Walking Dollar Bills

Chapter 23: Welcome Back, Gumbo (1/2)

A loud snarls booms through the darkness. The sound is so palpable that it pierces Earl's ears. Suddenly, a different feeling hits Earl in the gut. He feels a liquid substance soaking his clothes and spilling onto the floor. Blood.

"You probably have no knowledge of a Viper's inherent traits, do you?" says Toure under the cover of darkness.

Toure's voice is inches away from Earl, which informs him that Toure is close. Furthermore, Earl knows that he has just been impaled by Toure's spear. Grabbing the middle of the spear, he fights to pull it out of his stomach.

"What's the matter? You can't use your powers in the dark?" says Toure digging his spear deeper into Earl.

Earl coughs up blood and feels his eyes water. He grows dizzy and his arms weaken. Earl tries to focus his mind, but the jarring pain from Toure's spear disrupts his concentration.

"I get it. You have to see an element before you can manipulate it. Interesting" says Toure.

In a battle of wills, Toure positions himself as the victor. Pushing his weight forward, Toure deepens the puncture. He refuses to stop until his spear emerges out of Earl's back.

"That means your powers contradict your heritage. Vipers are known for being particularly lethal at night. Our natural senses become heightened in the darkness. We reach our most natural state when we are blind" says Toure,

Earl leans into his stomach and fights to pull the spear out of his stomach.

"I'm going to lose too much blood," says Earl.

"You need to see. You depend on sight. You're a slave to your eyes in the same way you're a slave to those Humans and Hornets. In the same way you're Zala's slave!"

Earl's eyes fly open despite only seeing darkness. Ignoring the pain pulsating throughout his body, he shakes off one of his boots and plants his barefoot on the ground.

"I'm not her slave... I'm nobody's slave!" says Earl.

"Then what are you? Huh? Her friend? Don't make me have to humiliate you any further before killing you. Have some damn dignity" says Toure.

Earl shakes off his second boot and plants his other barefoot on the ground. The touch of the icy porcelain floor chills him; however, the warmth of the fresh blood that sprinkles onto his toes cools him. Earl takes a deep breath.

"You're wrong about two things," says Earl under his breath.

"Aren't you tired of struggling already?" says Toure.

"First, I don't need to see to fight" says Earl,

"Second, Zala..." Earl pauses and clutches the spear's pole with all his might.

"Is my BESTFRIEND!" screams Earl.

Toure is immediately taken back to the moment Zala called Earl her friend:

"You don't think there's something wrong with a Viper serving a Human and a Hornet? I bet he was at your beck and call, huh? Was he allowed to think for himself? Did he ever make a decision that didn't directly involve you and the Human?" asks Toure.

Zala shivers as Toure's tone causes chills to run down her spine. Something is off. She feels as if a switch has been flipped, like Toure's entire demeanor has altered.

"Earl is my friend," says Zala.

The abrupt trembling of the ground beneath Toure interrupts his flashback. Earl kicks out his leg, and the porcelain floor morphs into the shape of a leg and hurls a mid-kick at Toure, who flies back and smacks the wall at the very end of the room.