TRIGGER WARNINGS: This episode involves large spiders. I tried to keep the descriptions minimal, but there are descriptions. (No innocent parties are bitten by spiders.) Also includes references to experiences with smaller spiders and a mouse. (Again no innocent parties are bitten.)
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Find the series’s Table of Contents here.
February 03, 2051
Alex couldn’t see his friends in the dark of the engine room, but he bet all of them were struggling to keep straight faces, including Topaz.
His operator read him too well. Or he gave himself away.
But there was no point in lying now.
Alex bit his lip. “This is stupid—and embarrassing—but when I was six, a spider ran right up my pantleg. I screamed for help. One of my aunts was there, but she didn’t know what was wrong because I wasn’t coherent enough to tell her. Then she saw the fabric moving and squished the spider for me.
“That same day, I was hanging out with her and my mom, and a spider dropped onto my shoulder and started running down my torso…My mom had to get that one.”
He waited.
His friends were quiet.
“Oh, go ahead and laugh.”
“It’s not funny,” Topaz retorted.
“And it’s still not something to be embarrassed about,” Claire added. “It’s creepy to have bugs crawl on you.”
“But I’m an adult now.”
“And?” Henry asked gently.
Colton spoke softly. “Would it help if I told you I’m terrified of mice?”
“No, it won’t, because I know you’re just saying that to make me feel less pathetic.”
“Do you think it’s pathetic for me to be afraid of mice?”
“No—that’s—it’s different.”
“How is it different? Is it because it’s not you?”
Alex didn’t answer.
Colton waited a few seconds, then went on. “One night, when I was seven, I had to get out of bed and go the bathroom. While I was in there, a mouse crept into the light, and I was so sleepy I thought I was imagining it. And then I heard it, similar to a noise I heard last night—I’ll tell you about that later—but it was something between a crinkle and a tap, and it was the mouse’s feet on a scrap of paper—probably from a notebook or something.
“I screamed, and the mouse darted away. My parents came running, but for the first few seconds after they got to me, I was too incoherent to tell them what was wrong, and then all I could get out was that something ran away.
“My dad went down the hall looking for it while my mom stayed with me. He found the mouse running along the baseboard and caught it with an old shoe box. He wanted to show it to me so I’d know it wasn’t a horrible monster but instead just a mouse who was as scared as I was, but I couldn’t even look at it.
“So, he took it out to release it in a large field where hopefully it wouldn’t find a way into anyone else’s home.” Colton paused. “The mouse didn’t bite me—it never even touched me—but I’ve been scared of mice ever since, and any noise that sounds like mice feet on paper—including spider steps.”
“Ugh,” Topaz muttered. “That really stinks.”
Alex doubted Colton had just made that up on the fly. “Colton, I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry for you. And I’m glad you don’t find my fear embarrassing.”
“…It’s not.”
“Yours isn’t either.”
Alex didn’t agree. Part of him felt embarrassed that he was still bothered by events that had happened more than ten years ago, and part of him just felt wrong for being scared of spiders when he was a pilot.
Then again, he wouldn’t have thought it was wrong for Lew to be scared. Or Claire.
Maybe—around him, CIDs buzzed, and then Henry announced, “Autumn needs to see me in her office.”
“Janet wants to show me something,” Topaz replied.
“I’ll go with you to see her,” Claire offered.
“Thanks.”
Colton spoke. “Alex and I will walk with you back to the main level—unless you want to stay here, Alex?”
“No, let’s go.”
The five of them made their way back up, saying quick goodbyes before Henry turned toward the medical bay and Claire and Topaz turned toward the corridor that would get them to the operators’ area faster.
Alex turned to Colton. “What are you—”
Colton wasn’t looking at him. “There’s the last spider.” He drew his pistol and started forward, then glanced back at Alex. “Stay here. I’ll get it.” He broke into a sprint.
Alex’s stomach tightened. He hesitated for only a second, then drew his own weapon and hurried after the engineer. No way was he going to let Colton face that thing on his own.
He caught up to him in a few seconds. “Where is it?”
“It darted through a vent.”
“Well, shoot.”
“I think it was heading to the left, though.” Colton didn’t slow down.
Alex followed him through different corridors, pausing whenever the engineer did to check different vents along the way. “Nothing here.”
Alex was both relieved and disturbed. Where is that thing going?
They drew up close to the engineers’ area, and Colton halted again. “If it’s the one Major Barr sent Engineer Morgan after—unless Topaz or Station Guard Stewart already killed it—maybe it headed back this way.” He turned to a nearby vent. “In which case—”
A piercing scream reached their ears, and Colton rushed into engineering, Alex on his heels.
The engineers on duty had backed away from their work areas, sticking close to the walls, their eyes scanning the floor, with the exception of Engineer Morgan, who was backed up against a table, his mouth hanging open.
That high-pitched scream was you? Alex would have felt sorry for him if not for how he’d treated Colton previously—and for how he’d gotten in Henry’s way days ago.
Not to mention if Colton had screamed like that, Morgan would have mocked him endlessly.
Colton turned, apparently trying to follow Morgan’s gaze. “Did you see it? Where did it go?”
Shaking, Morgan pointed.
Underneath the tables? Alex’s stomach was doing flip-flops now. He gripped his weapon and stepped closer to Colton. “If it’s in the main area—”
“It ran in there!” Colton sprinted away, and Alex raced after him. The engineer bolted through an open hatchway, and the pilot followed, stopping beside him in front of a desk.
Colton spun. “Alex, do you really want to be—”
“Forget me. Where’d it go?”
“Somewhere in here.” Colton slammed the door shut behind them.
Alex’s chest tightened, and he forced himself to exhale. Just breathe.
“Alex.”
He glanced at Colton, but instead of continuing to speak, the engineer switched to American Sign Language. Try not to make noise. We may be able to hear it move.
Alex nodded, grateful Colton had gotten his attention by saying his name rather than tapping him.
Then the engineer signed, I’m sorry about this.
Alex gave him a tight smile. It wasn’t any better for Colton.
The pilot stepped forward as quietly as he could, his jacket almost brushing against the desk before he noticed it and moved further away.
He kept the engineer in his peripheral vision so he’d know if he started signing again. Colton’s eyes were quickly scanning the room. No doubt he was straining his ears too, trying to pick up a sound he dreaded.
Colton froze and held up a hand, and Alex immediately stopped.
A moment later, he heard it—something between a crinkle and a tap.
And then he saw it.
Just past the desk, in a corner near another closed door.
Alex’s heart lurched, but he didn’t stop to think—he charged toward the spider.
It scuttled backward into the wall and started to climb.
Colton leaped over the desk, rushing to join him. “Aim for its body!”
Alex lifted his weapon with both hands. As he reached the spider, he dropped into a crouch, bringing the electrical pistol down at the same time. The blow knocked the spider off the wall to land on its back.
Colton struck it a split second later, smashing its front legs.
Alex’s second strike splattered its body. He pulled his arms up to hit it again, then realized he didn’t need to.
Colton looked at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah.” The engineer smiled and turned back to the spider. Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out two cleaning wipe packets. He passed Alex one and then ripped the other open, using the wipe inside to swipe his weapon. Alex quickly did the same with his own electrical pistol and then holstered it.
He got out a plastic bag, but Colton shook his head, taking one of his bags out. “I’ve got it.” He scooped up the spider’s remains.
“…Thank you.”
As Colton zipped the bag, Alex tried to relax. “We—”
CLANK.
They leapt to their feet and spun toward the now-open hatchway.
Major Barr stood just beyond it, his face dark red. The back of one of his gloves seemed to stick out more than usual, as if—Wait, is that where it bit him?
Alex managed to keep his face neutral.
Puffing with rage, Major Barr stomped toward them. “What are you doing in my office?”
Your office? Alex’s mind finally registered where they were. Of course, the desk—
Colton held up the bag. “We killed the last spider, sir.”
Barr froze and stared at it, then turned several shades of nausea and sprinted past them. He shoved open the hatch door and rushed through, throwing a nasty back kick that just grazed the door, sending it on a slow closing trajectory. It finally clicked shut, but not before his retching reached their ears.
Alex raised his eyebrows. “Is he…?”
“I think we better get out of here.”
“Yeah.” Alex followed him. “You know, I think my fear of spiders has been cured.”
Colton grinned. “Really?”
“Yeah. Anything to keep me from being in the same club with Barr—hey, could you hold that thing further away?”
“Sure. Sorry.”
They re-entered the main area, the rest of the engineers staring at them as they passed by with the spider.
Morgan, no longer afraid now that it was dead, moved toward them, smirking. “I bet you’re going to get it for going into the major’s office without his permission.”
Before Alex could reply, the engineer’s CID buzzed. “Ah, he wants to see me.” He sneered at Colton. “I’m sure you’re wondering what that’s about.”
Much to Alex’s surprise, Colton smiled. “I think I already know.”
Morgan looked a little taken aback. Then he sneered again. “Well, have fun delivering that thing.”
“We will,” Alex assured him, but the engineer kept walking.
Alex grinned at Colton. “All right, let’s take it to the general.”
As they left engineering, he asked, “What do you think Barr called Morgan for?”
Colton smiled. “Remember when your toilet clogged two weeks ago? I think Barr’s just did too.”
Alex laughed and threw an arm around Colton’s shoulders, and they headed for the general’s office, Colton holding the bag away from them.
Thank you for reading “The Bugs” (Part 3). Read Part 1 of the next episode, “The Cookies” here.
The previous installment in this series is “The Bugs” (Part 2). Read it here.
Copyright © 2026 Li Mitchell All Rights Reserved
Note: Everything I write is written without AI—even if I do use a lot of em dashes (and some semicolons).
Whew! Thank goodness! 😅
A great end to the spider storyline!