Ky'Mera: The Next Generation (Sequel Series to the Ky'Mera Adventures Trilogy)

Chapter 4: A Bugged Plan and A Snake Ambush

A Bugged Plan and A Snake Ambush

We had set our little trap not far from the edge of the forest, knowing that the creature was coming back to it to hide. Maybe if we set up shop on its doorstep it would be more likely to come out and take the bait. Dad was sitting on a rock formation that was ringed by several small ridges, each only a few feet high. He had his sketchpad and a pencil in hand, drawing some of the plant life that could be seen in the foliage not twenty feet away. We had chosen this spot because it was very near where the tracks had ended from the previous snatching, and because from the woods anyone behind the ridges would not be seen. Behind the three nearest ridges the rest of our group had taken up positions to avoid being flanked in the instance that this thing had enough brains to go around. Chiara, Rona and Koni held the outer ring, offering support to us and to each other while Helios, Gabby and mom hunkered down behind the second ridge. Given I was the fastest one of us, I was all alone behind the ridge closest to dad, that way if something did come after him, I could reach him and hopefully hold off the abductor long enough for the others to arrive.

We had been sitting in our spots for almost an hour now, and still no sign of our mysterious attacker, though my instincts told me something was going to happen, and soon. Dad was working on his latest work, the rock slab he was sitting on littered with page after page of art that was done in amazing detail. Even from my position fifteen feet away the flowers and plants looked so real that I almost thought he had planted a garden.

Suddenly, my sixth sense of danger told me something was getting closer, but my true senses told me nothing was there. I had no idea if the creature would be able to hear me or not, so I stayed quiet even though my instincts screamed at me to sound the alarm. Dad seemed to sense danger as well, and he looked up to glance over at me, then back towards the woods, as if he too could tell something was amiss. I scanned the tree line for movement, but nothing shifted or moved to give away the location of our attacker. All of a sudden I heard a scream, coming from behind me! I spun around and looked to see what was wrong, and to my amazement there didn't seem to be anything there. Chiara, Rona and Koni were swatting at something below my line of sight, and one by one they fell over, disappearing behind the ridge. Helios, Gabby and mom had already seen the others in trouble, though when they hopped the ridge they too fell over in what seemed to be an ordered attack. Still I couldn't see what was attacking them, so as I hopped the first ridge I peeked over the last before jumping over, hoping to trip up what I knew was an ambush. My eyes widened in shock at what I saw, because I almost couldn't believe it.

Slithering around my friends were at least a dozen pythons, each at least thirty feet long and patterned like diamondback rattlesnakes with a chain of black diamonds running down their backs while the rest of their scales were a deep tan color. Three had my friends and family coiled up like burritos, two of them for each snake. They seemed to be struggling, though besides some movement of their feet and heads, nothing was doing any good against the powerful coils of the snakes. A hiss to my left drew my attention, and I ducked as a python whipped its tail around in an arc aimed at my neck. I pulled out my knife and leaped over the ridge, knowing full well what a mess I was running into.

The first attempt to snare me missed as I jumped over the sweeping tail, though I wasn't so lucky the second time. Working as a team, two of the pythons swung their tails at the same time, both low and high. I tried to skip out of the way, but in avoiding the one aimed at my waist, the one at ground level snagged my ankle and dragged me to the ground with a thud. The wind was knocked out of my lungs as the constrictor wrapped me up so tightly I almost couldn't breathe. It lifted its head to look at me with its beady green eyes, and it opened its mouth as it came closer.

I fully expected it to start eating me alive, but to my shock it put its mouth close to my ear and hissed out, "We are not here to fight. We only want the niccccccce juiccccccccy Draconiansssssssss for our sssssssssupply of food. We have no quarrel with you ssssssssssurface dweller, but if you persssssisssssst in pesssssssstering usssssssss, we will hunt every lasssst one of you down until there are none of you left." It looked over at Chiara and my heart jumped in fear as its lips curved up in a sinister smirk, "We'll jussssst take your mate with ussssss asssss insssentive not to follow." It looked back at me and hissed out with what I could only describe as serpentine laughter, "You know what will happen to your mate if you try and ssssssstop ussssssss. Do not follow or ssssssshe will become our next meal along with the Draconiansssssssss." It tightened its coils and I gasped as the breath was knocked out of my lungs, making me fight for air as the tubes of muscle grew ever tighter. My vision went into a tunnel as my body fought for air, but without being able to break free of the python's grip, I let out my breath as my thoughts scattered and I passed out.