The group of six headed out on the little over two, and a half hour journey from New Orleans to the Bayou of Lafayette. Angela's head was recovering, but she still felt a little groggy. Although she was not the type of person who could easily fall asleep in the car, she went ahead and leaned her head against the car door window. She could hear the humming sound of the tires as they continually rotated across the highway.

"Penny for your thoughts.", said Scott.

"Hmm.." she responded as she had been taken aback by his talking to her out of rather blue.

"Are you alright?' He asked. "You seem a bit out of it."

"I'm fine," she replied. "My head's still getting over last night, I guess."

"Well, you could have stayed back at the hotel." He told her. "No one would have thought less of you if you had."

"No way!" Shouted Cara. "I wasn't allowed to just stay back at the hotel."

"Oh get over yourself!", Alan barked at Cara. "Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you!"

"Well you know what you can go do to yourself!", she bit back at him.

"Please don't shout." Cried Angela. "My head already hurts as much as it is. I don't need anymore of this bickering. I didn't want to stay back at the hotel anyway. I think maybe just being out, in the fresh air might do me some good anyway."

At that point everyone had remained quite. Angela looked over at Cara, and Alan. They were obviously both mad at one another. It was times like this that Angela was actually glad that she didn't have a boyfriend. All of a sudden, a smirk appeared on Alan's face.

"Hey?" He began to ask. "Has anyone else heard about the infamous Spider Cult, that once controlled most of the Louisiana Bayou?"

"Oh do tell.", Cara spat in in a sarcastic tone.

"There was once a powerful voodoo priestess who watched over the bayou," Alan began. "Although she had special powers, she never used them for personal gain. She believed in respecting nature, and her fellow man. And she only used her powers if she felt they were deemed necessary. She defended the Bayou on more than one occasion, but she never took a life. Unfortunately her son, who had also inherited her ancestor's powers. Had other ideas. He began to worship the Drow goddess, Lolth, AKA the spider queen."

"Can she do everything a spider can?", Bobby quipped. Everyone began to laugh.

"Come on guys, I'm serious." Alan replied. "Anyway the priestess's son had developed many male followers, and gained even more power. It was believed that he had become even more powerful that his own mother. Then, soon afterwards, a lot of young women started disappearing. It was later discovered that they had been abducted, and forced to become part of the cult's harem. Not only that, but they had all been brainwashed into loving their captors. Yet apparently the cult's leader never found a bride of his own."

"How do you know that all of this happened?", asked Scott.

"Because." Alan began. "They eventually found all of the missing girls. But they were naked and crying hysterically for an entire colony of dead tarantulas. Most of the missing women ended up in mental hospitals, screaming, crying, and claiming that their tarantula mates had been murdered. Half the men, who had joined the cult were found dead. They had been scarified to Lolth. The other were missing without a trace, but the rescued girls claimed that they were the dead tarantulas."

"That sounds crazy." Said Zoe. "How were they defeated, what happened to the priestess's son?"

"Well it took all of her own powers to defeat him, until all of her powers were gone." Alan replied. "It basically came down to the light spirits of the bayou, battling the dark ones. Her son just disappeared, and no one knows what has become of him. But they say he's still alive, and still plotting his revenge. Since his mother no longer has any powers, it is believed that she would be his first victim. But most believe he thrusts for the desire of a queen to love. He desires all of the powers that Lolth had promised him, but what is the use if he is to be forever alone."

"Eww..", said Cara. "I hate spiders. I can't stand that thought of one touching me." Alan put his arm around her and smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't let any horny arachnids near you.", he replied.

"Get off of me!" She shouted, as she shoved his arm off of her. "I'm still mad at you. I'd rather have a spider touch me right now than you."

"I love you too, babe." He replied with a silly grin. Cara just rolled her eyes in disgust.

Well this is going to be a long car ride. Angela thought.

As they had finally reached the area known as the Louisiana Bayou. The car had been silent for a while. The tension literally felt like you could cut it with a knife. It was one of those rare moments were a metaphor seemed real.

"I have to pee.", said Zoe.

"I see a gas station up ahead.", said Bobby as he had been the one driving the whole time. "We'll stop there, and get some gas as well."

As they all got out of the car, they began heading into the gas station. There was something odd about the place. It almost looked like a little eclectic museum. There were shrunken heads, voodoo dolls, evil eye charms, crucifixes, and every other stereotypical superstition about the area. They soon began looking around the odd building.

"May I help you?", a seventy something old woman asked. Angela jumped as the woman with a stoic expression on her face stared back at her.

"Jeez lady, you scared the hell out of me!" Cried Angela. Well if that didn't sober her up, nothing would.

"I'm sorry my dear." The woman said with a creepy smile, "I didn't mean to frighten you. Where are you all from?"

"New York." Replied Angela. "We're just down here for vacation."

"Mardi Gras, I assume." The lady replied. "Just remember this area is the back woods. One needs to be careful around these parts if you're not prepared. Especially a pretty girl like you needs to be careful."

"Umm, thanks." Said Angela. "I think." She then shot the woman a shy smile.

"Feel free to look around." Said the old woman. "But don't touch anything. If you have any questions about any of these items, come see me. I will try and answer your questions."

As the old woman walked away, Cara and Zoe made their way over to Angela.

"My god, what a strange old lady." Said Cara.

"Yeah, really.", Zoe added.

"Well hopefully we won't be here much longer." Said Angela. "Did you find the bathrooms by the way?"

"No." replied Zoe. "And to be honest I'd rather try someplace else than ask that old bat where it is."

"Well, I have to go." Said Angela, "I'll meet you guys back at the car."

Zoe, and Cara, kept looking around the strange place, while Angela looked for the bathroom. Perhaps it was behind the curtain in front of of the one door. However it seemed to be a storage area with even more odd voodoo type stuff, including goat heads, and inverted pentagrams. Feeling nervous, Angela began to sing to calm her nerves. She had always been told that she had an amazing voice, and for some reason it always helped her relax.

Wherever she was, she didn't like it. She knew she had to leave. But she didn't know that the room had an unknown tenet, which her singing had just awoken form his slumber.

I hear a songbird. He thought. An angel, in fact. But best of all I smell a virgin. He then got a good look at her.

A pretty little virgin at that. He observed. I cannot wait until I get to taste her virgin blood. Finally a perfect mate to bare my fruit. I had been waiting a long time for one such as you. Soon my fire haired angel, you will be mine.

As Angela startedto leave the room. Something had caught her eye.

"Well hello there little fellow.", she said to a tarantula that she had spotted in an aquarium. Since she had studied Zoology, she knew a lot about animals from the mighty lion to the tiny ant. So she could tell by the markings that the tarantula was not poisonous. Most women were afraid of such spiders, but they had always fascinated her. She recognized it as a rare breed. She couldn't help it, she had to get a closer look.

Maybe she should have known better, but a rare breed of spider like this was hard to find. Angela opened the lid of the aquarium, and stuck her hand inside. Normally she would never be so bold, especially with someone else's personal property. But for some odd reason, she just felt drawn to do so.

As she did the spider slowly crawled on her hand. Without even thinking, she took her hand out of the aquarium as the spider still crawled on her. It's touch was so light, she could barely feel it. As she watched it crawl on her, it was if there was something compelling her to concentrate one it. It was almost as if—"

"What are you doing here?", the old woman cried. "This is a dark place, nothing but evil exist in here!"

"I'm-I'm sorry!", cried Angela. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just had a strange compulsion, that I can't describe."

As Angela stared back at the old woman, the old woman's eyes widened in terror as she let out a horrified gasp.

"No!", she cried. "Put him back! Put him back now—before it's too late!"

Before Angela even had a chance to comply, the spider had all of a sudden bitten her. She cried out in pain as it's sharp fangs had penetrated her skin. Then before she had a chance, the spider leaped off of her hand. It then made it's escape through a hole in the floorboards.

"Oh my god!", cried Angela.

"Stupid girl!" Cried the old woman. "You have doomed us all! You and your friends get out of here now! You deserve the fate that you have just bestowed upon yourself!"

"But-", Angela tried to say.

"Out!" The old woman cried. "Now!"

********

The now freed spider made his way deep into the bayou. He was soon joined by a colony of other tarantulas, thousands of them. All of a sudden the now freed spider began to change. He grew into a spider seven feet high, but only the lower half of his body was that of an arachnid. The upper half was that of any extremely handsome man.

"So this is how Lolth has rewarded me for my loyalty.", he said as he began to laugh. "I am even better than when I was just a a human."

He then looked at him his loyal subject that were surrounding him.

"Don't worry my loyal followers." He told them. "Your master has not forgotten you. A pretty little songbird, an angel, a human drow as you will has finally broken the curse my dear mother placed on me. The curse that she had placed on all of us. But don't worry, she will soon pay. But I have good new for you. Not only have I finally found my mate, but she has brought a couple of pretty friends for you to enjoy as well. They will break your curse, just as my beloved has broken mine. Then you will become a full drider as I. And her pretty little friends can become part of you new harem."

He then took his thumb, and wiped off Angela's blood that was still on the corner of his mouth. He then licked the blood off of his thumb, and slowly closed his eyes as if he was in ecstasy.

"I knew her virgin blood would be sweet!" He exclaimed. "I can't what to taste it from it source, once I penetrate her for the first time. Unfortunately the three lovely human drows have some male companions as well. But we'll take care of them. I think Lolth will appreciate the three blood sacrifices. Come my loyal followers! It's time we pay my dear old mother a visit. Let's see if she missed her baby boy!"