Chapter 26 Death of the Serpent
The next morning, we caught two fresh sea fish.
Hailey sliced one of them and handed it to me.
To avoid provoking the serpent, I didn’t throw the bait. Instead, I boldly walked over and placed the fish on a patch of grass about a few feet from the snake.
At that distance, if it suddenly lunged, I’d have no choice but to fight for my life.
Fortunately, the giant snake was more interested in the fish.
It slithered down from the tree and opened its–jaws toward the meat.
After swallowing the fresh fish, it climbed back into the branches, coiling itself in a complex S–shape.
Lily explained to us that when snakes rest in trees, it gives them a better field of view–and exerts a threatening presence over anything below.
She then soaked five or six toxic mushrooms in the fish’s blood.
Once the mushrooms were fully saturated with the strong scent of blood, Lily stuffed them into the meat.
She told me, “That snake must’ve lived on this island for a long time. It probably knows which mushrooms are poisonous. I’ve used the smell of blood to mask the scent and fish meat to hide the appearance. Let’s hope it eats it.”
I nodded and took the fish from her.
Holding the bait in one hand and my axe in the other, I walked toward the serpent.
Maybe because it had tasted fish before, the snake seemed interested. It slithered down the tree again.
Its muscular body and long fangs made it a serious threat.
I laid the fish on the grass and slowly backed away.
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The snake glanced at me, then at the fish.
Clearly, the fish was the easier target…
It bit into the meat and tilted its head back, swallowing it whole.
I let out a breath of relief.
Back at the camp, we watched the snake from a distance, whispering about whether the poison would work.
About ten minutes passed, and the snake began to look agitated.
Suddenly, Lily said, “I think it’s going to go berserk… Those mushrooms can trigger intense arousal. If the snake enters a frenzied state, it’ll attack anything in sight… I think we should run. Now!”
As if to prove her right, the snake snapped a tree branch and fell to the ground.
I told the girls to run while I crouched behind the camp’s fence, axe ready.
The snake writhed violently through the grass, its huge body twisting and swinging its tail.
That tail was like a steel hammer, smashing into trees and making them tremble.
Watching its sheer strength, I silently gave thanks.
Good thing I didn’t fight it head–on. That would’ve been a brutal battle.
The snake looked more and more distressed, thrashing on the grass. One tree’even cracked under its coils, leaves and branches raining down.
Eventually, the serpent collapsed and stopped moving.
Alice, overjoyed, wanted to go over and collect the meat.
But Lily quickly pulled her back. “Alice, don’t rush… Even if it’s dead, if you cut it with a knife or rock, it might lash out as a reflex.”
Alice hesitated. “So what do we do?”
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Lily smiled. “Use stones! We’ll throw rocks to confirm if it’s really dead.”
The girls grabbed stones and hurled them at the snake.
The rocks landed on its body, but it stayed limp and motionless.
But just as Alice stepped closer and raised another rock, the snake suddenly twitched.
It lunged toward her.
Even though its movements were slow now, Alice screamed from sheer instinctive fear.
I rushed forward and swung the axe hard into its head.
The blade sunk deep into its skull, severing the central nerves.
The snake collapsed.
I yanked the axe out and hacked at its head several more times until it was fully
severed.
Wiping blood from my face, I turned to Alice. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
Alice shook her head, pale with fear.
Dragging the snake’s body, I found it weighed at least twenty kilos.
That much meat would be a fantastic food source for us.
I helped Hailey butcher it, removing the fish and toxic mushrooms from its gut and thoroughly washing the meat.
With the snake gone, the women’s spirits lifted.
Its skin and flesh would be excellent survival resources.
Alice even planned to make a bag from the skin to make gathering food easier.
But then, Hailey did something that shocked everyone.
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She rinsed the blood off the snake’s gallbladder, opened her mouth… and seemed ready to swallow it whole.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
