User blog:Dickus-Maximus/Arachne fanfic chapter 1: The trip

I'm Bob and I'm a researcher. I have been in this line of work for 5 years. I am an entomologist, and I'm currently researching stinkbugs. However, I am running out of specimen, so I decided to take a walk in the nearby forest and collect some bugs. Even though researching bugs may sound strange, I love doing it. Bugs have so many secrets inside their bodies. I've been working with spiders too, I loved them since I was 4 years old, that's when I started to play with them, when I saw a spider, I always caught it, mad it crawl on me, and of course, when I had enough, I let it go.

Chapter 1

The trip

It's 600, the alarm clock rings, I open my eyes slowly, but I'm still half asleep. I reach for the clock, trying to find the huge MUTE button on it, and manage to hit it a few times, before it flies off the night stand. I sit up, rub my eyes sleepily, yawn before standing up to go on my morning routine. The first thing I do is turn on the coffee maker, and while it is doing its job, I go to the bathroom, take a shower and put on my clothes. With a cup of black coffee in my hand, I open the door to the balcony and light a cigarette. I gulp down the the liquid fast. This amount of caffeine isn't closely enough for me, but I still keep drinking it every day, since it became a habit. The cigarette still smoking in my hands, I think about the things that are waiting for me today. I let a lot of thoughts fly through my head, and I decide that I should depart in about 30 minutes, since the forest itself is far away. Going back inside, walking to the kitchen, while I swear to myself that I will put coffee down someday, I start making a few sandwiches. I put pepperoni in all of them. A lot of pepperoni.

I manage to make an amount of sandwiches that will last for the day, I put them into my backpack, I pack a few bottles of water, and I'm ready. I use the remaining 15 minutes to turn on my computer and read through my research data quickly. Since I live alone, I don't need to say goodbye to anyone. My last girlfriend is now living with someone else, but I don't think it will last long, since she isn't known for her faithfulness.

Reading, processing the information, grabbing two packs of cigarettes, before putting on my boots and stepping outside to go on a trip. To make the time pass faster I put on my headphones and listen to some music. While I'm walking, the sky is turning orange as the sun rises. What a beautiful way to illuminate my path.

I go like this for hours, and I finally arrive at the forest at 1200, just as planned. Before I do my business, I decide to have lunch, since it's just the time to do that. I sit on a rock, eat the half of my sandwiches, drink, and keep sitting there while I smoke. The cigarette burns all the way down to the butt, I rub the end of it on the rock before putting the cigarette butt in my pocket, and start to work. The air is refreshening, and the sound of leaves hitting each other when the wind makes them is idyllic. No one is around, people don't come to this forest too often, because there are stories about monsters living here.

I personally think those stories are hilarious, and I don't know why people fear this place so much. I have been here dozens of times, I haven't seen a single one. I sigh thinking about this, and try to concentrate on looking for specimen. Stinkbugs aren't rare, so I should find lots, but it's really hard to spot them, because of their camouflage.

<p style="text-align: justify; text-align:justify;"><span style="font-family:'LiberationSans';font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,17);">Some stinkbugs are bright green, some are dark brown. Some people think they are different species. In reality, they are the same species, but the darker colored is always older, and of course, bright green ones are young. I need to collect the young ones, they won't die on me that fast. These bugs are extremely durable too, if we remove their abdomen they are still going to crawl away. They endure all kinds of conditions, be it cold or hot, they are going to survive, so keeping them isn't a problem.

<p style="text-align: justify; text-align:justify;"><span style="font-family:'LiberationSans';font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,17);">Collecting them has become a routine for me. The first time I did this kind of thing was horrible. I crawled under every single bush I saw, and carefully analyzed every single leaf of them. Now it is going more dynamically, since I know where to look for them from experience. All I need is to focus, and the stinkbugs will be there. I have found a few ones already, I put them in the plastic container I keep in my pocket, and look for more. This goes for hours, and it's 1600 already, so I decide to eat a sandwich and take a break. I put my backpack on the ground, open it, grab a sandwich, close it and sit down. Pushing my back against a tree I start to eat, and when I finish I light another cigarette, and check the stinkbugs I've collected. It looks like I have more than enough, so I can head home. I smoke a few more cigarettes and relax, enjoying the fresh air.

<p style="text-align: justify; text-align:justify;"><span style="font-family:'LiberationSans';font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,17);">Everything went back, the next thing I remember is I'm sitting there in the darkness. I check my watch, and it's 2000. Damn! I fell asleep! Jumping on my feet, grabbing my backpack I realize that I forgot where I came from. There were four paths to choose, and I started to panic! My heart was beating fast, and I chose a random path, hoping for the best. I started to smoke to calm down, and I walked for hours.

<p style="text-align: justify; text-align:justify;"><span style="font-family:'LiberationSans';font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,17);">I'm thinking of a way to get home, and I thought I was completely lost when I spot a small cave. It was so dark that I couldn't see what's inside, but I was happy I found it, because I could spend the night in there. I run there, drop my bag against <span style="color:rgb(0,0,17);font-family:'LiberationSans';font-size:12pt;"> the cave's wall, and I walk inside. I make a few steps, before I stop. My leg is stuck in something, I look down, and now my head is too. I can't see a thing, I do some random movements with my hands, and now my whole body is stuck in that thing. No matter how I try, I can't free myself.

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<p style="text-align: justify; text-align:justify;"><span style="font-family:'LiberationSans';font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,17);">'This is probably one of the worst days of my life.' I thought.