"Can you even handle this? You keep darting left and right!" Natasha looked utterly exasperated as Bella dragged her around the not-so-large bedroom in circles.
"I can handle it just fine! This is just a small monster! A small fry, you hear me?"
She said it to reassure her. In truth, this spider was far stronger than the ones at the gas station. Strength, speed, reflexes—nearly on par with Bella's own.
That's exactly why she couldn't end it quickly.
Dragging Natasha along like extra baggage slowed her down terribly. The towel only made things worse.
No choice. Trump card time.
Index and middle fingers together. Whispered spell. A thin silver ray shot out instantly, ripping straight through the spider's mouth.
She followed up by smashing the metal base of the standing fan hard into its head.
The spider was already dead from the Frost Ray. The extra strike was purely to disguise the wound.
Too much force—the metal base snapped cleanly in half. The remaining rod plunged straight into the spider's skull. Bracing against the corpse, Bella shoved it out the window.
Leaning out, she glanced down. Not completely dead yet. Body still trembling violently. Legs twitching.
But the Frost Ray wound was perfectly concealed.
Natasha stared at her room. Bright, multicolored spider blood everywhere. Even someone who didn't care about cleanliness would feel overwhelmed. She was definitely not staying in this room again—psychological burden alone was too much.
"Forget it. We don't even know if we'll make it back. Grab what's important and go."
Bella didn't think she could save the town. Its fall was inevitable. Too many spiders. Drop Captain America in here and it wouldn't help—they needed some kind of legendary, large-scale weapon.
They changed as fast as they could.
Bella tossed aside her skirt and sleeveless top. Refused Natasha's childhood cartoon tank top. Chose a plaid shirt instead. No pants that fit, so denim shorts it was. Brand-new basketball shoes on her feet.
Hair tied into a ponytail. Earrings and necklace removed. Only then did she consider herself battle-ready.
Weapons were another serious problem. Modern society—where was she supposed to find a rapier? And spider blood contained traces of corrosive compounds. Back at the gas station, a steel rod as thick as a finger had already been eaten through in two places. A sword wouldn't last seconds.
Finished changing, they rushed outside. Town was already in complete chaos.
Screams rang out one after another. Pure terror as giant spiders burst through doors.
Caught off guard, forced into close-quarters combat—even seasoned veterans would struggle. Ordinary townspeople stood no chance.
Not everyone had Bella's physique. She still worried about her skin, her looks, her clothes even mid-fight. The townspeople had no such luxury. Staying alive was already a miracle.
Fifteen minutes felt both long and short.
Samantha contacted the mayor. Contacted outside authorities. Requested National Guard support. By the time the entire chain of communication was complete, ten minutes had passed.
Now the beautiful sheriff was urgently organizing an evacuation.
Endless screams wrapped the once-peaceful town in a suffocating shadow.
"Guns!" Natasha pointed at a glass cabinet on the first floor. Inside was the shotgun her mom used whenever she argued with her ex-husband.
Bella had spent a tremendous amount of time practicing Barbossa's gun-drawing technique, and Shaw had taught her plenty about firearms. She was no longer a novice—not by a long shot.
She slammed her elbow through the glass, grabbed the shotgun and two boxes of shells, and sprinted outside.
Chaos. Complete and utter chaos.
Natasha's mother had called the National Guard, but they wouldn't deploy immediately. First came reconnaissance, then mobilization. Until then, residents were on their own.
"Leave town! Get on the road, head to Phoenix!"
"No way! The spiders are too fast—we'll lose too many people!"
"Then kill those monsters!"
"We can't! We don't have enough guns or ammo!"
"Then we hold out at the central mall!"
When Bella and Natasha rejoined the main group, the argument still hadn't reached any conclusion.
Some wanted to run. Some wanted to stand and fight. Some looked ready to die where they stood.
Bella turned to Samantha. "There are too many spiders. That mall won't hold. We should retreat south to Tucson."
Solid suggestion—partly based on her movie memory. Reality wasn't a movie, she knew that, but the mall wasn't a fortress. It wasn't built to withstand a siege. Hiding there would be suicide.
But Samantha surprised her.
She pointed at the townspeople. "Look at their faces. They're already broken. If we force them onto the highway now, they won't even make it to Tucson. We need to regroup at the mall."
Bella finally took a hard look. Panic. Helplessness. Shock. If she dragged them into a high-speed retreat, most would collapse mentally. She herself had superhuman stamina and a ghost pickup truck. If necessary, she could activate ghost mode and blast through the spider swarm. The townspeople had no such option.
"You and Natasha head to Tucson. Get reinforcements!" Samantha urged.
Bella didn't hesitate for even a second. If she stayed, she could still pull people out of danger.
"I'm not leaving. I'm going with everyone."
"I'm not leaving either!" Natasha said firmly.
A massive wave of spiders surged toward them. Discussion over.
No more talking. Run.
"Get in! Hurry!" Charlie pulled up in his pickup truck, yanking the two girls inside. They followed Samantha's police car straight toward the central mall. Higher ground, sturdier than most buildings. Barely suitable for defense.
"I'm driving!" Bella tossed the shotgun to Charlie and grabbed the wheel.
Charlie's greatest hobby was fishing. Second was hunting. As Forks' police chief, he handled firearms daily. His aim wasn't spectacular, but it was reliable.
Leaning halfway out the window, he fired whenever a spider got too close.
"Move over and let me drive!" Natasha complained. Bella's driving was far too steady. Far too controlled.
Sis, we're running for our lives here!