A horrified Merse scuttled backwards towards the fire as two long segmented legs reached through the doorway, rapidly followed by two more. However, it was obvious that the creature was slightly too large for the doorway, which creaked and cracked as it forced its way in. Merse froze in shock as a huge spider barreled its way into the shack, obviously intent on its prey.
Drin had been slammed back into the opposite wall when the door flew in, but fear and adrenaline quickly had him back on his feet. Realizing the only escape route was blocked, he felt around him for a weapon.
"Yaaaaaaaah!" Drin screamed as he hurled himself at the spider, his thin hands clutching the axe Merse used for chopping firewood. However, the little urchin was sorely mismatched. It only took a swat from one of the spider's long legs to send him flying back into the wall again, this time rendering him unconscious.
The sight of the axe flying in her direction was enough to shake Merse out of her stupor. It was obvious that the only way out lay through the spider, which, thankfully, was still solely absorbed in making Drin its supper. Merse debated making a break for it when the spider moved far enough in to pick up Drin, but decided against it, not so much out of fondness for Drin as due to the possibility that fleeing would leave her open to attack from behind by the spider. Scooping up the axe from the floor, Merse crouched and waited for her opportunity.
Having chased its prey this far, the spider wasted no time in quickly moving forwrad to grab its meal. In the instant it reached forward for Drin's limp body, Merse launched herself at the spider from the side. Although the multiple eyes saw her coming, by the time the spider reacted it was too late. Merse's axe descended in a fluid motion bewteen the spider's cephalothorax and abdomen, cutting deep and all but severing it. The spider let out a shrill sound and its body twitched in a mad dance of agony, as Merse was thrown off the body and fell to the ground.
Finally, the legs curled inward and the spider stopped moving. Winded, Merse raised herself up slightly to confirm that it was over. Panting, she cursed under her breath. However, just as she let out a relieved exhale, Merse felt a strange sensation. Squinting in the dim firelight, at first Merse thought the spider was crumbling. Nevertheless, the pieces falling off the disappearing spider did not merely lay where they fell, but began scrambling forward towards Merse. Terrified, Merse stared at what appeared to be hundreds of thousands of little spiders approaching her. Merse tried to move away, but to her horror found she was powerless as the spiders began scuttling up one of her legs, then the other. The horde quickly covered her body, and as they approached her face, Merse opened her mouth to let out a soundless scream, then passed out.
When Merse came to, the fire was burning low. It took a second for her to remember what had happened, and she shot to her feet, wildly searching for the small arachnids. However, there was no movement in the flickering firelight, only the lone solitary corpse of the giant spider and the motionless body of Drin.
Was it a dream? Merse wondered. Shaking her head, she focused on the situation at hand. While no one except her contact on the crew and Drin knew she lived out there, if someone followed the spider's trial to the shack, it would inevitably lead to unwanted questions. She knew she had to destroy the evidence, and for a moment, considered abandoning Drin as well. However, while Merse was an opportunist, she wasn't entirely heartless. Besides, Drin had proven a valuable asset before, and if the crew had suffered the fate she assumed it had, Merse would need to find a new revenue stream.
Dragging the unconscious Drin out of the cabin, Merse tossed a small jar of lamp oil on the spider corpse, then lit a few sticks in the fire and tossed them on the corpse as well. After ensuring the flames would devour the entire shack, Merse hoisted Drin onto her back and considered her next move.