For several seconds unknown to all, no one screamed or collapsed; silently, everyone instinctively scattered and fled in different directions.
Eric also sprinted forward, leaping through the forest like a young deer. She suppressed her primal fear, steadying her breath, for panic would only slow her pace.
After running a considerable distance, Eric finally paused to rest.
Before long, darkness fell abruptly; the nighttime jungle remained eerily silent, devoid even of insect calls, an oppressive stillness that bred unease. Eric leaned against a tree, withdrew some water and small loaves of bread from her bag, eating cautiously while straining her ears for any sign of movement.
Something crawled up her leg, a sharp sting piercing through the hardened mud on her skin.
In the dark, Eric groped and caught hold of a slippery creature; a chill ran down her spine as she flung it away.
Reluctantly, she refrained from using mosquito repellent, wary that its scent might attract undue trouble, instead applying another layer of mud over herself.
The night deepened, and with it, the silence thickened into a deathly quiet.
After a moment's hesitation, Eric resolved to press on; she must leave the territory ruled by the colossal python and alter the fate of her dwindling provisions.
She switched on her flashlight, carefully oriented herself, and resumed running.
Her pace was swift, deftly avoiding pitfalls, leaping over thick leaf litter, evading obvious patches of swamp, ducking beneath low-hanging branches, and brushing away spider webs that slapped her face. Gradually, her footsteps slowed, her breaths grew heavier, and exhaustion overtook her.
Glancing at the time on her watch, four hours had passed—she had survived four hours. Weakened to the point of trembling legs, she leaned against a tree to rest; the instant she touched it, a sharp sting lanced through her palm. Shining her flashlight on her hand, she flung away a large spider that nimbly clung to another tree before disappearing out of sight.
The pain persisted; Eric hurried to squeeze the wound, drawing blood, then disinfected it with iodine—a rudimentary but necessary treatment.
Afraid to lean against anything else, she stood still to rest.
Hours of running had drained her strength immensely, and allergic reactions began to manifest; without a mirror, she knew that rashes must have sprung up on her face and neck from contact with spider silk and flying insects.
Though fully aware that the nocturnal rainforest was itself a merciless killer, Eric resolved to continue her journey; the python was far more terrifying.
After replenishing her energy, she fashioned a makeshift torch from a rolling pin wrapped in a torn garment, soaked in peanut oil. Securing the flashlight atop her head, she held the torch aloft to burn away spider webs while wielding a kitchen knife to hack through branches, relentlessly pressing onward.
Whether by fortune or the misfortune of others, Eric did not encounter the giant python throughout the entire night.
At dawn, as the clear song of birds echoed nearby, Eric sat cross-legged on the ground, eating breakfast. After consuming four small loaves and a bottle of milk, she finally felt some comfort.
Despite having no sleep all night and being utterly fatigued, she set out again at the break of day.
The benevolent aura of luck that had shielded her through the night now wavered, unable to guard her any longer.
Turning a corner by a pool, she suddenly sensed an eerie stillness in the air, a tense dryness that set her nerves alight. Swallowing hard, she cautiously tilted her head—and there, swaying gently amidst dense bushes, appeared a massive serpent's head; cold, merciless eyes locked unblinkingly onto her.
Blood froze in her veins. Biting her tongue hard to steel herself amid the metallic taste of blood, she regained control and bolted forth.
Branches scraped across her face and arms; an unseen sharp object jabbed the soles of her feet; her chest constricted painfully with every breath…
Fear forbade her to halt; she ran wildly through the forest with desperate abandon, nothing able to impede her frantic flight.
Behind her, the harrowing aura of a merciless predator pursued relentlessly—the sound of crashing trees, scales scraping savagely against the earth tortured her ears and churned her mind; terror shadowed her every step.
The relentless chase gradually turned against Eric; a gust of fetid air brushed her ear, and instinctively she dodged. Glancing back as she rounded a bend, she glimpsed the python's forked tongue flickering just two or three meters behind—its pitiless gaze seeming to reflect her own insignificance.
Too close!
A jolt of dread seized her, causing her to stumble and fall.
Damn it!
She cursed her momentary lapse. But having fallen, she must salvage what she could. Summoning every ounce of strength, she rolled sideways.
After three or four meters, sharp dry branches pierced her neck and arms; swallowing back any cry, she scrambled upright and resumed running. Stealing a glance behind, she saw fallen leaves and mud scatter where she had landed; the python's jaws snapped at空无一物, then its head rose again and twisted as it rapidly closed the distance.
The gap between them narrowed with each heartbeat.
Ahead lay a mire; steeling herself, Eric refused to veer away. Drawing a deep breath, she slid along the swamp's edge into its viscous embrace.
Gooey mud engulfed her head, flooding her nose and mouth; a suction threatened to drag her to the swamp's darkest depths. Scrabbling wildly, her fingers sank into the soil, clutching the embankment with iron resolve to keep herself from sinking further. Pressing cold mud to her back, her heart pounded fiercely as she awaited her fate.
In the next moment, whether it was the head or the tail of the serpent, the swamp was churned into chaos, mud and water splashing violently. Eric pressed herself tightly against the edge of the mire, embodying the stillness of a stone, the detachment of a driftwood plank, the fragility of a fallen leaf; she fervently hoped the murky waters would conceal her form, mask her scent, and that the colossal python would fail to find her.
She sensed the slick scales brushing repeatedly against her body.
Time lost all meaning; she felt the precious air within her dwindling rapidly, suffocating, nearly consuming her.
By now, the python ceased its reckless thrashing in the swamp. Eric could not tell if the monstrous serpent had retreated, yet she perceived something advancing through the thick, viscous mud toward her. That presence grazed her calf, delivering a chilling, unyielding touch—then—
She clenched her teeth resolutely.
That creature bit her calf repeatedly; Eric shuddered at the sensation of her flesh being gnawed away while she struggled to stay alert to the ominous stirrings beyond, her mind on the verge of breaking.
Enduring to the utmost limits, until her lungs threatened rupture, the outside at last fell silent. Eric swiftly employed her med kit; the severed portion of her right foot regenerated, and the pain utterly vanished. Reinvigorated, she lashed out with her intact foot, driving away the predator, and then began ascending. This was arduous; the dense, clinging mud strove to pull her downward, yet having chosen her spot carefully on the swamp's margin and gripping firmly with both hands, she heaved herself upward.
Once freed from the morass, Eric luxuriated in a deep breath of untainted air, then summoned every ounce of strength to extract both feet.
Mud coated her entire body, while streams of mud blurred her vision unceasingly. She shook her head, blinking to clear the sediment that clung stubbornly to her eyelashes.
With her sight somewhat restored, Eric planted her hands on the ground and crawled backward to put distance between herself and the swamp.
From the mire, a crocodile surfaced, opening its jaws in a menacing chomp; Eric glimpsed the red flesh and bone within its mouth—her lost right foot, not yet wholly consumed.
A chill gripped her heart, nausea rising; she was about to flee when suddenly, the crocodile's aggrieved hunting posture was abruptly interrupted by the clench of a massive jaw.
The expression of a doomed survivor froze on her face as Eric held her breath, pupils dilated.
Behind her emerged a gigantic serpent's head, its forked tongue flickering and striking her face several times.
The stench was foul, damp, and revolting.