The Serpent and the Crow

Book 3: Chapter Ten

Jador checked Halonie's condition as she laid senseless on the ground. Hank approached the rear of the cavern. It led to a tunnel at the tail of the underground lake. Meanwhile, Wade stood over Halonie hoping that Douglas' daughter was alright.

"She needs medical help," Jador said, "I don't know what they've drugged her with but these bite marks suggest poison."

Wade and Jador had not noticed, but Hank had bumped into Wade while walking backwards. Wade and Jador's eyes tracked Hank as he fell over a human effigy that had tumbled over during the chaos. His mouth dropped wide open.

The two detectives knew Hank was glaring at something. Wade could detect the edge of the lake ripple, much like a puddle would rumble if a truck drove by. The carpet of snakes rushed into the reservoir, seeking refuge from what was coming out of the tunnel.

"HSSSSSSssssSSSSSSsssssSSSSSSsssssSSSSSsssssSSSSSSSSssssSSSSS,"

The sound reverberated and rattled loose stalactites. Conical shards broke on the floor and some splashed in the basin.

Jador's eyes expanded, and her eyelids remained peeled. She suppressed a scream with her hand as she stepped backwards towards Hank, who sat in a puddle of his own urine. Wade turned.

In the gloomy cavern emerged a Giant Serpent of colossal proportions. It was powerful enough to devour a man. It was unlike any snake Wade had seen. It clad its black scales like ceramic armour. The Great Emerald Eyes shone in the tunnel's darkness.

It inched towards them in a zig-zag pattern. Its body coiling with an unnatural gait. Nostrils flared as its mandible dropped. It revealed fangs that were the size of tusks. The forked tongue shunted forward as it hissed once more.

The Detectives shuddered under its hissing, matched only by its grotesque size and terrifying presence. Something else that made Wade's heart leap. The snake had two heads.

It lifted its heads to the ceiling and its crown broke a stalactite which startled the Great Snake. It hissed in anger and prepared to strike. It dove into the lake and the waves cascaded upon Jador and Wade, sending them toppling over Hank.

Jador regained her footing and shouldered Halonie. Wade propped Hank up and yanked him up the stairs. Wade took one more peek. The snake had surfaced with Elmer's body between its fangs.

The twin heads held Elmer's body. It chomped through the man's head. The snakes ripped him apart.

Wade stared at the two heads shared with one body. The Ancient God was dissatisfied with its meal and demanded a second helping to be placed upon the altar.

Wade went up the stairs and discovered that they were already at the other end. He stumbled over dead cult members that still lay burning from the claymore. A loud shriek shook the cathedral.

The Giant God slithered from the stairwell and coiled its body, bracing to make a bigger leap towards its quarry. Wade's foot was stuck between two monks. He fired his Glock at the snake. The bullets seem to flatten against its natural armour. Wade's clip emptied.

The Serpent weaved around the stone colonnade, tightening its hold and crushing the pillar into dust. It caught sight of Wade and its Emerald Eyes lit up, resuming its wanton rage for Wade.

The snake ejected and flung its impressive weight upon Wade. He got a fire torch that had fallen from its cresset attached to the wall. The twin heads hissed and weaved around the flaming torch. Their mandibles snatching towards Wade like ravenous dogs starved for centuries in the dark.

Wade stabbed one of the emerald eyes of one snake. It reeled back in agony as its screams made another pillar collapse.

The other snake grabbed hold of Wade's torch, which prevented it from closing its jaw. The torch extinguished as the wood splintered into small toothpick sized fragments.

Wade rolled into an overturned miner's cart, as the snakes struck the metal underside. He huddled inside. Nowhere to go. He realised he was like a mouse seeking refuge in a glass jar that was fixed to shatter.

A shotgun slid towards Wade's feet. He picked it up and watched Hank firing off his Ak47. The Great Snake retreated a fair distance, cowering behind a pillar. Hank walked with ill intentions and deliberate action as 7.62mm spent cartridges littered the floor with each trigger pull.

"What's the matter?" Hank shouted at the serpent, "Tongue-tied?"

Wade popped out of the cart. He sent a blast into the other snakehead. Shielded by its thick scales; the snake was more irritated than injured.

"Go," Howled the Chief.

Wade shot a look at Hank. He realized if he left then Hank would be good as dead. Hank's expression suggested he was tired of running. Exhausted. Hank preferred to have fun before he retired to the old precinct in the sky.

"Get the fuck out of here, Wade. Don't say Old Hank did nothing for you."

Wade ran while Hank pinned the Great Snake down with automatic fire.

"Time to paint a smile on your big fuck ugly frown, you slippery son of a bitch."

It was no idle threat; Hank shot off a fang and shred through the hinge of one of its mandibles. One snake twitched in agony. The other snake's rage flared and struck an old Hank. Its razor-sharp teeth gnawed at Hank. The snake's tail coiled and spun Hank around, wrapping him in a death grip.

"Is that all you got, you fucking pansy?"

The snake contracted and Hank's bones splintered inside his body. The force of the grip made blood and organs squirt out of any gap in the snake's death hold. A tremendous amount of pressure had built up. It had only one way to go.

Hank's head popped off, lying hinged to his neck like a Pez dispenser, while blood sprouted out into a fountain. The Great Snake showered in the old man's blood.

Wade was in the room with the human effigies and saw Jador dragging Halonie's unconscious body. Somewhere in the chaos, she had lost her grip or could not carry her little body anymore. Wade gave her the shotgun and shouldered the little girl.

Wade and Jador's eyes widened as the Great Snake crashed through the archway, widening it with its enormous girth. It sought no pleasure other than to hunt down those that awoke it in the dark slumber it endured over the centuries.

"Go, you lucky sonofabitch. I'm riding shotgun."

"You can make it."

"My daughter waits for me in the afterlife. Douglas is waiting. Now, move."

Jador saw the wooden support beams. She pushed him through it while he held Halonie. The shotgun blast caused a collapse of rubble and debris to come thundering down to block the entrance.

The dust plume had obstructed his vision. He realized that the cave-in had stopped the Giant Snake's pursuit. It also stopped Detective Jador from escaping. She either died in the rubble or the Emerald Eye killed her.

Wade clamoured over rock and stone. He shovelled handfuls of dirt and threw away moveable wreckage, but it was no use. The tunnel shuddered again. Wade dragged Halonie further before more rubble collapsed upon the blockage. It was futile.

Wade was gasping for air. Schofield had not realised how much he wanted to live.

Scofield was so busy staring at the wreckage he had not realised she was crying. Wade owed a debt. To Hank and Jador. A debt he could never repay. What just transpired? He still processed everything that developed in the tunnel. He knew it all happened but refused to believe it.

Halonie coughed and moaned. She needed urgent medical support as Jador pointed out. He desired to get her home. The shaft was unstable and suffered extensive destruction. Wade struggled with every step he made. He put as much distance from the blockage as possible.