The subway tunnels reeked of rust and mold. Dripping pipes groaned in the distance, water slapping onto stone like a slow heartbeat. Zara crouched on a ledge, her hands trembling as she traced lines of silk across the wall. Each thread shimmered faintly, fading to nothing as she pulled them tight.
She had been hunting Reed for nights. Every web she spun through the tunnels was meant to catch him, to drag him back before he could twist further into whatever monster he was becoming. But Tammy was still gone, Reed was still at large, and Josh—Josh wouldn't even look at her anymore.
For the first time since the bite, she felt like she was losing.
Her veins hummed, silk itching to be used. But no matter how many criminals she cocooned, how many screams she silenced, the hunger never eased. It only sharpened. It wanted Reed. It wanted blood.
Zara leaned back against the wall, trying to slow her breath. Her reflection flickered in a broken shard of glass. Eyes glowing faintly. Jaw clenched. She barely recognized herself anymore.
Then the ground shook.
The sound came first—engines growling, tires screeching. Zara's head snapped upward. Through a crack in the tunnel ceiling, headlights cut across the night. A convoy of black vans rolled into the block above.
Zara scrambled upward, claws of silk dragging her to the rooftop in seconds. She crouched low, watching as the vans screeched to a stop.
Doors flew open. Figures spilled out. Not gangbangers. Not cops. Soldiers.
They moved in tight formation, armor matte black, rifles gleaming under the streetlights. Each wore the same emblem stitched across their chest: a silver spider sigil.
Zara's stomach dropped.
The lab.
Her pulse hammered in her ears. They know. They found me.
She backed away from the ledge, silk twitching at her fingertips. The squad leader raised a gloved hand, and the formation split smoothly across the street. Military precision. These weren't just men—they were hunters.
One stopped suddenly. His head tilted, listening. Then his mask clicked open.
Zara's breath caught.
His mouth wasn't human. Mandibles split wide, clicking and snapping, saliva dripping onto the pavement. His eyes glowed faintly like an insect's, reflecting the light.
Hybrids.
Zara didn't wait. She launched silk and teleported across the roofline, appearing behind the first hybrid as it leapt after her. In one motion, she wrapped her threads tight around his throat and pulled. His scream was shrill and wrong, mandibles tearing as his neck snapped. The body twitched before falling limp.
Another climbed the wall after her, claws scraping sparks from the concrete. Zara blinked forward, reappearing above him. She drove her heel into his face, smashing him three stories down to the street. Bones cracked against the pavement.
The others opened fire. Bullets tore through the night, sparking against the rooftop. Zara ducked low, teleporting again, her chest burning from the effort. Each jump left her dizzier, hungrier.
Below, the squad leader raised a megaphone. His voice was calm, mechanical.
"PROJECT Z. SURRENDER YOURSELF. YOU BELONG TO US."
The words froze her blood.
Zara's fists clenched. She teleported again, dropping onto the fire escape. Two hybrids lunged, claws slashing. She spun, silk threading both their throats, yanking them together until they crushed against the wall. Blood sprayed the bricks.
Her breath came ragged. The hunger purred, satisfied, but the squad wasn't stopping. Dozens more were advancing, rifles raised, mandibles clicking in rhythm.
She staggered backward onto another rooftop, her veins glowing faint beneath her skin. Her legs trembled. She couldn't fight them all. Not like this.
And then she heard it.
A laugh.
Low, guttural, familiar.
From the shadows of the rooftop ahead, Reed stepped into the moonlight. His body was almost unrecognizable—skin stretched thin over bone, his arms splitting into twitching, jagged limbs. His grin was wide and broken, his teeth dripping blood.
"Funny," Reed rasped, his voice wet with hunger. "They didn't send me flowers when I crawled out of that lab. But you… you get the red-carpet treatment."
Zara's blood ran cold. "Reed."
He tilted his head, saliva trailing from his jaw. "They're not here for me. They're here for you."
Behind him, the soldiers tightened their circle, weapons glinting. The hybrids hissed, mandibles clicking, rifles steady.
Zara stood caught between them—Reed's warped body on one side, the lab's hunters on the other.
Reed grinned wider, blood dripping from his claws.
"Looks like we're finally on the same side."