The Penalty
Part 7 of 'An Education'
By Gumnut
9 Feb 2004
Pure terror woke him. An agonising scream of fear that shook him to the core. Through the haze of his mind, and the blur of his vision he was forced to look up.
Forced to see.
No.
God, no.
Nonononononononononoooooooooooooo...!
It had her.
It had slithered out of her mother and now it had her.
The slimy black snake scum had wrapped itself around Cassie's neck, its lithe form, writhing back and forth in rapture, its eyes pinned on hers, taunting, tempting, threatening.
Jack didn't think, he moved.
No pain.
There was no pain.
He crawled. The distance long, his breath short.
He was not fast enough.
He did not have a chance.
Cassie whimpered, struggling vainly as if hypnotised. The snake heard him, it's excuse for a head swivelling briefly in his direction.
It needed no prompting. It took no chances.
It took Cassie instead.
Swift and surely, it whipped around and entered at the base of her neck.
Blood spattered.
Cassie didn't scream, her protest only voiced by a vain whimper choked out as her eyes caught his. They flashed once before she fell limp, her body taken from her.
Cassie didn't need to scream.
Because her uncle screamed for her.
His hoarse cry echoed back at him from the walls, taunting him with its hopelessness. When he finally reached her, he was wracked with tremors, his hands shaking.
Oh, god, Cassie. No.
He touched her cheek, blinded by his own grief, beaten by his own exhaustion. Blood smeared on her pale skin.
Her face smiled.
Two eyes stared up at him, flickering with white fire.
"Hello, Uncle Jack."
**********
FIN.
Part 7 of 'An Education'
By Gumnut
9 Feb 2004
Pure terror woke him. An agonising scream of fear that shook him to the core. Through the haze of his mind, and the blur of his vision he was forced to look up.
Forced to see.
No.
God, no.
Nonononononononononoooooooooooooo...!
It had her.
It had slithered out of her mother and now it had her.
The slimy black snake scum had wrapped itself around Cassie's neck, its lithe form, writhing back and forth in rapture, its eyes pinned on hers, taunting, tempting, threatening.
Jack didn't think, he moved.
No pain.
There was no pain.
He crawled. The distance long, his breath short.
He was not fast enough.
He did not have a chance.
Cassie whimpered, struggling vainly as if hypnotised. The snake heard him, it's excuse for a head swivelling briefly in his direction.
It needed no prompting. It took no chances.
It took Cassie instead.
Swift and surely, it whipped around and entered at the base of her neck.
Blood spattered.
Cassie didn't scream, her protest only voiced by a vain whimper choked out as her eyes caught his. They flashed once before she fell limp, her body taken from her.
Cassie didn't need to scream.
Because her uncle screamed for her.
His hoarse cry echoed back at him from the walls, taunting him with its hopelessness. When he finally reached her, he was wracked with tremors, his hands shaking.
Oh, god, Cassie. No.
He touched her cheek, blinded by his own grief, beaten by his own exhaustion. Blood smeared on her pale skin.
Her face smiled.
Two eyes stared up at him, flickering with white fire.
"Hello, Uncle Jack."
**********
FIN.