Eryi sat on the couch in the living room with purple, red, yellow, and black bruises covering his skin. His eyes were puffed pink from crying, and his frown was endless. His mother was sitting on a chair beside him, and the TV was playing a comedy that Eryi couldn’t pay attention to. Knocking sounded on the front door and Eryi’s mother ordered, “Just ignore it. They will go away.”

They did not go away, the knocking did not cease, it only grew louder and louder, until it sounded like someone was slamming their whole body against it. Eryi’s mother had enough and got off her chair. She stomped over to the door and looked into the peep hole. She couldn’t see anyone. She then moved to the window and saw a boy with light brown hair with black streaks staring back at her. He smiled and raised his fist, knocking on the door again. She opened the door with much fury and raged, “What do you want, brat?! When someone doesn’t answer the door, you can’t just continue knocking. Learn some damn social skills!”

The boy glanced past her, and his gaze landed on Eryi who was sitting on the couch. Even though Eryi’s hair covered his eyes, it was clear as day how surprised he was.

“Andri?”

Andri welcomed himself inside, pushing past Eryi’s mother.

“What do you think you’re doing? Get out!”

Andri stood in front of Eryi and looked at his bruised skin.

“Eryi, you only need to say a word, and I will save you.”

Eryi was stunned into silence and Andri continued, “Just ask for help Eryi, or do you want to be beaten to death?”

Eryi stuttered as he said, “She wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you certain that if you do nothing she won’t continue beating you? Come on, Eryi. You can trust me. I’m your friend, aren’t I?”

Eryi nodded and his mother grabbed Andri by the collar of his shirt and began dragging him out of the living room.

“Andri! Please help.”

With that, Andri slid the knife out of his sleeve, spun around, and stabbed Eryi’s mother in the side. Her breath escaped her and she fell to her knees. Andri pulled the knife out of her, and stabbed her neck. Eryi couldn’t help but cry. This was not the help he prayed for, and this was the first time he truly felt afraid. It was as though he wasn’t in his own body anymore, like he was watching everything from another world. Soon he couldn’t hear anything but his own breath and the thumping of his heart. This was the first time Andri looked truly happy. Blood splattered across Andri’s cheeks like rain, and after Eryi’s mother stopped screaming and squirming he opened up his backpack and took out a baby Bug. It salivated at the sight and smell of blood, and Andri placed it before the corpse. The Bug, possessed by its hunger, started to devour Eryi’s mother, and Andri stood up. Every step Andri took before Eryi it sounded like thunder, and Eryi couldn’t help but cower before him.

“Shush, Eryi,” Andri said gently. “Don’t be afraid, she’s gone now. She can’t hurt you anymore.”

Andri reached his hand out to pat Eryi’s head, but Eryi flinched and dodged away. Andri sat beside him and hugged him, trapping him in his grasp with no hope of escaping. All Eryi could see was his mother being chewed into by the bloodied Bug, and he found it incredibly hard to breathe. Andri placed his palm over Eryi’s eyes and ordered, “Don’t look at her, she deserved this.”

“No,” Eryi whimpered.

“Then are you saying you deserved to be beat up by the very woman who birthed you? You saw my mother, you saw how a mother should be. Can’t you tell that your mother was nothing more than the insect eating her?”

Eryi answered with silence.

“Do you think what I did was wrong?”

Eryi panicked, “No!”

Andri released his palm from Eryi’s eyes and forced their eye contact. Eryi’s black eyes peaked from behind his bangs, terrified and wide, they shed nothing more than terror. Andri’s brown eyes did not reflect his warm tone. They were piercing and cold, and yet, within them something was a light. Not something warm, but rather, something that had been awakened. A new excitement. A new craving.

Andri asked, “Do you not want me to be your friend anymore?”

“No! I do! I do want to be your friend.”

“Eryi, when the cops get here you cannot tell them I killed her. Say the Bug did.”

Andri stood up and Eryi cried, “Are you leaving me? Don’t go! Don’t leave me alone.”

Andri smiled and sat back down.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. We stick up for each other, don’t we? We’re a team, me and you.”

At that moment, Eryi accepted the web he had been woven into. Despite the hungry spider staring at him with much desire, the silk was soft and warm, a feeling he couldn’t find anywhere else.

“Yeah, we’re a team.”