Mary's heart pounded in her chest as she assessed the situation. Her mind raced to find a way to free him. Emerging from the shadows above, Mary revealed herself. Her father's eyes widened in surprise as he saw her descend gracefully from the ceiling. Even though she had changed drastically, he knew the creature was his beloved daughter.
As her feet touched the ground, Mary's mind raced through countless scenarios. She had a myriad of ways to neutralize the threat and save her father. The silk glands of her palm seemed to pulse with anticipation, ready to obey her command.
The kidnapper tightened his grip on his gun, nervously shifting his target from Mary's father on the floor to her and back again. A twisted smile played on his lips. "It's over! One more step and I'll shoot!" he threatened, his voice dripping with seriousness.
From the ground, Mary's father looked up at her and pleaded nobly: "Mary, save yourself! Don't worry about me. I will be all right."
Mary's heart wrenched at her father's words. But he didn't really know what she was capable of. She looked at him, then at the kidnapper, and then took the next step towards them. Both looked a little confused. Without a second warning, the kidnapper fired two shots, directly at her chest. As Mary had expected, but to the surprise of both men, the bullets just bounced off her chest.
Mary's expression remained unyielding as she met their gaze. "Let him go," Mary demanded, her tone firm and unwavering.
The man's laughter filled the chamber. "Or what? You're going to use your little tricks on me?" he taunted, changing his target to Mary's father again.
Mary's gaze remained fixed on him. "I have more than just tricks," she thought, her mind racing through the possibilities.
"I don't know what you are or how you do it, but I doubt he can withstand a bullet," he said, still feeling he had the upper hand.
Unnoticed by the men, a spider scuttled from the shadows at her unspoken command. Swift and silent, it approached the captor. Mary's heart pounded, every second feeling like an eternity. And then, the spider struck, sinking its venomous fangs into the man's exposed skin.
The room fell into an eerie stillness as the man's movements slowed, his eyes widening in shock and horror. Mary's lips curled into a smile of resolve as she watched him struggle, his body growing weaker by the second. Her father's captor was now at her mercy, paralyzed by the powerful poison coursing through his veins.
She could see in his eyes that he wanted to pull the trigger on his gun, but he was unable to do so.
"You shouldn't have underestimated me," Mary declared.
The captor's eyes widened as Mary slowly stepped forward until she was only an arm's length from him. She removed the gun from his still outstretched arm with protest but no resistance and moved his arm to his side. The fingers of her right hand closed around his throat and she lifted him effortlessly off the ground. He gasped, struggling to breathe under her firm grip. Fear flickered across his face as he realized the tables had turned.
"You're going to leave us alone," Mary's words were cold and unwavering, her gaze unflinching as she held him aloft. "You and your gang. If I ever catch sight of you again, you won't be so lucky."
She could feel the tremors coursing through his body, his futile attempts to free himself from her grasp. Even without the paralyzing poison in his blood, he would not have the slightest chance against her iron grip. Forcefully, she threw him to the ground and watched as he coughed and spluttered.
With a purposeful step she climbed to the ceiling, her movements graceful and agile. Her silk cords shot from her fingertips, expertly securing the captive's limbs, pulling him up and binding him to his companions.
Mary couldn't help but marvel at her transformation. From an ordinary girl to an extraordinary predator. On her way down, she stopped at the ledge where Juan was sitting against the wall. He was unconscious and must have passed out from the pain or the blood loss. Without hesitation, she threw it over her shoulder like a bag, hooked the silk to the ceiling and slowly lowered herself down, right in front of her still kneeling father.
She carefully set Juan down and checked her father. He seemed OK, badly injured with a lot of cuts and wounds, but alive.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.