Chapter 9: YOU!
"Yes," Jasmine whispered, glancing over her shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. "Who... who are you? And how do you know my name?"
"It's me, Jasmine!" Raphaela replied, stepping forward, her voice trembling with urgency. She unconsciously bared her fangs, her spider limbs twitching with excitement.
Jasmine's face drained of color. She screamed, scrambling backward. "P-P-Please don't eat me!"
Raphaela blinked, confused, then realized what had caused the terror. She glanced down at herself—the monstrous spider limbs, the fangs. "Eat you? Why would I—ohhh, right," she sighed. "It's the whole terrifying monster thing. My face, the legs... I get it."
Raphaela gave Jasmine a sheepish smile. "Don't worry, I can make them go away. I've kind of gotten the hang of this."
With that, she took a step back, covering her face with her hands. Inhaling deeply, she focused, feeling the spider legs retracting smoothly into her back. Exhaling, she removed her hands, revealing her human face once more. She stepped forward, offering a reassuring smile.
"See? It's still me—Raphaela."
Jasmine, still breathing heavily, slowly crawled closer, staring at Raphaela's face in disbelief. "Raphaela...?" She reached out hesitantly, her fingers brushing against Raphaela's cheek, as if to confirm she wasn't hallucinating. "How did you become such a hideous... monster?"
Raphaela raised an eyebrow. "Hideous? You're one to talk, running around in the middle of the night showing off everything."
Jasmine rolled her eyes but chuckled weakly. "I don't have a choice. It's been happening ever since my sixteenth birthday. My family's been cursed for generations—no one knows how to lift it. And now, I keep transforming... whenever it takes over."
Raphaela tilted her head, intrigued. "A family curse?"
"Yeah, something dark. No one talks about it. What about you? Is it the same with you—some old family curse?"
Raphaela sighed, shaking her head. "I wish it was that simple. Remember when I told you about those weird dreams? And how I used to make wishes?"
Jasmine nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah..."
"Turns out, it was all real. Part of some ancient witch's plan to switch bodies with me. She gets to relive her youth, and I get... this." Raphaela gestured to herself with a grimace. "Now I have to eat people and their souls to keep the power of the wishes and my human body."
"I told you!" Jasmine exclaimed, her fear momentarily forgotten in the rush of being right. "You should have gone to a pastor! I can sense that demon witchcraft stuff. When you told me about... wait." Her voice trailed off, and a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Did you say you have to eat people?"
Raphaela raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... Why are you grinning like that? It's creeping me out, and I'm the one with extra legs."
Jasmine's grin widened, taking on an almost predatory quality. "So you're the one who's been making the bodies disappear. The ones my parents have been... consuming. Except for that last one. That was rather dramatic, wasn't it? Like a sociopath decided to start killing while their favorite song was playing in their head."
Raphaela's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "What are you telling me, Jasmine Richman? That your parents are the ones poaching my food on my turf?"
Jasmine flinched, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Well, I'm sorry, we—"
Suddenly, Raphaela burst into laughter, the sound echoing eerily through the dark forest. "I'm joking! We can share. There's enough for everyone." Her laughter faded, replaced by a wicked grin. "As for my 'dramatic' killing style, as you put it... well, that only happens when I'm really hungry. I can't be held responsible for my actions then." She cocked her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "By the way, what exactly are you?"
Jasmine straightened up, a hint of pride creeping into her voice. "I'm a bultungin – a werehyena. I don't need to eat the entire body to satisfy my hunger. Just the blood and..." She paused, licking her lips. "The eyes. They taste weirdly nice, especially when they pop in your mouth like grapes."
Raphaela's face contorted in a mix of disgust and fascination. "I see. So you're like an African chupacabra with a fetish for eyeballs?"
"If you put it that way," Jasmine smirked, "then yeah, that sounds about right."
A moment of silence passed between them, the weight of their revelations hanging in the air. Then Raphaela's eyes lit up with a sinister gleam. "I think we can work together."
Jasmine raised an eyebrow, skepticism clear in her voice. "How so? I mean, you need to eat them whole – mind, body, and soul."
"True," Raphaela nodded, her voice taking on an unsettling eagerness. "If I kill them, their soul gets sucked into my body. But you only need the blood, right?"
"And the eyes," Jasmine interjected quickly. "Those are very important."
"Right, right. The eyes," Raphaela waved dismissively. "So here's the plan: you attack first, take what you need – as long as you don't kill them. Then I'll finish them off." A cruel smile played across her lips. "Maybe I can even squeeze a few extra drops out for you."
The two girls locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. The forest seemed to grow darker around them, as if nature itself was recoiling from the unholy alliance being forged.
"You know," Jasmine said slowly, a wicked grin spreading across her face, "this could actually work. We'd be unstoppable."
Raphaela nodded, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "A werehyena and a soul-sucking spider-girl. Who could stand against us?"
As they stood there, bathed in moonlight, the true horror of their situation began to sink in. They were no longer just high school girls on a camping trip. They were predators, monsters in human skin, about to embark on a terrifying journey together.
The night air grew thick with tension, carrying the metallic scent of blood and the weight of a shared secret. An owl hooted in the distance, its cry breaking the eerie silence as Raphaela and Jasmine sealed their pact with a solemn nod. Innocence was now a shadow in the forest, left behind as they crossed an unseen line.
"I cannot believe, we are working together!" Jasmine shouted, excitement bubbling over as she leaped into the air. Mid-jump, her body shifted—bones cracking, fur sprouting, limbs elongating. Raphaela barely had time to react before her friend landed in full beast form, a blur of muscle and fur. She gasped and stumbled backward, landing hard on the forest floor.
"Jasmine!" she yelped, wide-eyed, but before she could say more, Jasmine pounced, pinning her down and licking her face in a playful frenzy.
"Alright, alright! Enough!" Raphaela laughed, pushing her friend away. "Come on, let's go before the sun comes up and Ben realizes we're not in the tent."
Jasmine's only response was a wag of her tail, her wolfish grin confirming her agreement. Together, they crept up the mountain path, their footsteps soft on the moss-covered ground. By the time they reached the clearing where the couple's tent stood, dawn was a pale glow on the horizon.
They stood there in silence, staring at the tent, the tension between them growing as they waited for someone to speak.
"So… what's the plan?" Raphaela finally asked, glancing at Jasmine.
Jasmine frowned, her ears twitching. "Why are you asking me? You know I'm not exactly firing on all cylinders here."
Raphaela raised an eyebrow. "You're usually the smart, responsible one. Figured you'd have an idea."
Jasmine let out a low growl, frustration flickering in her golden eyes. "Yeah, well, hate to break it to you, but I'm running on about a quarter of my usual brainpower. Maybe less. Forming sentences hurts right now."
Raphaela sighed, rubbing her temples. "Okay, don't strain yourself. Let's keep it simple. We need to get, the man out of the tent without making too much noise. How about this—I pretend I'm in distress, he comes out to help, and I'll trap him. Once he's all wrapped up, you go in and eat your fill. Just… remember, no killing him."
Jasmine's tail wagged, though her expression was more serious now. She padded over to hide behind a nearby bush while Raphaela shifted into her spider form, her body elongating, legs multiplying in a grotesque yet graceful transformation. She scurried up the nearest tree, her heart racing as she positioned herself high above the tent.
"Alright," she muttered to herself, glancing down at her clawed legs. "No venom, just web. No venom, just web. Got this."
Taking a deep breath, Raphaela prepared to set their plan in motion.
A piercing scream shattered the eerie silence of the forest. The beam of light from the tent flickered, casting grotesque shadows on the canvas.
"Help! Help! Please!" A voice, filled with terror, echoed through the trees.
The tent door unzipped, and a man emerged, his face etched with concern. "Is everything okay?" he called out.
A confident smile played on his lips. "Of course I will. I know this forest like the back of my hand. Hell, I've survived a bear attack before. Pretty sure I can handle whatever's out there."
With a final kiss to her forehead, he zipped up the tent and plunged into the inky blackness. "Hello?" he called out. Silence. "Anyone there?"
Help!" Raphaela's voice came again, distant, but just enough to keep him moving.
Without another thought, he dashed into the blackness of the woods, his flashlight beam cutting through the underbrush. He moved with confidence, believing he was about to rescue some poor soul from danger. But instead of a damsel, he was running headlong into a trap—his own death waiting in the shadows.
Branches whipped his face as he crashed through the undergrowth. His breath came in ragged gasps, the beam of his flashlight dancing wildly ahead. He was so focused on finding the woman that he didn't notice the eerie stillness of the forest.
"Where are you?" he shouted, spinning in circles. The shadows seemed to writhe around him, playing tricks on his eyes. A rustle in a nearby bush made him jump. He trained his light on it, revealing a spider devouring a praying mantis – predator and prey locked in a deadly dance.
Crack.
The sound came from above. Slowly, he raised the beam of his flashlight.
He looked up, the beam of his flashlight catching a glimpse of something descending rapidly. A face, pale and inhuman. Eight gleaming eyes, fangs glistening in the moonlight.
Raphaela, attacked, her grotesque spider form gleaming in the light for only a split second before she shot a web straight at his face. He tried to scream, but the sticky strands sealed his mouth shut. His hands clawed at the webbing, panic flooding his veins as he struggled to free himself.
But Raphaela was faster. She wrapped him up with terrifying speed, binding him tightly in silk, his movements slowing until he was completely immobilized.
His flashlight fell to the ground with a thud, its beam flickering out, leaving the forest once again shrouded in darkness.
"Boom! That's got to be a record," Raphaela muttered, casting a glance at the spider still feasting on the mantis below. She grinned, admiring her handiwork as the man hung suspended, cocooned in webbing. "I should sign up for a gift-wrapping contest during the holidays. Make some cash off these mad skills." She chuckled at the absurd thought but quickly snapped back to reality. "What am I even saying? Focus, Raphaela. Gotta go."
Back at the tent, the man's wife was pacing, her worry growing by the second. Every minute he was gone stretched into an eternity. Her hands trembled as she unzipped the tent just a crack, peeking out. The forest was still, but then—she heard it. A giggle, soft but unmistakable, carried on the night breeze. Her heart thudded in her chest.
Frowning, she unzipped the tent further and crawled out, her nerves on edge. "Johna?" she called, her voice wavering. Silence. No response. Her anxiety spiked. "Johna!" she called again, louder this time. She took a few hesitant steps into the clearing, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
Suddenly, she was slammed from behind, a crushing force driving her to the ground. She tried to scream, but her mouth filled with the sharp taste of blood as her throat tore open. She gasped for air, clawing at the earth as the warmth drained from her body.
Jasmine loomed above her, wolfish and wild, her teeth glistening with blood. She licked her lips, savoring the taste, then bent down and ripped another chunk of flesh from the woman's neck, drinking in the blood like a beast starved.
The woman tried to turn, desperate to see her attacker, but before she could fully twist her head, Jasmine's sharp claws drove into her eye sockets with brutal precision. The world went black for the woman as her scream died in her throat, cut short by Jasmine's vicious attack.
With a twisted grin, Jasmine plucked the woman's eyes from their sockets and popped them into her mouth, chewing with savage delight. "There it is... pop! Pop!" she giggled, her head swaying side to side, blood smearing her lips.
Raphaela arrived just as the last breath left the woman's body. She tilted her head, assessing the carnage. "Please tell me she's not dead. She looks dead."
Jasmine, her face smeared with blood, turned to Raphaela with a smirk. "No, no, calm down. She's still warm. Not gone cold yet."
Raphaela sighed with relief. "Good. You know I hate cold meals."
Jasmine wiped her mouth, grinning. "Don't worry. Yours is right over there." She pointed toward the still-wriggling man, trapped in the web like a helpless worm.
"Thanks," Raphaela said, her eyes gleaming as she sized him up. "Remember—bite his neck first. I don't want any noise."
"Yes, Captain!" Jasmine saluted, a wicked gleam in her eyes. She stalked over to the man, her claws gleaming in the moonlight. With one swift motion, she ripped the webbing from his neck, leaned in, and tore his throat out in a gruesome, silent spray of blood. His screams died in his chest before they even began. With a satisfied grunt, she gouged out his eyes, licking the blood from her fingers.
Raphaela wasted no time. She lifted the woman's body, her fangs sinking into the skull as she began to devour the head, savoring the warm flesh. When she was done, she turned to the man, ripping into his torso, the two of them feasting in silence beneath the stars.
Once they'd finished their grim meal, they wiped the blood from their hands and shifted back into their human forms. As the transformation completed, they heard a sudden thud behind them, something heavy dropping to the ground. Their hearts raced as they spun around, eyes wide.
There, in the shadows, stood a figure—someone, or something—they hadn't expected to see.