Blood. Everything was just blood and noise. I felt disconnected from it all as though this wasn’t happening to me, I was a mere spectator. I felt irritated at all the noise, why couldn’t mother stop her incessant screaming?
But where was I? What was happening?
And just with that I was pulled right back into the forest.
…
The vent had slammed open under the weight of the swarm, the buzzing pounded against our ear drums until we almost felt deaf from the force of it, I could hear my father yell, but I couldn’t make out any of the words till he grabbed me and gestured to cover my nose and mouth.
Covering ourselves we madly scrambled towards the door, the wolves seemed merciful compared to the painful stings we would face should we stay here. Coughing and tumbling we made it out and slammed the door shut, my mother fell to the ground gasping and itched furiously.
“Stop that! You’ll only make it worse.” My father snapped as he looked around quickly for any other animals, there was nothing in sight. It was quiet. Even the swarm seemed to have vanished suddenly.
“This is our chance.” My father whispered, looking at us as he continued, “They seem to have gone. Beth, listen to me, we can escape. Olivia, try calling for help. I’ll go get the truck started, the shotgun is in there too.”
“No, no, no! They’ll get you too!” My mother cried as she looked at my father.
“Beth! There’s no time for this. We must try to get away from here now!” He yelled and stomped down the stairs quickly.
“Mom. Mom, please. We have to go.” I begged as I tried to console her and guided her down the stairs slowly. My mother seemed almost weightless as I held her, as though everything that she was made of drained away as soon as my father left.
“Mom, just stay here. I’ll try calling for help.” I said as I made her sit on the couch. She didn’t even look as though she had heard me or even saw me. She just sat there lifelessly, staring at the door.
“Ok mom, I’ll be right here, ok? Calling.” I said slowly, no response. Sighing I went toward the phone and picked up the receiver and dialed for the cops. Nothing, there was no response. Hell, there was no dial tone. Cursing I slammed the receiver. Somehow, I knew I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Mom, there’s no dial tone. The phones are down, I think we should… mom?” I turned back to where I had made her sit, she wasn’t there!
“Mom? Mom?! Mom where are you?!” I yelled and started looking for her. Where could she be? She was literally sitting there few minutes ago!
Panicking, I started searching the rest of the house.
“Mom? Mom are you in here?” I yelled as I made my way through the house, she was nowhere to be found, until I reached our backdoor and there she was, standing silently and gazing out, the door was open.
“Mom,” I called out cautiously, “What are you doing?”
She just stood there silently, without answering me.
“Mom?” I called out again and gently touched her shoulders.
“Can you hear that?” She whispered.
“Hear what?” I asked curiously.
“The voices.”
“The voices?” Now I was getting worried. “Mom, there are no voices. Nothing.”
“No, listen! It’s them!”
“Mom, stop. You are scaring me, let’s go back inside.” I pleaded trying to pull her back in.
“No! I have to go to them! They need me.” She yelled as she tried to yank her arm away from me.
“Who mom? Who are you trying to go to?” I whispered as I gingerly pulled her back, worried about hurting her.
“Your brothers.” She whispered back while looking feverishly outside. Shocked I let go of her arm.
“Mom. There’s no one outside.”
“No, see. They are right there; they are calling me. Asking me for help.” She gestured towards the woods.
“Please, let’s go back inside. Dad is waiting for us remember. He needs you too.” I pleaded.
“No.” I was shocked as she grinned at me madly and pushed me inside. Gasping, I caught the doorframe as I fell and watched her run towards the woods, shrieking for my brothers.
“No! Stop!” I yelled as I ran behind her. Somehow, I knew that if she reached the woods, it would be too late. The sound of my pounding heartbeat like a drum in my ears as I chased after her. She seemed almost possessed as she laughed and screamed my brother’s names while twirling and leaping towards the woods. An actor lost within the script of an unknown play.
“Stop. Stop!” I kept yelling but it was of no use as she stepped into the woods and suddenly stopped. Time seemed to come to a standstill suddenly, the very air vanished from around us.
“Mom?” I called out cautiously. She didn’t seem to be able to hear me, she stood staring at something that none of us could see, lost in the woods. Suddenly shaking she fell to the ground.
“Mom!” I yelled, she turned and started crawling towards me, eyes wide with panic.
“Olivia? Olivia?! Help me!” She yelled, crawling faster. Her eyes now bulging with fear. I stood in fear unable to understand what was happening. Why was she scared now? What did she see? Shaking my head, trying to disperse my fears I tried to move towards her.
But, as soon as I reached the woods, I felt an invisible boundary stood between us and I knew if I crossed it, I wouldn’t be able to come back. So, I stood there watching my mom try to make her way towards me. She was almost there, her arms outstretched.
“Oliv..?!” Her scream gurgled off to a choked end as roots shot through the ground and hooked into her knees, wrapped around her neck, and dragged her off into the woods.
I stood there, too shocked to scream and relieved, so relieved it wasn’t me. I wanted to feel bad, but I was glad to be alive and why didn’t she listen to me?! I told her not to go! No one listens to me. It’s because of what we did, the forest was angry. And now as I watched the roots consume my mother, I knew that my mother and brothers were a part of the forest too.
…
I stood still listening to the whimpers of my mother fade away when I heard my father calling out for me and my mother.
“Olivia! Beth! Where are you?!” He yelled.
I quickly glanced one more time towards my mother and made my way towards him, “Dad! Here! I am here!” I called back. He saw me and started instantly running towards me.
“Oh, thank God you are fine! Wh… where is your mother?” He asked as he looked me over for any injuries.
“Dad, I… I couldn’t stop her! She went crazy… said she heard Rory and Jordan, she started running and… and dad! The forest! It got her!” I started sobbing and threw myself at him hoping he’d make it all better. But he stood still, shocked.
“The forest? What do you mean?” He asked me numbly.
“There, dad!” I pointed to the spot where I saw mom disappear, “She heard Rory and Jordan’s voices and she ran there, and the roots caught her.”
“She heard voices?” My dad snorted with derision and looked at me. “Olivia, enough of these games. Where is your mother?”
“Dad, I swear. The ground sucked her in!” I protested
“Enough!” He thundered, “There is nothing there!” he yelled, pointing at the empty ground.
“Dad, please. You saw the animals. You know it. There is something going on here! How can you explain the crops? What happened to the twins then? You know they are mad at us!” I pleaded.
“What animals?! What crops?! It’s all a freak accident. The twins… the twins. Be quiet! It’s all nothing. No one is mad at us! We are leaving NOW!” My father yelled, his face red with rage as he started dragging me towards the truck.
“Dad no, dad stop!” I started shrieking as he pulled open the truck door and started to push me inside.
A steady rumbling from the ground stopped us both.
“What? What was that?” My father whispered as he looked around suspiciously.
“Something is happening. It’s them, I told you.” I whispered back.
“Who is them? It’s just an earthquake.” My father said through clenched teeth.
“The forest.” I whispered and the ground cracked open in a thousand places.
…
Roots shot through the ground and lunged towards us as we both jumped out of the way. Gasping I lunged and leapt over the stray roots and dashed towards the house.
“Olivia! Olivia!” I heard my father cry out. I stopped and turned back towards him, one of the roots had wrapped around his ankle as he grappled with it.
“Olivia! Help me!” He cried out again, I didn’t know what to do. Moreover, I didn’t want to do anything. I knew that even if I saved him, he’d never change. He would keep burning things faster than they’d ever grow.
So, I watched.
He lunged towards the truck door and pulled out his shotgun and tried shooting at the roots in vain. Every time he shot, they would just grow back or another one would take it’s place. Then he tried climbing into his truck, but the roots had enough of this game and wrapped around his legs completely and pulled him out.
A howl sounded behind me startling me. Turning I saw the animals approaching slowly, a blank look on all their faces. Screaming I fell to the ground, but they passed by me without a single glance, heading towards my father. After that all I recalled was the wet, sticky feel of blood on my face and the screaming.
Who was screaming? Was it mom? Was it me?
…
I woke up after what felt like days, it could have been too. The sun shone brightly on my face. Tired I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even speak!
I… I was frozen? Tied down?
I didn’t know?!
Panicking I tried to look around me, where was I?
Wait. I could see the house; it was right there but I couldn’t move!
I looked down to see what was holding me in place, then I saw it. Roots, so many roots, tangled together and breathing as one.
Were they growing into me? From me? Oh…
I couldn’t help but laugh, the leaves fell to the ground as I shook with laughter.
I looked around, and everything we had cut through had returned, every blade of grass we burnt, back in its place, pristine as ever.
I laughed at the irony of it all when I heard the sound. Was it a car? I waited till it turned the corner so that I could finally see it. It was his car.
The Collector had come.
My branches shook with excitement. Perhaps we would be the one collecting today.
After all, in the end, the forest claims all.
