There was once a legend of an ancient box lost to time. It was created from the trunk of a beautiful mahogany tree and brought to life by the intricate details upon the delicately carved shapes and patterns within the wood. Gold, forged from bygone armor from previous civilizations, laced the edges of the freshly carved box. It could only be described as the purest touch from Midas for how it once glistened in the radiant sun. Wear over time gave the box a rustic and fragile look, yet the durability it sustained contradicted its frail visage. Inside was a precious ancient fruit from a once serene garden of Eden that would grant immortality upon an individual if it was eaten. Previous attempts at opening the box for the fruit proved its integrity, yet ever-improving technology challenged its future strength. The box was then bestowed a lethal curse by the god’s above to remove this possibility. Drops of potent and robust venom from the fangs of Satan’s ‘slain serpents ‘saturated the wooden walls of the box. The curse goes as follows:

Anyone who touches the box will not be poisoned by the venom, but instead hunted by the snakes who were killed in its creation. No matter how far an individual may run, the snakes will follow swiftly until they catch them and drag them down into the darkest corners of Earth.

“Are you seriously reading that stupid fairytale grandpa used to tell us when we were younger?”

Anzar looked up from his book to see his older brother Dolion looking down at him in annoyance. 

“Maybe…” Anzar said hesitantly.

Dolion scoffs “Whatever. This is what I get for having a brother three years younger than me I guess,” Dolion mumbles as he walks back to go down the attic’s rickety ladder. 

Dolion was getting ready to leave for a prestigious college in a month which naturally made him the favorite child in Anzars eyes. Anzar didn’t get straight A’s like Dolion but he still tried. It was never good enough however as his accomplishments were never celebrated like Dolions were. However, Anzar also never fought against this treatment. For Anzar, Dolion was the perfect student and the definition of a “real man,” someone Anzar looked up to. Dolion was good-looking, played various sports, was top of his class, and always “got the girls” as Dolion’s friends would say. 

Anzar however… Wasn’t exactly the complete opposite, but he was just like any other kid. Anzar wasn’t a straight A student, more like a straight C student with a couple B’s his parents hoped and prayed would turn into an A. Anzar never found interest in sports and preferred to build models or play MMORPG games instead. Lastly Anzar definitely didn't “get the girls,” in fact he was the opposite of swagger and confidence and instead was all nerves and anxiety. Despite the things he considered his biggest flaws, Anzar always idolized Dolion for his courageous and care-free nature. If there was a million dollar prize for jumping into a volcano Dolion would be first in line.

There was an abandoned construction site near the old side of town that's said to be haunted. Normally the senior boy’s on the football team use it as a place of initiation for the freshman recruits. If they’re able to spend the entire night alone, then they pass! If not, then they dont get on the team and end up getting ostracized instead. It's a pretty big deal and has been a tradition for almost 10 years. Naturally, Anzar wouldn’t have to worry about such trivial things and could peacefully build his StarWars models instead. 

“Hey, Anzar,” Dolion called from the hallway below the attic opening.

“What?” Anzar got up and walked towards the attic ladder. He’s surprised it's even lasted as long as it has and would’ve expected it to be broken by now.

“Come here!” beckoned Dolion. He sounded farther away for some reason.

“Okay hold on i'm climbing down now-” Suddenly one of the ladders steps split in half causing Anzar to panic and fall back onto the hard wooden floor with a loud thud.

“Do you ever watch where you’re stepping?” Dolion groans with annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

As Anzar slowly got up off the hard floor he realized Dolion completely changed clothes.

“I'm not even going to ask why you’re dressed like a wannabe construction worker,” Anzar said through gritted teeth. “Can you just go get mom?” he held his hurt arm close to him as he winced in pain” I think I messed up my shoulder”. Falling from something typically isn't great, but unfortunately Anzar landed on his right shoulder. The pain that pulsated between his shoulder to elbow was becoming more intense as his shock from falling wore off.

“You’ll be fine, just walk it off,” Dolion suggested.

“No I really think I did something to it let me just- Hey!” Anzar was cut off by Dolion grabbing his hurt arm. He tried to pull away but the pain that shot through his body felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.

“Let me just…” Dolion started. Before Anzar could protest a grotesque sounding pop and jolt of paint surged through his arm.

“What the heck, Dolion!” Anzar yelled.

“Not even a thank you? I fixed your dislocated shoulder for you,” Dolion scoffed.

“Uh… thanks, I guess,” Anzar mumbled while rubbing his arm, he was annoyed at Dolion for not asking first.

“Whatever next time it happens I'll just leave you for dead I guess,” Dolion spat as he folded his arms.

It wasn’t unusual for Dolion to get upset easily and make empty threats to Anzar, he’s pretty much done it his whole life. “Whatever Dolion, now what did you want?” Anzar groaned.

Dolion turned away “I was going to see if you wanted to go to that freaky abandoned building with me,” he said.

“The construction site?” Anzar corrected.

“Who cares what it's called, do you want to go or not?” Dolion asked in an annoyed manner. He turned back around to see what Anzar would answer.

“Well, not really…” Anzar started.

Dolion cut him off “Well, too bad,” Dolion grabbed Anzars arm he hurt a few minutes ago and dragged him down the stairs as Anzar protested against the forced excursion in pain.

The walk there was no better, the thick dewy fog outside felt suffocating and heavy on Anzar’s chest. There was a devastating forest fire in the nearby town a few days ago causing Anzar’s asthma to flare up. Dolion also had asthma but his wasn’t as severe and only really needed his inhaler during certain situations. It was no surprise however that Dolion started to cough frequently as well due to the thickening smog. 

The two soon approached the abandoned construction site. The perimeter was almost fully closed off with a tall and rusted chain link fence. Vegetation took over a majority of the fence, coating it in various shades of green that contrasted the rusted color of the fence. Behind one of the many shrubs currently growing around the site was a poorly cut man-made hole into the area. The jagged pieces of metal sticking out the entrance could easily cut through clothing, while the rust built up upon the metal could easily cause infection and potential tetanus.

“Ladies first,” Dolion mocked as he gestured to the opening

Anzar just groaned in annoyance instead of trying to argue with his mule of a brother. As Anzar crawled through he tried to be as careful as possible to not accidentally cut himself on the jagged edges of the cut fence.

“Would you hurry it up?” Dolion asked in frusturated manner.

Anzar rolled his eyes “I'd rather not get cut. Sorry,” he groaned.

Once Anzar was finally through he was able to get a better look at the abandoned site. A half-finished concrete building stood in the middle of the area surrounded by various piles of old material and rubble. The building itself was extremely rundown and overtaken by weeds and various forms of vegetation. The once glass windows were shattered across the site causing the ground to glisten as if it was covered in chunks of sharp glitter. Different types of rusted screws and nails stuck out of the ground as well causing a hazard to anyone not wearing proper equipment. 

“Damn it!” Shouted Dolion suddenly.

Anzar turned back quickly around to see that Dolion accidentally cut his upper left shoulder on one of the various pieces of metal. “Are you okay Dolion? We can go back home and-“ he was cut off.

“No, we… I don't need to go home. I'm fine,” Dolion winced. “Let's go,” he said.

Dolion started walking towards the building as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. 

“Were going in… there?” Anzar questioned hesitantly.

Dolion turned to look at Anzar with a sly smirk “why? Are you scared?” He mocked. 

“No… I just think it's good to be cautious,” Anzar mumbled.

Dolion scoffed “whatever,” as he turned around to continue walking towards the building. 

Anzar followed slowly behind, watching the ground to make sure he didn't step on a nail sticking out of the ground. When suddenly the floor began to crack and cave beneath him as if he was being swallowed by the Earth itself. Before Anzar could even say anything all he could feel was the rush of air moving past him as he fell. He felt as if for a split second time had stopped where he was free falling through the air surrounded by broken chunks of earth and rock. Just for that split second did he feel completely hopeless and trapped while his body felt light and free. 

He wondered. 

Before he could finish his thought he felt himself hit the ground hard with a loud thud. The air within his lungs came rushing out of him at the same time. The shock from the impact caused temporary paralysis of his body. Then as suddenly as it went he regained feeling within his body and immediately tried to take a breath. The action was shut down by the sudden surge of agonizing pain within his upper body and lungs. Like a fish out of water he struggled to inhale even a breath of air into his burning lungs. All he could stare at was the pile of rubble next to him as his body started to lose feeling due to loss of oxygen. He could feel himself going in and out of consciousness as his lungs slowly started to give up. He prayed this wouldn’t be the end.

Suddenly as if he’d been blessed with a second chance at life he felt himself be forcibly held up. He heard the words “breath” and took in the largest breath he could. He felt his lungs expand once more as a cool sensation coated them allowing him to breathe. With the ability to breathe once again he regained consciousness and balance of himself. He looked up to see Dolion, frightened, holding his own individual inhaler he uses for emergencies. 

“Thank… you…” Anzar tried to say through deep breaths.

His brother just continued to look at him with the same expression. He looked as if he was almost guilty. Anzar also noticed that Dolion looked almost unscathed. 

 He thought. The only thing he could notice was that Dolions hands were coated in mud and small cuts and his clothes were slightly dirty. Finally Dolion seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in and looked a little embarrassed. 

“Wasn’t sure if you knew but your shoulder is dislocated again,” Dolion mumbled “and probably broken…”.

Just then a sharp pain bolted through Anzar’s elbow joint all the way into his upper shoulder and neck. Anzar didn’t even notice his limp and palsied arm until Dolion pointed it out, he was too worried about the possibility of dying from asphyxiation a few moments ago. It was definitely dislocated, but the fear of it being potentially broken forced Anzar to bear with the pain until they could find help. Whenever that would be.

After the dust and debris settled around them, they found that they were now about 20 feet underground in a small chasm with only one long narrow tunnel connected to it. For Anzar he could easily traverse it, but for Dolion this could be a problem due to his bulky stature. 

“Maybe we should wait here until someone finds us,” Anzar suggested hesitantly to Dolion.

“Yeah right,” Dolion scoffed, “if we stay put by the time they find us we’ll be dead” he said as he examined their surroundings. “We’ll have to go down that way,” he said, pointing ahead of them to the narrow path.

Anzar thought about objecting to the idea but knew it wouldn’t change Dolion’s mind. He got up slowly as he tried not to move his hurt arm and slowly moved towards the tunnel. He looked back at Dolion for reassurance who just waved him on and mouthed the word “go”. Cautiously, Anzar slowly moved through the narrow passageway. The walls were rocky, damp, and covered in moss. The pungent smell of mildew and earth burned his nostrils as he traversed through the tunnel. At the end he could see a faint light and larger cavern.

Finally he got through the passageway. Anzar turned around to see if Dolion was behind him only to see him struggling more than he was to get through the narrow passageway. He was basically face to face with the wet rocky walls. Anzar couldn’t imagine how much stronger the smell of everything might be. 

Out of the corner of Anzars eye he noticed a faint glimmer of light. He turned around and tried to squint through the darkness to see what it was. In the middle of the large cavern up ahead was a small stone pedestal in the center. A splintered and worn down wooden box rest ontop of the pedestal. For a split second Anzars imagination ran wild as he thought of all the possibilities this box could have. Anzar was snapped out of his thoughts however by Dolion.

“What are you staring at?” Dolion questioned.

“Look, up ahead, theres a weird box there,” Anzar answered as he slowly approached the pedestal.

As Anzar got closer to the box, he noticed more about it. The edges had a muted gold color, scratched and worn by time. The sides of the box’s wood was heavily warped and starting to fall apart. The top of the box had faint signs of something carved upon it, yet it was covered by mold and dirt. Anzar stopped just a few inches away from the box, and slowly reached out his hand to touch it.

“Hey! Don’t touch that!” Dolion shouted.

Anzar instinctively pulled his hand back and looked over to see Dolion approaching quickly. “I was just-” Anzar started.

“Dont touch that thing its covered in mold and other awful things,” Dolion cautioned.

Anzar just looked at him shocked, and almost confused. Ever since him and Dolion were little, Dolion loved to play tricks on Anzar to get him into some sort of trouble. Anzar wouldn’t be suprised if the whole reason Anzar was dragged here in the first place was purely for a cruel prank. This habit of his older brother made Anzar wery and cautious of him. If Dolion wasnt playing pranks on Anzar, he was getting him into trouble with their parents. Even when it was totally Dolion’s fault they would still blame Anzar for it, causing Anzar to have a distant and strained relationship with his parents and Dolion. At the end of the day however Anzar always was forced to accept the fact that Dolion was the golden child, no matter how many times he backstabbed him. Yet this sudden change in attitude from Dolion was

 weird to say the least. He would’ve half expected Dolion to dump whatever contents inside the box over Anzars head, even if it was something deadly.

“Why do you care so much about me suddenly?” Anzar questioned cautiously. 

“What? Am i not allowed to or something?” Dolion snapped back. 

“No…” Anzar started, “Its just… weird,” Anzar turned away to focus back on the box infront of them. He thought he heard Dolion mumble a “whatever,” but at this point he was more focused on the strange sight in front of them. Ignoring Dolion’s previous warning, Anzar grazed the outside of the box with his fingertips. The wooden outside felt damp and prickly due to the splintering of the wood, while the golden edges were smooth yet littered with scratches and chips. The box had no lock, so Anzar decided the open it. Inside was a beautiful purple plush velvet lining untouched by time. The condition it was in was remarkable, it was if it was put in yesterday. In the center of the box was a small cranberry like fruit, no bigger than a dime. For Anzar, this confirmed the legend he was told when he was younger was true. Yet at the same time this could be a cruel joke by Dolion so he held his guard up

“Whats this? Your little replica of that old story grandpa used to tell us?” Dolion said jokingly. Before Anzar could ask if Dolion really didnt know about the box, he picked up the berry and popped it in his mouth.

“Dolion!” Anzar shouted in protest.

Dolion made a disgusted face as if it was sour and spit it out “that was disgusting! What kind of berry was that Anzar?” He spat as he tried to spit the taste out of his mouth.

As if on cue the ground started to shake aggressively.

“Anzar what kind of sick prank are you playing on me?! I know I tend to play pranks on you but this is a different level of weird!” He shouted at Anzar.

The walls were starting to crumble and fall apart while small rocks were starting to hit the ground viciously like small asteroids. Anzar noticed that the pedestal in front of them was starting to lower into the ground. Confused and scared he started to step away. Dolion noticed he was moving away from the pedestal and was about to ask when he too saw it lowering. The walls slowed in shaking as if it was aware of their fear as the pedestal continued to lower. 

“Dolion we need to leave!” Anzar shouted as he pointed towards the tunnel they came through. 

Just as Dolion was about to turn around they heard a deep hiss come from the center of the room. The place where the pedestal once stood was now a deep crumbling abyss, and emerging from it was a giant black python with bright red glowing eyes. It fangs had to be as long as a yard stick while a faint rattling sound echoed through the caverns walls.

“You are, unworthy of such a treasure as this one,” it hissed “by committing the ultimate act of betrayal on ones own family!” 

Before the two could leave their state of pure shock and panic. The python lunged at Dolion like a flash of light, coiling snuggly around him. 

“Dolion!” Anzar screamed out in fear.

The python had Dolion locked tightly around its coiled body like a bird in cage, squeezing him for any life he had in his body. He clenched his teeth in pain and he felt his bones slowly being crushed.

“This is the punishment for attempting to leave your brother for dead,” it spit

Anzar’s heart dropped “Dolion… what is that thing talking about…” he stammered.

“Oh? So he didn't tell you?” It tilted its head mockingly “while you were hanging to life by a thread, your brother thought about leaving you for dead!” It laughed. 

“I didn't do a thing like that, I saved him I 

 him!” Dolion barked at the python through gritted teeth.

“Oh? But you cannot deny you thought about it… you stared at his lifeless body and contemplated leaving him to rot did you not?” The python asked in a rhythmatic tone. 

Dolion just went quiet and looked away from it. “But… i saved him… hes alive isnt he?” He mumbled defeated. 

The python tightened its coils in response “yet you still hesitated on even doing this so called heroic deed” it hissed. 

Anzar felt numb, he never knew his own brother was capable of something like this. Dolion has always been distant towards him, but he never expected him to think about leaving him to die. Anzar dropped to his knees and sobbed into his hand. He curled himself into his body and tried to control his bubbling anger and disappointment.

“Seems like the cats out the bag!” the python said as if it was excited. “And I havent eaten in 

!” It circled the hole in the center of the cavern once around before it dived into the deep abyssal pit with Dolion. 

“Im sorry, Anzar!” Dolion managed to get out before being sucked into the abyss as if it were a black hole.

Then there was nothing but silence. A silence so deafening it was making Anzars ears ring. The rumbling stopped, the rocks stopped falling, the python was gone, and so was his brother. The only thing that could be heard was the delicate distant drops of water falling from the sky into the cavern. 

Anzar just laid there on the ground, hot tears streaming down his face. His eyes were glossy and felt like they were burning from how much he sobbed. At one point he had no idea how long he’d been there. Minutes? Hours? Days? He couldnt tell. He didnt care. He just lost his brother. No. How could he call someone who almost let him die his brother? These thoughts clouded Anzars mind to point he was drowning in doubt and resentment.

At some point he heard distant voices and saw flashing lights from above. Someone was there to rescue him, to actually save him. Anzar didnt think he could ever forgive his brother. But he also wondered how the hell he was going to rationally explain a giant talking python dragged him down the hole five feet away from him? At this point Anzar was no longer crying because his brother betrayed him, he was crying because he wished everything would turn out to be a nightmare. A horrible, horrible, nightmare. He begged and pleaded with himself to wake up. Yet the overwhelming exhaustion was getting to the better of him, and he slowly drifted off.

Anzar awoke to the sound of murmurs and beeps. He could tell he was in the hospital. He slowly opened his eyes and was immedietly met with his parents and police questioning him on what had happened. Anzar couldn’t find the energy to speak. He didn’t even know what to say. All he could do was start crying again. His prayers of a nightmare were crushed and thrown back at him tenfold. Everything that had happened, was real. Yet he couldn’t tell anyone, because they’d never believe such a thing could happen. They’d write him off as crazy. So Anzar stayed quiet. Thats all he could do.

As Anzar stayed quiet about what had happened multiple search parties were sent out to find Dolion. Their parents and the rest of the town had hope Dolian was alive and well, but Anzar knew that was far from the truth. A truth he doesnt believe he’ll ever be able to tell. Or atleast, tell someone who would believe him.