Hybrids Invade

Chapter One

(Prologue)

The murky flow rippled. A large shadow emerged from below and leapt. The quaint sounds of the burbling river and singing birds were drowned out by the sudden disturbance in the water. The estuary exploded, then screaming filled the air.

"Oh my god, that's ... a snake!?" yelled the woman holding a cell phone.

The giant green anaconda meandered beneath the wavy surface. It slithered toward the tourists and raised its diamond head, the forked tongue darting in and out. It sharpened its crazed yellow eyes, awaiting one wrong move from the group standing in front and primed to strike at any moment.

"Shit, it's going to attack us!" she cried out.

"We gotta get out of here," another passenger shrieked.

The female traveler streamed the terror from a private tour boat traveling down a tributary in the Amazon Basin. The camera was moved sideways to capture the serpent's entire body with dark oval spots along its spine, which looked to be easily 50 feet in length. The screen vibrated laterally as she shook in fear.

The water rippled and splashed again. Suddenly, the boat tilted forward with a loud, continuous cracking noise of wood, and the reptile's thick tail coiled around its bow. The mammoth constrictor thrust its head out of the surface leaping into the air. Its long, curved body towered over the vessel, which was engulfed by the enormous shadow while it bobbed up and down. A bearded, middle-aged man in an aloha shirt jumped off the stern of the boat into the brown water. A potbellied fellow threw his beer bottle at the snake, which struck its yellow stomach with a dull noise and fell into the river. The next moment, screams of the tourists echoed through the surrounding jungle, startling the capuchin monkeys in the trees nearby. The anaconda gave a loud, high-pitched, demonic screech and lunged at the watercraft with crushing momentum. Its massive jaws unhinged, grabbing onto the passengers one by one and swallowing them whole like golf balls.

"No, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" the woman cried and screamed, her phone tilting and jerking with horror.

The serpent gobbled up a tourist near her, the bulge on its body traveling from neck to stomach. With no one else left on the vessel, it was now ready to come for her.

"Fuck no! No, no, no, please help me God!"

The snake opened its large, slobbery mouth with sharp, jagged teeth shining on both sides. It struck at the traveler, who made a feeble attempt to jump away from the attack. Its mouth enveloped her, gulping her down in an instant. Her brand new, tropical print wide-brim sun hat fell on the deck, lying forlornly like a lost child who would never see her parent again.

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Part I: Before

Chapter One

"These deforestation projects in the Amazon must be stopped right away. If we don't stop, clearing these woods could have profound consequences for our environment and society as a whole." From the podium, Cassander's eyes darted around at the wooden walls and the cream-colored carpet. He moved to the next PowerPoint slide and wondered if it was just him that found the large conference hall hot and stuffy. Having served as president of his middle and high school debate teams, he was used to large crowds since his teenage years. With his usual navy blazer and khaki slacks, he was in his element. Clearing his throat, he looked across at the 300 attendees to gauge their interest.