Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Embrace of a different taste. ❯ Chapter 3

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I created these characters, I wrote them, and I own them. From top to bottom. all my babes.



“I can’t believe it! I just can’t-URGH!”

“Now now…be calm sister. Be calm.”

“Be calm?! I understand he has this thing about strays…but…wh-wh-what is it?!”

“Well I’m not sure…it could be a um….”

“Right! You don’t know, I don’t’ know, he doesn’t know! A mutant maybe. And who knows what kind of diseases it carrying!”

“Well that’s a little extreme don’t you think? I mean he looks healthy…and I don’t see any abnormities really.”

“Just because its not deadly to him doesn’t mean its not deadly to us! Do you really think we can survive another scourge!?”

Harley wrinkled his face in his sleep. What was with all the noise? Sounded like someone was watching some foreign movie on full blast in the next room.

“Military assholes.” Harley grumbled.

“’Ush!” A closer voice chided. “Is disturbing sleep.”

“Hush? HUSH?!?! How DARE you! Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused already? Do you?!”

“Is no trouble.”

“You killed Renaldo! A prince! A prince of a people we are NOT on good terms with! You could have at least disposed of the body!”

“’E was stalking the little one. Would ’ave eaten ’im.”

“So what?! If he is weak enough to be eaten then he’s meant to be eaten! The strong survive and the weak-”

“-Need to be protected. Is not what part of oath? The oath that ’as been sworn to?”

“God damn it. God DAMN it! Ancestors save us…he is NOT one of us!!”

“So? Does oath say ’e ’as to be?”

“Ah-…bu--….you-”

̶ 0;He has a point  sister.”

“Don’t you dare take his side!”

“Is no trouble.”

“Oh? And just how fucking HELL do you figure that?!”

“Because dead prince was not supposed to be ’ere. Trespassing ’e was. No ’ere and no ’unting foundling.”

“That is true…he didn’t have permission to be so near our home.”

“Even so….but this damn dunce didn’t have to kill him! Even then, you should have gotten rid of the body like I said! And barring that you sure as FUCK should not have admitted to the act!”

“Is wrong to lie.”

“You-you….ARGH!!”

&# 8220;Sister….please….”

Harley threw an arm over his left ear and groaned. Could they not turn it down a little at least?

“Why am I tormented like this? What did I ever do to-wh-what are you doing?!”

“Watching.”

“Get away! Don’t hover over him like that! We can’t afford to lose you. You know that! Damn bonehead! This is why we have rules! Protocols!

“Worry to much.”

“And you worry to little! You don’t remember what it was like! You didn’t see it for yourself! We should just chuck this-this thing into the fire pits and be done with it.”

“Cruel you are. ‘E’s alive.”

“Then kill him. You know what else is alive? Our eggs, our lings. Which YOU are endangering! You could have at least TRIED to follow the rules before bringing him in!”

“Brother please….Sister is only trying to look out for us. So if you could just….why are you hovering like that?”

“’E’s so cute!”

“OH you have got to be joking….if you want a pet we’ll get you a damn pet! One that won’t possibly kill us all!”

“He’s not listening sister….you know this.”

“I know he isn’t! I ought to just-”

“Please sister….no violence here.”

“Then what am I supposed to do here huh? The whole god damn den is in an uproar! He broke all the rules, killed another noble-”

“-But we can’t just kill this creature. Not without knowing who and what he is.”

“No one cares! Don’t you two fucking fools get that!? No one gives half a shit about this thing! All they care about is their children!”

“But what if ‘e’s a visitor from elsewhere? Eh? After all…we not know what is across all the waters of the world. Too far to swim,  but we can’t say we’re all alone. So…contact met right? Is that not what supposed to do? Is not ‘nother RULE sister?”

“Another point to brother sister.”

“I KNOW that! Why aren’t either of you listening to me?!! No. One. Fucking. CARES! The only reason we aren’t being swarmed RIGHT now is because I’m being expected to handle this.”

“Well at the very least exile him. It would be nothing short of murder to do what they want. And brother has a point…he could be a visitor or an explorer from somewhere else. Dare we? What if we spark a war with an unknown?”

“You’re not listening! You haven’t listened at all! No one cares! All they are thinking is another plague. Forcing another scourge…killing all their children. DO you really think you can get him from  here to there? He has no status, no protection, and unless the council rules otherwise you’ll have a fucking riot on your hands…hell you might have one even if they do.”

“Then make them understand.”

“While I am flattered at your confidence in me brother dear. I don’t think that’s going to work. I’ve nothing to use to even give them pause long enough to be heard. Just let this go. Maybe he’s form somewhere else, or maybe he’s some fucked up centaur mutant. There is nothing we can do either way, and we MUST take care of our own.”

“Then let us at least send him to them if that’s what you think he is. It is wrong to kill him, and if he truly has infected us with something his death would not reverse that. This isn’t the dark times anymore, we know better then that. We are not murderers.”

“I can try to argue for that, but I can’t promise you anything. Its almost mass hysteria out there. But I’ll try.”

“If that’s what we must do then so bet it. Calmer heads can prevail I’m sure. Now brother, if you could--”

“-No. MINE. Foundling needs status? Needs protection? Fine. Dandy. Easy. Alpha warrior of clan can claim any if wish yes? Has right to offer protection to any without no? So…that is just what Tr-”

“--DON’T YOU DARE!”

The bellowing roar shook Harley’s whole body, jarring him awake horribly. His bleary eyes locked with another reptilian pair only inches away. So close that he couldn’t even hope to see the face. Damn near a kissing range.

Tilting his eyes down Harley spotted a muscled, chocolate brown torso hovering less then a foot above him. How could anyone…wait…

Harley’s eyes slowly peered back up the admittedly yummy body to where the smiling eyes were. The eyes pulled back just enough for him to finally take in the face.

“’Ello little one.”

The words were slow, smooth, with a hint of a hiss.

Then it all clicked.

“Shit! Shitshit!” Harley forced out as he scrambled backwards. “Fucking snake!”

He ran out of ground soon enough, and then found himself falling with a surprised shout. It was only a three or so foot drop, but with a solid stone floor his tailbone was in for a rather jarring end.

A full second into the fall however, when everything was all arm flails and disorientation, Harley felt what he could only describe, later perhaps, as a pulse in the wind…and then arms were around him and he was rising instead of falling.

Higher and higher until he was ten feet in the air, higher then he had ever been without some sort of solid support. Big, strong arms cradled him, and Harley could not help but squirm. He didn’t want to fall, but was certainly not comfortable with the feel of powerful, cool flesh touching him.

“Put him down!” The booming voice rang out again.

Harley twisted, and his stomach dropped as he spotted two more half snake people. One was a pensive looking male. Same brown skin, but his hair was a grassy green. The other was a absolutely volcanically furious looking purple haired woman.

She was bigger then the green haired boy, muscled ripped and popping out, a giant bust straining against a fancy looking yet clearly homemade top. Her lips were drawn back way past what was humanly possible, exposing wet teeth and two wicked looking snake fangs.

Suddenly Harley wasn’t so sure if he wanted down or not.

“You can not do this!” She bellowed in that alien language. “You can not!!”

“Is already done.” Harley’s red headed holder retorted, his tone very matter-of-fact. “So explain to the rest, make them know.”

Harley had no idea of what they were talking about, but knowing his crap luck to date it was about who was going to eat him.

The woman’s eyes flashed fire, and she pushed herself up higher, moving closer as she did so. She still didn’t match the red head when it came to sheer size, but she looked like she could take on an entire football time at once.

Not to be fucked with was a sure fire way to describe her look.

But a glance up revealed an almost bored look on the red head’s face. He looked like he was about to yawn really.

“I am your elder, and I say you will NOT do this!!” She roared. “You will not endanger our family and yourself for this…this…creature!”

The giant snake-man loosened his grip, allowing Harley to squirm out. He slid down the thick…torso of the snake like a big slide, and swiftly scrambled away from the both of them as soon as his feet touched something solid.

Out of the corner of his eye Harley spotted his tent in the corner of the room. If you could even call it a room, looked more like a section of cave really. He had no idea what was providing the light, and at the moment he didn’t care. He had no way of knowing if it was still there, but the gun had been in the tent with him…so it was his only chance.

Harley put his foot forward, but before he could even move the woman did….something. Her muscles twitched, her body blurred like someone had just twisted a focus knob, and then she was gone.

The air shifted in front of Harley and then she was right there. All in all it took less then a full second. Harley barely had time to blink, but his reflexes were sharper then his direct through. He managed to jerk backwards, so that the tips of her fingers only brushed against his shirt as she reached for him.

Another blur of movement in front of him and then the entire room shook from the force of another thick snake trunk slamming down in between them. Faster then Harley could even see the Red head pounced on the woman, and they both went down in a heap.

Almost dumbstruck by the sheer mass of them both, which sent shockwaves ripping through the solid stone of the room as they struggled, Harley almost had to smack himself to get his feet moving.  He dove into the tent as fast as he could, and zipped it up tight behind him. It the protection area it was completely laughable, but it was almost instinctual to try and put something, anything, between him and the…monsters outside.

Harley’s hands were shaking as he patted around for the gun in the darkened tent. His heart was in his throat as the thudding around outside continued. The struggle sounded more labored then fierce…though for all he knew that meant it was wrapping up and soon the victor would come to claim its prize.

Him it would seem…as a meal no doubt. What else would a snake want him for?

The stone under him shook against with another booming thud….then it grew much quieter, and Harley wretched out a hopeless sob as his search turned up nothing. Everything, his sleeping bag obviously, the pack and all its contents, the gun…everything had been removed.

Hyperventilating in fear and panic Harley did make an effort to calm down, to be as quiet as he could. It was stupid to think that he could hide in the tent, that they would forget about him….but that was really his only hope.

“Is over sister. Is done.”

“You c-cant -gasp- you can’t -gag-”

“Can. Will. Did. Foundling is claimed. Make it known please.”

Harley listened intently, wishing that he could understand what was being said. More sounds, more heavy dragging, more hissing voices…and then silence.
And that was worse then the fighting.

Because now he didn’t know what was going on out there…or what was creeping up on him. Though in this case it was who, he supposed he knew what was out there.

Still quiet…and he strained his ears. Surely something so big couldn’t be quiet…right?

Harley’s heart was thudding in his ears, and he was still struggling to control his breathing. If he couldn’t get it under control, not only would he give away his position but he would likely pass out. Then again….maybe that would be for the best. If he was going to be eaten alive…why be awake?

What was obviously a hand poked at  the entrance to the tent, pawing at it. Harley cried out involuntarily, a high pitched squeak of panic, and pressed himself tight against the back wall.
Damn zipper went both ways…though if the snake wanted to Harley was sure he could shred the tent easily. He could swear he could hear frustrated grumbling, and then the zipper was sliding down. Harley could only trembled like the little rabbit he now basically was as the red head’s head poked in.

He smiled pleasantly at Harley, which didn’t do a thing to calm the scientist down. What was there to be happy about?

As fluid as water the snake entered the tent, and Harley pressed tighter against the wall, almost trying to become one with it. There was no way he could get around the snake, and he wasn’t strong enough to rip through the tent. With a knife maybe, but the lightweight micro fiber was made to withstand harsh weather, it was made to take a bit of a pounding.  Even if he could somehow scratch his way through, he doubted he could do it faster then the snake could snag him.

But the snake-man didn’t’ rush in or even make a move towards him. He just laid down on his stomach, one arm under his belly, the other under his chin. Looked just like a teen girl talking on the phone in her bed actually.

There he stayed, and seconds felt like minutes. But the snake thing didn’t move, didn’t do anything but watch Harley with that pleasant expression on his face as he rocked form side to side gently.

In a way it was even worse then listening to the violent struggle from before or the deafening silence that came after.

Just waiting…and waiting….and waiting.

Maddening is what it was. The edge of near death terror just sitting there, teasing him. It wasn’t like he could possibly calm down, his heart was pounding so hard he was expecting a heart attack at any moment. Fight or flight was in full effect…but in truth he could do neither.

Maybe it would be better for his heart to just pop, if it were quick enough that was. Intellectually he knew he should be grateful for every extra second of life. Each one a chance to formulate a plan, to perhaps get out of this situation entirely.

But Christ! It wasn’t like he could even kick the thing in the balls!

But that unblinking stare….that all too satisfied/interested smile.

“I-If yo-y-you’re going t-to d-d-d-d-do som-something….do it.” Harley half whimpered.

The snake man  cocked his head to the side, his lips moving slightly. But he didn’t do anything.

Harley sunk to his butt, his shaky legs finally giving out. His stomach rumbled and clenched, reminding him that it wasn’t just fear that had him trembling. Baring the time he was spent unconscious after being pulled into  the gate it had still been a full day since he had eaten. Not to mention  the gates effects on bio-matter were still unknown.

But it wasn’t like he was going to ask for a sandwich though, especially not when he wasn’t sure if he was about to be food.  He still felt so tired, so wore out. Blind terror seemed to be rather draining…but not like he dared to close his eyes either. Sure he could probably pass out, only to awaken as he was sliding down the snake’s throat.

Just the thought had Harley’s fear spiking back up, and his heart jack hammering his chest.

But still the snake did nothing.

“What?!” Harley screamed. “W-What do you want?!”

The snake mans expression barely changed and only for a moment at that. His brow furrowed, almost as if concerned. But then he was right back to that smile.

Then he started to sing…or at least that’s what it sounded like. Harley couldn’t understand a word…that much hadn’t changed.

Soft and low, that’s what his voice became, but the purpose behind it and the goal intended was unknown to Harley. A lullaby, a pre-meal tune….either way it was creepy as hell.

There had to be something he could do…another way out of the tent perhaps? Emergency exit or something…Harley didn’t’ know. Still…what other choices did he have?
Carefully, very carefully, Harley began to slowly trace the tent wall behind his back with his fingertips. He kept himself as still as he could, and kept his eyes on the creature in front of him. He couldn’t’ feel anything yet, no seams, no second zipper…damn it.

Swallowing a thick lump Harley let out a shaky breath…and then his stomach clenched and rumbled loudly once more. The snake-man drew back slightly, perhaps startled by the wound. Harley could only pray that it didn’t give him any ideas.

But the red head just smiled again, appearing brightly amused. Harley himself was anything but amused however, especially when the creature slid further into the tent, reaching for him.

Harley’s panic shot through the roof as those big hands closed around his sides and began to pull him out of the tent as easily as a child lifted a doll.

“No! No!” Harley screamed as he lashed out at the snake. “Nononononono!”

He kicked, punched, clawed, and even bit at the snake. But even though many of his blows connected solidly with skull, the snake creature was hardly fazed. The next thing he knew he was out of the tent and up in the air.

When the world stopped shifting and twisting Harley found himself being cradled in one arm like a baby and some round, solid thing was being pressed against his lips.

“Silth…silth…” The snake man hissed.
The hell?

Harley jerked his head away, and tried to squirm free. But the arm cradling him tightened and the whatever it was, was pressed to his lips again. Harley jerked away once more only for whatever it was to follow.

“Stop it!” Harley snapped, striking at the solid chest he was up against. Felt more like hitting a rock then hitting flesh but the object was moved out of his face.

His stomach rumbled again, clenching so tight he thought for a second that he might vomit. His limbs felt weak and wispy, both from fear and hunger…but if he didn’t’ think of a way to get out of the damn cave and away from the snakes then there was a very good chance he was going to be served up at some point.

His attention was drawn upwards when the snake bonked him on the forehead with whatever it was. Purple and round…that’s all Harley knew.

Once he was looking the red head took a bite out of the object. It crunched like an apple and some juice spilled out. Then it was pressed to his lips again.
So…it was a fruit?

Harley’s stomach rumbled again, long and loud. But…but what if it was poisonous to him? He wasn’t a botanist, but he knew that there were many plants that could kill. Just because the snake could  eat it didn’t mean he could….and why did the snake-man want him to eat it anyway?

Trying to fatten him up or something?

Bastard…

The strange fruit was nudged against his lips once more, and Harley’s belly decided it would be a fabulous time to twist up into one giant hunger knot.

Oh screw it…

With shaking hands Harley took the purple orb from the snake. With his armed tucked in he probably looked like a little chipmunk nibbling cautiously.

The snake’s beaming smile showed up again, and he patted Harley on the head.

Giant condescending freak….

Harley eyed him warily as he continued to nibble. The fruit was surprisingly sweet, sort of reminded him of a pear.

Now…how was he going to get out of this? And once he did….how was he going to get home?

One step at a time his brain chided. But even the problem solver in Harley groaned at that. He had no idea what this new world was like, or what lived in it. But if it had giant snake people…who knew what else could be out there?

Studying the room carefully Harley surmised that he really was in some sort of cave, which probably meant he was underground…or at least that’s were caves tended to go right? He wasn’t exactly seeing rays of sunshine anywhere.

He wished he could scope the area without the snake being aware, but the damn giants eyes wouldn’t leave him. It was unnerving, and if the man-thing even blinked it would have been news to him.

It was probably too much to hope for that the gate would have saved his coordinates and a special forces team would be seat after him. Come guns a-blazing and all that jazz…

So…Harley continued to scan the room. What to look for exactly was unknown to him, an opportunity really. The…room was basically empty, didn’t look like anyone lived in it. Or if they did, they certainly gave new meaning to Spartan living.

His sleeping bag was just sitting on the stone slab, with his tent over in the corner. Where was the rest of the gear? There was a gun and a knife in that pack after all. Though he doubted he had enough ammunition to shoot his way out…but he was sure he had enough to put at least one down…and prevent himself from being eaten alive. A bullet in the head was far better then suffocation/digestion after all.

Harley managed to twist just enough to finally get a look at the other side of the room and his heart soared. Neatly laid out in one long line was the rest of the gear. The knife and the gun were close to each other, but the few clips were on the other side. He could probably get one then…but not the other.

Someone had emptied the contents of the  pack and lined them up as if to categorize them. But did they really understand what certain objects were? Would giant slabs of muscle like the snakes he had seen so far really have a need for firearms?

But the real question was…how to get to them?

Harley wiggled, trying to see if he could get free. The arm holding him tightened though, so apparently the snake had other ideas. Creepy…being cradled like a child. It made him wonder what, if anything, was going through the red head’s mind.

But regardless of what he wanted, Harley wanted free. But how? He certainly couldn’t fight his way out, he had already struck the snakes had with about everything he had to no avail whatsoever. But there had to be some sort of weak spot somewhere right? Even armor could be broken…

Harley stared up at the smiling face above him. The massive pile of flesh and bone certainly wasn’t like the robots he had built as a child but….a light bulb flashed on inside his head.

“When it doubt…” Harley thought, remembering something he had heard some grunt say once. If a nut shot was out of the question then….

Harley raised his hand upwards towards the snakes face, and waved at it. The snake smiled wider, tilting his head to the side as he actually waved back.

Perfect.

Harley sissored his fingered open…and then jabbed both of them right into the snakes eyes.

The red head hissed in pain, and instinctively dropped Harley in favor of clutching  his face.

It was nice to have something finally work, but there wasn’t much time for self-congratulations.

Harley hit the stone floor hard, stubbing one of his bare toes badly. He ignored it though, and made a beeline towards the gun. He snagged both it and the knife but only managed to grab one of the spare clips before he noticed the snake starting to recover.

He had no way of knowing what it was going to run in to, or how he was going to get somewhere safe, but at least he was armed now.
The weight of the pistol in his hand wasn’t nearly as much of a comfort as he would have hoped as he bolted past the snake, jumping over the think trunk that was blocking his exit and took off down the first hall he came across.

Of course even if he found a way out he no longer had the survival gear…that he didn’t know how to use really, and he certainly did not know how to live in the wild. But he really couldn’t afford to think about that. Maybe he could find some normal people if he were lucky, but at the moment all he could think about was keeping from being somebody’s dinner.

Harley shot a look behind him, no sign of big red just yet. He had already learned he could out distance the snake from before, but apparently the guy could track well or something.

Ti was hard to keep his breath with his heart hammering in his throat, and the only thing he could hear was his own blood pounding in his ears, and his own gasps of breath. He nearly fell as he rounded a corner, and nearly had a heart attack when he saw what was around it.

At least a half-dozen of the snake people were congregated no ten feet away…and there was obviously some sort of argument in progress. He recognized the purple haired woman from before, and she had some pale skinned, smaller blond man right in her face.

“I will not allow this!” The blond roared. “You tell that moron of yours-”

“-I’ve told him!” The woman fired back. “He’s done it and I can’t revoke it. You have issues?! Then take them up with him…for all the good it’ll do! But don’t be surprised if you come back as so much meat.”

Harley nearly splatted his face on the rock as he skidded to a halt. They hadn’t noticed him yet…easy going…back up slow….quiet.

“How dare your family endanger our children like this!” Another blond shrieked. Another woman this time, one who came up beside the first blond. Harley slowly began to creep backwards, trying to make as little sound as possible…and then promptly stepped on a sharp, jagged rock. Involuntarily he cried out in pain, and then nearly crapped in his muddy, distressed, torn dress slacks as ALL eyes turned towards him.

“There it is!!” The blond male roared in that sharp, hissing language.

Harley took a fearful step backwards, favoring his now wounded foot, slipping slightly in the blood that was leaking out of it.

“Don’t.” The purple haired woman hissed. “He is claimed.”

“I will not allow your moron to endanger my children!”

Harley didn’t’ know what they were arguing about, and he didn’t have time to wonder about it as the blond man suddenly surged forward despite purpled head’s attempt  to grab him.

The blond snake was a blur as he pressed forward, but Harley managed to raise the gun. His hands were shaking but he managed to point it center mass. With only four feet between them Harley pulled the trigger…and nothing happened.

The trigger didn’t even move…no click…no nothing.

“Safety?” His brain chimed in.
Oh that just figured.

Time seemed to freeze as Harley found himself staring into a monstrous, enraged face. Mouth open far too wide, two glistening fangs….then several hundred pounds of body crashed into him.  

It was like getting hit by a car, a car that could tackle. It blew him off of his feet and he flew a good twelve feet back. He hit the ground so hard the world went white, a high pitched whine screaming in his ears, and he actually skidded along the hard stone.

The blond snake was right one top of him too, crushing him against the floor. Harley was more then dazed, both from the inhuman impact and the impossibility his brain kept screaming about the whole situation.

“What did I do to piss you off?” Harley wondered groggily.

However he woke up real quick when his brain got the picture of that horrible mouth coming right as his face. With his arms pinned under the snakes crushing body Harley couldn’t’ get either one up to protect himself either. But he was able to tuck in his chin and try to protect his throat, and half turned himself to the left.

Harley screamed in pain, something he was in plenty of all right now, and fear as the snakes fangs plunged into his body.

Almost in a blind panic Harley kicked and squirmed, trying to free himself. He was a scientist, a builder. He had never been in a real fight in his entire life…and yet know he was literally having to fight FOR  his life.

His whole right side felt numb and spasmed instead of moving as he was telling it to. Then the fangs were gone, and through bleary eyes Harley could see the purple woman yanking the blond off of him by its neck.

More arguing now, rapid fire hissing that was little more then garbled noise to Harley. More fighting…giant bodies thrashing and crashing around.
Harley staggered to his feet, and the whole room suddenly tilted. Only the solid rock of the wall kept him from falling again. He was vaguely aware that things felt broken inside of him…but he also had suddenly broken out in a cold sweat…and felt more nauseous then he  had ever been in his life.

His right arm wouldn’t respond, instead choosing to twitch and jump as if he were having a seizure. Which he supposed meant it wasn’t broken….but his chest was starting to hurt, and it was becoming rather difficult to breath.

But the gun was in his left hand, and his thumb glided over some small level switch that clicked when he pressed it down.

The blond woman glared at him before she let out a aggressive, open mouthed hiss, and darted towards him. Honestly he was so dizzy, so disorientated that he could barely stand…much less tell if something dangerous was going on.

She would be on him in a moment, but he couldn’t force his body to respond to anything. Maybe she would help? Maybe….pfft…right….assholes….all of them. All people…worthless…stupid as people. Snakes were apparently assholes too.

But before the woman could reach him this angry, shrill yet deep, hissing shriek that literally made the stone walls shake tore through the air. Everyone seemed to freeze, and somehow Harley was able to peer over his shoulder….and there was the red head.

He looked furious, and even as steadily growing ill and dazed as Harley felt, he was able to become even more frightened. He doubted the red head was too pleased about being jabbed in the eyes, and he also doubted he would be able to survive whatever was planned as retribution.

Harley turned his head back slowly, maybe he could spot an opening in the group of snake people and make a run for it. But just as he had that thought he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his twitching eye. He jerked his arm up automatically, and squeezed the trigger of the gun.

It went off, a thunderous boom bouncing off the stone walls. The blond snake that had bitten him before didn’t’ even have time to look surprised as the bullet dug into his nose and blew out the back of his head, obliterating his face in the process.

The gun had such kick that it nearly tore itself out of Harley’s weakening grip. He held on though, and didn’t know whether to be satisfied or vomit as the blond crumpled to the floor, bits on bone and gore staining everything behind him.

The blond woman screamed and dove on top of the fallen male. A sister? A wife? Harley didn’t’ know, and he almost felt guilty despite the fact that it was self defense.

But it wasn’t long before that frightening, elongated face turned towards him. She screeched violently…and then she was coming.

Harley tried to raise the gun again, but his arm wouldn’t move at all…nothing would. He couldn’t’ breath either…his chest was seizing up. What the hell was wrong with him?

It didn’t matter though, because from the look on the woman’s face he was about to be torn in half. She rose up, and Harley couldn’t even scream in the terror he felt.

But then the red head was there, his big hands closing around the back of the woman’s’ head before she came down on Harley.

Harley himself was struck by just how  big he was. All the snakes were huge….but the red head was absolutely massive.

The woman shrieked again, and clawed at the arm that held her. But even with what looked like claws instead of nails, the skin didn’t even tear.

Little dots were starting to appear in front of Harley’s eyes. His brain was foggy, unresponsive, but he still had enough left to realize he was suffocating.

Unable to pull away the woman hissed at Harley, and whipped her tail end at him. But before it could get halfway around the red head jerked her up into the air. With a big handful of her hair he twisted, hauling the woman up with just one arm. Her whole body went over Harley’s head and she was swung through the air, screaming the entire time.

She was finally cut off by her face impacting with the stone wall….which then literally exploded like an over-ripe melon. Chucks of brain, bits of bone…gore just splashed all over.

Harley would have probably puked at the sight this time, a gag or a wretch would have been all it took, but the fact that his throat had seemingly closed off prevented any such activities.

So dizzy…so…dark.

The red head turned away from the carnage and towards Harley. Whatever he saw there turned his expression from a frothy rage to a wide eyed panic.

“For me?” Harley thought distantly.
Didn’t matter…going dark…falling….falling…