The Serpent's Cane

Complete Story

                                                                                  INTRODUCTION

Bango read the headlines. Ray could see him going inferno once again just like he did a while ago.

"I think you know by now, don't you Bango?" Samuel added.

"You did this, didn't you? Mr. Ray, did he do all this?" Bango asked infuriated, adrenaline rushing throughout him, his veins popping on the right side of his forehead.

"Bango, relax! Keep your thumbs in your palms," Ray tried to tame the brawny Bango.

However, Bango had his own plans. All of a sudden, Bango had become a raging lion ready for the kill. Without thinking, he sprang up like a flying squirrel and pounced on S.S. What followed was a shot in his chest. Bango fell to the floor with a thud. Ray could not believe his eyes, showing baffled expressions. Samuel had shot Bango from his cane. A cane? He had seen classic canes with swords in them before, but this was as innovative as it could get.

Bango was a husky athletic man. He reached for Samuel by his hands to cover some distance. Samuel went into attack mode like some jolt of a lightning bolt, scattering too quick for the human eye to follow as he pushed the Ruby planted on the serpent's head on the cane once again. The sound was horrendous. It echoed throughout the room. Ray had almost gone deaf, but had saved his sight to see Bango fall to the floor like a baby sparrow from its nest, flying for the first time. He lay there still, with blood oozing out of his chest. He was given a swift death after all. S.S. stood on top of Bango, shaking his head as if he had come for the condolence.

"A sheer talent gone to a complete waste," he declared still looking at the hitman.

Ray decided it was now or never. He was given a distraction. Picking up the fruit basket, he hurled it at Samuel's head. Samuel countered the attack with his out of the world cane. Ray had just created a void, a point of dominance over the formidable foe. He speared Samuel to the ground. Finally, the wrestling moves from his past classes had proven effective. After some searching, he found no other weapons on Samuel except the cane, which was in Ray's custody now.

"Detective, it is a pity to lose you this way. I had given you the stars but you wish for the mud instead. You think you can kill me and get out alive?" S.S. gave out a cackle of mockery. For the first time since their conversation started, there was a shift in body language of Samuel.

"You know what they say about dead snakes right? I am that snake Samuel. Your men will kill me now, so I prefer to have someone to negotiate with the devil. Let's go, shall we?" Ray replied back fully confident now. The cane must have some powers adhered to it as Ray felt Herculean. Maybe it was a gift from some African Voodoo tribe.

"Let's go then. Shoot me before my men vaporize you," Samuel challenged Ray in disgust.

Ray pushed the Ruby. There was that horrendous sound once again. He put the cane down and grabbed Samuel by his chest. He eyed Samuel as if he had seen the angel of death.

"As you said yourself a few seconds ago detective, a dead snake is still poisonous," S.S. stood up, brushing off the blood as if it was some track dirt on his white shirt and the blue suit. "So long detective. We had quite a chat, I must say. I wished a good life for you, but you chose this one for yourself. We could have done great things together. I will definitely miss you Mr. Ray. Here! Consider this as the parting gift from me."

Samuel had kneeled down and put a gold biscuit in Ray's pocket, rising up again to leave the room. Ray heard Samuel in an amplified voice as he began losing his visuals and the audibles. As Ray lay still on the floor, gasping for air and near to death, he saw Samuel pick up his cane and leave. As he did so, he heard him order someone.