FANGS

See what happens when you trespass the remote are of Alcibie Alcinoe... Watch your back...

Its body moved swiftly through the trees, avoiding the sharp ends of the snapped branches. Its scaly skin camouflaged it from the outside predators. The gentle rustle of the leaves alarmed the nearby birds. Its mouth opened wide and its pearl white fangs glimmered in the sun; a slimy substance dripped out of the small opening in its gums. The venom, as black as death, trickled past the creature’s teeth and dripped silently on the branch.  Its body stretched from one tree to another and slowly contracted and expanded due to its slow breathing. Legend had spoken of a creature that was like a snake but more vicious, like a demon, but more terrifying; and like a lion but more fearsome. Stories passed from generation to generation, said that this creature lured its prey like a magnet. Legend was legend but who knew that harmless stories were but the final seeing of the dead.

‘Come along now!’ the tour guide exclaimed with a slight Portuguese accent.

‘You wouldn’t like to stay here for long!’ The group rustled along, each as sweaty as the others. The hot Brazilian sun beat down into the forest, casting a blaze of heat upon the group.

It was early August and the Amazon rainforest had had lots of visitors. The low water season had been at its best in ten years and the tours could go deeper and deeper into the forest than usual. This particular group of American botanists had paid extra for the tour guides to take them into the infamous Alcibie Alcinoe. The part if the Amazon that has been the most susceptible to attacks from the rare but vicious anaconda.

‘How long left’ said one.

‘Not long now, I suppose’ replied another.

They had been walking for almost 4 hours now and had not seen a single plant of interest. There was only the rustle of the leaves and the gentle trickle of the nearby streams that kept the group company.  One of the more inquisitive members of the group stopped to study a tree, the bark was moist from the humid air and the moss that conjured around it glowed with a greenish hue. She felt almost attracted and compelled toward the moss. She checked her book for the name of these strange fungi and was amazed when there was nothing about it.

Carefully and gently she pulled out a leather case from her rucksack and examined the contents carefully. She had to be careful; she was on the verge of discovering a new plant. Millions of pounds she thought, she would be rich beyond her wildest dreams.

The Brazilian tour guide froze; in front of him he thought he saw a limb of a human. He then breathed a sigh of relief when he realised it was only a small animal. A large shadow passed over his head enabling all the hairs on his body to stand. Maybe he was being paranoid, or maybe there was something hidden in the trees above.

‘Let’s go now, hurry up you have seen enough now!’ The ominous feeling inside of him urged him to move quicker and usher them all back to the lodge they were staying at.

The woman was stubborn and ignored the warning of the experienced guide. If she had known what lied in the trees above she would have listened, if it was the last thing she ever did…

The creature stopped in its tracks.  It saw a group of humans approaching. It hid itself in the nearby tree. When the group stopped and carried on the other way, it realised the threat had passed until it saw one human approach its tree strayed from the others.

She fumbled with the case as she realised how hot it was and with a satisfied look on her face she extracted a small metal object and began scraping at the moss at the tree. She was surprised as she felt rain slowly pour onto her and her hat provided minimal shelter from the rain. Thunder clashed in the distance and made her jump. She picked up the pace.

The snake sensed prey and curiously stuck its head out of the tree. Its scaly skin felt the sudden blaze of the heat from the unsheltered air. Cautiously, the creature slithered down until it was half a meter above the woman’s head. Her neck craned as she earned a closer look at the moss. Her pale white skin stuck out.

The snake lunged at her with staggering speed knocking her over completely. It sunk its teeth into the soft flesh. The black poison found its way into the veins of the woman. She screamed as she felt the full force of the snake like creatures break her left arm. She felt the thick liquid flow through her veins and lurched forward spitting out blood from internal bleeding. Instantly sweat poured out of every pore in a desperate attempt to cool her body down. She fumbled around swiping aimlessly around hoping to catch the snake with a swipe. Her hearing was disorientated and she had temporary blindness. Again she lurched forward and clutched her stomach. She began to crawl away until her limbs refused to move. She summoned all of her final energy to scream a final cry of help, before falling into a treacherous paralysis.

The snake almost managed an evil grin as the woman’s body was completely immobilised. It slithered closer to the body to move in for the kill. Something was wrong, the woman screamed loud enough to alert any nearby passers. However, none responded to her urgent cry of help. Suddenly, a two large bullet lodged themselves into the snake’s body. It fell to the floor with a sickening thud. A man approached to collect its prize. This was no snake; the body was larger than any he had ever seen before; the venom dripping from its teeth looking more menacing than a cobra’s. Carefully he strafed closer to the snake until he was satisfied that it was dead. Convinced it was, he moved closer still…

The woman recovered from her blindness and her deafness just in time to see her saviour. She felt a glimpse of hope arrive and she was happy to see the snake dead.

‘BRRRRRIING!’  The man jumped and realised it was just his phone. He turned and answered with ‘bom dia ‘which was the Portuguese greeting for good morning.

A nauseating feeling appeared in her stomach when she sees the snake was still alive. She tried to scream and tried to move but it was no use. Stealthily, the snake slithered closer and the woman’s hopes were destroyed. The man screamed as the snake bit into the flesh of his ankle. The same symptoms the woman experienced now affected the man. The woman managed a single tear before the man fell to the ground in agonizing pain.

Pain sent a shock into the limbs of the man as he was now paralysed. The pain was no match for the wretchedness of what happened next. The snake wrapped itself around the woman’s body and ferociously ripped the limbs apart. Blood and guts spewed out in a gruesome shower. The man was now covered in the woman’s blood. The snake swallowed the dismembered limbs of the woman and turned toward the man. He knew what his fate would be and he accepted it graciously. The snake dragged his body into the nearby shrubs where he was joined by the other rotting corpses of unlucky people that dare trespassed through the Alcibie Alcinoe.

Author's Note

This is my first attempt, please offer constructive criticism. I want to try and improve myself.