by John Sneeden
“So they really do strangle?”
“In a sense, yes. If there is such a thing as a malevolent plant, the strangler fig is it.” She gave a little laugh. “But the most amazing thing about them is how they start out.”
Zane was amazed at her unending fount of knowledge. “Tell me more.”
She seemed pleased at his interest. “Okay, it all starts with animal poop.”
“Animal poop?”
“Yep, the life history of a strangler fig begins when a canopy-dwelling animal, perhaps a bird or a monkey, releases feces containing a seed. The seed ends up in the crotch of a tree and germinates there. After germination, the plant sends its massive roots all the way down the trunk and into the soil. Over time, those roots begin to suck up all the moisture, robbing the host tree’s roots of that same resource. At the same time, the roots cover and squeeze the tree’s trunk. And if that weren’t enough, the strangler fig sprouts leaves that block out the leaves of its host, sapping up all the nutrients provided by the sun.”
“Doesn’t sound like this ends well for the tree,” Zane said.
“Often it doesn’t. Many of the hosts end up dying. What was once a majestic tree morphs into a column of strangler fig vines wrapped around a dead trunk.”
“Good grief. A plant that preys on other plants.”
“It’s not all bad though. The dying tree will often develop holes and crannies, the perfect breeding cavities for various species of birds and mammals.”
Zane grabbed one of the vines along the trail and shook it. “And you think these are relatives of the strangler fig?”
“They seem similar, and yet I’ve never seen stranglers spread over such a large area. Generally they attack one solitary tree and spend their entire life cycle in that one place. These seem to be running everywhere.”
Zane was about to ask her another question when he saw lights ahead. A minute later, they entered a large clearing. It was bordered on three sides by the vines; the fourth side, directly ahead, butted up against the rocky base of the mountain. Most of the group was already gathered there.
At the sound of their arrival, Bennett came over to them. The soldier’s eyes widened when he saw Artur’s blood-soaked bandage. “Let’s get him over here.” He pointed to a flat boulder where they had piled some of their packs.
“Oh my gosh, what happened?” Amanda asked, rushing over to help lower the Brazilian onto the rock.
“An arrow,” Zane said.
Katiya asked Tocchet to retrieve the medical kit. After sitting down, she slowly unraveled the bandage. She pulled out a flashlight, clicked it on, and began to examine the wound.
Bennett pulled Zane to the side. “Who did this?”
“We came under attack by an indigenous tribe,” Zane replied. “I’m convinced it was the Dawanis. Fortunately we sent them running, but I have no doubt they’ll be back.”
Bennett gestured toward the rock face. “Sir, I need to show you something.”
After making sure Artur was attended to, Zane followed the Green Beret to the base of the mountain. There was a row of bushes, and just beyond, Zane saw a stone slab partially blocking an opening in the rock face. Max Cameron was down on one knee, shining a flashlight into the gap.
“The indigenous boy entered about ten minutes ago to see what he could find,” Bennett said.
Zane looked down at Max. “See anything?”
The linguist spoke without looking up. “Just rock walls.” He leaned closer and tilted his head. “But I do hear something. I think he’s on his way back.”
Seconds later, Osak crawled out of the dark interior and spoke to Max in an excited tone. Zane watched the boy’s face carefully. He didn’t seem upset, which was a good sign.
After he finished, Max turned to Zane and Bennett. “He says the tunnel goes straight back from here. The floor is flat and smooth, easy to travel on.”
“Excellent,” Bennett replied.
“One problem though,” Max continued. “He eventually came to a body of water and was unable to go any further.”
“Water?” Zane asked. “Inside the mountain?”
“That’s what he said.”
Zane frowned. “Was it a stream? A lake?”
“He couldn’t tell. He says one minute he was walking on stone and the next he was up to his knees in water.”
Bennett looked at Zane. “Hopefully we can get a better idea of what we’re dealing with once we take some lights in there. I’m assuming you want us to go in tonight?”
“Yes, at least some of us.” Zane looked back at Artur, sitting on the boulder. Katiya was cleaning the wound with a wet cloth. “I’ll go check on our patient first, and then you and I will take the boy back in to see what we can learn about the body of water he found.”
“Yes, sir. Roger that.”
As Bennett stooped to gather his things, Zane reached into his pack and pulled out a flashlight. How the rest of the night played out would depend on Artur’s condition. If the injury wasn’t serious, he preferred to enter the mountain tonight. On the other hand, if the Brazilian was doing poorly, it might be best to give him a night of rest. That might also give Brett enough time to fix the sat phone.
Zane clicked on his flashlight and left Max at the entrance. As he stepped past the bushes, his beam swung across the clearing. He stopped. Something wasn’t right. He swung the beam back, this time more slowly. Eventually it illuminated the opening in the plant wall, the one they had just walked out of a few minutes earlier. He frowned and took a few steps in that direction. He held the beam there, his eyes soaking in the details.
What’s wrong with this picture?
And then it hit him. The opening was smaller than it had been before. Or was it?
He approached more closely, stopping a few feet away. The opening appeared to be the size of a normal house door, and yet he could have sworn that when he and Katiya had come through earlier they’d been walking side by side with room to spare.
Probably your mind playing tricks on you.
Zane turned to rejoin the others. As his light swept away from the opening, he could have sworn he saw several of the tendrils moving.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
ZANE CROSSED TO the flat stone where Katiya and Amanda were working on Artur. Two puncture wounds marred the Brazilian’s upper arm. Amanda held him still as Katiya finished stitching him up.
“That’s better treatment than I’ve seen in some hospitals,” Zane remarked.
Katiya tied off the stitch and snipped off the excess. “Let’s not get carried away. The arrow passed through the side of his deltoid muscle. Thankfully that means it missed his arteries.”
“They’ll need to bring something better than that to kill me,” Artur said with a laugh.
Zane gave him a quick smile then turned toward Katiya. “And the prognosis?”
“Again, I’m no doctor, but I’d say he’s going to be fine,” Katiya said. “I think infection is going to be the biggest concern. That and he won’t be able to lift his arm for a while. As soon as he gets something to eat, I’ll give him some oral antibiotics.”
Zane frowned. “We have antibiotics?”
Katiya turned red and looked at Jorge. “Not officially.”
Zane looked at the Brazilian, who shrugged, smiled, and walked away.
Artur flexed his good arm as though demonstrating his strength. “A few minutes more, and I’ll be good to go.”
Katiya placed a hand on Artur’s leg. “No, you need more rest than that.” She looked at Zane. “I know you’re eager to keep going, but he needs at least four or five hours of rest. He lost a good amount of blood today.”
Zane rubbed his beard. Despite the Brazilian’s bravado, Artur’s face had paled considerably. No doubt the blood loss had weakened him. If they needed to stay, at least the ravine provided a safe place to make camp. The only way in was down the narrow path, which could easily be guarded. So, unless the Chinese had artillery, they should be safe for n
ow.
“You’re right,” Zane said to Katiya. “Let’s give him a few hours. I’ll check back later.”
Artur shook his head. “I’m fine… honestly.”
“You’re not doing as well as you think,” Zane said. He placed a hand on the Brazilian’s good shoulder. “While you’re resting, we’ll check out the tunnel. We’re going to need you healthy when we all go in.”
Artur nodded.
Zane gave him a pat and turned to Katiya. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will,” Katiya said. She then mouthed a silent “thank you” as he turned to leave.
Zane found Bennett in the middle of the clearing, checking his gear.
“You about ready?”
Bennett looked up. “Yes, sir. How much do you think we’ll need?”
“Not much. Our main objective is to learn more about the body of water Osak found. I want to know how big it is and how we can get across.”
Bennett nodded. “My guess is that it’s an underground stream. We did some light spelunking during our training, and I ran into them all the time. Most are shallow and should be easy to cross. The only things you have to worry about are those little blind fish nibbling your feet.”
“Unfortunately, this place is anything but normal,” Zane said. “No telling—”
He was cut off by a loud shout of alarm. The voice sounded strangely muffled. He and Bennett turned, sweeping their beams around. Others joined them. Soon cones of light waved in every direction.
“Over here!” Amanda shouted.
Zane swung his beam around, as did the others. His eyes widened. Tocchet was lying on the ground near the edge of the clearing, struggling with something that seemed to be dragging him across the ground.
Zane and Bennett rushed over to him. Bennett was the first to arrive. “What the…?”
Zane pulled up short, horrified at the sight. Tocchet’s face was purple, much like someone’s whose air had been cut off. Something was coiled around the soldier’s neck. At first he thought it was a snake, but now, to his horror, he saw that it was one of the vines. It moved like an animal, tightening and pulling at the same time.
Amanda, who had just arrived, let out a scream.
“Get back!” Zane shouted.
Bennett had already dropped to his knees and was tugging at the plant.
“Please… help me,” Tocchet gurgled.
Zane knelt down and wrapped his fingers around the living noose. He was shocked at how strong it was, almost like ribbed steel.
“It’s trying to pull him into the thicket,” Bennett said.
He was right. Slowly but surely the soldier was being tugged toward the wall of vegetation.
Suddenly Zane heard a startled grunt, and Bennett slid out of view. Figuring he must have lost his grip, Zane continued to work on getting Tocchet loose.
Amanda screamed again, directing her flashlight to Zane’s right.
Zane turned then froze. A massive vine, much larger than the first, was wrapped around Bennett’s leg. The soldier was trying to shift and grab it with his hands, but the vine prevented it by dragging him more quickly.
Zane hesitated for a moment but knew he had to stay with Tocchet. The soldier was slowly choking to death. He turned toward the others. “Someone help Bennett!”
Jorge and Brett were already rushing to Bennett’s aid, allowing Zane to refocus on Tocchet. He straddled Tocchet’s chest and jammed his fingers into the crease between the vine and the soldier’s throat. If he could find the tip, he might be able to unravel the whole thing. He grunted, shoving his fingers as far into the coils as he could. Unfortunately, the further he got, the more difficult it was for Tocchet to breathe. He guessed the soldier had less than a minute to live.
Seconds later, Zane felt the tip of the vine. But as he closed his fingers around it, the plant pulled away as though it was equipped with its own central nervous system.
“I can’t… I can’t breathe,” Tocchet hissed through clenched teeth.
“Hang in there,” Zane said, probing again with his hands.
He glanced up again. The vine was pulling them steadily toward the edge of the clearing. They were only inches away, and now more vines were slithering toward them. The whole grove had now awakened as darkness fell over the ravine.
Just as Zane was about to give up and try something else, a shadow appeared on his left. A figure stood over the vine and lifted an ax with both arms. Seconds later, the blade cut through the air, slicing cleanly through the vine. A plume of dark sap sprayed like a fountain, and the stub whipped back into the wall.
Tocchet coughed and spit, gasping for air. With no time to lose, Zane gathered him up and carried him back toward the center of the clearing. It was only then that he noticed Katiya striding beside him.
As he set the soldier down on the grass, Zane heard continued commotion not far away.
Bennett.
Leaving Katiya to tend to Tocchet, he turned and ran toward the lights at the edge of the clearing. He soon saw Brett and Bennett struggling with a massive vine. It was the largest one Zane had ever seen, probably three or four times the girth of an anaconda.
He rushed forward, but before he could reach them, the sound of a gunshot cracked in the air. Then another. He turned and saw Jorge standing about ten yards away, a rifle pressed against his shoulder. As he continued firing, bullets ripped into the plant, sending plumes of dark sap in every direction.
Seconds later, a shriek rang out from somewhere far off, deep in the tangle of plants, and the vine snapped back into the darkness.
With the immediate threat now suppressed, Zane and Jorge rushed to help Brett and Bennett to their feet. The four then retreated to the mountain face along with the others.
As they arrived, Katiya grabbed Zane’s arm and pulled him to the side. “We need to get out of here… now.”
“It’s gone.”
She shook her head and swept the beam of her flashlight across the clearing. Zane flinched. Hundreds of vines were now snaking out of the plant wall, inching toward them from all directions. Some of the vines had been beaten back, but others had taken their place.
Zane stared in stunned silence. The tendrils were moving more slowly now, probably cautious after the blows their brethren had taken, but in a matter of minutes they would likely move in from every direction. And when that happened, no amount of bullets would stop them.
Zane turned to the group. “Everybody, gather your things quickly. We’re entering the tunnel.
Max scowled at Zane. “How do we know you aren’t leading us toward something even more dangerous than what’s out here? We need to kill this—”
“Good, we have a volunteer who’s going to stay behind and fight. The rest of you prepare to leave.”
Max muttered something under his breath but reached for his pack. The others wasted no time gathering their belongings and moving toward the rock face.
Zane slung his own pack over a shoulder then turned toward Tocchet. The soldier was sitting up now, breathing deeply. “I know you’re weak, but we’re going to have to get you over to the tunnel.”
Tocchet coughed then spoke in a soft voice. “I’m ready.”
Zane lifted him to his feet and looped an arm around his back, holding him up. The two then walked over to where the others were queuing up in front of the opening. Maxwell Cameron was already on his knees, crawling through as quickly as he could. Zane shook his head at the pathetic sight.
After making sure Tocchet could stand on his own, Zane looked at Brett. “Is everyone here?”
“Yes,” Brett said with a nod.
“Good, let’s—”
“Look!” Amanda shouted.
Zane turned. Amanda had directed her beam back toward the clearing. The vines had closed the distance even more quickly than expected. Some of the shoots were only about fifteen or twenty yards away and closing fast.
“Holy crap,” Zane said.
Katiya came over
and stood at his side. “I think the plant uses its tendrils to sense movement. Which means when we all ran over here, it was able to track us. It also seems to be coming with greater numbers this time, probably something it’s learned to do when it realizes it’s up against prey that’s able to fight back.”
“It’s almost like that thing has a brain.” Zane looked at her. “You said plant, singular. There are hundreds of those things.”
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we had our little discussion earlier.” She gestured toward the vines. “There are hundreds of vines, but my guess is that if you could trace them all back you’d find there is only one plant.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “That’s one organism?”
“Yes. I suspected it before, but after watching all the vines move in unison, I no longer have any doubt.”
“What the hell is it?” Zane asked.
“A carnivorous plant of the highest order.”
“Like a Venus flytrap?” Amanda asked.
Katiya nodded. “Yes, but only in the sense that they’re both carnivores.” She looked at Zane. “Remember I told you it had some resemblance to the strangler fig? I think we’re looking at one of its long-lost relatives, possibly something that dates back to the prehistoric era.”
“Why aren’t there others?” Zane asked. “If they were all over the planet, we’d know about it.”
“Who knows,” she replied with a shrug. “Survival of the fittest. As powerful as this plant seems, a microorganism in the soil outside the crater might be able to bring it to its knees. It’s hard to say.”
Zane’s brow furrowed. “Why did it wait to attack?”
“I’d guess it probably gathers energy during the day via photosynthesis then attacks unwitting prey at night.”
“I think we’d better get moving.” Amanda shone her beam out toward the vines once again. A few were now about ten yards away.
“She’s right,” Katiya said.
Zane turned back toward the rock face. Everyone except Bennett had entered the tunnel. After helping Amanda and Katiya through the opening, the two men turned and faced the clearing. Some of the vines were perilously close, making Zane wonder if a couple of them might make a quick attack if they turned.