Chapter 3

The world was bouncing. A sickening, swaying motion that made Fallon's stomach roll.

Cold wind whipped past her face, howling in her ears. The paralysis that had gripped her body slowly began to recede, replaced by a dizzying nausea. For a moment, she thought she was on a rescue helicopter, dangling from a winch over the jungle.

She forced her eyes open wider. The trees below her were a blur of green, rushing past at an impossible speed. She was moving, but her legs weren't touching the ground.

She looked down. A scream died in her throat.

She was wrapped in a coil of silver-black scales, suspended hundreds of feet in the air. The giant snake was climbing a sheer cliff face, moving as easily as if it were walking on flat ground.

Fallon bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She couldn't scream. If she screamed, it might drop her. Or worse, eat her. She squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed fistfuls of her expensive jacket, holding on for dear life.

Suddenly, the movement stopped. The snake slithered into a large, dark opening in the cliff face.

The air inside was different. It smelled like dry dirt and something faintly herbal. Not the rotting stench of the beast from before.

The coil around her loosened. The snake's tail gently deposited her onto a pile of soft dry grass and animal skins.

Fallon lay there, frozen. She didn't dare breathe. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, listening.

She heard the sound of scales sliding over stone, moving deeper into the cave. The sound faded, swallowed by the darkness.

Only when the silence stretched out did she finally crack one eye open.

The cave was huge. The ceiling was high above her, dotted with strange, glowing rocks that cast a faint, bluish light over the space.

She sat up slowly, her muscles protesting. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed things that didn't make sense.

In the corner, there were stacks of flat stones, clearly cut and shaped. Next to them were large bones, cleaned and polished. These weren't just random debris. They were tools. Or furniture.

She reached down, touching the animal skin she was sitting on. It was rough, but the edges were neat. They had been sewn together. With something like sinew.

Her rational mind reeled. Animals didn't sew. They didn't stack stones. They didn't use glowing rocks for lamps.

She patted her pockets frantically. Phone? Gone. Pepper spray? Gone. Everything was gone.

She hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face in her arms. This wasn't right. This wasn't Earth. Or if it was, it was a part of it no one had ever seen.

The snake had looked at her with those strange, intelligent eyes. And this cave... this was a home. A home built by something smart.

A cold dread settled in her stomach.

Suddenly, a sound echoed from the dark tunnel at the back of the cave. Footsteps. Not the sliding hiss of scales, but the heavy thud of two feet hitting the ground.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Fallon went rigid. She grabbed the nearest object-a sharp-edged stone the size of her fist-and clutched it to her chest like a weapon.

The footsteps grew louder. The air in the cave seemed to thicken, a heavy pressure pushing down on her shoulders.

A tall shadow appeared in the tunnel entrance, blocking out the faint light behind it.