"Umph!"

  Monica lands on her back. Whatever cushioned her long fall into nothingness is not quite soft, but neither is it firm. Monica tries to stand, using one hand as a brace. She cringes as her fingers make contact with the surface beneath her. Running her hand over the questionable object, Monica grows more certain of her assessment. Scales. Very large scales.

  "Oh no," Monica whispers. "Oh, please no."

  Just as the final word leaves Monica's lips, the creature beneath her writhes violently. Monica strains to follow the long body of the enormous creature, as it rises higher and higher into the air. Two yellow eyes, with thin purple pupils, stare down at her from several meters above. Monica stands perfectly still, wishing the giant serpent away.

  Monica's wishing has no effect. The serpent shakes its head, a wide hood opening to reveal elaborate purple symbols and patterns. The ginormous cobra hisses and lurches forward threateningly. Monica shrinks away, shielding her face with her arms--as if that would do any good. Her heart pounds in her chest as she waits for the killing strike. It never comes.

  The serpent seems to sniff Monica, rhythmically moving its head from one side of her face to the other. Monica remains still, not wanting to alarm the giant creature.

  When the snake finishes inspecting Monica, it hisses loudly a second time. Dropping from its previous extended height, the serpent watches Monica with slitted eyes, and coils up the upper portion of its body. One slanted eye locks on Monica and stays there.

  Glancing upward, Monica is able to make out a very tiny circle of light. Judging from the size of the miniscule speck, she has fallen quite a distance. Carefully dropping down into a sitting position, Monica observes the gargantuan cobra on which she rests. Every other scale on the serpent's skin is a brilliant purple. Each purple scale gives off a faint light, by which Monica is able to partially see.

  Dual puffs of condensation erupt from the snake's nostrils every time it exhales, its massive form rising and falling with each breath. For the first time, Monica realizes how cold it is within the pit. The skin of her bare arms is covered with gooseflesh, and an involuntary shiver courses her spine. One thing is for sure. She can't possibly be in Hell. Can she?

  "Monica?" Joaquin's voice calls from the darkness.

  Monica jumps to her feet, momentarily forgetting where she is and what she is standing on. The Cobra seems undisturbed. It doesn't even blink. Monica spins the upper part of her body in order to face where she heard Joaquin's voice.

  "Joaquin? Joaquin, where are you?"

  "The wall. They have me chained up against the wall. I'm over here."

  Monica treads carefully on her serpentine carpet, mindful that the creature is very alive-- and very aware of her presence. She follows the sound of Joaquin's voice, reaching out with a solitary hand.

  "I'm here, Monny. I'm right here. I can hear you getting closer. I'm right here."

  Monica reached the place where Joaquin is chained to the wall. Even in the dim light, she can see that something is wrong. A dark stain covers the entire front of Joaquin's clothes, and a metallic smell hangs in the air. The smell grows stronger the closer Monica draws to her husband.

  "Joaquin, are you okay? What's going on? What's that all over your clothes? Did she hurt you? What did that woman do to you?"

  Monica steps in front of Joaquin and raises his head, which is reclining forward. She lightly brushes a hand down the front of his shirt, feeling his chest. The dark stain is tacky and not quite dry.

  "Joaquin?"

  Joaquin coughs once, very loudly. That is when Monica notices the darks stains on his mouth and running down his chin.

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  "Oh no. Joaquin!"

  Bright purple light explodes all around them, causing the giant cobra to hiss and uncoil in fury. The tip of the large serpent's tail strikes Monica's back and she falls against Joaquin. She wraps her arms around his middle to steady herself, staring up into pained eyes.

  "Oh no," Monica moans. "Oh no. No. No."

  Dark red blood drips from Joaquin's trembling lips. Dried blood cakes his mouth, chin, and neck. Monica strokes the right side of Joaquin's face and kisses him passionately, not caring about the blood caked to his usually supple lips.

  "Joaquin, what did she do to you? What have they done? What happened?"

  Joaquin smiles weakly and meets Monica's eye. He shrugs casually.

  "I guess...I shouldn't have mentioned being sick with pneumonia. She...She actually made me cough up a lung. She took it. She took it with her."

  Monica's eyes grow wide and her face tenses with rage. Whirling away from Joaquin, Monica comes face to face with the cobra. The serpent sways back and forth, its thin pupils dilating and constricting in a rhythmic pattern. In the full light, the snake is even more formidable. The cobra's coiled body is impressively massive, and speaks of the raw power it possesses to squeeze the very life from any enemy. Should it choose to do so.

  Loud clapping draws Monica's attention away from the giant snake. The ringmaster levitates slowly downward, her black and gold cane held in front of her. The lapels of her purple suit billow out from her body, making her almost seem regal. Almost.

  The raucous clapping is coming from above. Percy. Who else could it be? Monica's face grows warm as she considers what that horrible clown almost did to her. She wants nothing more than to pound Percy's freakish face into the solid ground. For what she has done to Joaquin, this woman in purple deserves much worse.

  Landing softly on the serpent's tightly wound black and purple body, the ringmaster approaches Monica at a slow gait. She appraises her competition with an air of confidence.

  "Did you enjoy your time with my servant, Monica? Was it everything you ever wanted and more? Or no...Of course not. We are talking about Percy. He may be a wonderful servant...But, he makes for a lousy lover. I'm not surprised you could see right through him. Even his own lover abandoned him. She couldn't handle the stakes of the test. He hasn't been the same since. Always pining for his Alice. What good is he to me?"

  The ringmaster slowly circles Monica, scrutinizing every inch of her. She sneaks a brief look over at Joaquin and smiles.

  "Now...This one...He is quite a catch. I would trade a hundred Percy's to have just one of him," the ringmaster says, studying Monica's reaction. "But I don't have to trade. All it will take...Is a simple little test...And he can be mine."

  "You sick witch!" Monica roars, clenching her jaw. "Untie my husband and let us go. What good is he to either of us dead?"

  "To you...Not very much," the ringmaster says in a raspy voice. "To me...A lot. I like them better dead. I can mold them however I wish."

  The ringmaster steps to the right side of Joaquin and wetly licks his face. Joaquin recoils, his eyes fluttering briefly shut. A rattling cough racks his blood-stained form. The ringmaster chuckles and licks Joaquin's face again.

  "Stop doing that!" Monica screams. "He doesn't belong to you."

  "Not yet, he doesn't," the ringmaster hollers back. "But he will! For now, you must be tested."

  The ringmaster steps away from Joaquin and taps her cane on the giant cobra's powerfully coiled body. The serpent's body begins to ripple, starting at the point where the cane tip made contact. At the hole's rim, high above them, Percy claps louder and issues a maniacal laugh. The ringmaster smirks cruelly.

  "The test is quite simple," the ringmaster says.

  She opens her hand and a clear ball appears in the air, floating above her outstretched palm. Inside the see thru ball is Joaquin's ejected lung.

  "You will retrieve your lover's precious lung...From inside my dear beloved Petunia," the ringmaster exclaims in a singsong voice.

  Crouching low, the Ringmaster strokes the giant cobra's scales. The serpent hisses loudly and splays out the ornate hood on its head. Her point made, the enchantress stands to her full height again.

  "You must stab and cut out her heart. Sure, I may lose my precious pet. But that is simply part of the game. All you will be given to perform this task is a dagger. You must not use any other weapon or your lover's life is forfeit. Win...You both go home. Lose...And Joaquin stays with me forever. I cannot decide whether I want him for a lover or a pet. I suppose there will be time enough later for that. Do you understand the rules of the game? Do you agree to abide by them? Forfeit now, and at least you can leave with your life. Continue, and you may die. The choice...Is yours."

  Monica looks from Joaquin to the ringmaster, resolve coursing through her veins. She straightens her back and meets the ringmaster's gaze.

  "I forfeit nothing. I love my husband. I will fight...And die for him. If need be."

  The ringmaster's evil grin grows wider, and Percy's insane laughter increases in pitch. The ringmaster taps her cane on the serpent's back four times. The serpent opens its giant mouth. The clear ball containing Joaquin's lung floats up into the snake's gaping maul.

  "Then, so be it," the ringmaster rasps in a deep voice.

  To be continued......