Date Night

It was unbelievable, the kind of thing that you read about or saw in movies. It couldn’t really be happening, but it was. It was right there, right in front of her face. It was creeping toward her on eight legs, it had so many eyes and they were all looking at her. Its pincers were clicking and it was just coming toward her. She was frozen in fear. She couldn’t move and she couldn’t scream. She just stood there, frozen and waiting to become its dinner.

That morning, when she woke up, she had gotten dressed for school and she had been happy. She had a date that night with a boy that she had had a crush on since she was much younger. They were going to the diner and then to a movie and she was beyond excited. She had picked out her nicest skirt and her favorite sweater. She had carefully pinned her hair back. She had spent the whole summer, the summer of 1948, watching what she ate and going for long walks. She was no longer the chubby girl; she was now the kind of girl who got noticed by Charles Frederick.

“Anna Marie! Breakfast is ready!! Fresh fruit and some coffee, just like your diet calls for!!” called her mom, from downstairs.

She put the finishing touches on her look for the day and practically skipped down the stairs.

“Don’t forget, mom, I am going to eat with Charles and then going to a movie right after school, so I won’t be home until late,” she told her mom.

“I remember sweetie, I am so happy for you. I have always thought you were amazing but you have really come out of your shell this year. Your first date! It’s so exciting and you look beautiful,” said her mom.

 “Thanks, mom. I love you, see you later,” said Anna Marie.

She walked out with her fruit in hand and set off toward the school. Along the way a couple of the other girls from the neighborhood joined her. These were girls who had always been nice to her, but had never really showed interest in being her friends, until she lost all of the weight.

“Anna, hey! You look fabulous! Charles isn’t going to know what to say,” said Lila.

“I bet you are so excited! I would be, I haven’t had a date in months,” said Kathy.

“I am! I have been a mess all morning, trying to decide what to wear and all that,” replied Anna Marie.

She drifted off into thought, and they finished their walk in silence. She didn’t even remember arriving at school and most of the day passed by in a haze. She was so excited that it was all she could do to just go through the motions. When the last bell rang, he was waiting for her at her locker just as they’d agreed upon.

Now, suddenly, she was hyper alert. Instead of the haze that she had gone through most of the day in, she was now completely aware. She nervously patted her hair and hoped that she still smelled nice.

“Hi,” said Charles, “you look amazing.”

He flashed her a smile and she was surprised at how smooth and even his skin was and how incredibly white his teeth were. His letter jacket was perfectly pressed. He looked like a mannequin, with his perfectly styled brown hair and his dark green eyes. She realized that she was staring and she startled herself back to reality.

“Thanks,” she said, “so do you. What movie are we seeing? It’s been a while since I saw a movie!”

They set off on the way to the diner, talking about their days and nervously smiling at each other. They talked about the different movie options and tried to decide what they wanted to see. Along the way, they were surprised to see several stray dogs that seemed to be running out of town.

“They must be cold, trying to find a town with warmer hiding spots,” said Charles.

“Still, it’s kind of bizarre. I’ve never seen dogs behave that way,” she replied, looking around.

It was then that she noticed that she had become really cold. The wind had changed direction and now they were walking right into it. The leaves were crunching beneath their feet and the whole scene gave her the shudders because the street was too empty for it being so early in the day. When she trembled, he offered her his letter jacket.

They arrived at the diner and found it curiously empty for the day and the time. Normally it was packed with other high school students like themselves. They didn’t even have to find a corner booth for it to be quiet. The only people there were the staff and two or three other guests. They ordered their burgers and continued their conversation.

It turned out that they had quite a bit in common. They had similar taste in books and he was impressed with how much she knew about football and basketball. She was surprised to find out that he painted in his spare time and that his mother had insisted on teaching him how to sew. The date was going wonderfully. Anna Marie couldn’t have been happier.

Just when they were getting ready to pay for their meal and head to the theater, they heard a low rumble in the distance. Before they could stand up to look out the window, the far wall of the diner came crashing in and something that looked shockingly like an 800-pound spider came careening into the dining area.

The spider looked around and then swept the nearest customer into its mouth. As Anna Marie screamed, blood splattered the walls and bone fragments flew through the air. The diner owner tried to run, but the spider was too quick and in a flash, he was gone too.  The cook came out of the kitchen, he had a butcher knife and his face was stoic. He was determined to fight, to defend his life. He ran toward the creature, swinging the knife forcefully. He made contact with the beast’s leg and as he hacked at it, black ooze began to spurt out. Anna looked down and she was covered in blood, bone, and ooze. She stopped screaming when she realized that Charles was pulling her.

Her last glimpse was of the cook, still hacking and fighting, as the spider scooped him up and began to devour him. Charles was still pulling her and they ran as fast as they could. When they were several blocks from the diner, they stopped and rested on a park bench.

“Charles, was that what it looked like? It couldn’t have been could it? What do we do next?”

“I don’t know Anna, but I think it was. Let’s run to my house. My father collects guns, we have to warn people and fight it.”

After they had caught their breath, they took off running again. They were only a couple of blocks when they heard a rustling sound behind them. Anna stole a glance and shrieked.

“Charles!!! It is right behind us! It’s going to catch us!”

They sped up, but just when Anna stole a glance again, the spider over took them. She grabbed Charles’ hand, but it was too late. He was scooped up and into the creature’s mouth. Anna was sprayed with more blood and more bone, and she noticed that the spider was steal bleeding. She froze and changed directions, running into the shrubbery, trying to hide.

When she emerged from the bushes, she was in the parking lot to the drug store. She knew it was hopeless. The store was closed and there was nowhere to seek shelter. She turned and watched as the monster came toward her. She backed away slowly, until she bumped into the building. The creature lumbered on, it seemed to be enjoying the fact that she was terrified. It was toying with her before she became its meal. She had time for one last scream before the giant spider was upon her. Her last sensation was of its hot, sickly breath.