The Banditos

The Test

This part is a little weird. You have been advised.

Clancy takes a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He steps into the room, his heart pounding in his chest.

The room is dark and dimly lit. There's a few flickering candles on the walls, casting strange shadows on the walls and floor. Clancy looks around the room, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

The room is mostly empty, aside from a single chair that sits in the middle of the room. Clancy's heart skips a beat as he realizes what the test must be.

He hesitates for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts and doubts. But then he steels himself and walks towards the chair.

Clancy reaches the chair and sees a slip of paper sitting on the seat. He picks it up and reads the instructions written on it.

He lets out a shaky breath as he reads the instructions. They're not what he was expecting. They're more dangerous, more extreme. But he knows he has to do whatever it takes to pass the test.

The instructions tell Clancy that he must sit on the chair and not move for an hour. The catch is, there's a venomous snake coiled in the chair, and if he moves or makes a sound, the snake will strike. The note tells Clancy that if he succeeds in sitting motionless for the hour, Bella will be set free.

Sitting motionless for an hour while a venomous snake is coiled right next to him? It sounds like a death sentence. But he knows he can't back out now. He's come too far.

He slowly lowers himself into the chair, making sure not to disturb the snake. The snake hisses softly as he moves, its body coiled threateningly, ready to strike at any sudden movement.

Clancy's heart is racing, his palms sweaty and his throat dry. The snake is just a few inches away from him, its tongue darting in and out of its mouth. He tries to stay completely still, not even allowing himself to breathe too deeply.

Nico stands by, watching him, before closing the door and leaving him in the dark room.

Clancy can hear the snake hiss softly next to him, its presence a constant threat. He closes his eyes, focusing on staying completely still and taking shallow breaths.

The seconds feel like minutes as he sits in the chair, every muscle in his body tense with the effort of staying motionless. He can hear his own heart pounding in his ears, the sound almost deafening in the silent room.

The time passes excruciatingly slowly. Clancy's mind starts to play tricks on him, making him feel like the snake is moving even when it's not. He has to remind himself that it's just his imagination, and force himself to stay still.

He can feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead and trickling down his face, but he doesn't dare move to wipe them away. He's afraid any type of movement will disturb the snake and provoke it to bite.

He counts the seconds in his head, one by one, trying to distract himself from the fear and tension building up inside him. But the minutes pass, each one seeming longer than the last. The darkness and silence of the room feels deafening, and the snake's presence feels like a physical weight on his shoulders.

After what seems like an eternity, Clancy hears the sound of the door opening. He opens his eyes and sees Nico standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face.

Nico steps into the room, his footsteps almost silent in the dark. "Well, I have to say, I'm impressed," he says, his voice mocking. "You actually managed to sit still for the whole hour. I wasn't sure you had it in you."

Clancy remains silent, his heart still pounding in his chest. He's relieved that the test is over, but he's not sure what Nico is going to tell him next.

"I have to admit," Nico continues, "I thought you were going to give up and run screaming from the room as soon as you saw the snake. But you managed to control your fear and see it through. That takes some serious balls, kid."

Clancy swallows hard, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Is Bella set free?" he asks, his voice slightly hoarse from lack of use.

Nico grins at him, clearly enjoying the power he has over Clancy. "Yes, your friend is free. For now. But you're not out of the woods just yet, kid. You've only passed phase one of your test."

Clancy's heart sinks as he hears this, his hope fading. "What do you mean, phase one?" he asks, his voice betraying his fear.

Nico's smile widens. "Just what I said. This was just phase one. There's still more testing to come. I'll let you rest for now, but be prepared for the next phase. It's going to be a hell of a lot tougher than this one."

Clancy clenches his fists, anger and fear mixing inside him. "I don't understand. You said if I passed the test, Bella would be free. You promised."

"Tsk tsk," Nico taunts, shaking his head. "You really thought it would be that easy? I'm not done with you just yet. You've only passed the first stage. There's still more testing to come, and trust me, it's going to be a hell of a lot worse than sitting still in a room with a snake."

Clancy takes a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. "What more do you want from me? What more do I have to do?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Nico replies, his tone ominous. "For now, I'm going to leave you alone with your thoughts for a bit. Get some rest while you can, kid. You'll need it for the next stage of your testing."