Excerpt: Helm's Edge

I notice something in the distance. I can’t exactly tell what it is, but it skitters around a street corner like a bat out of Hell.
“Hey!” I call. Maybe it’s a stray dog. It kind of looked about the size of a small dog, I guess. I dunno.
I run down the sidewalk towards where it went, and look around. No sign of it. Not until I hear scraping of some sort in a dumpster beside a building.
“Hey…” I repeat, slowly this time. “Here, … Here puppy…” I whistle and begin to make a kissy sound, which usually only works on cats.
The scraping in the dumpster stops. The dog has heard me, I’m pretty sure of it. “Here, boy … Come here…” I’d love some company on the way home.
I make my way to the dumpster, and climb onto where the dump trucks usually connect at the sides. Still calling out to the dog, I heave myself up and nearly over. The smell of rotting food, diapers, and God knows what else fills my nostrils, but I ignore it.
You would too, if a baby’s head with six, long, hairy spider’s legs attached on either side, was staring up at you with empty eye sockets.
I scream and fall back onto the hard concrete. My Fruitopia bottle breaks. Did I just see what I just saw? I couldn’t have … I mean … Jeez … I must have hit my head really hard!
My idea of seeing mirages dissipates though, as I see a large, hairy spider leg lift up out of the dumpster, and curl around the opening. I watch in terror as the creature pulls itself over the edge and slowly climb down to the wet concrete ground. I can’t tell if it’s staring at me, but I do know that whatever it is, isn’t very friendly.
The creature eventually turns itself in my direction, and tilts its head in childlike curiosity. Its lips part, and a loud, ear-piercing screech fills the air.
Ohhh!! Owww!!
The spidery little baby-thing skitters over to me.
I’ve never been arachnophobic, but just the sight of this thing makes my bowels clench in complete horror. As soon as the thing comes skittering towards me, I more than gladly start backing up away from it. Turning my back on this … thing didn’t seem like a very good idea.
Before I know it, the half-baby-half-spider leaps into the air at me. If I were in an alleyway, I would have been landed on for sure. I spill into a couple garbage cans, and scramble to my feet. In the distance, I can hear the same screeching, and through the fog brought on by winter’s harshness, I see more of these creatures making their way towards me … On the ground, on the walls of other buildings… There are a ton of them. Maybe twelve or fifteen.
Again, the first creature leaps for an attack, but as I dive to the ground, it sticks to the brick wall behind me, like the half-spider it is.
By fluke I look over and see the broken Fruitopia bottle. I go for it, and as the monster leaps at me a third time, I use my new weapon to cause some serious damage.
I don’t know if the creature is dead, but blood is everywhere, and my face feels warm and wet; so it must be on me, too.
Taking a glance over, I see the other creatures are nearly on the scene. Using this opportunity to flee is probably a good idea. Those other … spider-children things are getting very close.
With busted Frutopia bottle in hand, I get the heck off the street. I don’t even bother to look back to see if I’m being followed.
What the hell is going on?