The golden python’s gaping maw grew larger and larger in Martin’s pupils, its shadow swallowing him whole.
For the first time, he truly felt it—the presence of death.
It was an eerie, almost dreamlike sensation. In that fleeting instant, memories from his past flashed before his eyes like fragments of an old film reel.
Then—BANG!
Just as the python’s fangs were inches from his face, a massive black-furred hand came crashing down, slamming the serpent away with a thunderous impact.
Martin blinked, stunned. The hand was huge, powerful, and covered in dark fur.
When he looked up, realization hit him.
It was the gorilla—the same one that had carried him off earlier.
“Buddy, you’ve got the best timing in the world,” Martin breathed, a mix of relief and disbelief flooding through him.
M
