“Well…let’s go roll out the red carpet.”

“You actually got some red carpet? I thought you were teasing me about me becoming her assistant.”

“I was. It was just an expression, moron.”

“Oh.”

The two calmly got off the bus and watched as the many spiders came in like waves, almost as if they weren’t going to stop. Yet, at about 20 feet away, the spiders did indeed stop and made way for the car-sized spider.

“Dude…it is her.”

“I know, I have seen her as well, remember?”

“Miss Clara Monti! I am a big fan!”

“You idiot! Calm down!”

The young lady waited for the spider to bend down before she stepped off. She was barefoot and she looked as if she was starving or extremely sick. Because she was close, John realized that the nightgown wasn’t a nightgown but a really plain dress. It looked to be made of really a thick thread that also seemed really comfortable.

What probably unnerved them the most was the multiple spiders crawling all over her body and in her dry and flaky hair.

She never said a word, but John realized she kept looking at him before quickly looking away.

“Hah… so you are still so shy. I thought after becoming a celebrity that would change. Oh well. If you remember me, I’m John. This is David, a really big fan of yours.”

“Yes!”

“Sit, boy.”

“Huh?! Don’t treat me like a dog!”

“Whatever, you are freaking her out.”

It was true since the girl was shivering. She back stepped a little and sat back down on the big spider’s head.

No, she wasn’t scared, she was really weak.

“Do you need some food or water? We have enough to share. Here.”

John handed a roll and a water bottle, which she happily took. Unfortunately, her face was mostly hidden by her long and unkempt hair.

“Do you need anything else? If you are ready, we can go ahead and return. We didn’t expect to see you so soon, after all.”

“Dude, just wait, she needs to rest.”

“She can rest. But the faster we return to the base, the better.”

“Why?”

Soon, everyone’s monitors rang, signaling alerts.

“Damn.”

“Oh no! It seems the Undead Clan has made contact with more reinforcements! If you can, try and stop them from making it to the Capital! If so, you might get some really good gifts!”

“Oh. That’s not good.”

“No, it’s not. Clara, do you want to sit in the bus? It will be safer.”

She nodded and a spider the size of a dog jumped up from the wave of spiders to sit on her shoulder. She was about to get up when she started wobbling. John quickly rushed over and caught her, holding her hand and helping her get to the bus where she sat down and patiently waited.

David was wondering if he could have done that but realized he needed to get the bus moving.

“No, you might need to fight. I need Cammie to turn invisible and he’s back at the Capital. Sam wouldn’t let him leave.”

“Hehe, he was really upset that you were leaving.”

“It couldn’t have been me, he really likes Cammie.”

“Sure. But okay, I will be ready to fight.”

As they started driving off, several spiders as big as dogs jumped on the bus. The small spiders were Level 0s, but the dog sized ones were Level 1. There were spiders as big as horses that were Level 2, and then two more car-sized spiders walked over. These were Level 3s!

*whistles* “Damn, you have made some amazing friends, Miss Monti.”

She never said a word and just silently sat still.

David kept trying to get her to talk, but she wouldn’t respond or give him acknowledgment. He was actually getting a little angry but stopped himself since she was his idol.

John merely laughed at the scene of someone shutting David up.

“David, I see some people on the Radar. To the left.”

“Right, on it.”

Without even slowing down, John opened the door and David jumped out, landing easily on the ground surrounded by hundreds of large spiders. Several Skeletons followed him, but they actually jumped on some of the Level 2 Spiders before continuing.

One even transformed into a Skeleton Rider, gaining some easy maneuverable abilities. This Level 3 and Level 2 Combo easily led the other Skeletons and Spiders to ward off the enemies.

Back in the bus, there was only the ranged Skeletons, Clara, John, and a dog-sized Spider.

“Hehe, he can be pretty annoying, just know that he doesn’t mean anything by it. Hey, how’s your dad?”

“…”

“Hm, I’m sorry, I just wanted to know if you got what you wanted.”

Instead of saying anything, she nodded.

“That’s good. I heard some of your latest music. It’s not bad and I don’t even like pop all that much.”

It could have been a trick, but John could have sworn he saw a flash of a smile behind her bangs.

The Spider was moving around the bus, crawling on the chairs and even the ceiling, moving its mandibles and stabbing its hairy legs into the cushions, trying to find a comfortable spot to sit.

Crunch.

“Uh…what was that?”

Crunch.

“Is that you, Clara?”

He looked back to see Clara eating something so he turned back around. Then he realized she had already eaten the bread.

“Clara, what are you eating?”

Then he saw something really gross. She picked up one of the little spiders on her dress and threw it into her mouth while it was still alive, the crunching sound filling the bus.

“Urp…are they…tasty?”

She shook her head no.

“Then why eat them?”

Then it dawned on him. She must have had a hard time finding food. So she had to eat whatever she could find. She had been traveling all this time from California…so what did she eat along the way?!

John almost got sick, but he held it in. He knew that people changed after the apocalypse, but Clara hadn’t completely changed. She just had to eat something to survive. Unfortunately, it became a habit.

“But…you used to be afraid of spiders, right?”

She didn’t move for a while, but then she slowly nodded, her hair blocking her face. However, John saw the small movements of her shoulders and her head. She was probably back in that place where she was starving and couldn’t find food.

She was afraid of spiders and had to overcome that fear in order to survive. Now, she was surrounded by spiders and had a bad habit of snacking on spiders. Hopefully, the others could somehow help her out. She needed to eat real food or else she would get sick.

John began to focus on the road again, but since they cleared the road, he didn’t have to worry about traffic. Unfortunately, more people were appearing on the monitor. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a slight breeze and saw black lines in front of him. One of these lines had a small wolf spider looking at him with all of its eyes.

He almost wrecked the bus, but quickly realized it was Clara looking over to the right of the highway. Then, the rest of the spiders went that way.

So David and the Skeletons took the left and the Spiders took the right. Their drive was going easy when a line of people appeared before them.

John had gained quite a bit of new GP and realized he had a way with animals. So he spent his luck on another Companion. This time, he got a Blood Beetle. They were capable of shrinking down to the size of blood cells and entering the owner’s body, increasing their abilities.

However, they could also exit the body and grow back to normal size, as a form of attack against enemies. He had bought another at the cost of 500 GP and already had several hundred Blood Beetles. Because of his unusual affinity with animals, he gained the Animal Enthusiast Job.

Probably the best part of this Job is the Boost his Pets get and the Boost he gets from his Pets. His Beetles flew out the door, shining a bright scarlet. They stormed at the enemy, burrowing into their skin and draining their blood.

Some of the Beetles Leveled Up after killing some of the Ability Users, bringing them to Level 2.

Clara stared on in fascination, watching the group of bugs that looked like a blood mist.

“Hey, do you want a piano when we get to the Capital? I’m sure Andrew wouldn’t mind. He played in his band as well.”

She didn’t say anything, but John was definitely sure he saw her smile as she nodded.

“Alright, let’s keep going! If this pace keeps up, then we can make it by tomorrow night!”

Crunch.

“Uhh…could you not eat right in my ear? I feel kind of sick, now.”