Bug Hunt

Sir Adrian arrived first, driving his Saturn up to the old warehouse on Eastern Avenue. In the mortal world, it was just another Toronto warehouse, and Adrian was just another young man with jeans and a T-Shirt. But viewed from the Dreaming, the magical world superimposed on Earth that all Changelings like himself could see, both he and it were different. He was one of the noble sidhe(pronounced shee) knights, with magical armor and a chimeric sword, and the aura of nobility that had made these beautiful almost-humans the rulers of the fae in the first place. The warehouse was even darker them in the real world, and was covered in the cobwebs that showed the existence of a giant chimeric spider.
Douglas and Christine arrived together, ready to clean up after another monster. Doug was a typical sluagh. He looked much like a Goth, done in black and white, black clothes, hair, and pale skin, but with a air about him of mysteries and dark secrets. Christine, a mischievous pooka, was dressed in a suit with at least a thousand colours to it. Her cat ears & tail were a testament to her shape shifting abilities. Not for the first time, Adrian wondered how she and Doug could be friends, let alone lovers. But she brought out the light and good the was in him, and the two were lovers.
"Where are Conal and Lianne?" asked Christine curiously.
"Couldn't make it." replied Adrian. "There's been a bunch of griffins flying around Etobicoke. They went to fix it up."
"Okay." Doug said quietly, a hallmark of his kind. "Let's go smash this bug."
The three friends carefully entered the old warehouse. Looking around, Adrian saw webs hanging everywhere. It seemed like more then just one spider could do, but with magical creatures, who knew? Doug, wondering, walked over to a web and tapped it. His eyes widened rather suddenly.
"I can't let go!" was his whispered cry. "I . . . yaa!" The last was said as a giant spider jumped out of the shadows and began to cocoon him, ignoring the others. It was at least five feet long, and jet black. Adrian drew his sword and stabbed it. It turned, and he quickly killed it.
"Congrats." Doug said, caught fast in the webbing. "Now could you get me out?"
"Sure." said Adrian. But before he could do anything, Doug cried "Look Out!"
Spinning, Adrian saw two more spiders sneaking towards him. He began to fight them, as more arrived from hidden places. "It's a goddamn HIVE!!" he yelled, battling for his life.
Christine ran towards Doug, intent on saving him. "I'll help you out, Doug! Just hold on!" She was so intent that she didn't see the form that dropped behind her.
"CHRISTINE! BEHIND YOU!" Doug yelled as loudly as he could, and struggled against the webbing holding him. Christine turned. The Queen spider was towering behind her, at least twelve feet high. Claws tipped with very deadly poison attached to eight long black arms.
Three more spiders scuttled at Doug as he struggled. Adrian fought valiantly, with at least six corpses at his feet already, but five more were attacking him, with more arriving every moment, and his battle was doomed to failure. And two deadly claws pinned Christine around the chest.
Time seemed to move slowly for Doug. He snapped out of the webbing encasing him, knowing he could do nothing now. The venom would kill Christine in moments. But she cast one last spell, blasting the queen with fire as it prepared to devour her. The queen screamed, collapsed on top op Christine. And finally Doug found his voice.
"CRISTIIIIINE!!!"
Doug flung himself towards the burning remains of the queen spider. Around him, spiders, having lost their queen, hissed and died. Doug found his love, pulled her out of the fire, checked, in faint hope, for a pulse.
Dead.
Adrian came up behind Doug, face heavy with sadness. The battle had been won, but the price was too high. Much too high.
Doug pressed his face to Christine's corpse and cried.