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PREVIEW
Chapter 1As Amanda Katt lay in darkness on her back, she wondered if she was going to die. She bit her lip, struggling to keep her breathing as low and soft as possible. The dry odor of wood and dust tickled her nose, bringing the threat of a sneeze with it. Her whole body trembled from the fear that clutched at her stomach like an icy fist, but she fought to keep herself under control.
She lay on top of a very narrow shelving unit in the West Chandler Library, and the slightest twitch could send her toppling off onto the floor below. The fall itself didn't bother Amanda too much. Her terror came from knowing the sound of hitting the carpeted floor would draw attention to her location. The men and women Amanda hid from would find her and they would kill her.
She knew that as surely as she could hear the rustling of clothes and soft thumps of footsteps moving along the aisles surrounding her. The whispers of her hunters echoed through the dead library's halls, blending into a low moan that seemed to call out her name.
Amanda thought of screaming for help, but knew that would bring nothing but death. The library had been closing down when they came for her. By now there would be no one left to rescue her. Those who remained had probably been knocked out or killed, just like Vicki Paige, the librarian who had been watching over Amanda a few minutes earlier. Amanda shuddered at the thought of what had happened to Vicki, then clenched her fists to strengthen herself again.
A glowing circle cast from a flashlight crawled along the white ceiling tiles above her. Amanda squeezed her eyes shut. She knew the angle of the beam would keep it from exposing her, but her heart strained against her chest all the same.
Stay strong, Amanda Katt thought, stay focused.
She had to. Amanda Katt seemed to be the only human being alive who knew the truth about Arachne and could do something about it. She had to escape the library and stop the plan before it was too late.
Arachne. Just the thought of it made Amanda's jaw clench so hard her teeth ached. If she had only known last week what she knew now, Amanda would never have let this happen. Her mind raced over all the things she could have done differently. She would never have trusted so many people. She would never have underestimated the power Arachne had over its users. Maybe she would never have written the article that had made her a target. She certainly would have kept her fiancée, Lesley Grant, away from Arachne. She would have recognized the signs that something was wrong and gotten him away before it was too late.
The tour. Amanda's heart sank at the memory. The tour had been where it all started. If she had only known what Arachne truly was, after everything she had seen on her tour, Amanda would have left Arachne's offices and gone straight to the police. But of course, Amanda had never dreamed of the truth behind Arachne's power. It had seemed like a harmless website that inspired an unusual loyalty in its fans. Now, knowing those same fans prowled beneath her armed with crude weapons and a thirst for her blood, the full impact of Arachne seemed obvious, but it hadn't then. No, that was the point that led her here. That was where it all began.
It had all begun with an innocent little tour of the most popular website ever.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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