Know your enemy

Flames simmered outside Kirsten’s bedroom door, edging closer through the gaps. Kirsten sat against the bed, hands clutched to her head.

This wasn’t the solution she’d had in mind, if anything she’d intended the opposite. A clean, spider-free house. Closing her eyes didn’t make it disappear; the dirty fumes teasing her nose made sure of that. Not to mention the deafening noise.

As she resolved to climb through the window, a long black protrusion slid under the burning door. It clawed desperately as another broke through a widening crack.

Guess the fire hadn’t killed it after all. Kirsten jumped.