Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

Chapter 83: Story 83: The Serpent's Lair

Deep within the bowels of the ancient temple, where the air was thick with the stench of decay, and the walls dripped with the moisture of centuries, a monstrous serpent coiled around its treasure. The beast's scales glistened with a sickly green hue, and its eyes, like twin orbs of burning malice, watched over the gold and jewels it had claimed over countless years.

No man dared enter the lair of the serpent, for those who had attempted were never seen again.

But Kurgan was no ordinary man.

A warrior of unmatched strength and unyielding will, Kurgan had ventured into the forsaken temple with one purpose: to claim the treasure that the legends spoke of. But as the fates would have it, treasure was not all that awaited him.

The temple was a maze of traps and trials, each more deadly than the last, but Kurgan had fought his way through with sheer determination, his muscles rippling beneath the sweat and grime that coated his skin.

Behind him, the priestess Elara followed, her delicate frame trembling with each step. She had pleaded with him to turn back, to leave the cursed temple before it was too late, but Kurgan's thirst for glory and riches was unquenchable. She had no choice but to follow, her loyalty to the warrior as strong as the chains that bound her fate to his.

As they descended the final staircase into the serpent's lair, the flickering torchlight revealed the full horror of what awaited them. The massive serpent, its body thicker than any tree trunk, rose from its slumber, its forked tongue tasting the air. It sensed the intruders, and its hiss echoed through the chamber like a death knell.

Kurgan's heart pounded in his chest, but fear was a luxury he could not afford. With a roar that shook the very foundation of the temple, he raised his sword and charged at the serpent. The beast lunged forward, its jaws wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs dripping with venom.

The clash was a storm of fury and strength. Kurgan's blade flashed in the dim light, striking at the serpent's thick hide, but each blow seemed to barely scratch the creature. The serpent retaliated with lightning speed, its massive coils wrapping around Kurgan's body, squeezing with a force that would have crushed the bones of any other man.

Elara watched in horror as the serpent began to constrict, tightening its grip on Kurgan. She knew the venom in its fangs could kill a man in seconds, but it was the crushing strength of its coils that would be Kurgan's end. Desperation clawed at her mind, but there was nothing she could do, nothing but pray to the gods that Kurgan would find the strength to break free.

But Kurgan was more than just muscle and might—he was a warrior with the cunning of a fox. As the serpent coiled tighter, he let out a primal yell and drove his sword deep into the serpent's open mouth, piercing through the roof of its maw and into its brain. The serpent's body convulsed violently, its death throes shaking the ground beneath them.

With one final twist of his sword, Kurgan ended the beast's life, and the serpent collapsed, its lifeless body falling away from him.

Kurgan fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his body bruised and battered but still very much alive. Elara rushed to his side, her eyes wide with awe and relief.

"The beast is dead," she whispered, her voice trembling as she placed a hand on Kurgan's shoulder.

Kurgan nodded, wiping the serpent's blood from his blade. But as the serpent's life bled out onto the cold stone floor, a chill ran through the chamber, a darkness deeper than the blackest night seeped from the serpent's corpse, filling the room with a malevolent presence.

Kurgan's victory had come at a cost. The serpent had been a guardian, not of the treasure, but of something far darker. The curse of the temple was now free, released by the death of the serpent, and it hungered for souls.

Kurgan and Elara looked at each other, realization dawning in their eyes. They had defeated the beast, but their nightmare was just beginning. The temple doors slammed shut, trapping them in the darkness as a low, guttural growl echoed through the chamber.

In the end, it wasn't the serpent that would claim them, but the curse that had been sealed away for millennia, now unleashed and ravenous for blood. The battle was over, but the horror had only just begun.