Rattlers

Up above, on the mountain-top, the men and machines were clearing the site for Greenbriar Lodge - a massive luxury hotel. The project would cost millions, but would make its owner a fortune. Down below, in the silent darkness, slumbered a huge colony of rattlesnakes. Their den was a writhing network of burrows and nests in the depths of the mountain. As the building proceeded, the snakes became restless, and human fear began to grow. But like most rich business tycoons, Sam DeBlasse was determined that nothing should spoil his plans and profit. Yet he could not forget what the experts said: '…