“Alright this is a little early for a refuel, so it won’t take that long.”
“Alright thanks sis, seriously I wasn’t sure how I was going to get up here by myself.” I was standing on a small airport runway. My sister Kaley was standing next to her plane, going over typical pilot stuff, I wasn’t sure really.
“Well finish what you need for your little eco project with those friends of yours and we can grab lunch. Then it is straight shot to Quebec and then I will drop you off in Arkansas. To frolic in the woods like a weirdo.” I had only told my sister a few things to make sure she didn’t get too suspicious. I was in the woods, working on an environmental project, and threw in a few big words like biodiversity and carcinogen. She tuned me out and I left out the part where the six of us were bonded to an alien fungus that is attempting to take over the world.
I know it is hard to lie to family, but hopefully when we have grown into more than just a few people living in the woods. We can tell her and perhaps she will join us.
“Thanks.”
“No problem, little bro.”
“Uhh.” Kaley made fun of me for being short, I mean I was 6’ 4” but I was also the shortest in my family. Kaley’s plane had to be modified to fit her massive height, so I got made fun of for it.
Heading out using a taxi that had been called for pre-flight, I went to the little park that John had first found Myc in. It was, quaint, the trees were tall but still bare of any leaves, they instead littered the path I was walking on. Reaching a small mile marker, a new bench seat, it was kind of funny. The little bench had to be replaced when John burnt the old one to get rid of any DNA evidence.
Yes, that time was unique for many reasons.
“Alright, which direction am I going?”
East from here, it is not far.
Heading due east, I trekked through the paths. Small memories of John walking the same path gave me a sense of deja vu. I watched the leaves looking for the same blood trails that he once did, until I reached a small divot in the ground. “This is it.”
And that is the tree.
Looking at it was like looking at an old friend, even if I had never been to New York in my life. It was so familiar and comforting that it made me want to sit beneath the shade and take a nap. But that wasn’t what I was here for. “Ready?”
Ready. I truly hope that this works.
I went up to the little bud that still sat in the tree, the roots were frayed but still dug in deep. A small bone nail grew on my finger, I cut a line through my palm for Myc to use. The cut glowed teal with Myc’s moss, no blood seeped out when I put my hand on the tree’s old wound. Then a small glowing green sap dripped from my palm and swirled around the hole in the tree. Small drops that leaked down a ways onto the tree slowly climbed back up, crawling through the grooves on the bark.
I watched as the bud that had sat in the tree was surrounded by its old creator. It seemed to droop then realize what was happening. The small bud turned into a bulb, then with a yellow light bloomed into a small flower, barely bigger than a dime. It slowly twirled and flexed the eight small petals, like Myc was trying to stretch an old muscle.
This may take time.
“Take all the time you need.” I relaxed my tense stance as the small flower continued its little dance. I sat and watched the flower grow and expand into full bloom, the little white pistils grew and multiplied. It grew big enough to brush up against my hand that still sat on the bark, leaking teal sap.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
It took nearly three hours before Myc said anything, a short call from my sister revealed she hadn’t waited for me to eat lunch. However, she did grab me a couple slices of pizza, it was New York after all.
I believe something is happening.
“A good something or…?” The tree seemed to shake without any wind, the empty branches shook and danced with the small flower. Then small little growths appeared on the lowest branch, a simple little teal bud. It grew and glowed just like the one on the bark’s old wound.
A good something.
I watched as another small flower bloomed, it glowed with a bright teal light. The branch extended down the tree, growing in such an unusual fashion. It brushed against my face, then slowly grew longer and longer, till it wrapped around my wrist. With a small pop and twist, the branch broke off from the tree. The small section still connected sprung up back into its usual position, as if nothing but a small piece snapped off the end.
The root continued to wrap around my wrist, the small flower settled into the middle like a natural corsage. Then with a quick thrust it dug into my wrist, stabbing through my skin and slowly drinking my blood. “Ow.”
I apologize, I would leave it to hibernate but am unsure if I will be able to wake it up. With the extension made to our trip I will need to nourish it to make sure no harm comes to the newest member of our bond.
“Alright, well let's get back to the plane. Kaley is going to be pissed enough that we were gone for so long.” A quick look around revealed that nothing seemed disturbed or misplaced.
Yes. It also appears that nothing has found this spot yet. It will be good to go now too, I do not wish to tempt fate.
“Alright let’s head out.” Pulling my hand back from the tree revealed the already closing wound. The flower that was connected to the tree crumpled away, pulling the roots out of the tree and being blown into the forest by the winds. I turned from the tree to start heading back to the main trial, turning with a quick glance I wondered. “Are you still connected to this tree?”
No, there was little left that I could do with it. So forcing all of my moss to the single branch granted me enough force to bond with the wooden appendage. The tree was not too happy with my presence so I forced the branch to disconnect. The tree will be fine, and I have a small enough piece to start our own with.
“Cool, alright we really need to get going now.”
***
A hunched back man walked through the woods at a sedated pace. His eyes were glossy and his skin was grayish and sickly. He wore a large coat that hung loosely over his gaunt frame, the sweat soaking the jacket made the man look like a decaying corpse. He stopped to catch his breath, hacking up a mouthful of blood and dying tissue. With a deep breath he pushed himself off the tree and shook his hand to get rid of the disgusting flesh.
“Almost there.” sucking in another wheezy lungful of air. “I am almost there.”
After another coughing fit and a few more mouthfuls of blood later, the man reached his hand against a different tree. Reaching into the heavy coat revealed the man had barely any flesh on his bones, his gaunt stomach barely holding in his organs. Pulling back the cloak revealed a shining dagger, the color of steel, there wasn’t a single blemish tarnishing the blade.
With hands that looked like they belonged more on a skeleton, he gripped the black and gold handle. Pulling back his arm to get as much force behind the blow as his feeble body could muster, he plunged the dagger deep within the tree. A small dribble of sap poured down the bark of the tree, coating the blade in an amber colored goo.
Bringing the blade up to his pale face and glassy eyes, revealed small specs of teal shining within the otherwise dull sap. A smile crept onto the man’s face, pulling back so far that his massive canines could be seen. His eyes widened with his smile, the white sclera shone with a turquoise light.
Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket revealed the wrist matched the emaciated look of his hand. However, the watch that was melded to his wrist was like something from another world. The flesh seemed fused to the metal, a clear tube pushed through the rim of the watch, a small pipe filled with rushing red liquid pushed out from the man’s skin into the watch and then back again. The main hands of the watch were gold arrows that pointed to a series of ever shifting numbers. They were laid over so many gears turning in perfect unison, latches that seemed to barely shift, and a dozen other moving parts. They all danced together in perfect rhythm, shifting the numbers around with such precision that it seemed the world rotated to accommodate them. The other smaller hands on the clock seemed to barely move, only shifting with simple purpose and intent.
The man leaned over to admire the watch, pulling back his sleeve further. The watch was connected to an intricate series of plastic tubes, flowing with liquids of different colors, black, clear, red, and even a dull yellow. The tubes were connected throughout his arm, even snaking up into his neck.
Moving a simple curved silver plate, it slid without making a noise, clamping into its place leaving a seamless silver wrap around the man’s tricep. He leaned forward, putting his mouth so close that moisture formed on the contraption.
“It is me, the suspected crash site in New York, area 40.9041° N, 74.3060° W is confirmed. I repeat, crash site in New York, area 40.9041° N, 74.3060° W is confirmed.” The man leaned away from the intricate contraptions on his arm to hack up more blood and dead flesh. The tubes running up and down pumped their liquids faster and harder through his body. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the seamless silver band on his arm.
“I couldn’t make contact with the hosts, however I have confirmed that it is a Fungoid creature. It is strong and capable, its host was healthy and traveled without disguise. The host mentioned a plane, requesting watch on all local runways to determine destination.”
The band on the man’s arm seemed to glow with a bright golden light. The small silver plate pushed out of the band it had occupied and returned to its position further up his arm. A voice as clear as a bell, spoke from the band on the man’s arm. In a tone barely audible above the gentle breeze of the forest. The man leaned close, attempting to drink up the vibrations the voice produced.
“Thank you, ‘Iyyov, you have done a great service for our kind. Blessed are you among The Flock.”
“Blessed are The Flock, my Saint.” The man replied. A small tear formed in the man’s eye at the words, the glow from the band faded. The man sat staring at the intricate contraptions and long tubes running along his arm. Before sighing, a look of desire fading from his eyes. He pulled the sleeve over his arm and down around his hand. Pushing himself off the tree he was leaning against, taking a deep gargled breath. He began walking again, back towards his home.