Phil wandered into the wide attic, looking for the cave that Annie saw before she was attacked by the monster.
"Annie, do you think this is the right direction?"
Phil spoke to Annie who was peeking out of his pocket wanting to break the silent atmosphere.
"I think so big brother but I am not too sure since the place has greatly changed."
Sighing, Phil continued to walk in the direction he was heading unsure if it leads towards the exit.
As time passed, Phil kept on walking, he could not help but feel that someone was following and watching him.
He sneakily glanced at his back and saw that no one was there, he proceeded to look directly but still, no one was there.
Phil proceeded to walk again and minutes later he started to jog, he told Annie to hide in his pocket since he had a bad feeling.
Still, he could not escape the feeling of being watched. Phil turned around again but this time he concentrated on the corners and the shadows of the hallway suspecting that something was hiding in them following his every step.
As Phil was about to turn to the front and start to run, he noticed something red in the corner of his eye. Phil tried not to stare at it but look at the thing in his peripheral vision.
What he saw was a small black spider with red glowing eyes. Phil had a bad feeling about the spider as he rushed towards it and stomped it with his foot.
The spider was squished as black liquid came out of it. Phil relaxed a little but suddenly he heard a creepy whisper.
"I FoUnD YoU..."
Another spider was looking at him and this time it spoke. A moment later Phil could hear rapid tapping from where he had come from.
Phil with no hesitation started to run, he was very familiar with the tapping sound he had heard since it was the sound of footsteps Vicky makes with her spider appendages.
Running straight ahead Phil could not help but notice the walls slowly turning black, at first he thought that the hallways were changing once more, but how wrong can he be. The walls were filled with tiny spiders that started to cover the walls painting them black.
The sight of countless spiderlings sent shivers towards Phil's spine, the spiderlings made a literal tidal wave of spiders as they tried to catch up with Phil.
The floors in front of Phil also started to turn black as spiderlings spawned in front of him.
Phil could feel the spiderlings being squished as he stepped on the spiderlings ahead of him.
'Squish, squish, squish.'
Every time Phil steps on a spiderling his face slowly turned pale, he was about to get sick because of the squishing sensation and the countless amounts of spiderlings as far his eyes could see. He wanted to scream but he was afraid that some of the spiderlings might crawl in his mouth.
Looking behind him, except for the tidal wave of spiderlings, Phil saw the vague silhouette of Vicky quickly running towards him.
Vicky screeched prompting the spiderlings to attack more aggressively.
The spiderlings now up to his ankle in height, made Phil have difficulty in running and squishing them, but fortunately, the goddess of luck was on Phil's side.
Phil could see a cave about 500 meters from him, he steeled himself and tried harder, salvation within his grasp.
"DoN't LeT HiM EsCaPe!!"
Vicky screamed.
Spiderlings started to fall down from the ceiling casting their webs trying to slow down and trap Phil. Fortunately; their webs weren't corrosive as Phil could feel them hitting his face.
The spiderlings tried to crawl from the long webs that were stuck on Phil, crawling in mass towards him trying to trap him more. Phil tried brushing off those that managed to crawl over to him, squishing those who were clinging persistently.
200 meters left, Phil was near the exit, he was now almost covered by the black liquid the spiderlings produce when they were squished, the smell was like that of a rotting corpse and sticky like thick syrup. Some of it entered Phil's mouth and he gagged because of it making him almost fall and stumble in the ocean of spiderlings, the taste was like rotting meat that was left in vinegar and turned into liquid form, all kinds of sour with a decaying aftertaste, like vomit that once came out eaten again and vomited once more, that was what he felt from the aftertaste.
Vicky was getting closer and closer, Phil even felt that she was breathing on her neck.
100 meters. Vicky started spewing those acidic globs of web again as Phil frantically dodged, but because of the spiderlings pooling on his foot, he slipped down and was directly hit by an acidic web on his back.
Phil cried in pain as the smell of his burning flesh invaded his nose, Phil could hear his back searing like a steak in a hot pan. Phil almost blacked out and faint, he stumbled and fell as he lost his footing the spiderlings didn't help either, he rolled towards the exit and stopped laying prone.
Phil was 50 meters near the exit, he stared at it not wanting to give up, his eyes were red due to blood, some of his vessels ruptured because of the amount of pain and stress he had experienced.
Phil screamed unwillingly, he was so close, so so close.
The spiderlings quickly engulf Phil, some of them enter his mouth, while others entered his ears, and the scratches they made inside his ears almost drove Phil insane.
Seeing Phil's situation, Vicky started to laugh with glee. She slowed down her running since she felt that there was no more reason to do so. Towering above the black mass where Phil was trapped she laughed and mocked Phil.
"AhHhH, BiG BrOtHeR. YoU ShOuLd HaVe NoT rUnAwAy."
"HoNeStLy, Vicky Is SoRrY fOr HuRtIng YoU..."
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"JuSt KiDdInG, I WoUlD'vE EaTeN YoU AfTeR I wAs BoRn In ThE AbYsS."
"GYAHAHAHAH!!!"
Vicky's horrendous screams filled the attic as the black mass of spiderlings kept on wriggling. Vicky grinned widely, she was about to grab Phil from the black mass of spiderlings when suddenly the black mass collapsed she heard a scream as black spiderlings rained in front of her obscuring her vision. Vicky was stunned, her arms still stretched towards the black mass.
"Eh."
Vicky saw Phil as he escaped entering the tunnel towards his freedom.
Shaking in anger Vicky screamed.
"BROTHEEEEERRRR!!!"
The walls around her started to crack as rage filled her mind; the spiderlings went crazy due to the loss of their prey.
Back to the time when Phil was being trapped under a large number of spiderlings.
Feeling the spiderlings crawling inside his mouth, Phil gritted and closed his teeth crushing and preventing more spiderlings from entering his mouth, the taste of the spiderlings only fueled Phil's rage.
He remembered the promise he had with Annie, he remembered his duty to protect her, even with this amount of chaos and the annoyingly irritating sound in his ears he could undoubtedly hear Annie's scream, Phil guessed that some spiderlings might have entered his pockets.
The rage-filled Phil forcefully moved his hands towards his ears jamming his fingers in it crushing the pesky spiderlings inside. He saw Vicky towering above him gloating at his pain.
Phil wanted power, he wanted to save himself, he wanted to save the people important to him. He wanted power so that he will be stronger and protect those around him.
Amidst the sound of Vicky's gloating and countless spiderlings crawling all over him, Phil suddenly heard a quiet whisper.
"If you want power, then, set me free..."
Phil heard the voice, he was confused at first but he did not hesitate any longer since he was in a dangerous situation.
'How... how can I set you free?'
Phil screamed in his mind.
Moments later Phil could feel a burning sensation from his chest, at first, he thought it was just the acid but the burning sensation brought pleasure to him, not pain, unlike the wound he had suffered on his back. Phil felt power coursing through his veins, he felt whole. Phil pushed up against the weight of the spiderlings at his back, he crouched and felt his leg muscles full of power for a full dash. He shouted with no hesitation and ran towards the exit, blowing the spiderlings that were crawling all over him and stunning Vicky.
Phil successfully entered the cave and ran inside it for a second until he saw a white light. He checked his pockets sensing Annie inside of it, Phil closed his eyes as he passed the white light and found himself back in the plains of sleep, he first noticed that he was closer to the twilight zone now since he first entered Annie's dream.
Phil screamed from the top of his lungs, celebrating the fact that he was alive. He checked his body and found it clean without a smidge of spiderling blood, his back was healed and he could not feel any pain from it.
He proceeded to check his pocket wanting to take Annie out since they were already safe, but as soon as he put his hands inside he could not feel her. Phil's face went pale as his blood ran cold, he searched everywhere for Annie.
"Annie!, Annie!"
Screaming for minutes it dawned in him, at first he thought he had left Annie behind but he was sure he checked his pockets before he passed the white light. Phil was filled with dread, he glanced at the black figure slowly floating down towards the abyss as he realized that, that black figure was Annie.