Scott pressed his lips in a firm line, breathing fast from his nose. His heart pounded; he could the feel the vibration of it in his cheek against the floor. He heard it then…the hiss. It sounded like steam escaping a kettle, a whoosh of noise.Scott tensed, expecting Warren to hear it too, but his goading of Thomas distracted him. He couldn’t see it, but he knew it was behind him, whipping out its tongue, scenting the air. It was more likely to bite him than Warren with him bleeding in multiple places and his fluttering heart leading it towards them.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Warren said. “You’re going to throw me your car keys.”
“No fucking way.”
Warren dragged the blade underneath Scott’s jaw, cutting the skin. Scott tried to move his head away, but it was no use; Warren cut him from his jaw to his chin drawing the blade against the bone. He lifted his head enough to turn to face away, no longer looking at Thomas but towards the broken glass.
He saw her by his hip, coiling her body in preparation to strike. Scott went limp, completely still. He wasn’t the threat. The threat was on top of him.
It was Warren who moved, shouting at Thomas in the doorway to hand over his keys. Tim’s jacket swung, dropping the last black cable tie onto the floor.
The snake hissed again, louder than before, a pressure cooker sound, and drew her body tight. She was pissed, and giving Warren a clear warning to back away.
“Throw me the keys, or I’ll cut the other side of his face too.”
“You sick fuck,” Thomas growled.
Warren pressed the blade beneath Scott’s jaw, sliding it against the bone. Scott gritted his teeth.
“Throw him the keys,” Scott murmured.
“Not going to happen.”
“Listen to him,” Warren said. “He doesn’t want to be cut again.”
“Do it! Throw them over to us,” Scott blurted. “Hit the wall with them, Thomas.”
“But—“
“Now Thomas.”
Scott heard the jangle of Thomas’s keys.
They hit the wall, dropping down in front of the snake. Warren didn’t look; he patted the floor blindly, leaning over to whisper into Scott’s ear. “That’s more like it. We’re one step closer to getting out of here.”
Scott didn’t move, watching Warren’s bloodied hand slapping at the floor.
“Next, you’re going to back off from the doorway,” Warren said. “You’re going to lead us out.”
His fingers connected with the keys, and he clutched them.
The snake struck, sinking far bigger fangs than Scott expected into Warren’s hand.
Warren screamed, flinging the snake. Thomas rushed forward, but Warren recovered, flipping Scott onto his back and holding the secateurs to his throat.
“Back the fuck up.” He shoved his wounded hand beneath his armpit. “Goddammit.” He rocked forward and back, cursing under his breath. “Why does it burn like that?”
“Because the one that bit you is venomous,” Thomas replied.
Warren widened his eyes. “Venomous?”
“But don’t worry, she’s only a baby. It won’t be enough to kill you.” He took a step towards them, and when Warren didn’t scream at him to get back, he took another. “The venom will make you weak, though…it’ll feel hard to breathe.”
Warren panted down at Scott. His eyes widened further at whatever was going on in his body.
“My hand is swelling,” he said, looking down to check it. He shoved it back beneath his armpit again, squeezing down on it as he growled through the pain.
“You need to wrap something around your wrist, cut off circulation to your hand to stop it from spreading.”
