Ear to the Serpent | ONC 2020 WINNER ✓ [ PUBLISHED ]

chapter 2

I ALSO SEE dead things.

In addition to that damned snake and smoke, skeletons and corpses limped around me when I had a vision. Eerie, damp darkness always enveloped them, obscuring their features —but their attire was clear.

Mayans. Traditional Aztec clothing, in harsh reds and yellows and blues and greens, though everything else was tattered. There was no doubt in my mind that it had to do with my ability, and my ancestry. I had gotten used to the magic, but I could not stomach the terror.

The frequency and pattern of the visions was unpredictable and could not be foreseen —which did not help me with understanding them in the slightest.

"Oh, I wanted to ask," I quipped as we climbed out of the 4x4 and headed to the entrance of the hotel, "are there any others working in directory?"

Valdez seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in, and turned to me with a warm yet unsteady smile. "There are," he chuckled. "I wanted it to be a surprise. You'll meet the addition to our team inside."

He led me into the foyer, and proceeded to check me in at the desk. My attention swiftly drifted and focused on the decor. A dark red and gold theme, with plenty of ferns and small palms. Expensive vases plated with gold leaf sat on their marble pedestals —almost outdoing the crystal chandeliers overhead.