OF THE NIGHT ∘ Seth Gecko

07 | Into the Lion's Den

CHAPTER SIX
INTO THE LION'S DEN

THE LONGER I look at the scene in front of me, the more confused I get. Ranger Gonzalez's appearance was so sudden that it leaves me with many unanswered questions. I thought he died, I saw him being bitten by Santanico, so I expected him to be dead or at least turn into a culebra. Curious, I glance at the opening in the floor that he came out of and the sight of what's inside makes me immediately look away.

"You're not a thinking man, are you? If you were, you would've let this go. No, but you're like one of those junkyard dogs, right? Just can't stay on your leash," Seth tells him.

"I came to do what I had to do," Gonzalez replies. "And I ain't leaving till I do it."

He's very determined, I'll give him that, even if his goal — killing Richie and Seth, I suppose — isn't something that I fully support. How did he manage to live through everything, I wonder as I question the ranger's humanity. Maybe he's a culebra, too.

Jacob steps forward and points a gun at Seth's head. "Let him go."

"This ain't your fight, Padre," Seth tells him without moving away from the ranger.

"And it ain't your call to kill him."

Interrupting the new argument between the two men, Kate says, "We already saw him get killed, but he lived. He might know something."

"She's right, I know a way out." the ranger says. "But you're too stupid to listen."

His words instantly draw my attention and I finally voice my thoughts. "Why should we trust you? You easily could be a culebra by now."

"I'm—"

"Shut up," Seth tells the ranger, probably angry that there is some sort of negotiation going on. "This guy thinks he's Dirty Harry. You out for blood? That's good, cause you're gonna die bloody."

"Let him go," Jacob repeats.

"This is Old Testament, Padre."

"My Scott is gone because you kidnapped us and forced us to come here," the preacher accuses. "By your scripture, you raise that blade, I can splatter that melon of your all over that wall."

Seth grabs the Ranger's face and turns it to the side, exposing his neck. "You see this? Looks like this little piggy already had a close encounter."

Moving closer, I stand a few steps behind Seth and look at the man's neck. The bite marks are there and as I realize how long has gone by without Ranger Gonzalez turning into a culebra, I don't know what to think about it.

The Ranger partly releases himself from Seth's hold and claims, "I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me."

Believing him isn't exactly an option — even if he does feel fine, he was bitten, which means that at some point or another he's at least supposed to turn. In this case, his feelings are simply not enough.

"Nothing's wrong with these bikers either, till they got up and they started chomping," Seth replies and nods towards where the dead culebras are lying.

"I know a way out. It's down that trap door over there, through a hole," Ranger Gonzalez says and nods towards the door that he came in through.

It's already clear that getting out of here will not be easy, so his words don't surprise me. I remember clearly what I saw when I looked down there and I'm not sure that I want to know yet what else awaits us there.

"Down to where?" Jacob asks and I notice how the subject of a way out has caught everyone's curiosity.

"It's a grinder," the Ranger replies. "For flesh. Get past it, might be an exit."