A Game Called Revenge ✭ Cato Hadley

Twenty-Two - It Comes In Waves

"ꜱᴜᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ɪɴ ᴡᴀᴠᴇꜱ."

They push their way through the thick jungle until something blocks their path.

"What the fuck?" Clio shouts, asking no one in particular.

"Clio? What is it?" Cato replies, running to catch up with her, clearly still worried about her reaction earlier.

"There's some sort of invisible wall." She says, bashing her hand against the barrier. With a swift motion, her fingers splay wide as she swings her hand forward to make contact with the invisible wall. The impact is jarring, sending ripples of sensation throughout her arm muscles. It is as if her hand strikes an unseen force field, akin to pressing against a solid surface hidden from sight. The air around them seems to hum with an intangible energy, as their gaze remains fixed on the point of impact, as if expecting the barrier to either materialise before them or to disappear completely.

"It's stopping us from entering that part of the jungle." Gloss says, confused as he comes to stand beside them at the wall.

"Maybe, it's splitting the jungle like the water?" Cato suggests.

"The water isn't split."

"There's lines of rocks you moron." Cato scoffs, "If that's not splitting the water then the fuck would you call it then?"

"Who the f-"

"Having your pissing contest later." Cashmere interrupts her brother's retort. "We need to figure out how to get past this."

"Or maybe we don't?" Clio proposes as the others turn to look at her. "Maybe we take it as a sign that we shouldn't be in that section? The wall has to disappear at some point."

"And what if it doesn't?" Gloss asks her with a scowl.

"You're our leader, shouldn't you be figuring this out?"

"I should've just killed you the second you attacked Cash."

"And I told you'd I'd fucking skin you alive the second you try." Cato derides him.

"Oh my god," Cashmere whines, "Gloss I said it was fine. Cato, just I don't know, shut up and look."

With a resigned huff, each of them turns towards where the blonde woman points to the floor of the jungle. The once vibrant, verdant foliage seems to shiver as an ominous presence reveals itself through a sinuous movement across the undergrowth. Gloss takes a step back as they watch the jungle floor writhing with a multitude of snakes, slithering and coiling as their scales glisten in the dappled sunlight as that section of the arena becomes a realm. In various shapes and sizes, the snakes slip atop each other as their hisses and rustling scales warn of danger. Birds call out in alarm, cries echoing through the canopy and the alliance watch as smaller creatures dart and scurry to evade the serpents but cause intrigue when it seems that the slimy invertebrates pay no attention to them. Several of the snakes, painted black, red and yellow, lift their heads, tongues hissing as they glide towards the careers standing at the edge of the segment only to be stopped by the invisible force and redirected back into the depths.

"Those are all venomous." Cashmere tells them, nodding her head towards the piles of colourful, striped snakes that are filling that area, slipping from the trees and out of various plants and bushes. "We got lucky with the spiders because at least we could stay still. Anyone in there is dead."

"Where are they all coming from?" Gloss asks with a shiver.

"What's wrong?" Cato taunts him, using his earlier words against him. "Is the almighty, all powerful Gloss scared of some snakes?"