The Writer Games | 4 - 5

Situation 3: Answers

Mikey's POV

I trudged on. Deriks  blood had gone off more quickly than I'd have liked, so I abandoned the  body for the game makers to take away and made my way in search of my  allies. I'd found them too, right up by the pyramid, but it was too  dangerous to stay there, so we left. It's too dangerous everywhere  actually, that's why I always keep my knife on me now, not just in my  pack. We had some water, but we were searching for an oasis where we  could hang out. At least I wasn't as hot anymore. Deriks clothing was a  great improvement on my polar gear. Plop. The first droplet made a small  noise as it landed on my upper lip. I tentatively licked it. It didn't  taste of poison, and now more was falling. I hadn't even noticed the sky  getting darker until now. "I guess we don't need to search for an oasis  anymore" said Bo happily, and Selina laughed. I joined in, but the  laughter was fake, if I wanted to win then they would both have to die  at some point, and I wanted to win. We got to work setting up the empty  water bottles in the sand so water would collect and soon we were  soaked. At first I liked the sensation, the first chance to be cool in a  long time, but the water plastered my cloths to my skin causing the  fabric to rub abrasively and chilled me to the bone. I'd forgotten that  there was such a thing as too cold, but now I was forcefully reminded of  the unfortunate truth. Bottles set up we sat down, huddled up for  warmth. I didn't notice the figure walking up behind us until the  scream.

We all span round, and I  saw a giant cobra. I was just in time to catch it swallowing Ave whole.  Then it turned on the screamer, Elena. She tried to run, but it shot  forward and caught her in it's fangs and she went the way of Ave. God it  was fast.

It turned to face us  now, hypnotic gaze resting on us with all the weight of your average  mountain, forked tongue stile out and flicking menacingly. I slowly, oh  so slowly reached my hand into my pack and gripped my axe. Don't startle  it, gently now. I could see Selina and Bo reaching for their own  weapons, bows for both of them. In perfect sync we pulled them all out  and they each knocked and arrow to their bow and drew back the string  while I lifted my axe, preparing to jump the beast. All done in  carefully slow motion so I'd didn't strike, all done in terror that it  would anyway.

"3, 2, 1" whispered Bo and we all made our move.

The two arrows made a  whooshing noise as they passed me before embedding themselves in their  target. I leapt forward with a ferocious battle cry, swinging the axe.  It bit deep into it's side, but on this creature it barely looked more  than a scratch because of it's sheer size.

I pulled my axe out with a sharp yank and yelled "AIM FOR THE EYES" while preparing for my next swing.

It hissed in fury and spat poison at me but I danced to one side, and the liquid missed me by inches.

I brought the axe round  on the same cut, treating the snake like a tree I wanted to fell. I  squishy, scary moving tree, but a tree. I could chop down a tree, easy  peasy lemon squizey.

The second chop went  even deeper, and it screamed a mixture of pain and fury at me. Such a  sound. It hurt my ear drums, and I all but released my axe to grab my  ears. A small thump in the background, which I had no idea how I heard  over the screech, told me that either Bo or Selina had done just that.

Incapacitated for a brief second after the sound stopped it spat at me, and the poison hit me full in the face.

I screamed. Not a unholy  scream like the snakes, just a normal and very human sounding scream of  pain and fear. The liquid burned like fire where it touched my eyes and  I clawed at them in my agony, collapsing on the ground and leaving my  axe buried in it's neck. The sound of the snake fast approaching came  from above me, as it made it's killing strike. I rolled to one side  desperately trying to stay alive. There was a slight thud beside me when  it hit the sand where I had been laying. Again I heard the slithering  sound of it slicing through the air and again I rolled. The thud sounded  like it was barely a foot away now. I prepared to roll a third time,  but instead of it rushing towards me I heard it land heavily and felt  the sand vibrate from the shock. "It's okay, I got it" whispered Bo,  coming towards me. "I got it in the eye, it's dead" "You sure it's dead"  I asked sitting up. The pain was diminishing, but no matter how hard I  tried, I couldn't open my eyes. "Yeah I'm su-" she cut off short in  shock. "Oh my God" breathed Selina "What?" I asked, tensing up for  another fight, and reaching out with all my senses but sight for another  threat. "Your eyes, they've gone blood red" she whispered. I froze. My  eyes were open, I just couldn't see. I was blind. I was as good as dead.  I was blind. "Oh yeah," I laughed shaking it off "I got a splash of  that things venom, hurt like hell at first but I'm fine now, it'll  probably wear off soon" I lied. I couldn't tell her my weakness, I  couldn't tell anyone. They'd exploit it. I quietly went to collect my  axe, trying to walk like I knew exactly where I was going. I went in the  direction where the vibrations had come from and followed the quiet  crunching of their footsteps as they went to collect their arrows. The  serpent had made a small crater in the sand when it had fallen, so I  followed the dip along, brushing my hand lightly along it's side until I  found the wound.