Serpent Sarcophagus

Chapter 9 You Can't Get away

I didn't expect that the snake, which hadn't even shown up until now, would actually play these filthy

tricks.

Fletcher's wife was shivering from the rice rain but was still giggling strangely. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I just felt a surge of anger in my heart, then I carried the bucket and knocked heavily on her head.

The whole world was instantly silent. I watched the few people who had fallen to the ground and the

dead snakes that were tangled under the walls of the house, and my heart was chilled.

Stowy had killed so many snakes that he was exhausted. He had already gone back to the Black

Mamba Bracelet to recuperate.

I stood alone in the night wind. I couldn't even hear the insects nearby, but only the sound of the wind

whistling past, and my heavy panting.

I didn't know if the Snake's Lust Poison was real. But I felt my body getting hotter and hotter, as if my

legs were starting to get weak and numb.

I carried the bucket, went to the faucet by the door of the house and got a bucket of water, then poured

it on the top of my head, before entering the house.

After being soaking wet, I felt better, then exhaled deeply and grabbed a knife from the kitchen.

Mrs. Quebec was still unconscious. I did what my father had taught me, lifted her up, and let her lean

on the bed, making sure her heart was above the wound.

I got knife to cut the wound into a cross, found a glass, pulled a piece of paper, and burned it in the

glass. Then while the fire was still burning, I covered the mouth of the cup onto the place where the cut

was done.

This was called cupping, using the air pressure to suck out the toxics. Once the heated glass cup

covered the wound, I saw black blood gushing out.

I sat in the middle of the dead snakes and leaned against Mrs. Quebec's bed. When there was no more

blood gushing from the wound, I then removed the glass and poured out the paper ash mixed with

poisoned blood inside. Then, I started to do it a second time.

The ambulance was coming to the village from the town, and it certainly wouldn't be quick. If I didn't

save her, Mrs. Quebec might not last till the ambulance arrived.

I did the cupping twice. On the third time, when the blood became bright red, I started to call my

parents, but as before, no one answered.

In the entire room, except for my heavy breathing, there was only the beeping of a busy signal.

I thought about it. If I called my grandmother, she would be worried, so I called Uncle Peter.

I couldn't wait for the ambulance, so I had to take them to the hospital myself. But in this nearby village,

the only person I knew was Uncle Peter.

As soon as he learned that something had happened, Uncle Peter just said in a deep voice, “I'll come.

Even if the ambulance is dispatched, they probably can't find the place. Just wait for me.”

Uncle Peter came quickly and also brought four people from my family.

The four people looked at me, and their eyes flickered, but their faces were tinged with pity and

understanding.

Uncle Peter looked at the dead snakes beside me and Mrs. Quebec who was unconscious, sighed and

then arranged the men to work. “You two carry the injured to the car. You two take care of the dead

snakes, and by the way, sprinkle some sulfur nearby, so that the snakes won't come over again.”

“Aurora, change your clothes and come with me to the hospital.” Uncle Peter didn't seem to be

surprised that something like this would happen.

I didn't bring any clothes when I came here. Now I was soaked from head to toe, but I didn't have time

to get changed either. I took one of Mrs. Quebec's coats and put it on, and went out with Uncle Peter.

They came in two cars, and the four injured people were now in the car.

The other two people from my family drove the car away directly.

Uncle Peter gestured to me to ride with him. Lying in the back seat with us were David and Dominik.

“Now you know why I didn't let you stay in the village, huh?” Uncle Peter drove the car and the light

flashed.

The two men who stayed behind got hoes. With one swing of the hoe, they hooked several snakes out

of the grass.

The dead snakes drooped limply. Under the car lights, the snake's eyes glowed with an eerie green

light, still looking creepy.

I wrapped my clothes tighter, and now the heat flowing in my body seemed to be building up again.

I gripped the cold door handle to suppress the heat. “The snake said I would sleep with it in the Serpent

Sarcophagus. So I still have to find that sarcophagus?”

Uncle Peter was silent. The car was speeding along the country road.

After a long while, Uncle Peter lit a cigarette. He just took a puff, and the cigarette was half burned up.

Uncle Peter seemed to have calmed down and he spoke quietly, “If it said so, you do not need to find

the sarcophagus anymore. One day you will be committed to it, go with it, and sleep in the Serpent

Sarcophagus yourself. That's your fate, Aurora.”

“Why me?” I suddenly turned my head around to look at Uncle Peter and sneered, “Isn't my cousin the

daughter of the Dragon family?”

Uncle Peter didn't say anything and just drew heavily on his cigarette. Obviously, he was not happy that

I was comparing his daughter with me.

“Then what exactly is a Serpent Sarcophagus?” When I saw him like that, I was furious.

“I don’t know, Aurora,” Uncle Peter said, steering with one hand and took a new cigarette with the other.

He lit the cigarette in his hand with the cigarette he was smoking. And in the flickering light of the fire,

he said in a deep voice, “Serpent Sarcophagus has existed for as long as I can remember. Every

eighteen years, the Dragon family has to bury a woman of their own in it.”

“But I saw when we were moving the grave that there were no bones in that coffin at all, except for the

snake.” Uncle Peter threw the cigarette butt out. His hand was burned, but he didn't seem to feel the

pain.

He just turned his head to look at me, “Even the Dragon family's woman who was buried with the snake

went missing, and there were no bones.”

“I didn't know what Serpent Sarcophagus is either. I am aware that even if we didn't bury a woman from

the Dragon family in there, the snake will find her on its own. Just like what it does with you!” Uncle

Peter held his cigarette.

He laughed bitterly, “You saw it. I didn't even want to care, but that snake keeps chasing you. If you

really want to find the coffin that was dug out and struck by lightning during the grave moving activity, I

will take you there tomorrow.”

I didn't expect Uncle Peter to agree, and was relieved, “So who did you plan to bury when you moved

the grave the year I was born?”

If that was the case, wouldn't there have been a woman from the Dragon family in Serpent

Sarcophagus?

Why didn't I hear about it?

Uncle Peter took a puff on his cigarette and turned the steering wheel, “In our generation, the Dragon

family had no daughters. Aurora, the moment we knew that you’re a girl, we had planned to send you

in.”

“So the time we chose to move the grave was the expected date of your birth! As soon as you were

born, you would be buried in it. That's why your father killed the snake. He was saving you!” Uncle

Peter's face was hidden behind the smoke. After he finished, he appeared to have sighed with great

relief.

But I only felt chills all over my body. So I really could not get away?

We arrived at the hospital in town. Because I had called ahead, the serum was ready. Plus the wound

was properly treated and the silver-ring snake was brought along.

Mrs. Quebec was injected with the serum and kept in the hospital for observation.

I also registered for myself because of the so-called Snake's Lust Poison. I said that I seemed to be

burning up with fever like I was poisoned.

The doctor stared at me funny, but still gave me a list and told me to go for a blood test.

Uncle Peter and the two people from my family put David and the others in place. Because he was also

worried that something would happen to my parents, he told the two people from my family to go find

them. He went back to the village to make some arrangements and would come back to pick me up at

dawn.

I had my blood drawn for the test and sat in the ward waiting for the results.

It was already early in the morning and there were few people in the town hospital, even the staff on

duty were few, and only faint light came through. Though near the summer, I still felt cold.

As I sat there, I heard footsteps, then I looked up and saw Fletcher's wife standing in the doorway and

smiling strangely at me.

I was so frightened that I scrambled to pick up the iron stand where the medicine bottles were hanging

and shouted outside, “Nurse! Nurse!”

“She asked you to be her daughter-in-law. She doesn't deserve it. She deserves to die!” Fletcher's wife

opened her mouth, but what came out was the hissing sound of a snake spitting its tongue.

I didn’t know what else to do for a moment. I just gripped the iron stand and screamed, “Nurse! Nurse!”

Fletcher's wife lifted her hand. I saw that she still had the IV syringe in her hand, but only the needle

part left, without the tube.

She pulled the syringe out violently, thrusted it into her neck, and pulled it out again rapidly.

It seemed that she pushed too hard and the whole needle was thrusted inside. When she pulled it out,

the skin on her neck was torn and deformed, and the blood gushed out instantly.

“No! Nurse! Nurse!” I gripped the iron stand. Having learned from the past, I didn't dare to go over

there.

The blood was bursting out of Fletcher's wife's neck, and she continued to hiss at me, “Aurora, I'm

waiting for you. I'm waiting for you in the Serpent Sarcophagus. This was your destiny from the

moment you were born. You cannot escape.”

Then she fell onto the ground. The blood from her neck was like a bright red snake slithering on the

ground towards me.

I screamed out in terror, “Nurse!”

Perhaps I was loud enough this time, and the nurse rushed over. Seeing Fletcher's wife on the floor,

she also turned pale with fear.

She reached out and covered her wound tightly, then screamed, “Somebody, quick! First aid! First aid!”

Again, the hospital was in chaos. However, the bloody snake on the ground continued to slowly crawl

towards me.

My heart was cold, but my body was strangely hot.

The doctors and nurses hurriedly carried Fletcher's wife away. I leaned against the bed, thinking about

the snake and Uncle Peter's words.

Even if the Dragon family didn't bury me, the snake would force me to sleep in the coffin myself.

I stroked the Black Mamba Bracelet on my wrist, and I had never wanted to fall asleep so badly since I

could remember.

I wanted to see Stowy in my dreams and ask him what the hell was going on.

But I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't even close my eyes.

Once I closed my eyes, all I could see in my head was David's eerie smile, the blood gushing out of

Fletcher's wife's neck, the snakes slithering in all colors, and the writhing blood snake...

I just had the courage to keep my eyes open, hoping that I could be knocked out and fall asleep.

But what if I slept and the snake came back?

I hugged my knees tightly, sat on the edge of the bed, and held my phone. I called my dad again and

again, but I just couldn’t get through.

It was just two days, and it seemed like I was all alone!

Looking at the low battery alert, I put the phone away, then gripped the Black Mamba Bracelet on my

wrist and whispered, “Stowy, tell me what to do.”