Chapter 5
1122 Words
“Hhhsss!”
The sharp hiss of snakes made Fred flinch and snap his head back toward Isabella. The situation had turned dire. Hesitant at first, Fred now made a split-second decision—he had to get those snakes away from her. He had no idea where they’d come from, but their sudden appearance was more than just a nuisance. It was a threat.
“Stay still. Don’t move. If you make any sudden movements, they’ll strike,” Fred warned.
“I—I can’t,” Isabella whimpered, her body trembling with fear.
Fred knew sound wouldn’t help—snakes didn’t have external ears. Reacting quickly, he sliced his hand and rolled toward the cluster of serpents. The blood dripping from his wound worked—it caught their attention.
From the heat signatures visible through his infrared vision, Fred could tell these snakes belonged to the Elapidae family—extremely venomous. If Isabella got bitten, there’d be no saving her. He had no antidote.
“Come on then, you damn bullies!” Fred shouted, stomping the ground in an attempt to lure them away.
Armed only with a stone and a length of vine, Fred braced himself. If they attacked, he was ready. But as the snakes surrounded him, something unexpected happened.
“Come at me! I’ll split your heads open and hang you from a tree—hey, what the...?”
The snakes didn’t strike. Instead, they encircled Fred and bowed their heads as if paying him respect. Baffled, Fred cautiously extended his bleeding hand toward one of them.
“You’re not going to bite me?” he asked, more to himself than to the snakes.
It was a dumb question—but who wouldn’t ask it in that moment? One of the serpents slithered forward and raised its head, tilting it slightly in Fred’s direction, as if trying to communicate.
“What is this? Are you trying to talk to me? What the hell is going on here...?”
Following a gut feeling, Fred reached out his hand. The snake calmly coiled up his arm, showing no hostility. It was bizarre. Why were they this aggressive toward everyone else, but not him?
Fred’s mind raced. Was it because of something inside him? Guilt washed over him—he’d eaten snakes before. Could they sense that?
“Oh God, this is insane—”
“GROARRRR!”
The ground trembled violently. The roar that followed was louder than thunder. It sounded like a beast tearing through the earth itself. Each of its steps slammed into the forest floor like a hammer driving nails.
Fred had been so focused on the snakes that he’d forgotten the greater danger lurking nearby. A massive tree collapsed as the creature emerged. Its appearance was grotesque—like something born from the depths of hell.
“oh God, have I gotten myself into? There shouldn’t be creatures like this on Earth...”
Fred ran. No hesitation. There was no time to think. He grabbed Isabella and carried her—there was no way she could keep up with his pace on her own.
“Did you see that thing? What is it?” Isabella cried, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know, but if it catches up, it’ll crush us like mashed meat,” Fred said, not looking back.
The creature was terrifying. Thirty-inch fangs. Reddish skin steaming with heat. Drool and blood dripping from its mouth. Eight eyes. And a body that didn’t resemble any known animal. Anyone who saw it would probably wet themselves.
“It’s like a demon broke loose from hell,” Fred thought grimly.
He didn’t stop. No matter how far he had to run, he would get Isabella to safety. He could handle venomous snakes. But this? This was something else entirely.
There was no way to fight it.
None.
His mind went blank. There was no plan, no trick, no weapon. Fred was brave—but he wasn’t stupid. One wrong move and they were dead.
“Fred, watch out!”
Fred skidded to a halt, his mouth falling open. Just twenty meters ahead was another horror—a colossal snake, even more terrifying than the reconstructed Titanoboa.
“This is it,” he muttered. “No—we have to keep moving.”
“Fred, maybe I should go alone—”
“No,” he cut her off. “I’ll carry you. If we split up, we might not find each other again.”
With a surge of determination, Fred turned and ran the other way, Isabella in his arms. He was ready to face death if it meant giving her a chance to survive. But fate had something else in store.
“Wait—is that snake chasing us?” Isabella asked.
“No,” Fred said, narrowing his eyes. “It’s... just watching.”
He furrowed his brow but didn’t stop. Whatever it meant, he couldn’t afford to pause.
“GROARRR!”
“Hhhhsssss!”
The ground shook violently. Birds took to the sky as the two monstrous creatures clashed. The giant snake didn’t chase Fred and Isabella—it lunged at the hellish beast instead.
“Is it... protecting us?” Fred said in disbelief.
Isabella shrugged. “I don’t know. But it sure looks like it. Maybe you’re descended from some ancient snake god.”
Fred gave her a look. Was she serious? But honestly, he couldn’t blame her. Nothing made sense anymore. His sudden powers. The snakes bowing. All of it was beyond reason.
“Let’s not think about it,” he muttered. “As long as it’s helping us esca—arghh!”
Before he could finish, the ground beneath them vanished.
They were falling.
Fred didn’t know where the ravine had come from, but it was too late now. He pulled Isabella close as they tumbled down the steep, dark chasm.
“s**t! Is this ever going to end?” Fred thought, tightening his grip around her.
“Hold on! Don’t let go!” he shouted, shielding her body with his own.
They rolled and slid down the abyss for what felt like minutes until finally—thud—they landed at the bottom. Cold. Damp. Silent.
Isabella survived the fall, but Fred wasn’t so lucky. His arm and shoulder were badly broken. His vision was swimming. Breathing was hard. Blood soaked his clothes.
“Don’t move! Who are you?! Intruders are not welcome on the land of the Ophidara! Prepare to be executed!”
Dozens of primitive-looking women surrounded them, weapons raised. Their bodies were adorned with snake fangs and scales, though most of them wore little else.
Fred groaned, his voice faint. “Oh great... more trouble.”
- Writer
