They had eaten in near silence—not out of awkwardness, but survival. The juice from the strange fruit ran down their hands, into their sleeves. No one cared. It wasn't sweet like watermelon, but it was soft and cool, with a tangy, citrus-like bite that made their tongues tingle and their heads feel clearer.
They needed that.
Badly.
Then—Bhavna spotted another.
High on a different tree, maybe thirty feet behind them.
"Look," she said, standing and pointing. "Same shape."
They all turned.
Same green shell. Same ridiculous size.
Rana got up, already brushing off his hands.
"I'll get it," he said simply.
He didn't make a show of it this time. Just climbed, slow and efficient, and came down with the second fruit cradled in one arm like a baby dinosaur egg.
Instead of cutting it, he pulled out the cloth tied around his waist and wrapped it securely.
"We'll save this one," he muttered. "For the people on the other side."
Arjun, still lying on the stone, blinked in surprise.
Huh.
"Didn't expect that from you," he muttered.
Rix leaned over, chewing the last bite. "Maybe the fruit healed his personality."
Tarun smirked. "Temporary side effect."
Rana ignored them. He tied the fruit tighter and slung it over his shoulder.
Then Tarun asked, "Can we rest for a bit before we walk?"
Rana turned slowly.
"Rest?" he echoed. "We just ate. What do you think the others are doing right now? Having a spa day?"
No one answered.
He looked at the sky—light still pouring through the trees, but shifting now. The shadows were growing taller.
"We walk. Now," Rana ordered. "While it's still bright."
They all nodded, groaning as they stood.
Rix helped Arjun up. Bhavna wrapped her scarf around his shoulder to keep him steady.
They were just about to leave the clearing when it happened.
A rustle in the leaves.
Low. Soft.
Arjun felt it before he saw it.
A chill. A twitch in the trees. A sense of being watched.
Then—movement.
From the canopy above, something dropped.
THUD.
It landed in front of Bhavna with a sickening, squishy sound.
A spider.
A massive spider.
Legs longer than a grown man's arms. Hairy. Glossy black. Fangs dripping with thick yellow fluid. Eyes like wet marbles. Its abdomen was the size of a dinner plate.
"DON'T MOVE," Rana said, already drawing his knife.
Bhavna froze, breath caught in her throat. One hand slowly reached for the knife in her sock, but the spider's front leg twitched—too fast.
Rix stepped between them, arms raised. "BACK! GET BACK!"
The spider lunged.
Bhavna screamed.
Arjun tried to stand but stumbled.
Tarun picked up a rock and hurled it—smashing against one of the legs.
The spider shrieked. Not a hiss. A screech—like metal on glass.
It reared back.
Rana rushed forward and slashed at it with his knife, slicing through one leg. Green blood splattered across his shirt.
The spider skittered backward, fast as lightning, climbing partway up a tree trunk, then freezing—watching them.
No one moved.
Then—it turned.
And disappeared into the canopy above.
Silence.
No one breathed.
Rix finally muttered, "...Did that thing just jump us because we stole its lunch?"
Arjun groaned, still shaking. "Remind me to never complain about mosquitoes again."
Bhavna sat down hard on a rock. "I'm done. Emotionally. That's it."
Rana, blood-streaked and breathing hard, looked up into the trees.
"If that was just a scout…" he said quietly, "we need to move. Fast."
Everyone nodded.
No one argued this time.
They had barely taken a breath.
Everyone was still frozen, stunned by the spider's retreat. Rana gripped his knife tighter, scanning the trees above.
Rix was helping Bhavna stand again.
Tarun still had a rock in each hand, eyes darting left and right.
Then—it came back.
THUMP.
From behind.
No warning.
The giant spider launched from the canopy, fangs first, straight toward Bhavna's back.
She turned at the last second, eyes wide—
But before she could even scream—
THWACK.
Arjun moved.
Still weak. Still bleeding. But when the monster was inches away, he caught it.
Both hands.
Right between its hideous, clicking fangs.
Everyone screamed.
"ARJUN!"
He didn't scream.
He growled.
His arms trembled, every vein bulging, every muscle burning. The spider's legs flailed, its body twisting—but Arjun gritted his teeth and, with a guttural roar, slammed it into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
A sickening crunch.
Then silence.
The spider stopped moving.
Green slime pooled under it. One leg twitched. Then nothing.
Arjun stood over it, panting, arms red with blood—some his, some not.
Everyone stared.
Even Rana.
Even the jungle seemed to go quiet.
"Did he…" Rix whispered, "just kill that thing… with his bare hands?"
Tarun blinked. "This guy's not human."
Bhavna, shaking, looked at Arjun like he was a different species entirely.
Arjun, still panting, just muttered, "...No one attacks my team."
He wiped his arms on his shirt, stumbled a bit, and let out a breath.
Then: "Can we go now?"
Rix held up his hands. "Yup. Yes. You lead. I'm just your sidekick now."
Even Rana didn't say a word.
They moved fast after that.
No one looked back. No one made jokes.
They followed Arjun now—not just because of what he'd done, but because they all knew…
Something worse could be out there.
As they neared the crash site—sweat-soaked, scraped, but alive—they finally caught sight of the coastline through the gaps in the trees.
But before they could step out into the open—
They heard it.
Behind them.
Movement.
Heavy.
Not one thing.
Many.
Branches breaking.
Leaves rustling.
A low, shifting growl.
Everyone stopped.
Rana turned slowly.
Tarun whispered, "Is it… more of those spiders?"
No one answered.
They just listened.
To the sound of something coming.