi 9mm’s in a shoulder rig.

Rellie followed him. At five foot nothing and dress in Kevlar, 45’s strapped to her hips, she gave new meaning to the saying, ‘Dynamite comes in small packages.

After Rellie was Kathy’s assistant Raven. Raven is also a good friend of ours. She’s a small wisp of a woman with a big attitude and red hair. Red hair and all that that entails.

Raven hadn’t been with us during the great Zombie uprising so she didn’t have a Kevlar

Outfit. For her own safety, Robert had encased her in leather and Scott had

Equipped her with his ankle gun, a 38 special.

Lastly stepping out of the RV was Trey the Professional Showoff.

His long black hair flowed from under his black leather top hat. Trey’s top hat was like mine, sans the skull and crossbones headband. He was dressed in a black full-length canvas duster, black pants, black shirt, and black boots. His SKS carbine slung over his shoulder and at his hip was his signature bullwhip.

Because whips aren’t just cool-they’re sexy.

Snipe and I really felt underdressed. Here we stood in the middle of the KFC parking lot.

Snipe wearing shorts, his Disney’s ‘The Incredibles’ Jersey and a ball cap. I was in jeans, my ‘keep looking I might do a trick.’ T-shirt and my leather top hat complete with skull and crossbones headband. Snipe and I both were wearing matching ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Crocs. Again, don’t ask.

Scott and Kathy opened up their Toy hauler. Inside were a couple of ‘quads’ and two dirt bikes. While they began to unload them. Snipe reached into the box that was in the back of our truck and got out the leather gear that he had worn when we had fought the zombies in Vegas. He changed into the leather and strapped on his 1911 custom handgun that he had also stashed in the crate.

I took off the Crocs and put on my high leather boots. I changed in to my black t-shirt with a large portrait of ‘Marvin the Martian’ covering the front. Incase you’re wondering, Hey we’re Rennies. We’re used to changing our clothes in parking lots.

“The webs that you described to us seem to be spreading their way up the mountain” Scott commented as we finished suiting up.

“If they keep spreading, they will soon overtake Valhalla,” Kathy said.

“Since the Strangeness seems to start here lets take a look around and do some recon, “Snipe said, “That way we might learn a bit more about what we are up against.”

Kathy and Scott got on the ‘quads.’

Snipe and Trey were on the dirt bikes.

Robert, Rellie, Raven and I loaded into the ‘Dutchman’.

We cautiously moved out of the Parking lot. Trey and Snipe side by side in the lead. Followed by Kathy and Scott, with the ‘Dutchman’ following closely behind.

We slowly made our way through the silent streets.

Eyes wide, senses at their peek we traveled up and down the streets. The slight breeze made an eerie whistling sound through the webs that hung on the trees and trailed from eve to eve, house to house. We rounded a corner and were beginning to enter the area known as ‘Old Town‘. It was called old town because it kept the western, mining town look. As we made our way down the Avenue, we took notice of what seemed to be a pile of rubbish in the middle of the road.

Everyone came to a halt. Scott dismounted the quad and moved forward to investigate.

When he was just about on top of the pile, it flew up into the air. From underneath the pile sprang a huge hairy spider. It was built like a tarantula. It had large furry legs that ended with little hooks that it was now using to grapple with Scott, keeping his arms entangled so he could get to his weapon. The giant bug was trying to pull Scott toward the two huge, venom-dripping fangs that protruded from its mouth.

“Trap door Spider” I yelled as I exited the RV followed closely by the others.

Kathy was already off her quad and reaching for her sidearm. The Spider sensed her movement. Its abdomen curled underneath, a stream of rope sized sticky webbing encased Kathy, and she fell to the pavement. Unable to fight the beast’s enormous strength, Scott struggled with all his might as he was pulled, inch by inch, closer to the poisonous fangs.

Snipe and Trey, jumped off the dirt bikes, and circled around opposite sides of the giant.

Try as they may, they couldn’t get a clear shot because of Scott. Snipe yelled and ran toward the spider. With its attention on Snipe, Trey pulled his whip.

“Crack” the sound of the leather coil breaking the sound barrier echoed through the silent streets.

“Ouch!” Scot cried as the whip encircled his torso.

“Now!” Trey yelled as he pulled Scott free.

The following moments were filled with very loud booming sounds and the strong smell of cordite permeated the air as Robert, Rellie, Raven, and myself, blew the spider into itty bitty tiny little spider bits.

Once the creature had been squished like, the bug that is was. Scott ran to Kathy and cut her out of the web cocoon.

While Scott was helping Kathy to her feet, we all heard Robert yell, “Heads Up!”

We looked around to find that from other camouflaged heaps more Trap Door Spiders were emerging.

Why didn’t we notice them before? You ask.

Hello! Camouflage.

“Move! Move! Move!” Scott and Snipe yelled in unison.

I Looked at Robert, we just smiled and yelled,” Duh! Duh!, Duh!” as we ran back to the RV.

With everyone back inside, and the rest all mounted up on their respective vehicles. We made great haste back to the KFC parking lot. Once there, the off road vehicles were quickly loaded back into the toy hauler. While we loaded we could hear a ‘chittering’ sound that kept getting louder and louder. Everyone jumped into the vehicles they had arrived in and we headed out of town.

When we got to the freeway on-ramp we were surprised to discovered that the passage was blocked be a huge web net. This was perplexing. A web here would suggest more than just “spider” intelligence.

If you have ever touched webbing that was made by a normal sized spider, you know that it is extremely strong. Now imagine that strength multiplied over a thousand times. There was no way we were going to plow through this road block of insect design.

I grabbed my cell phone and speed dialed Trey.

“My brother from another mother.” Trey answered.

“Trey,” I said, “That webbing is too strong to ram through, but most webs are extremely flammable.”

“I’m on it.” Trey said.

A second latter we saw Trey exit the RV. In his hand was a container of Kingston Lighter Fuel. Trey brought the fuel up to his mouth and took a big swig. Then from his pocket he produced a Zippo lighter, flipped the silver cap back and spun the flint wheel with his thumb.

The wick ignited.

Trey brought the Zippo up to his mouth and blew the fuel out in a fine mist which dutifully caught fire.

Trey Cromwell, Professional Show-off, and human flame thrower.

The web road block was engulf in flames and went up like the Hindenburg.

We blasted through the flaming mass and started our journey to Tahoe and Valhalla.

Scott and Kathy were in the lead. Followed by Snipe and I in the Sonoma. Robert and the rest of the group brought up the rear in the “Dutchman.”

As we traveled up the freeway. Scott informed us by cell phone, that the webbing he and Kathy had noticed on the way down the hill, had gained a lot of ground in the short time they had been with us in Placerville.

If the monster spider invasion was moving this fast there was a very good chance that the faire site would be overrun by the time we arrived.

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