Weekend - By Christopher Pike Page 0,51

Lena curse for curse, and Lena had forgotten that it was beneath her dignity to stoop to Kerry's level. Yet suddenly both choked off.

Someone was banging on the door.

"Who is that?" Park exclaimed. "Help! Yes, we are here!"

The aluminium pole began to rise, taking with it the lid. A snake's head reared above the edge of the Plexiglas container. Kerry screamed. Angie screamed. Shani did not feel the bite of her teeth into her lips or tongue, but she tasted the blood.

"Help!" they yelled.

The doorknob rattled. It was locked. They began to knock on the windows. The curtains were drawn back. A jolly face peered in.

"Bert!!!" they shouted.

"Hi ya, guys!" he called from what seemed miles away. Still inside the container, two snakes began to slash at each other over the partitions. Candles toppled and went out. A single flickering flame held off the darkness.

"Break down the door!" Sol yelled.

"Are you playing a game?" Bert wanted to know.

"Break down the door!" Park repeated, pointing and gesturing with his free hand. One snake decided to leave its cage. It was bigger than the others. It liked the way Shani looked. It slid towards her. Shani tried to back into the wall.

"Guys, oh, guys," she stammered. She wasn't wearing shoes and her jeans were paper thin.Don't hurt me

. Its tongue snaked out of a mouth set with jagged teeth opening wide. An oozing brown fluid dripped from its fangs.Don't kill me . Of all the possible horrors she had ever imagined in the darkest moments of her life, none was the equal of this.Please don't .

"Be very still," Flynn whispered. The others watched and waited in silence. The snake reached the end of her foot, began to slide up the inside of her leg.

"No," she wept. "Nooo." Above all else, she knew she couldn't move. A powerful blow hit the door. It remained firm.

"It won't bite you if you don't move," Flynn said.

Shani closed her eyes. Squirming skin was near the bottom of her sweat shirt.Nice Shani . A sandpaper tongue licked her belly button. A moist snout slid around the curve of her abdomen, its contracting body encircling her like a belt.Soft Shani . Her heart shrieked. Her held lungs pleaded for release.Cute Shani .

"A second more, be still," Flynn said. "It's leaving."

A rattle shook a foot from her nose.Go . Its head crawled over her hand on the floor. She was a statue.

She was made of stone.Be gone . There was no reason for it to bite her.Far away . Sleek muscles tightened against her side, then relaxed. Its tail scraped her lower vertebrae. She exhaled slowly. It glided back towards the cage, seeking more exciting game.Don't come back .

"You can relax," Flynn said.

She opened her eyes. The snakes were at war with each other. Incredibly, none of the others had left the confines of the cage. Her snake returned to the front line, hacking at its brothers.

She shook her head, went to speak, found she couldn't.

There was a deafening crack. The splintered door fell to the floor. Bert ploughed in.

"Where did you guys get all these snakes?" he asked, decked in orange swimming trunks, five inches of rain, ten pounds of red mud, and the most inappropriate grin.

"Bert, quick, put the door over the top of the bin!" Park ordered, bent in a hunchback posture lest he have an encounter similar to Shani's. Kerry was screaming again.

"You want me to hurt the snakes?" Bert asked.

"They want to hurt us!" Park said. "Just do it!"

"Don't let any of them bite you," Sol added.

It was bad advice to have given Bert. As he picked up the door, he apparently began to have second thoughts about the playfulness of the snakes, for he remained close to the entrance. From there he tried to throw the door onto the container.

"No!" Park screamed, too late.

The Plexiglas cracked in a thousand pieces and the remaining candle was extinguished. In the feeble light that filtered from upstairs, they saw the snakes that were still alive - the majority of them - go wild, snapping at anything that moved. Kerry's screams tore in her throat and she began to whimper miserably.

"Got quite a few of them, I did," Bert said proudly. "What do you want me to do now?"

"Go to the garage!" Sol said. "Get bolt cutters!"

"There is no garage!" Park said.

"What happened to the garage?" Bert asked.

"Get the pokers from the fireplace," Flynn said, in a firm voice.

"Gotcha," Bert nodded and left.

They