2nd Drabble of October 2019 (Patreon)

Bullets simply bounce off the creature’s hide. One snap of its long, muscular tail, and Gabriel’s team is flung through the room and hitting the walls.

He is trying to call for backup, but this far down in the pyramid, there is no signal to be had.

They have no casualties yet but they are lying to each side in groaning heaps. Behind the creature, he can see McCree nursing an obviously broken arm against his chest. The kid’s face is drawn tight in pain as he looks up and towards Gabriel, helplessly shrugging his shoulders.

Gabriel lifts one shotgun and points it directly at the creature’s naked chest.

It opens its maw wide in a hiss, showing off four incredibly sharp looking teeth. Gabriel can’t help but take one step back, boot slipping a bit on the sand covering the tomb’s floor.

In the moment he tries to regain his footing, the creature’s tail has wrapped around him and is lifting him off his feet.

The shotgun clatters to the floor. He has knives tucked away in various places on his body, but with his arms bound to his torso, he can’t do a damn thing.

The creature lifts him up until he is face to face with it. Its collar flares to both sides of its long neck; even in the dim light of the tomb, Gabriel can see the deep, beautiful color of the scales. 

The creature’s mouth is closed now, but still the long, forked tongue can slither out and gently flutter about Gabriel’s face.

“It hasss been a long time… sssince I had visitorsss,” a deep voice suddenly croons at him. The creature leans in closer, almost bumping its flat nose against Gabriel’s cheek as it turns its head this way and that to stare at him with unblinking, slitted eyes.

“Much lesssss sssssuch beautiful visitorssss…”

It lifts its arm and brushes the backs of its fingers along Gabriel’s cheek and down into his goatee, scratching his chin as if he were a cat.

“You can… talk,” he says softly, head pounding with an impending migrane. The snake head can’t smile but still Gabriel feels like it is doing just that.

It is slowly turning around to look about its chamber at all the agents strewn about and slowly picking themselves up again.

“You have ssssuch interesting toysssss… I have never sssseen anything like them. I am… intrigued.”

Gabriel tries to push against the grasp of its tail but it is… impossibly strong. The creature moves towards a large seat. An altar, maybe.

It sits down in it, and pulls Gabriel closer to watch him again, hands surprisingly gentle as they pinch his chin and turn his head this way and that.

“Beautiful… I must have you… and your little toyssss… sssshall bear witnesssss to my ownership…”

Gabriel shudders.