Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

A Wobble in the Web

The world ebbs and flows before him. He reaches out, his fingers brushing against the sticky, wet, mucus-like wall ahead. He pulls his hand back, studying the glowing substance as it glimmers and glistens across his skin.

He hisses sharply as his hand begins to burn—subtle at first—then biting deeper. Grimacing, he wipes the glowing substance on his lower leg, only for the stinging to spread, relentless and cruel. A sharp hiss escapes his lips again as he stumbles to the sink, twists the taps on full bore, and scrubs his hand under the running water. Slowly, the fire under his skin dissipates, leaving it red and raw.

He pulls off his pants, staring at the holes eaten into the fabric. His nose wrinkles as he tilts his head, cracking his neck to one side, then the other. A quiet pop breaks the silence, and he exhales with satisfaction. He turns back to the pulsating wall of mucus, its surface alive with a grotesque rhythm, and shakes his head.

“I can’t walk through it,” he says aloud.

“No one’s asking you to,” she replies softly.

“You are—that’s all you’ve been doing,” he snaps, turning to her.

She smiles nervously, her gaze flicking toward the wall. “That’s not exactly what I’ve been saying.”

“Yes, it is. Since the moment you showed up. Will it burn me like it did my hand?”

She shrugs. “I don’t think it will—but I don’t really know.”

“Then go first. Show me.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not about me. This is something you have to do.”

“How convenient.” He snorts, waving his arms like a conductor leading a chaotic orchestra. “You vanish for years and expect me to leap into the first sack of spit because you say so?”

“I didn’t choose to leave!” she snaps. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“Then whose fault was it? Are they on the other side of that? Is that where I’m supposed to go?”

“Maybe.” Her voice falters, trembling. “All I know is that if you go through—if you take the step—you’ll be with me again. We can be together, like we used to be.”

His face contorts, his lips trembling. “We were never together—not like that.”

She recoils, confusion flickering across her face. “I don’t understand. I remember love. So much love between us. Don’t you want to hold me again?”

“NO!” he spits, disgust sharpening his voice. “Y-You’re my mum—not some ex-lover! Are you even who you say you are? Or are you just another spider fuck trying to drag me into your web?”

“I—I—” she stammers, her eyes darting wildly. Then her form shifts. Her features melt and reshape, her body twisting until she no longer resembles his mother. Standing before him now is Sophia Calvers, his ex-lover.

He grimaces, narrowing his gaze. “S-So—what’s happening now?”

Sophia giggles, her smile wicked and playful. “Nothing, silly. Are you going to make the trip? I’m just beyond that wall.”

His lips twitch into a faint smile, his brow furrowing as he turns back to the wall of mucus. It pulses steadily, beckoning.

“What the fuck,” he mutters as he steps forward. He sucks in a breath as he presses his hand into the slick surface. The wall shivers, rippling outward as it clings to his skin, grabbing him with tentacle-like hands, slowly, gently, pulling him in. His face contorts, and he tries to pull himself free, but the substance latches onto him. He screams as his body burns.

He casts a frantic look toward Sophia—but she is no longer anywhere to be seen. A gaping hole draws itself open before him, pulsating, drooling, groaning like an awakening stomach about to be fed its meal.