AUTHOR'S NOTE: The show doesn't state where this incident took place. I went with San Marcos, Texas because that is where one of the images of a rattlesnake on Wikipedia was taken.
…The next file reads "INCIDENT 0127071979". Its crude drawing depicts two rednecks and a rattlesnake.
Ruby: "0127071979".
Shannon: "Ah, the one with the rednecks and the rattlesnake. Always nice to see Mother Nature's power on display."
Opening the file reveals the picture to be a shrubland-like scene. A man is lying on the ground, his arms sprawled out. He is wearing a white tank top, and his hat has fallen from his head and is lying nearby.
Shannon has got the video up and turns her laptop to the camera.
Shannon: "Quite often humans think they're invincible, but Mother Nature has plenty of ways to correct that assumption for us…"
The camera zooms into the laptop screen.
The grayscale image depicts two green glass beer bottles sitting on a log.
Date of Incident: 27 July, 1979
Location of Incident: Somewhere near San Marcos, Texas
As the video begins the bottle on the right suddenly explodes, in slow motion, into a flurry of shards that scatter in all directions.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Here is a question. What do you get when you mix a couple of good old boys, too many beers and a small arsenal of firearms?"
Several shots show what is going on. A shrubland scene is revealed, alongside a ute and two men. Both men are wearing white tank top shirts and plaid jackets. In the back of the ute are several firearms, mainly assault rifles. Nearby are several silver cans of beer. One of the men swigs the contents of one can before setting it aside, whilst the other is loading one of the rifles.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Well, you get your basic hillbilly holiday."
One of the men is seen shooting at the beer bottles. The right one explodes, just like in the intro.
Shannon: (Narrating) "But these two men are about to get more than they bargained for. In a world where there are 1000 ways to die, they can sneak up on you when you least expect it."
We cut to what seems to be a few minutes earlier. The ute is racing along an unpaved trail, gunshots breaking the calm air. The two men are seen inside, one shooting a rifle out of the window.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Bobby Joe and Darryl were two brothers looking to blow off some steam. What better way than, in true hillbilly fashion, to jump into a pickup truck, drive to the middle of nowhere, and shoot off some guns?"
Bobby Joe swigs a beer before the brothers jump out of the ute, ready to have their fun. They grab one of the rifles from the boot and go to town on the beer bottles. Return to Darryl enjoying another beer, fresh from the can.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Other than the brain-crippling hangovers they were facing, nobody got hurt and they got a day's worth of laughs.
Several more shots of shooting and beer drinking ensue.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Things were going according to plan. At least until Darryl decided to scare the pants off his little brother."
We see Darryl reloading one of the rifles. Then, whilst Bobby Joe is setting up more empty bottles to shoot, Darryl points the gun in his direction. And pulls the trigger. As the bullets fly in Bobby Joe's direction, he begins stumbling and flailing around in panic before attempting to scurry away.
Bobby Joe: "JESUS! Help! Jesus! Woah!"
Bobby runs towards the camera, only to collapse just next to it.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Bobby Joe hit the ground and was dead in minutes."
We see Bobby Joe on the ground convulsing and breathing shakily.
Shannon: (Narrating) "But not from a gunshot wound!"
The footage is abruptly rewound to the point where Bobby Joe is stumbling towards the camera. The footage is then replayed but from a different angle. As we see Bobby Joe collapse, something suddenly lunges in and strikes him in the chest.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Bobby Joe had the misfortune of falling on top of a rattlesnake. The rattlesnake was not happy about that and vented its anger at Bobby Joe with venom. Quite a bit of it. Delivered just above his heart. Okay Ruby, analysis."
Cut to Ruby in the office. She is holding a jar with a very small amount, about five grams, of a yellowish liquid inside.
Ruby: "So this liquid here is like, rattlesnake venom. Specifically, this venom is from the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. I have enough venom here to kill, like, over a dozen people."
She sets the jar down on the table next to her.
Ruby: "95% of people who are bitten by snakes are under twenty-seven years old. Quite a few of them are with buddies, they've had a couple beers, and they think they're hot stuff. And the snake says 'No you're not - I'll kill you.' You can get ten drops of venom from a single bite, and it only takes like, one drop to knock you on your butt. In case you're wondering, the Royal Woods Zoo let me borrow this jar of venom."
Ruby holds up her tablet, which now shows an illustration of a snake skull, with arrows pointing to the fangs.
Ruby: "The fangs themselves are hollow, sort of like a hypodermic needle. And they're surrounded by muscles that will pump the venom into the wound a fraction of a second after the snake has struck. It's quite the lethal weapon."
Cut back to the shrubland, the video frozen at the point the rattlesnake's fangs pierce Bobby Joe's chest.
Shannon: (Narrating) "Rattlesnake venom is quite the toxic cocktail."
A CGI shot of the interior of one of Bobby Joe's blood vessels shows the venom molecules flowing through his bloodstream alongside his blood cells and wreaking havoc.
Shannon: (Narrating) "It contains cytotoxins, myotoxins and hemotoxins. The cytotoxins are molecules that can destroy cells and the myotoxins destroy muscles. Meanwhile, the hemotoxins destroy red blood cells and disrupt blood clotting. Severe envenomation, combined with ineffective or delayed treatment, can result in the loss of a limb or even death."
Cut back to Bobby Joe, who has now fallen silent and unmoving.
Shannon: (Narrating) "So, if you're a drunk redneck, and you spend the whole day out in the hot sun, drinking beers like crazy and shooting off guns, and you fall on a snake and get bitten, what do you think is going through your mind?"
Ruby: (Narrating) "Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name - that's about it. Not gonna make it, Shanny."
Ruby laughs as the image of Bobby Joe turns grayscale.
WAY TO DIE #092
FANG BANGED
We return to Shannon and Ruby in their office.
Ruby: "I do feel the need to point out that rattlesnakes are not, like, poisonous, but rather venomous."
Shannon: "Indeed. Whilst poison is delivered through ingestion, inhalation or absorption, venom is delivered by injection. Next file, please. Your turn to narrate."
Ruby marks off the file and wheels over to grab the next one.
