A Serpent's Revenge: Bakunawa's Bloodline

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

[MAYA]

Maya is awakened by a scream so early in the morning. Hearing a scream around 5 o'clock sharp when you're alone in a giant house is something that Maya would certainly define as a wakeup call.

Initially, she plans to ignore it, as some of the girls who are having their early morning jog might have found a worm on the dirt or something. It would be best for her to ignore it and go back to sleep.

"A snake! There's a snake!"Maya opens an eye, considering the possibility that it is not Ingko at all but rather some other random snake. Still, she moves over and spins around to only to see that Ingko's basket is indeed empty from the night before.

"Puta!" She silently curses, throwing her blanket to the side and quickly running out of her room and towards the door of the dormitory. It is just as she suspected and feared.

Diana, a third generation descendant of Dian Masalanta, goddess of love, is throwing rocks at Ingko. "Stay away! Someone, anyone, help!"

Maya immediately steps in to prevent Diana from waking the neighbors and Ingko from biting the girl. From the looks of it, Ingko is just seconds away from launching an attack.

"Stop, Diana. Put down that stick. You are scaring him." Maya nervously wedges herself between Ingko and Diana. Rat snakes are not poisonous, but they will bite if they feel threatened.

Diana looks at her in disbelief. She seems to be trying to absorb what Maya said by leaving her mouth slightly ajar. "Scare that thing? Isn't it obvious who among us is more frightened?!"

"You both are." Maya tries to calm her down by making her voice fall into an almost whispered tone. She is hoping that Diana will do the same because, at this point, they might as well wake everyone up. "Diana, can you just leave it alone? It's a very gentle snake." Maya realizes her mistake after seeing how Diana is looking at her strangely.

"You sound like you are keeping that thing as a pet."

"It's not like that. Hang on and liste–"

"Don't go near me!"Diana's screams are getting increasingly louder. As Maya had feared, the other students are beginning to emerge from their respective dormitories. Some peek through their windows, while others are even outside their dorms to see the commotion.

Maya wants to shrink. She feels uncomfortable being in the center of attention, and she can no longer focus on what Diana is saying to her. She wants to leave, and that's what she plans to do when she starts to turn around and head back to her dorm, hoping at least Ingko takes that opportunity to slither away and escape.

"I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?!" To Maya's surprise, Diana grabs her shoulder. She was so startled that she reacted without even thinking. Maya slapped Diana's hand away, but that's not what just happened. The power of the moon heeds for will and splashes Diana's face with the puddle of water on the ground. Diana's pink leggings and sports bra are now covered in mud. The students around them begin to laugh, while Maya's mouth can only hang open in shock and terror. "Diana, I am so sorry. I did not mean to...I wasn't thinking."

The fact that a relative of the goddess of love can look at Maya with such malice makes it seem like her last day on earth is a cruel joke. Maya is unsure whether Diana's flushed face is the result of anger or embarrassment.

Diana slaps her across the cheek, and before she can do anything else, Diana begins to let out a blood-curdling scream. Maya is confuse as to why she is screaming like she is the one in pain. It isn't until she manages to focus her attention on the girl that she realizes that Ingko is biting and constricting Diana's leg until it bleeds.