curiosity killed the cat
1125 Words
"Hey! Audu! What nonsense are you performing? What the hell are you doing here with these pigsies?"
A deep voice rang out from the bushes.
Then, from within the shadows, a tall, slender man stepped forward. He held a bundle of wild plants in his hands, his expression dark as he walked toward us.
His eyes scanned my bruised face and battered body, then shifted to Audu with a hard, questioning stare.
"Who is he, and what is he doing here?" he asked, pointing directly at me.
The bandits went silent. Instead of answering, they followed his gaze toward Selena—my wife—who lay weakly on the ground like a broken doll.
The man's gaze softened for a second. He looked at me with something that felt like pity, then sighed—as if he finally understood why we'd been dragged into this nightmare.
He walked to Selena, picked her up gently, brushed the dirt from her cheeks like a man familiar with tenderness—and cruelty.
Then he gave the order: “Take them inside. Preserve their blood for the ritual.”
Oddly enough, I felt relief. When he asked them to release me, I even imagined an invisible hand patting my shoulder. Maybe God hadn’t abandoned me after all.
We were brought inside... only to be dragged out again minutes later, this time deep into the forest. No gold. No supplies. Just me, my wife, and a few caged animals that smelled worse than the bandits themselves.
Audu returned. And like the demon he was, he slapped my buttocks—hard.
“Daddy, please wake me up from this dream,” I muttered to myself. “Before they do something unspeakable. Just end me already. Let me die with dignity.”
Who was I supposed to call for help? I was deep in the woods, outnumbered, unarmed, and completely helpless.
I was trembling, sweating, backing away two steps for every one step Audu took toward me.
“Who wrote this movie? Who the hell wrote this script?” I whispered. “Tell them I quit. If this is what the lead actor goes through, I’m out.”
Then… laughter.
The whole crew burst out laughing. Audu collapsed onto the bare ground, clutching his sides and howling with laughter.
“Look how scared he is!” he said between gasps. “I’m not gay, bro. But I’d like to borrow your wife for a few minutes.”
He patted my shoulder, then signaled his men.
They threw me to the ground, pinning me down like I was some farm animal. My wife struggled wildly, trying to break free from four hefty men holding her limbs down.
Audu leaned in, caressing her face. Selena turned away, rejecting the kiss with everything she had left in her.
"Fine,” Audu growled. “I’ll skip the foreplay.”
He climbed on top of her, about to violate everything sacred to me, about to desecrate my soul.
But then—something strange happened.
Before he could even unzip his trousers, Audu froze. Blood began to leak from all seven holes on his face—eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth.
He rolled off Selena, convulsing.
Five minutes later, Audu was nothing but a husk.
Shriveled. Dried up. Bones poking through skin like firewood through thin cloth.
Nobody knew what killed him. Not even the other bandits.
All eyes turned to Salami—one of Audu’s lackeys—who was staring at the edge of the forest, legs wobbling like boiled spaghetti.
"RUN!!"
We don't know who screamed it, but it was enough.
The bandits scattered, bolting into the forest. Everyone except me and Selena. She was too weak to run, and there was no way in hell I was leaving her behind.
Then... we saw it.
If you’ve never seen an abomination before, you don’t need a dictionary. Just look.
A short, green-skinned creature emerged from the trees, pointing at one of the fleeing bandits.
The bandit dropped instantly, writhing like a snake, screaming in agony before going still. His body dried up, same as Audu’s.
The creature moved closer, and I finally got a clear view of it.
It was humanoid—two arms, two legs—but where its head should’ve been… was a d**k.
No joke. A giant, green, gallant snake stood upright on its neck like it owned the damn forest.
Two more of its kind followed, chasing after the remaining scum.
Then the creature reached for Selena, placing a massive, rough hand on her head. She passed out cold the moment it touched her.
“Don’t kill us... pl-please,” I begged, barely breathing, heart ready to explode in my chest.
“Fear not, little human. I am here to save you. I will not harm you,” a soft, female voice said as the monster gently patted my back.
Wait—what?
No head. No mouth. But a woman’s voice?
Where was it coming from?
I looked again. The snake was still… well… dangling. So that wasn’t it.
Just to be sure, I stared at the little hole at the tip of the snake’s head, hoping I wasn’t being addressed through a reptilian pee-pee.
"W-Who... who are you?" I stammered, still watching the snake closely.
“I will tell you when we reach the clan,” the voice replied.
“Now if you would stop looking at my little thing and start answering my questions,” the voice added with a hint of sarcasm.
I traced the sound—finally. It was coming from beneath her gown.
She was dressed in a flowing black robe that hid everything except her arms and that... unholy snakehead.
Curious, I bent down and lifted her gown.
And there she was.
A beautiful, green-faced woman with glowing eyes stared right back at me, clearly unimpressed.
They say curiosity killed the cat. Well, I’m not a cat—but I was definitely about to get murdered.
"After two hundred years, someone finally lifted the veil!" someone shouted nearby.
I turned and saw another of the snake-headed beings, arms raised in celebration.
"The King must hear of this! This calls for a feast! We will finally have an heir to the throne!" another one cheered, dancing around a tree like a man on moonshine.
But not everyone was happy.
"You’re all forgetting one thing," one of them growled. "The one who lifted her veil is a weak human. He must die. His filthy touch will ruin the royal bloodline."
All this... while Selena still lay unconscious beside me.
I don’t know exactly what happened or what rule I broke—but judging by their reaction, lifting that gown might’ve just signed my death warrant...
Or my wedding certificate.
- Writer
