FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

An introduction

In a Parallel Universe there is a world, very much like ours but in it, there is a predator that makes men playthings and slaves, it is the most intelligent life form that we know of, we know there is more out there, possibly terrorizing other planets. It has no name but is known as The Snake, no one knows where it came from, only that this world was parallel to ours until The Snake came...

Prologue

The man was stumbling through the overgrown forest, branches snapping in his face but he was cautious, constantly watching his back. He was a slave of The Snake, and he had escaped from its slave camp. Suddenly he heard a twig crack and the man whirled around there was nothing there. But then he heard a voice, the rasping of The Snake, and it said "Thought you could escape my camp did you? Well let me give you credit, you certainly are a feisty one..."

"I... I didn't..." said the poor man, slowly turning to face The Snake. It towered far above him looking down with cunning, emerald eyes. " Well I can't have you escaping and I can't have you come back to my camp, it would make me look weak, so I will do something else about it..." The snake rasped.

Suddenly it whipped its tail out and coiled it around the man bringing him up so that he was face to face with The Snake. The poor man struggled and squirmed but it was no use, the coils were too tight. " What's that little man? You want free? Then I shall grant your wish..."

The last thing the man saw was the back of The Snakes throat rushing towards him...

Chapter 1

Kevin

Kevin was a young boy, aged 12, fair haired and whose father had tried to resist The Snake and fought against it. He had been sent to the slave camps where The Snake had them working on something only it knew about, not even the rebels themselves knew... He had kept in touch with his father via email and the post, but had lost contact a week ago. Kevin knew it was too dangerous to leave his house as there was no way of telling who, or when the next victim would be taken as The Snakes next meal.

Kevin, however, was like his father a brave hearted man that would go to extraordinary risks to find the truth, or protect it. Kevin took a cautious step outside of his house and glanced around. There was no living being in sight. It was deserted. He quietly crept towards the forest where he could begin his search for the Slave Camp.

He took each step carefully, well aware of the fact that The Snake could be anywhere; it was a silent predator that could be right behind you, towering over you about to coil itself around you, and you would be none the wiser...

Chapter 2

The Slave Camp (1 week previously...)

"You seen ol' Harry the miner anywhere?" Asked Friedrich, an excavator at the Slave Camp. " 'E was makin' an escape yesterday, but I ain't got no word from 'im. 'E promised me 'ed send me a letter saying if it was successful. An' 'es one to stand by 'is word."

" No.. I ain't got no word neither, wait, you don't suppose The Snake got him do ya? It's bin lookin' mighty suspicious lately..." Said Philip the demolition expert. " Nah, 'ed be too cautious wouldn't 'e? 'Es probably got a good reason not to send us word." Replied Friedrich. "Oh, well OK then..." Said Philip.

The Snake had heard all it needed to and silently slithered off.

Chapter 3

The thoughts of The Snake

It all started that day. We were doing so well, we had created a portal that could allow us to travel through different dimensions and anywhere in the Universe... but then the explosion...but now my miners must be getting closer to achieving my goal, and soon I shall be the most powerful being in the Universe...

However The Snake's thoughts soon switched to what it saw before it...

The Snake looked down with disgust at the warm blooded mammals below,and just wanted to eradicate them all with one sweep of his tail, but no, there were so few, and they were crucial to the plan. Even that one it had... disposed of was a waste, but it had been necessary. The Reptilian race was so much more sophisticated than these simple minded mammals that cowered, afraid to look into his emerald eyes, before him working.

The Snake would feast on them all when they achieved its goal and then, and only then, it would be satisfied...

Now The Snake was beginning to feel a little hungry and so slithered off to the nearest village...

Chapter 4

The Jungle

Kevin battered his way through the jungle hacking at plants with his machete. He crashed through the thick jungle and finally reached a pool he bent down to drink and the water was like heaven to his parched lips. He drank and drank and then filled his canteen with it and pulled himself to his feet. He stumbled on, picking fruit as he went. He came across a beautiful plant that was irresistible and was about to reach and pick it when he remembered that this was a plant that the seeds of which had come with The Snake. It was carnivorous and enticed anything, or any one to reach and pick the fruit. It would then whip out its tendrily roots and raise them up above the plant which would open like a mouth and drop the unfortunate being into the stomach. Kevin had only just saved himself from a painful death.

Kevin went on through the undergrowth, wary now of carnivorous plants, and other beasts. Every now and then he would come across an animal that would leap at him, claws out and try to rip him to shreds, but Kevin would always catch it with a blow to the neck with his machete. Finally Kevin came to a clearing where he was going to sit down but then noticed signs of a struggle. They were old, but very clear. There was the long flat track of The Snakes belly rubbing across the dirt, but then smaller tracks, that he was unable to decipher. Kevin came to the conclusion that The Snake had attacked a smaller being and eaten it for lunch. There was dried blood on the ground...

Chapter 5

The Slave Camps

Friedrich was busy mining when Philip came along carrying dynamite. " Well, how are ya?" Philip said "Oh, I'm all righ," Replied Friedrich "Oy, You know ol' Harry? I think 'e 'ad 'elp escapin' ya know?" said Philip. Friedrich looked uncomfortable, "Well, don't say anythin' to anyone, but, it was me..." Friedrich quickly looked around. "Don't worry, me lips are sealed." Consoled Philip and hurried back to his rockface.

"Phew," Thought Friedrich, this mining was hard work. He was just thinking this when he was struck from behind and was sent sprawling. "Oy! What you think you playin' at..." and Friedrich slowly looked up into the emerald green eyes of The Snake. "Oh no..." He gasped. Suddenly The Snake's tail shot out and coiled itself around him binding his arms and legs. He was dragged out of the mine and onto the open plains where The Snake changed course towards a deep cave.

The Snake flung him inside and slithered in after him. It pulled a lever that looked to hard for even a team of 100 strong men, and a huge iron gate rolled down, sealing them in. "So, You are the human who assisted the man who escaped me?" Hissed The Snake. Friedrich remained silent." Answer me!" The Snake hissed angrily. It wrapped itself around Friedrich and brought him up face to face with it. The Snake rasped to him "You are about to experience just one of the nightmarish punishments if you don't obey me!"

Friedrich said nothing. "Fine..." The Snake hissed and opened its mouth wide and tossed him in. Friedrich screamed as he landed on the forked tongue which tossed him against the roof of The Snake's mouth, as if it had a mind of its own.

He yelled again and began pleading for The Snake to let him out. The tongue came around again and pitched. He was sent flying again. Then Friedrich caught sight of The Snake's throat which he was slowly sliding towards. When he was within an inch of falling in he was sent flying out of The Snake's mouth and along with a lot of saliva onto the cavern wall. He lay there panting until The Snake brought itself down to face him making a wall of coils so Friedrich could not run away. "So, did you enjoy that trip to my mouth? It was very enjoyable, for me!" The Snake hissed with what sounded like laughter.

Friedrich shook his head vigorously and said "Nnno, your greatness..."

The Snake slapped its tail against the ground, the noise echoing through the cave. "Well, will you tell me the truth now? Remember, I have so many worse punishments in store for you if you refuse..." "All right... It was me..." Friedrich replied hastily. "Good, you are learning to obey your new master." The Snake hissed "And now, I'm going to make you my pet and plaything, so you will stay in this cave. Here are your rules. 1. You must eat any food I give you, 2. You must stay in this cave, 3. You must not break your chains, 4. You will not try to harm me, or yourself, 5. You will not call for help, 6. You will obey me!" The Snake's last words echoed around the cavern and Friedrich felt terrified.

The Snake soon left the cave to go hunt for food and oversee the miners. Friedrich just wanted to give up as he was now The Snake's little pet and toy and he could do nothing about it. He heard the lever creak and the iron gate come up. He heard it again and this time it came down. He saw The Snake slithering over to him with a bulge in its neck which suggested that it had made a good lunch that would take it several days to digest. But The Snake had nothing for him. Just then, it seemed The Snake had forgotten about him, but no, The Snake regurgitated a slimy cod that it expected him to eat. Friedrich was disgusted but knew it was all he was getting. The Snake began to sway like a cobra from side to side watching him eat the raw fish. It was satisfied that it had fed its new pet and then coiled itself around Friedrich to make sure he didn't try to escape and went to sleep still coiled around him. Friedrich found it harder with The Snakes belly wrapped around him as it was very tight and it disturbed him to think he was so close to this creature that was destroying their planet. He wriggled and The Snake squeezed even tighter, almost crushing the air out of him...

Chapter 6

Kevin's Dream

He was mining in the Slave Camp with his father, and he asked him "Where are we?" Kevin's father replied, "We are in The Snake's Slave camps, working. But I don't know how you got here..." Kevin was just as surprised as his father and asked another question, "Father, I lost contact with you over a week ago, what has happened?" "Lost contact? No, I wrote to you this very morning!" His father replied. Kevin took a step back from his father and asked another miner, "I lost contact with Harry a week ago, why is this?" The miner replied " Well I seen 'im writin' evry mornin' ain't a day gone past when 'e doesn't." Kevin was confused, no one here knew anything about his fathers disappearance. Suddenly a shadow fell over the workers and what looked like a super massive black hole above them and it was coming down and suddenly, he was inside it! He soon realised it was a mouth, not a hole and then he was tumbling, tumbling down the throat and...

Kevin woke up with a start and looked around. He had fallen out of his hammock and landed on the forest floor. Kevin pulled himself together and trekked on through the jungle. He stumbled on a nest of fire ants and completely destroyed it. The angry little things came out of it in millions and they crawled all over him biting every part of him. Kevin fled and dived into the river, getting rid of all the little beasties.

Kevin was not himself today, that nightmare of the Slave Camps was too frightening for him to be normal. He battled through the jungle and by now was very hungry. He rummaged through his pack and found his .44 Calibre revolver.

He soon saw a capybara, one of The Snake's least favourite meals and so they prospered and were the commonest animal on this planet. He took aim at its head and fired, one sharp crack and the capybara keeled over, dead. He ran and began filleting it, taking all the edible parts and putting them in an airtight container. He soon found another clearing and did a dangerous thing, lit a fire. This was a bit like lighting a flare and screaming at the top of your voice "Come here Snake! I want to be killed! I am over HERE!" as Snakes have heat seeking eyes that can detect heat. It also could have started a jungle fire. He skewered the capybara's body parts and roasted them. He had skinned the animal and made a fur coat for himself. He put out the fire and trekked north, the way to the plains.

Chapter 7

Pet for Eternity

Friedrich was shivering in the coils of The Snake and it had not yet woken up so he was forced to endure the horrible pulsing coming from the belly that was coiled around him. He knew he would go through this every night and shuddered at the thought at it.

Finally at 17.00 The Snake woke up and Released him from it's tail "Well, did you have a good night in my coils?" Hissed The Snake. Friedrich forced himself to nod and smile so as not to get on the wrong side of The Snake. "Yes. Thank you Master." He replied.

"Good. Well today I am going out to hunt again and seeing as you were so good I will feed you." It rasped and seemed to smile with huge fangs that stuck out from its mouth. It slithered off closing the gate behind it and Friedrich was left to himself.

The Snake had chained him to the wall immediately when it woke up and then asked the questions, it really didn't want him escaping. Now Friedrich was left hanging on the wall thinking about how he would spend the rest of his life being The Snake's pet. If he was disobedient he would be punished...

The Snake returned quickly and slithered in where it did the usual, regurgitate his food and expect him to eat it. This time it was a capybara and Friedrich wondered how much The Snake had had to force himself to eat it as The Snake really despised capybaras. While he was eating it The Snake said " I truly hate the whole human race and when the miners achieve my goal I shall obliterate them all apart from you, because I like you and you are a good pet. Maybe I can even show you to my brethren when I find them. I think you are different and I do really like you."

Friedrich was disgusted at what The Snake was going to do. "You will... Keep me?" He asked. "Oh yes, and also, I will make you live as long as me, so that you will not die!" Laughed The Snake. "How will you do that?"Friedrich asked nervously. "Like this," and The Snake lifted him up to face him and then sank it's fangs into his body, and he could feel it coursing through his body and The Snake put him down. "My venom is not for killing is what I have discovered. It is for preserving. That poison will now be in your organs, heart, stomach, liver all of those, oh, and of course your veins. Your body shall never grow old and wither, it shall stay as it is now, You can be my pet for eternity!"

Friedrich said "Will your brethren like me too? They could kill me if they didn't." "Them? No! I am the most powerful and they wouldn't dare harm my human pet!" Hissed The Snake. "All right." Said Friedrich. It looked like now he would never die. When the poison ran out The Snake would inject more. He ate some more of the capybara and looked at his watch. The time was 21.04.

The Snake reached out and coiled around him again, in those cold scaly coils, he had no hope of sleeping, It would be a cold night but The Snake was still awake and watched Friedrich with one, glinting, emerald eye...

Chapter 8

First Sight of The Snake

Kevin came to a huge wrought iron gate that barred his way any further across the plains. It stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction and Kevin knew that he had come to the Slave Camp. On the horizon he could just see a cliff face and little black dots which he supposed were the miners.

He began to pound on the gate, he was incredibly frustrated, he had come all this way to be blocked by a gate? He slid down the gate and lay down for a while. Suddenly he heard a creaking and he dived to hide behind a tree He watched the gates open and he caught his first sight of The Snake. It towered 45 feet above him and was impossibly long. He looked at the glinting emerald eyes and knew they spelled evil. He saw the smooth scales like a suit of armour. This monster really was, out of this world...

The last of The Snake's tail finally passed and he dived through the gates as they were closing. He then began the long trek to the Slave Camps and knew it would get a lot harder, but he had no idea what this simple walk could possibly entail...Many hours later, it seemed as if Kevin hadn't got any closer and he was running low on water and food, he collapsed...

Chapter 9

The Snake's Lair

That night had been a cold one as Friedrich had suspected and The Snake did its usual getting up in the afternoon, chaining him to the wall and going to get food for him. The Snake had eaten a huge meal last night and Friedrich could tell by the bulge in its belly. Friedrich used the sweet and nice tactic and The Snake had gone out. Friedrich pondered the thought of his new immortality and yet again the thought of being a pet for eternity.

The Snake had returned and gave him his food, a huge bird that Friedrich had never seen before. The Snake wrapped itself around him and raised him up, then began to tell Friedrich about its hunt that day. "Well, I went out through the gates this morning but I had the strange feeling that something was out of place... Anyway, I am getting off track. I went down to the jungle, silent as I could be, and that was when I saw that bird you are eating. It just looked so plump and tasty, I couldn't resist coiling around it and eating it, so there you go, that bird is fresh from my throat!" And The Snake hissed with laughter and Friedrich played along, laughing with it.

It finally put him down and said "Seeing as you have been obedient today, I'm going to allow you to make a choice of where you sleep tonight..." Friedrich held his breath, was The Snake going to not make him sleep in its coils tonight?

"...Either in my coils, my very warm mouth, or simply closer to my mouth where it is a little warmer...Choose?"

"I think I'll sleep in..." Friedrich never finished. "You must be freezing all night in my reptilian, cold blooded coils? You will sleep in my mouth tonight. It's very warm in there." and with that The Snake opened its mouth and tossed him in. "Er, I think I would rather sleep closer to your mouth, not actually in it..."

The Snake's mouth seemed to shake with laughter... "Goodnight my pet," seemed to come up from the throat. The Snake was right about one thing. It was certainly warm in there. Friedrich thought tonight would be another sleepless night and that he might slip and be accidentally swallowed! But then The Snake's tail reached in and pulled him out of the mouth. The Snake seemed to think this was very funny and rasped with laughter "You actually thought I'd make you sleep there! Excuse my little joke but it was ever so funny!What if I'd accidentally swallowed you? I'd have no pet! You would be no fun in my stomach!" Friedrich was horrified at The Snake's sense of humour but laughed with it. "Very funny! Ha Ha Ha!" He said. "Of course you can sleep close to my mouth where you will get some of the hot air." And with that The Snake wrapped it's thick neck around him and watched Friedrich go to sleep...

Chapter 10

The Snake's thoughts

The Snake had lulled Friedrich into a false sense of security by pretending to go to sleep and so Friedrich had done just that. In fact, The Snake was very, much, awake and thinking...

It knew it's pet was not stupid and was playing along with The Snake at pretending to enjoy being a pet. However, The Snake knew the human hated being a toy. The miners would soon achieve the goal and it could kill them all, apart from it's human. This one, was The Snake's to keep for eternity.

The Human deserved some fresh air, but how could The Snake take him out of the cave? Maybe it could put him inside his mouth and then spit him out when they reached the hunting grounds... yes it would do that...

Chapter 11

The Plains

Kevin had managed to stagger to his feet and walk a lot closer to the Slave Camp. After another 4 hours of walking he sat down on a bench in a Slave Hut. The Snake would not search for extras there because the doorway was too small. Pretty soon a slave came in to get something to eat. There was nothing. The slave saw Kevin and asked "Who are you?" In a dry, parched voice. The poor man was skin and bone he was so thin. "I am the son of Harry Black." Said Kevin. "You shouldn't be here, if The Snake finds you, you've had it. What do you want anyhow?" He said in the dry voice. "I want to know what has happened to him. He lost contact with me over 2 weeks ago."Said Kevin.

"You mean to say you haven't heard? My name is Philip Hardy and my best mate Friedrich was yer Da's helper in escape. Yer Da's dead sonny, The Snake got him, in a clearing in the jungle, he got far, yer Da." Said the Slave. "No, no no!"Yelled Kevin. "This isn't happening!" "Pipe down, lest The Snake hear us and find ya!" rasped Philip. "Well let it come! I'll tear it's head off!"Screamed Kevin. Philip said "Stop!" Kevin wiped away the tears and muttered, "Where is this Friedrich, then? I'll speak to him and then go back Home." He sniffed.

"Er, Friedrich was taken to The Snake's cave to be its pet...Quick hide!" Kevin was roughly pushed behind the door as it opened and The Snake poked its head in. "Here is your lunch" it hissed and it spat a salmon, and then a capybara onto the floor at Philips feet. As it was pulling its head through the door Philip asked "How is my friend Friedrich doing as a pet, huh?" The Snake hissed back " He is most obedient and delightful..." and it slithered off.

"Phew," Said Kevin "it didn't notice me," and he slammed the door. "You don't actually eat that regurgitated garbage do you? It's all slimy!" Kevin looked disgusted. "Ever since Friedrich was taken we been forced to, yeah." Replied Philip.

Chapter 12

The Hunt

Friedrich had realised that ever since becoming The Snake's pet he was living like royalty compared to the slaves. They were fed one salmon if they were lucky, and he was fed at least four!

The Snake slithered in and announced "Today, I am taking you for fresh air,"

"What?" Queried Friedrich. "Today I am taking you on a hunt with me so you get some air." Hissed The Snake. "But how will you get me there, Master?"

"Like this" and The Snake coiled around him and lifted him up, a straight 45 feet. "You will carry me..?" He asked, suspicious. "No..." And once again Friedrich was tossed head first into The Snakes mouth. "Like This" Rumbled up from the throat. Soon The Snake was on the move it was fine when it was just slithering on it's belly, but when it reared up he was tossed off the tongue and almost fell into the Snake's gullet, but clung for dear life on The Snake's uvula. That was one un - snake - like feature that it had a uvula.

At times The Snake would seem to forget him and go about with its head held high, and he would cling for sometimes hours to the slimy uvula, trying not to fall to certain death in the belly. Finally The Snake reached its destination and spat him out. He gasped the clean air which was a relief from the hot, putrid air that he had been breathing in the Snake's mouth. The Snake hissed "We have arrived at my hunting grounds." Friedrich looked around and saw many skeletons of animals lying around the place. He gasped. The Snake seemed to sense his discomfort and said "Former playthings, I had no need for them. You though, that won't happen to you." It was little comfort to Friedrich. "The hunt is about to begin. So quiet." The Snake blended in with the trees and Friedrich was there with The Snake coiled around him to make sure he didn't escape. He could feel its muscles tensing and then he saw what The Snake saw. An elephant. This must have been a prize for The Snake. And suddenly Friedrich's bindings fell from him as The Snake silently slithered out and shot itself at the elephant, coiling itself around it entirely and made sure Friedrich was looking. The Snake opened its jaws to their full extent and Friedrich watched, horrified as they worked their way up the majestic elephant its small eyes still wide panic, and then soon The Snakes jaws had consumed all but the elephants head, in which life was still left. Finally the elephant was entirely inside The Snake and it rose to its full height as if to show Friedrich the bulge slowly travelling through its belly. Every now and then the bulge would widen as if the elephant was still kicking. Friedrich was horrified and asked "Isn't it dead yet?" "Already? Of course not! It's an elephant and it'll keep kicking for at least a day. My digestion isn't that strong!" Hissed The Snake, pleased with its dinner.

"Of course, we haven't got you your dinner yet have we? Well what do you want? I can get anything, I am the biggest thing on this Planet!" "Just some fish would be fine..." Friedrich replied hastily. "All right" said The Snake and dived into the pool of water. He could see The Snake darting about like a super massive eel. At last it surfaced and spewed out at least 90 fish. "That enough?" Asked The Snake "I wouldn't eat them here though. Lets head back to the cave." The Snake stuck out its tongue for Friedrich to walk on into its maw. It also snapped up the fish which went tumbling down the black hole that was the gullet. Once again The Snake was on the move with Friedrich inside...

Chapter 13

The Search for Friedrich.

"You want to rescue Friedrich? Impossible!" Said Philip incredulously "Yes, why not give it a go? After all he is your best friend." Replied Kevin. "But he is The Snake's pet! He'll be chained up, and if he isn't then The Snake will be coiled around 'im! See some sense would ya?" "I am making sense. I saw The Snake go out to hunt and he hasn't returned to feed the Slaves yet!" Kevin stressed. "Well? Let's go!" "All right, I give in." And it was so that they headed to The Snake's lair.

They reached it at last, puffing and panting and saw a huge lever, an open gate and the cave. They tiptoed in and they saw some chains, but no Friedrich. They heard a slithering sound and a hiss... they slowly turned round. There was a crash and the gate rolled down, and there towering above them was "The Snake" breathed Kevin "Well, we would appear to have ourselves some guests..." Rasped The Snake. "Where is Friedrich? What have you done to him!" Yelled Philip. "He is unharmed, I assure you, but here is some visual evidence..." and The Snake spat on the ground and Friedrich came tumbling out. "Friedrich!" Shouted Philip and he rushed over to him. " You shouldn't have come..." Friedrich said but was interrupted by The Snake "Yes he was doing fine. He was to be my pet but all you coming here has done is endanger your own lives!" And with the word 'lives' The Snake wrapped its tail around Philip and threw him against the wall, knocking the breath out of him and in a flash The Snake had chained him to the wall. It coiled around Kevin and chained him up too at the far end of the cave. "Lucky for you two I've just had an elephant for lunch and am too full to even contemplate eating you...Yet."

The Snake seemed to turn all nice towards Friedrich and spat all the fish out of its mouth. Friedrich now knew that The Snake wasn't joking when he said the elephant was still alive. He could hear it trumpeting and see it kicking. He lit a fire and roasted the fish on it. He ate them and they were slimy but they still tasted fine. Friedrich then saw The Snake's fangs shoot towards him and inject the preservative poison "Noooo!" Screamed Philip. "Don't worry, human, it was just preservatives to keep him my pet for eternity." It then coiled around Friedrich and went to sleep.

"I told you coming here was a bad idea! Now all we've done is get ourselves eaten for lunch when The Snake finally gets a bit peckish!" Said Philip. "And look at poor Friedrich! Forced to live with this foul beast and even sleep in its coils!" "All right, coming here was a bad idea and we are doomed and all that but how will we spend our final days? Despairing or trying, fighting or losing? Come on Philip, you fought against The Snake once, you can do it again!" Prompted Kevin.

"Aye, I did but it was clear from the start that we would lose. We were fighting a 40 foot tall, good 60 feet long beast armed with bullet proof and missile proof skin. How did we ever stand a chance?" Replied Philip angrily. Kevin was silent. He was working something out. His bag had been untouched by The Snake and the reason was no doubt that the bag did not give off heat and so The Snake could not see it! But then his spirits were crushed. His bag was at the other end of the cave. He could never reach it. He had to admit defeat. Unless... He could get Friedrich to get it when The Snake woke up and was a little groggy! Yes! And when he got his bag he could take out his gun and take a carefully aimed shot at its soft underside! "Friedrich!" Kevin whispered. The man looked up from the coils of The Snake "What?" He whispered back Kevin quietly whispered his plan to Friedrich and he nodded his understanding. "All right!"

Chapter 14

Realisation

The Snake was up early that morning and left his pet unconscious and the other humans in the cave locking the gate behind it. It slithered across the plains and to the place where the miners had discovered something strange. It slithered into the cavern all of the miners got out of his way apart from one who seemed transfixed to the strange object. The Snake coiled around him, and then threw him against the cavern wall head first and heard a sickening crack, which was no doubt his skull and spinal cord snapping. It then turned its head to the thing before it...

Meanwhile, back at the cave, Kevin had woken up to find The Snake gone and Friedrich still asleep, or knocked out. After about half an hour of screaming Friedrich finally came round and said "My head...It is so sore..." Kevin yelled at him "Well Get me my bag you silly man!" Friedrich, being the only one free of his chains ran and got the bag. He went back to Kevin and handed it to him.

"Right, now Friedrich, listen carefully I want you to take out the iron cutters in my bag, and cut these chains, all right?" "Okay" He replied. After some rummaging Friedrich took out the cutters and proceeded to cut the chains. "This is hard work..." He panted, but eventually he was free. Kevin rubbed his wrists where the chain had rubbed them raw Kevin dashed over to Philip and cut his chains. He then ran back to his bag and took out his hand grenade. "Right, Everyone to the very back of the cave! Hurry!" Kevin took the clip off and hurled it at the gates. He sprinted as fast as he could to the back of the cave as there was a humongous bang and the gates were blasted off their hinges.

Another miner charged The Snake. They seemed quite determined to avenge their friend although it was futile. This one dived straight at The Snake's face and was about to swing his pick at it when the Snake just opened its mouth and swallowed him whole. "Any more want to avenge your fallen comrades?" Hissed The Snake. They all charged him and he dived mouth agape and swallowed them all, purely for fun. He then turned to the thing in front of him. It was exactly how he had built it. That multicolour swirl of all the different types of heat coming off it. His portal. The only portal that allowed beings to travel from one dimension to another! It allowed the controller to travel in time and space! Suddenly there was a bang and a shout "Hey!" The Snake swivelled around to face the noise and saw its pet and the two other humans running towards it. The remnants of the human race It brought itself to its full height and...

Chapter 15

Kill or be Killed?

...Opened its jaws and then it saw the object in the smaller humans hand, it was metal, and looked positively lethal. The Snake dodged just in time to avoid a bullet and with one sweep of its tail knocked them all flat. It was about to crush them when they rolled aside and jumped up. One of them, the biggest took out what The Snake now realised as a gun. Philip took aim and fired, it ricocheted off the Snakes armour and bounced around the cavern. The Snake dived at them and they dived the other way. Philip fired again but missed. He was about to sidestep a blow but tripped on a piece of rubble and in that moment of distraction the snake dived at him and swallowed him. Kevin narrowed his eyes and took out his sword. He dived at The Snake furiously slashing but his aim was faulty. He tripped too and The Snake had its mouth above him, just like in the dream, and was about to swallow him when he thrust his sword upwards and stabbed its mouth. It knocked The Snake off course but the fang still sank into his shoulder. He slashed again and cleaved off a piece of its fang. The Snake reared up in pain and shock and hissed at him, blood dripping from its mouth.

"Next time, Human." Kevin dived again and shouted at it "There won't be a next time when I am finished with you!" But The Snake sidestepped and was about to dive in the portal when its eyes gleamed it shot out its tail and coiled around Friedrich and dragged him through the Portal too. "Kevin Heeeellllppppp..." and his cries were cut short by the Portal.

Kevin collapsed onto his knees. He had not achieved anything apart from letting his one friend die, and the other taken with The Snake to who knows where. He had failed. But then a little persistent voice in the back of his mind said "We can go after it. We will avenge father and Philip and all the rest of the Human Race. We will!" The little voice was now all he heard in his head. He then leaped into The Portal and was spinning in a dark void...