Curse of Arachnaman Read Online Free

Curse of Arachnaman
Book: Curse of Arachnaman Read Online Free
Author: Hayden Thorne
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loud Whump! Bright stars exploded behind my eyelids.
    "Eric? Is that you?” Liz called out from the living room. “Hey, come on in! We've got a visitor! Guess who?"
    Dracula, that was who. The undead. The damned.
    I sat on the floor, my jacket anchored to the door, while I reached above me and fumbled for the doorknob in a panic, the stars slowly fading before me. I stared at the living room door, praying that no one would emerge. Unfortunately, when it rains, it fucking pours.
    Scanlon appeared, greasy head poking out of the door. He saw me and smiled, his white picket fence, freckled face glowing, his perfect teeth sparkling as brightly as his Richie Cunningham-styled hair—or, rather, helmet. “Oh, there you are, you little scamp,” he said, stepping into the hallway. “Need help?"
    Ohmigawd, yeah, I did! Where was Van Helsing when I needed him? I shrank against the door as he neared, the sight of his too-familiar outfit—crisply-ironed, short-sleeved oxford shirt tucked into crisply-ironed slacks with pleats down the front that were so defined, they could slice your legs into ribbons if you weren't careful—filling my immediate world. I felt faint. When he stopped in front of me and started fiddling with the door while cheerfully engaging me in conversation, my vision began to fade.
    "You silly little goose,” he said, laughing, when I was finally free. “You should be more careful when you close the door behind you.” He stopped laughing to inhale sharply between his teeth, as though he were trying to suck up all the excess drool that had collected there. He always did that. It was, like, “Ha-ha-ha-ha! Slurp!” Really gross.
    And...silly little goose. Who called anyone “silly little goose” in this day and age? I mumbled my thanks as I crawled away, trying to place some floor between him and me before I spontaneously combusted. My vision slowly restored itself. Then I felt a hand take hold of one of my arms. “Here. Let me help you up."
    He gave me a sharp tug, and I stumbled to my feet.
    "You okay, champ?"
    Champ. Who called anyone “champ” in this day and age?
    "Yeah, thanks."
    "Be careful when you close the door next time, okay?” he said, laughing. He even mussed up my hair. “You funny bunny."
    OMFG. I just flailed and went, “Gak!” then staggered away, my senses completely overcome by the too-strong essence of 1950s wholesomeness that always oozed out of him. I think he said something else, but I was too disoriented to pick up on what it was. I just headed first to the kitchen to get something to drink, restore my strength, and then scrounge around for garlic bulbs that I could string together. Mom always bought those things in bulk, anyway, so using about a hundred of them at a time wouldn't be a problem. I poured myself some apple juice, gathered several bulbs, and, using my shirt to haul my treasure up to my room, I hurried upstairs. Behind me, in the living room, Scanlon said something, and Liz burst out laughing. Maybe they were talking about the silly little goose who just had his jacket caught in the door, the little scamp. Whatever. I had a house to protect, a soul to save (mine!), and a collection of garlic to string together. Maybe, on a Saturday, I should swing by our parish church between masses and see if I could steal some holy water from the fount. I owned a pretty good collection of old-fashioned bottles with cork stoppers, and I could use one of them for my purpose.
    I stayed in my room for the rest of the afternoon and spent pretty much all that time surfing and playing retro games. I'm totally addicted to Asteroids, and I asked Dad once if he used to play the game, when Atari came out with it centuries ago.
    He lowered the newspaper and peered out at me. “Son, I was too busy surviving on ramen noodles, a part-time minimum-wage job, and suffering through college for a degree that turned out to be a useless waste of time and money. Besides, your mother and I were dating.
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