Everglades City, Florida.
Nidhogg slid off the back porch and disappeared into the grass. He had spent most of the day cooped up in a glass tank down in the basement and needed more space. The yard was small and fenced in, but still offered more freedom to move about. The sun blazed over the neighborhood, revitalizing the lizard. He flicked out his forked tongue and could taste the mugginess in the hot, Floridian air. The sun was a rich energy source compared to a heat lamp, and there was enough shade to cool down.
Nidhogg was pushing six and a half feet long, the typical size for an adult Nile monitor lizard. His talons dug deep into the soil as he moved across the grass. His tail slithered behind him, a prehistoric whip that made up more than half of his body length. Black stripes and yellow eyespots tattooed all over his scales. Dark bands painted up his throat and eyes, giving him a bandit appearance. His forked tongue looked like a blue snake sliding out of his mouth. The lizard use to be leaner, but over the years he has gained a potbelly due to his voracious appetite and sedentary lifestyle.
He slumped on the field and splayed his legs out. The sides of his fat rolled over the grass. It was almost 6 PM, and he was eager to see what his next meal was. Perhaps another dozen chicken drumsticks for him to guzzle down. Or a thick and fatty steak to relish the flavor. Either way, he crawled up the back porch and into the house.
The house was only one story, where the living room and kitchen made up majority of the interior design. The paint on the walls were chipping away, and the floor hadn't been cleaned in a while. His owners were slouching on the couch and watching the news. Apparently, iguanas were crawling all over the neighborhood, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is encouraging people to kill them with pellet guns. Death by drowning, freezing, or poisoning were banned.
"Honey, are we really going to do this?"
"We have to. He's getting too big and we can't keep feeding him."
"But this is illegal! What happens if we get caught?"
"Don't worry. I know a remote place. We'll drive there in two hours."
Nidhogg didn't pay any attention to their conversation. He went into the kitchen and eyed the fridge. He recalled several failed attempts to try and steal food in the past. The metal surface was too slippery for his claws to grip onto. He was able to bite the handle once, but the vacuum created inside the fridge was too strong for him to open it. He's only able to open it when his owner doesn't close the fridge all the way.
***
The sun began to set. As dusk creeped up over the horizon, it casted a shadow over the houses. There were no crickets or frogs calling out on this particular evening. A dead silence weighed down on the entire community. The lights in each house flickered on and off like candles.
Nidhogg snuggly curled himself up on the couch. His potbelly bulged out even more, after he guzzled down ten turkey drumsticks for dinner. The door to the back yard was shut tight, closing the dining room off from the outside darkness. The TV was still on, this time it was an ad spreading awareness to stop releasing exotic animals into the wild and causing ecological damages.
The lizard raised his head as he heard footsteps coming nearer. His owners came into the living room and began putting on their jackets. They were a married couple of at least a decade now, but they were complete polar opposites. The man was chubby and loud mouthed, while the woman was gaunt and reserved.
"Alright, you go start the truck. I'll coax him to come with us."
The female owner nodded and left hurriedly to the garage. Meanwhile, the male owner slowly approached the couch and sat down next to the Nile monitor.
"Hey buddy! How you doing?"
Nidhogg paid no attention to his owner and continued to nap. The man began stroking the lizard's head.
"We're going for a walk, okay? It's just to get some nice, cold, fresh air, and it'll help you lose some fat."
Nidhogg unwrapped his tail from his body. He wasn't entirely sure what his owners were planning for him, but he also wasn't too worried at the same time. He let his owner pick him up from the couch and carried him to the truck.
***
The night was still hot and humid. The two owners drove an old pickup truck down an abandoned road that led to more wild shrubs. The male owner had placed the lizard in the back of the truck and covered the Nile monitor with an aluminum blanket. As the road continued, weeds and mud were slowly replacing the asphalt.
Nidhogg hissed angrily as the whole vehicle jolted again. He had been stuck in the back for two hours, and was getting irritated every time the truck hit a rut.
"What the hell is going on?" he thought. He tried lifting himself up, but to no avail. The male owner had strapped a net over the aluminum blanket and trapped the lizard underneath. The only thing he could do was writhe like a snake.
"This better be worth it," he muttered to himself. He had no idea why his owners suddenly decided to drive out in the middle of nowhere to take a walk. Most of the times they feed him like some zoo animal. If he were still hungry, he would bite their ankles until they gave in. The most physical activity Nidhogg done was explore the backyard. This was the first time that all three of them even left the house.
The truck made a shuddering noise before coming to a complete stop. The two owners got out, removed the net, and tossed the blanket aside. Nidhogg lifted his head and looked around. The truck's lights were still on and protected the three of them from the night. They were on the edge of a slope, but it was hard to tell where the bottom was. Looking down it resembled an endless pit. The truck lights revealed tall silhouettes of trees, their branches clawing upwards.
"Alright boy! Here we are!"
The male owner picked up Nidhogg and carried him on his shoulder like a baby. The lizard spun his head around, his tongue flickering here and there. He could feel the silence pierce the air and moved uncomfortably in his owner's arms. The man walked several steps towards the bottom of the slope, making squelching noises as he walked on soggy grass that ran down the slope. He placed Nidhogg on the ground, and the lizard could feel the moistness of the earth. His talons sank into the mud, and the lizard could feel the weight every time he lifted his feet up to crawl.
"I'll be right back, okay? I'm just gonna get the leash."
"We have a leash?" Nidhogg thought. He turned and stared at his owner, who waded his way back up the slope. Once he reached the top, the male owner started talking with the female owner, but Nidhogg could not make out what they were saying. The two couples spoke in a rushed manner, and Nidhogg could hear that the female owner had a more frantic tone than the male owner did. After several minutes, the conversation stopped abruptly, and there was a sound of the car doors slamming shut. The truck lights suddenly turned towards the opposite direction, and the sound of engines grew fainter.
Until there was nothing left. Except the dead silence, and the all-encompassing darkness.