The soldier on the left flank cried out. A huge spider burst up from a hidden burrow and crushed him with its powerful front legs. The blow stunned the young man and the fangs finished the job. Shots rang out from the Lieutenants two remaining troops, but the beast retreated too quickly for the bullets to have any effect.

The Lieutenant rallied his two shaken soldiers and forced them to move out. The storm began to lighten up as it moved out of the area. They picked up the pace for the last quarter mile to the cave. They traveled in a tight formation, constantly alert.

The Lieutenant drew his side arm as they approached the cave in preparation for the worst. The big ones were few and far between and almost easy to deal with. Once they entered the cave, waves of spiders the size of small cars would be waiting for them. Their job wouldn’t be easy, but it needed to be done. The girl was almost certainly gone, but their secondary object wasn’t. But the package they needed was lost with his first man.