Chapter Eleven- And Worse Turns Into Hell

//This young man lays alone but fastened to the ground
The sound of fleeing feet and a cryin' eye will be his last sound yeah
What did we gain from all of this? Now was it worth a life? No
We've thrown all our hopes away and set our dreams aside
Now we're cryin'//

His lungs burned, his feet pumping as he careened down the passageway. His heart pounded mercilessly in his head. He flew from the passage entrance back into the first cavern. He was halfway across the ground when he felt dust falling and a shadow looming over him. Without thought, he threw himself forward.

Dirt kicked up as something big and fast hit that ground where he had been the second before.

Rolling to his knees, he looked up. There, hanging on the ceiling was the largest snake he had ever seen in his life. The green lithe body was over five feet thick and about six hundred yards long. It was HUGE! Daniel looked up into the yellow eyes, the head adorned with purple and white feathers.

The snake opened its mouth, the four foot fangs extended. Daniel took a guess that they were filled with poison.

The snake struck out, darting forward to catch him in its jaws.

A large black shadow darted upward, catching the snake around the back of its neck.

The snake let out a hissing sound as it released the trees that grew from the side of the cavern. The two large animals landed in heap on the small forest floor. Daniel watched as the panther-like monster fought the overgrown snake.

The cat had the snake around the base of the neck, the rest of the snake twisting around the cat's body. The two tumbled around and around. Daniel couldn't do anything as the great bodies roamed from side to side, making a dash to either passage one heck of risk. He could only hope that each would like the other.

Finally with a large crack, the snake was able to squeeze the cat's body. Ribs gave way, spearing straight into the dying cat's lungs. Blood gushed out from where the teeth of the cat penetrated the snake's skin. There was a tearing sound as the snake pulled free. With a hiss, the snake struck the cat in the chest, delivering its poison directly into the stilling heart.

The snake turned to Daniel, swaying drunkenly. Blood was pouring from the wounds it had received during the tumble, bones exposed.

Daniel took a step back.

The snake moved.

Daniel screamed in pain as the fang tore into his shoulder, his arm caught in the snake's mouth. His back slammed into a tree, the air whooshing out of him. Dizzy, he noticed he wasn't moving. Looking up, he stared into the eyes of the snake, glossy and dead.

He tried to move. But couldn't. His arm had been caught in the curved teeth of the snake, blood trickling down. His shoulder burned where the fang had passed through. Luckily it was only a graze.

Daniel slumped against the floor. Already he could feel himself losing touch with the area around him.

// What will we do? What will we say?
When it's the end of this game that we play?
Will we crumble into the dust my friend?
Or will we start this game over again?
It's coming back to me; it's coming back to me
It's coming back to me; it's coming back to me
It's coming back to me //

There were voices.

Many of them.

"Daniel? Daniel can you hear me?!" A face swam into view, distorted and unrecognizable. "Teal'c! I need you to open the snake's jaws. Watch out with that fang."

"I believe, Daniel Jackson has come into contact with the poison, O'Neill. His shoulder has been infected."

So his ex-friends were here.

"Reynolds, go down that passageway and search for Perez. I want to know if he's still alive and a threat."

"Understood, colonel." There was more rustling, thumps of feet on the ground.

"Sir, the cat-thing is dead." Sam, that was Sam.

"Carter, help me pull Daniel from the snake's mouth."

"Yes, sir."

There was even more pain as he felt his arm pulled free from the lacerating teeth. He didn't even moan as the haze increased.

"He's lost a lot of blood. We need to take him back right now." Fingers were probing the wound on his shoulder. "Can you open the bandage, sir, as I clean out this wound?" Tearing; something running over the open gash.

"Colonel O'Neill. We've found what's left of Perez. It looks like one the beasts got to him. He's ripped to shreds." Reynolds told them over the radio.

"Copy that, Reynolds. Head back. Daniel's not doing so good."

"Yes, sir."

Daniel drifted off again.

He felt his body move, swinging. Then the feeling of being lifted came over him.

"Oh, jeez, Daniel." Another familiar face swam into view. "God, what the hell did it do to you?" More tugging. A whoosh of what sounded like water. Blue light.

"How's our boy?"

"Not doing good, sir."

"Put him here, Major." Creaking of metal. Rushing, lights passing overhead. Whirring of machines. Back down another passage. Voices, firm, calling for more equipment.

"His blood pressure's hitting critical! Where the hell is that bag of blood!" Clothes tearing, cold air cooling his already cold body even further.

"On the count of three, slid him over! One! Two! Three!"

He felt himself slid.

"Daniel, don't you dare die on me!" A bright light flicked on. "Take off his jacket completely! We need to get to the rest of his injury!"

Something moving from under him. Another light filled his vision, the edges tinged with blood.

The serum Alana gave to him activated.

// What will we do? What will we say?
When it's the end of this game that we play?
Will we crumble into the dust my friend?
Or will we start this game over again//