Black Widow

An anti-Valentine's Day horror short.

Colby and I have always been different. It’s what first drew me to him, that day when I saw him studying alone in the student union. Over time, our differences have only become more apparent. I pay attention. And, unlike him, I do listen. I always have, to Colby. I know things about more bugs than I care to. I paid attention when he told me that female praying mantises eat their mates. For years, I asked follow-up questions when he introduced me to crab spiders and how they ate their siblings and mothers. “Animal cannibalism,” he said, “is really quite common. It’s natural if you think about it. Survival of the fittest, Tendra.” To be fair, he had no idea why I was asking these things. In his defense, he wanted to believe I was the perfect, attentive wife. It’s what I orchestrated him to believe. You see, I'd orchestrated everything...