Nest.

A group of old friends party in an abandoned house but soon realize it's already home to something dangerous.

We are gathered here today to honor and pay our respects to a husband, a father, David Richards. The pastor gave his usual lines. Family and friends spoke. "Would anyone else like to say a few words?" The pastor asks after a few moments of complete silence if you ignore the coughing.

The pastor looked at me, standing in the back of the room with a stern look, I simply ignored him. My father smiled and played the part but underneath all that skin were snake scales. A manipulative and two faced man. I had to grow up in that house and fell victim to his mental health, for lack of better words. They called him a man of faith but was nothing more than an asshole.

After everyone spoke and said their goodbyes I backed out of the room, ready to get in my car and drive off. "Hey Patrick!" A familiar voice calls out to me, one I haven't heard in a few years. "Hey Angela." it's Angela. I started to sweat a little and my mind raced. I thought I grew out of this. "I didn't know if you would make it or not." " We all loved your dad, he was a good man." Angela always did know how to be comforting. "Yeah that's the legacy he left behind for sure."

I mustard as much emotion as I possibly could even though I didn't have any left for now my dead father. Making my eyes water by thinking about when my dog died. As a child finding out later my father killed him because "he wouldn't shut up." "It's probably not a good idea for you to probably be alone right now," Angela tries to make eye contact but I look away. "Me and some of our old friends are meeting up later tonight if you want to come along."

I honestly didn't want to be around people, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious how my old friends were doing. It's been ten years and I'm no longer the chubby kid at school. Covered in tattoos with one so big it's crawling out of my turtle neck. covering scars from another life. A few hours go by and I take a second, swallowing pills before going inside. "Hey Patrick"! Everyone for some reason thought it was a great idea to put me in the center of attention.

As I looked around the house it appeared to be old as a museum. "whose house is this?" I asked looking slowly around at the paintings on the walls. "The guy who owned the house just vanished years ago so now it's just sitting here". Angela answers handing me a drink. I probably should mix my medicine with alcohol but this wouldn't be my first time so what the hell. "Along with the rest of the houses on this block." Alex walked up fidgeting and uncomfortable. The walls suffer from cracks and insect which Alex hated. the paint chips scattered around. Alex hated bugs and would rather be at home probably playing games like he always did. Being around us always did drag him out the house every now and then when we were kids.

"Patrick!" The voice I thought I would forget, Billy backmen. The guy who used to bully me until I broke his noise and we became cool after, weird how friendships can form. "Sorry about the old man, he went too soon," Billy placed his left hand on my shoulder with a drink in his right. "not soon enough." I say under my breath. "What was that?" Billy being drunk but still somewhat aware. "Oh nothing, just yeah, he had a lot of life left to live is all."

The music blasted and alcohol was the main consumption of the night, along with a lot of making out. "Alright guys, I'll be heading home." Getting my keys and heading for the door, "what the?"...The door is locked? "Hey should this door be locked?" I yell out to Angela, "umm...no." she says with a nervous look in her eyes. The door wouldn't move no matter how much force was placed behind it.

"Hey what's going on?" Billy asked, "the door is stuck or something," I went to the windows and all of them were boarded up. "What the fuck?" The music suddenly stopped. Everyone stood still looking at the unknown man in the hallway, wearing a coat with the hoodie over his face. "Yo weirdo! This dumb prank isn't funny now, open the door." Jeremy shouted at the ominous individual.

"You hear me!" Jeremy said as he walked forward to him. In one swift motion the man took off Jeremy's head with a small scythe. Everyone screamed in terror. The idea quickly lifted my head about rushing him when he lifted a gun to everyone in his other hand.

"Tonight is a very special night," The man said in a deep rusted voice. "mother is coming and she's hungry." The hooded man says with a smile so big it can be seen from under is hoodie. There was about ten of us left minus Jeremy and we all were bunched up together scared. My mind raced at what I could do. Everyone walk to the door at the back of the hall. in a line, following his instructions.

I didn't know this house and he did, it would be dumb to try and hide but following him would lead us to death in the end. "You," he pointed at me, "drag his body into the room with you all." I looked down at Jeremy's now headless body. I've never seen a dead body until my father earlier and now I'm being forced to drag one into the abyss with me.

After everyone entered the room the door slammed shut. The girls cried even harder after looking at what was hanging from the walls. I didn't see clearly at first but it was strands of flesh lumped and crossing over each other like cobwebs. "My God." Alex's voice cracked. The room got bigger as our eyes adjusted to the dark. Multiple tunnels and one massive one in the center of them all. We are about to be eaten. I finally realized something big is down here.

As I dragged Jeremy's body I kept hearing something click against the ground, I looked and it was his gun. I immediately grabbed it. "We can't stay here and wait for whatever is coming." I explained. "What the hell can we do?" Andy said with tears running down his face. He was never built for stressful situations. "I don't want to die here" Angela yelled through her tears. I tried shooting at the door but it was reinforced from this side. Damn it! Then we all heard it.

Hissing, and snarling, coming from the center tunnel. Legs like spiders appeared first, at least ten feet long coming out of the biggest tunnel. The horror on everyone's face couldn't be explained. Billy took the gun from me and started shooting at the abomination, now standing in front of us clear as day. The top half, a woman with six eyes and two roles of teeth and the body of a spider.

Bullets didn't do much to the creature but upset it. Impaling Billy threw the mouth and out his back immediately killing him. She lifted him off the ground and started wrapping him up in flesh. The only thing I could think of is running deeper into one of the smaller tunnels. Taking Angela by the hand and screaming this way! Everyone followed. She caught and killed four more by using her flesh like webs dragging them back to her. Screams that echoed through the tunnels will forever be with me now.

The abomination looked at me directly with a grin showing her bloody teeth. My body shivered and my heart raced faster than I thought was possible at this point. The creature now aggravated by our minor escape hisses.

Alex's voice cracking "where are we now?" Alex has hated bugs since he was a child and got stung by a Bee. This situation is probably even more hell for him than us.

We all ended up in a room, old broken toy cars and dolls no windows just a door at the top of stairs that are no longer there.

"That means this is a basement." Alex adds, "this is probably our only way out of here." I walk over and measure the height, it's not that far up. "C'mon Alex me and you can boost Angela up so she can reach the door." She was barely able to reach the door knob but opened it leading into the house.

Right when freedom was in sight, noise came from the entryway. Alex heard it and looked, "oh my God,"  the flesh webbing moving through with faces crying and screaming coming towards them, move! I screamed at Angela. She jumped up top and looked back to help us, Alex screamed "help me up please!" Panicking  he fell down, getting himself captured by the flesh webbing and dragged away.

Angela found an old cable cord and dropped it down, I wrapped it around my left arm and she pulled, I climbed out just in time. "The windows and door are boarded" Angela desperately looking for a way out. After the experience we just had I took the first table I saw and cracked open a window with it. Footsteps could be heard rushing toward the door at the end of the hall, "He's coming". Patrick realized pushing me through the window, I turned back to help but he yelled out "run and don't and look back."

As I ran all I could hear was crashing and gunshots. Tears ran down my face faster than I could run. The sun came up and I was free but forever haunted.