Some time long ago, maybe even a hundred years, Kai wasn't sure, but long ago, there had been some sort of logging being done in the forest. It was obvious from the old and grown-over paths and from the patches of trees shorter than the other trees, but it was also obvious from a couple of cabins that sat scattered throughout the forest. Most of them were broken down to the point of missing their roofs and several or all of their walls, but one of the cabins, sheltered underneath a particularly large tree, was still intact. That was where Kai and Cole were now.
"It stinks in here," Cole commented as soon as he walked in behind Kai. "Was that you, Gasman?"
"Nah, it's just the way it is, remember?" Kai asked.
Cole paused. "Oh, yeah. Rot and all that."
"Rot and mouse poop and dead bugs," Kai agreed, settling himself on a patch of floor that seemed slightly cleaner than the rest. "So. What do we do now?"
"Well, the oil slick crash went over like we planned, but I don't think it actually had a permanent effect," Cole concluded. "You said none of the Serpentine died or were too hurt?"
"Yeah," Kai stated. "None that I could tell, at least."
"So we need to go bigger," Cole said. He swung his backpack off of his back and dug around in it, coming up with the package they were calling Big Boy. "I think it's time."
"Really? We're gonna do it?" Kai asked, feeling a little nauseous, although whether it was from excitement or apprehension, he didn't know.
"Uh-huh. We need to get rid of the Serpentine, to stop them from hurting us, to prevent them from kidnapping anyone else," Cole explained.
Kai's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Yeah, we need to do that."
"We should bomb their camp," Cole decided. "Hopefully most of them will be there, and-"
Cole paused mid-sentence, clutching Big Boy close. He turned his head to one side, then the other. He frowned.
"What?" Kai wondered.
"Shhh," Cole advised quietly. "I heard something."
He'd heard something? Well, the cabin was pretty rickety, Kai figured. Surely it had just been some old board falling down, or maybe an animal of some kind-
Scritch, scritch, scritch. Something, or someone, was scratching at the front door.
Kai gulped. Raccoons sometimes scratched at things, right? So did squirrels and chipmunks, probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
"Oh, look at the little birdiesss, all caught in a net," someone crooned from behind the front door.
Jumping up, Kai spun to face the front door in horror. Through a crack in the frame, he could just barely see an eye surrounded by scales peering in at him and Cole.
Spinning back, Kai reported lowly, "One at the front door."
Cole frowned and whispered back. "One at the back door. I can hear him shifting."
Well. That sucked.
"Side window?" Kai suggested.
Cole nodded and reached out, settling a hand on Kai's shoulder.
Moving as one, Cole and Kai inched toward the side window, Kai staring at it all the while. Just a little closer, c'mon, just a little closer…
A face appeared in the window, grinning and showing off sharp fangs.
Kai squeaked and stopped short.
"What?" Cole breathed.
"Serpentine in the window," Kai whispered. "All our exits are blocked."
"Hey there, little onesss," the Serpentine at the window teased. "You wanna play?"
Kai's whole body tensed. He put up his fists and widened his stance. They couldn't run. They had to fight.