* * *
She must be taking rest, Silas thought as he approached the tree that marked the path to the waterfall. She remained in the same place for the last hour. Perhaps she had fallen asleep. But what if she were hurt? No, he couldn’t give in to thoughts of fear, not now when he was so close. He walked into the wooded area and up the path she would have taken. The deeper in he walked, the greater grew his feeling that something was wrong. Silas quickened his step, touching for the dagger he kept.
The faint sound of the hidden waterfall was the only sound he heard. He walked on, the display on his tablet showing that she had yet to move from the spot where she was. He would have called out to her but something told him to approach in silence and a few minutes later, he spotted her. He felt relief and fear at once when he realized why she sat so still, huddled against a tree. Her face was white, her eyes wide with terror. He heard her sniffle, saw her try to pull back, but panic would only result in her death.
“Stay as still as you can,” he whispered, withdrawing his dagger as he approached slowly.
The thick yellow snake with the bright red stripe along its spine that had wrapped itself around her legs hissed and turned its head at the sound of his approach, its split tongue darting out between its sharp fangs.
Rowan made a sound and he knew she was moments from losing it.
“Be quiet and still,” he repeated, never once taking his eyes from the snake that now turned its attention back to her.
Silas moved closer, seeing Rowan’s hands fist handfuls of earth as the serpent tugged her legs tighter. He’d have one chance to do this, one strike of his own before the snake would strike. This animal, a mutation due to the post-asteroid plague, was deadly with two ways to kill: the lethal poison of its fangs as well as the slow crushing power of its body.
Rowan’s scream was what caused him to jump into action in the next moment when the serpent reared its head back and opened its mouth, ready to strike. Silas threw his weight on top of the animal sideways, his arm wrapping around its neck while his dagger sliced into its throat. The snake was powerful and immediately turned its attention on its attacker. Silas rolled it onto the ground, his knife digging deeper, slicing through thick flesh as the animal wrapped its lower body around Silas’ legs and tried to squeeze. The serpent’s lunge at him was powerful, the creature was strong, but Silas stabbed again, this time nearly decapitating the thing. That was when Rowan began to scream, suddenly animated herself as the serpent’s life slowly seeped from its wounds and into the earth.
Silas held onto it, dragging his dagger through again, nearly splitting it in two and only when the creature’s body unwrapped itself from his legs and fell unmoving to the ground did he ease his hold on it. His breath came fast and sweat dropped onto the dead snake. Silas took his knife and with one final cut, severed the head completely from its body.
Dropping the dagger, he rolled off the snake, breathing hard, and looked at Rowan who stood shaking, her panicked eyes on the dead, dismembered thing, on the bloody dagger, on him. She took two steps back, her hands fisted at her sides, her body hunched over with the shock of what she’d just witnessed, the terror of what had just happened to her. She opened her mouth to speak but her lips only trembled and tears fell from her eyes. Silas watched as she turned and ran.
Jumping to his feet, he ran after her, tackling her to the ground when she wouldn’t stop.
“Rowan!” he called out, pinning her to the ground with his hands on her shoulders, his weight over her hips.
It was as though she couldn’t see him though because she screamed and fought like the hellcat he’d named her until Silas caught her wrists and tightened his legs around hers, immobilizing her.
“Don’t touch me! Get it off me!” she yelled, shaking her head from side to side, still trying to fight him, stronger now with adrenaline pumping through her.
“The snake is dead, Rowan. It’s me, it’s Silas,” he said, but she wouldn’t listen, couldn’t hear him.
Silas picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, taking her little fists against his back, the kicks she managed against his belly. He walked her toward the water allowing her to scream and fight, wanting her to wear herself out. By the time he reached the water and walked into it, she began to tire. He set her in the water and held her, dunking her fully beneath the surface and dragging her up as she gasped and when her hands stopped beating but searched to find him, to find his strength, and her screams turned into sobs, he pulled her to him, cradling her head as she wept into his shoulder.
“Shh, it’s ok, you’re ok.”