Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

“Norman, stop!” I shouted, pinching his hard ass cheek to get his attention. He kept running, and as I calmed down and looked around, I realized the others were still way behind the spider. How the hell was Norman running so fast? “Stop, Norman! Put me down! Something isn’t right!” I slapped his ass a few more times, trying to get through to him.

Usually, the ass slapping would be the other way around, but it worked for now. He wasn’t complaining at least.

It took a moment, but he started to slow down. I hung there like dead weight, until we came to a stop and he literally dropped me on my ass without warning. I landed with a grunt and glared up at him, picturing myself punching him in his pretty face. But I’d save that for another day…when we didn’t have a giant spider crying on the ground behind us deep in the woods.

I rolled to my knees and looked up through the curtain of my hair, only to freeze in place, barely breathing at all, hardly moving a single muscle.

“Don’t move,” Norman snapped. “Not a muscle, October.” His voice had an edge to it. It was gravelly, threatening, and dangerous. It made me listen and not argue for once. I noticed belatedly how he’d used my name for the first time since last year.

“Finally!” the squeaky voice yelped. “Oh my gosh, I’ve only been waiting foreverrr to meet you! Oh crap, where are my manners?” The spider was hovering close to my face now, but unless I was mistaken, she seemed about half the size she’d been when she was chasing us. Did she shrink?

“W-what are you?” My voice shook as she peered closer at me, her tusks inches from my face.

“I already told you, I’m Jessica. No last name, just Jessica, but you can call me Jess, or J if you want. Or you can just call me Jessica, that’s cool, too.” I was trying to keep it together, but failing. The spider’s voice was so high pitched, it sounded like she’d sucked on a helium balloon.

She bounced in place, rubbing her two front legs together in, dare I say…excitement?

I peeked at Norman out of the corner of my eye, hoping I wasn’t the only one experiencing this. His eyes were bouncing between me and Jessica, mouth parted in shock. He looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Okay, Jessica…” I cringed as the others ran up to where we were standing. They took in the huge arachnid with wide terrified eyes, and Maddie skirted Jessica's legs, inching closer to me. The guys looked ready to fight. I kept my eyes on the spider. “What are you?”

“What, you’ve never heard of a familiar before?” She giggled. “Silly girl, didn’t the aunties teach you anything?” She still seemed to be shrinking, little by little. She was the size of a shetland pony at this point, and my heart was slowing its frantic pace.

“Like a witch’s familiar?” I asked, vaguely familiar with the term. “And what do my aunties have to do with anything?” Freaking hell, I just knew they had something to do with this. “So, what, you’re the Salem to my Sabrina?” I laughed nervously. Jessica was silent, and I got to my feet. “Wait…are you for real right now?” I slapped a hand to my forehead. “What the fuck am I saying? I’m having a conversation with a spider!”

Could this year just…not?!

“I don’t know what you’re so upset about. I’m actually pretty chill when you get to know me. And I’d prefer you call me an arachnid, not a spider. We’re politically correct in this neck of the woods.” She sounded like she’d have been smiling smugly, had she been human. “So basically, I’m your best friend now, and also your unofficial tour guide!”

I felt another hysterical laugh bubbling up. This couldn’t be happening. Like…what the actual fuck was happening?

“Hey! I’m her best friend,” Maddie huffed, sliding up to my side with her hands on her hips. “Don’t think I won't fight you, Jessica,” she spat, bouncing on her feet while punching the air.

Oh shit, Maddie was about to throw down with a spider—ahem, arachnid. She took her best-friendship status very seriously, so I had no doubt she’d cut a bitch if they tried to steal that title.

“No way!” Jessica said, growing even smaller now. “I’ve been waiting for this day since we were both babies! Tell her, October!” She stamped one of her long legs. “Your spidey senses had to be tingling at one point or another. Tell her!”

“This shit is not happening right now. Tell me I’m tripping balls and not seeing this with my own two eyes,” Jason murmured in annoyance as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“That’s it. Game on,” Maddie said like she meant business, and I could suddenly imagine her tying her hair up in a ponytail, ready to claim best friend status.

Michael coughed into his fist to hide a chuckle, and Freddy just kept staring at Jessica, eyes wandering over her skinny legs tipped with tiny little hooked claws that tapped against the ground. His whole body shuddered every few seconds the longer he stared.

“We don’t have time for this!” I stomped my foot. With my cute ankle boots, I used more force than I probably needed to.

It dawned on me suddenly, the scope of the situation. Maddie was threatening to throw down with a spider twice her size. Like…yeah, it would be pretty entertaining, but if Jessica grew again, she could probably swallow Maddie whole.

We didn’t have time for any of this nonsense. We were on a mission—a mission to get back home, find out what happened to everyone on the bus, figure out why there were two moons in the sky, and lastly, change our hair back to normal. Jessica shuffled closer to me, her fuzzy little hairs brushing against my skin. It made me shiver, but in a comfortable