The World's Next Plague by Colten Steele Read Free Book Online Page B

using
the K-Bar knife he carried on his belt, he stabbed two narrow holes
into the top of each.
    Capturing three spiders was easy. Many stood
out in the open in the large clearing. Whenever anyone approached
they would stand threateningly on their back four legs with the
front legs high in the air, but would never retreat.
    With heavy gloves and a couple of long sleeve
shirts on just to be safe, Manon approached. He carried a sturdy
stick about a meter long. He had whittled the end of this stick
into a horizontal wedge, like the end of a flat head screw
driver.
    After hearing about the spiders surviving the
fire, he was not overly concerned about killing them. He dropped
the horizontal end of the stick onto the spider’s back, flattening
it to the ground. Remarkably, they appeared to struggle very little
other than the fangs which searched relentlessly for something to
latch onto. He would then drop the container in front of the spider
with the open top facing it, and sweep the spider in as if using a
broom. As a continuation of the sweeping motion, he would catch the
lip of the occupied container with the stick and tip it upright. A
moment later he popped the top on, and the spider was trapped
inside.
    He secured each of the three containers with
multiple pieces of parachute cord to insure the lids would not
dislodge. Lastly, he wrapped each box in shirts pulled from Rock’s
surplus clothing. Much to their mortification, he strapped one
container securely to the top of each of the large backpacks
carried by Armando’s crew.
    “I can hear it scratching around in there,”
Armando protested as he looked over his shoulder at the box nearly
touching the back of his head.
    “You will get used to it,” Manon replied. He
was exhausted and not really in the mood to deal with the
complaining. “You can move it when we stop if it bothers you.”
    Conscious of the need to get away, and the
quickly disappearing hours, Manon still felt the need to record one
last video explaining the crew’s actions and plan. He quickly set
up the camera and hit record.
    As he explained their decisions and recorded
their recent observations, Armando yelled over to him. “It is past
time to start moving, Manon.”
    Manon could see Armando had finished
dispatching the figures scattered across the clearing. A sharp
thick branch pushed into the temple was all it took to still the
mindless creatures, and Armando had performed the task with
indifferent efficiency.
    “You guys go ahead, I will catch up,” was
Manon’s reply.
    Armando walked into the picture and spoke
seriously. “There is no time for this. We have to stay
together.”
    “Okay, okay. I will wrap this up. Seriously,
go on ahead. I am one minute behind you.”
    Armando walked out of the picture, and Manon
stared back into the camera.
    “We have discovered a terrible secret here
deep in the Brazilian rainforest. If I do not make it back to
civilization or nothing is done to address this dreadful threat to
mankind, and you are seeing this, please find a way to get this
information to the people who can make a difference. Please don’t
let this danger stay hidden until it is too late. The consequences
of…”
    A scream split the air and Manon’s head
snapped to his right. He bolted to his feet and lunged towards the
camera. He reached for the button to stop the recording, but
missed. A second scream and a gunshot caused him to jump and look
off again into the distance. Manon stumbled, upsetting the tripod.
The camera fell directly into the dirt and leaves, lens first,
before leaning to its left and hitting the ground with a jarring
impact. The video camera briefly flickered out, showing only a
black screen, before it continued recording. The filth covered lens
ended up pointing towards the turmoil, but only a portion of the
scene was visible.
    Manon regained his feet and the camera
recorded him sprinting away. In the distant background, a few
meters into the trees and brush, blurred