Spriggan: Dark horror fantasy

by Julius Schenk

  He watched the slow progress as the big sweaty boy slowly killed the tree. He’d never been helpless before; this was torture. He felt the pain of every blow and felt the damage it was doing. He knew his only purpose was to protect nature, to help it grow and he was standing by and letting this happen. He felt shame, he was too weak to attack them all, something held him back, an old memory of letting one see him, of them trying to burn him, he had to be secret, be silent, but the boy would pay.

  The mindless destruction continued, and he added names is the list in his mind. He knew that killing some of them would not be enough. They would have to suffer for what they had done. He was so full of rage he almost leaped into sight when they started to go inside. One by one they went in, except for a lone girl.

  She was tall, and they called her ‘Bree.’ She walked up the rows of dead vines, she couldn’t see him through them, and he stalked after her. He could almost see into her mind, that she was going to do something horrible.

  The girl sang to herself as she walked, it was a sweet song. It was Galiec; he thought she too was from his old land. He saw her reach the end of the row, where there was a patch of wildflowers growing. Lavender sprigs of purple and small daisies.

  ‘dear earth mother, let me take some flowers so that we can enjoy their beauty,’ she said, and she took a few flowers and started to cut them out from the bush. He didn’t know what an earth mother was, but if she was asking permission, she should have asked him.

  He wanted to lunge out of his hiding place and crush his fingers into her face, but he had to stay hidden, and he had to make them suffer first. He looked at the flowers; he knew what lived there. He let his mind reach out to them, simple things that were set to work, helping the grove, but he could turn them to his task. He pushed the simple thought ‘the hive is in danger.' Tens of small yellow and black bees flew from the flowers, and at the girl, others came from around the farm and swarmed in a thick dark cloud. They started flying at her from all around until there were hundreds and hundreds. They stung her exposed skin as he guided them with his mind to her face and neck, their most vulnerable parts. They stung her bare skin and tried to find her throat and eyes. She started screaming, turned as best she could and ran down the line of vines as they stung her repeatedly.

  Now he laughed.

  Chapter Eight

  Vicky heard Bree’s screams before she had even made her own way back to the house. She turned in a flash, dropped her shovel, and ran back to her, her boots hitting hard against the compressed dirt of the road to the vines. She saw Bree, half way up a row, laying on the ground and screaming. She was rolling around as if trying to put out a fire only she could see. She ran and knelt beside her. Her face was red and swollen as if she just had the beating of her life, her left eye was all puffed up, and half closed, but pain filled them both. All around her body were the dead bodies of tens and tens of little yellow bees, or wasps.

  ‘What happened?’ Vicky asked.

  ‘Bees’ the girl cried and then passed out. Within moments Roger and the others were there. He knelt next to them.

  ‘What happened?’ he said in a frantic voice.

  ‘Bees she said’ said Vicky

  ‘bees, no way they don’t swarm, must have been wasps, come on, she doesn’t look allergic, lucky’ he said. He looked at some of the dead one and seemed almost shocked.

  He picked her up in his arms and started to carry her back to the house.

  ‘how do you know? That she’s not allergic?’ Vicky asked

  ‘she’s not dead’ he said in his matter of fact Aussie voice. This place was shit she thought.

  She stayed next to Bree listening to her calm breath as she slept soundly. Roger had given her some pills that had knocked her right out, and she looked peaceful except for the ten or so red blotches on her face and around her throat, good thing she wasn’t allergic. There was a ring of bites around her neck, and near her eyes, it seemed like they had really tried to hurt her, or even kill her.

  She’d always heard bees were peaceful because they died after stinging you, but maybe they were wasps, they were everywhere in England and nasty little arseholes. Roger knocked on the door and came in with a tray of soup; which seemed nice for him, he must have felt guilty.

  ‘She’ll be okay, and I’ll give her whatever time she needs before we get her working again, I mean a day, or a day and a half, whatever’ he said, setting down the tray.

  ‘This sort of thing happen much?’ she asked.

  ‘I didn’t think it would happen to her, some of these kids act like idiots they walk around through the long grass with thongs on and then wonder why they get a snake bite’ he said.

  ‘thongs? You mean flip flops?’ she said

  ‘you know what I mean. She must have kicked the nest or something, bees aren’t usually so aggro’ he said.

  ‘Well she was lucky’ she said

  ‘we all were, there is no doctor for miles, anyway, get some sleep you still have to work tomorrow, and if you want to tell her, she can use the phone in the kitchen, just her’ he said

  He was so anxious about that phone. It was a ‘landline,' but had a key in it, and if you didn’t turn the key, you couldn’t press the numbers. He, of course, kept the key. They could use it on weekends and log their calls. There was also no internet or 3g.

  She must have fallen asleep in the chair next to the bed, she woke to find Bree looking at her. Her face was a wreck. Her left eye was now fully shut and she like she was in a world of hurt. Vicky tried to make her feel better.

  ‘so, you get a few days off work, good plan,’ she said

  She laughed once and then started to cry. Vicky slipped off her seat and knelt next to her.

  ‘it’s ok, I’ll get you some good pain killers, I have some from when I broke my arm,’ Vicky said.

  ‘it’s not the pain,’ Bree said

  ‘what then?’ she asked

  ‘I’m scared. I could have been killed, it was close’ she said

  It was close, the bees or wasps had done a good job, they seemed to really try to hurt her.

  ‘it does seem weird,’ Vicky said

  ‘I’ve never felt that before,’ she said

  ‘what? Fear? Just walk through Croydon at night.’ Vicky said.

  ‘No, not fear, feeling like someone wanted me dead, it felt like something was so mad at me and wanted to hurt me.’

  ‘Who,’ Vicky asked

  Bree looked at her with one good eye, she obviously knew she sounded crazy, but was high on drugs and pain.

  ‘Nature, the farm, I heard it laughing, something out there wants us gone.’

  Checking her phone, with no signal again, but the time said it was around two o’clock. Vicky decided she’d been a good enough new friend to Bree and could start thinking about her own comfort and find her bed. She slipped out of the top room using her phone for light. The house at night was a scary place. It was one of those old things that sounded like it was alive. The stairs made creaking sounds as she walked down them. She crept past the big main room and thought she heard something.

  She stopped at the door and peered in. She thought she saw a shape at the window. It stood looking out. The room was in total darkness, but it looked at the caravan in the front room. She could hear a slight breathing, not hers and started to get scared and then it spoke.

  ‘your friend ok?’ it asked, it was a thick English voice, the lug, his name was Nick she thought. She shined the phone light on him. He smiled at her, then said ‘put the light out.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ she said

  ‘I’m not going to hurt you; I’m just watching this freak,’ he said

  ‘which freak, Roger?’ she said

  It was weird to be watching someone in the dark and call them a freak, but then she thought of her midnight mission, watching him.

  ‘yes, Roger, sorry about this morning, I was out of line,’ he said

  ‘it’s fine I have a younger brothe
r,’ she said

  ‘I’m older than you’ He said

  ‘You should know better then, why did you say freak?’

  ‘This place is wrong. I don't trust him; the police officers came you know, and then he went to the kitchen and called someone on the phone’ he said, ‘who calls anyone straight after a police visit, except guilty people?’

  She let his words sink in ‘why cops? You find out.’

  ‘Yeah, some council worker is missing, he was cutting trees nearby and has vanished, then we got your mate, and she tells me you found a suitcase in the shed? Girls clothes? Photos? That’s murder shit.’ He said.

  ‘you watch wolf creek before you came?’ she asked

  He laughed’I did, but I’d be thinking it anyway’ he said

  He’d now come to stand near her, she tried to think it was fine. But she always trusted her instincts when it came to wrong people, and Roger was all sorts of wrong.

  ‘what should we do?’ she asked

  He laughed ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m leaving, first light, I’m hitch hiking out of here, and I’m a big tough man, you should do likewise,’ he said

  ‘I'm sure it’s nothing? She said it didn’t feel like nothing though.

  ‘when is it ever nothing?’

  Chapter Nine

  He watched them talking in the darkness of the inside room. It was the big one Nick and the hunter girl, Vicky. He could understand some of their words and feel their moods. The boy was leaving, he would escape at first light and be free and away. Unaware and unpunished, He wouldn’t let that happen. He looked at them from outside. He was hidden under the man’s metal house and saw them go off to their separate rooms.

  He had to be smart now. If he waited until the sun was up the boy would be surrounded by allies, escape, and get away free. He needed to strike now, but had to be careful, he knew if he went in and killed him they would all run. He’d learned about these people, he’d cleared this house before, and they were weak and scared, never ready to fight.

  After a long time had passed and he knew they would be asleep, he crept out from under the metal house and through the darkness to the back of the wooden one. He was silent as he stalked and looked at the thing they called a door. He’d seen them use it, and reached out, taking the metal stick in his hand, and turned it. It opened with a loud sound, but he was inside in moments.

  Now he was in; he could hear them all breathing, he knew who was in what rooms and could find them all. A part of him wanted to see the girl, Bree; he needed to see if her punishment was enough. He stalked up the stairs, taking each step so slowly, there was no sound, and soon he was near their rooms. He knew the girl, had her own room and he went to it.

  The door was partly open, he pushed it wide and went in. A wave of happiness washed over him, to see her. She had suffered. Her face was swollen and looked as painful as if surely was. He could feel some of it but was glad for it. As he stood looking at her, her eye snapped open, and she looked at him. It was dark, but her gaze found his. Her heart started beating much faster, fear.

  He shoved his hand over her mouth and held it there; she didn’t kick or cry, she just stared at him. He’d have to kill her now. He reached out with his other hand to her throat and started to push against it. No blood, he’d just stop her breathing. His hand tightened around her thin neck, and he felt it move as she spoke.

  She seemed to be trying to calm herself as he choked her, and she spoke again. The words were muffled, so he moved his hand. She didn’t scream, but simply said ‘I’m sorry.’

  He’d left the girl, no one ever believed just one, and she’d saved herself with her words. Her crime was great, but he was forgiving, and she’d suffered for her crimes, the boy, however, hadn’t. He would though. He found his room, and he wasn’t alone. He was in the room with one other boy. The one called, Liam. Also, a big one, but not on his list yet. He had to be careful now.

  He crept over to the sleeping body of Nick; he was breathing hard and snoring. He reached out with his wooden fingers and put them over his mouth, the other he put around his throat. Again, he woke up; he felt glee at the terror in his eyes. The boy looked at him and saw him; now he was so close. He struggled and struggled, but he just closed his grip on his throat. He felt the boy struggling for breath. His chest heaved up and down, and then he passed out.

  He could still hear his heartbeat, he was still alive, which was good, he had to suffer. He pulled the boy from his bed and placed him easily over his shoulder. The other one hadn’t woken up; he’d done it well. The limp body over his shoulder, he slipped from the room. He could see clearly in the dark and made his way down the stairs, walking slowly and carefully. He made to the door at the back of the house, opened the lever and stepped out into the darkness with his prize.

  The girl may tell the others, but she seemed weak of mind. They never believe ones like her, even though they often spoke true. He was a bit amazed that she had said sorry, she was in tune with the old ways, she might survive the coming days.

  As he carried the boy, he began to come awake. He was a good way from the house now, close to his home tree and it felt good to let him scream. He’d heard that tree screaming as it was killed stroke by stroke over the course of hours. He went to the clearing before the home tree and places his hand on it.

  He was the tree, and the tree was him. It was a mighty fig tree. It hung low and reached out taking the trees around it. Made of huge vines. The tree responded to his commands, and vines reached down like eager hands and grabbed the boy around the wrists. He was pulled up and away by them. One around his left wrist and the other around the right. It dragged him up until he was off the ground a few feet. Now they were at the same height.

  He looked at the boy, saw the fear in his green and brown eyes and felt the terror coming off him in waves. The boy screamed in his face and said something like ‘what the fuck are you’ it had never spoken back to them. He didn’t have a tongue, a mouth, but he could speak in a way that would be understood. Every creature understood pain.

  He reached out a single finger and held it in front of his mouth. He then thought ‘grow’ It grew fast and angry. A strong vine that went into his mouth and was guided down. The boy started to cough and cry, blood was on his lips, as the vine found it’s crawling way down his throat, ripping into his chest and started weaving a path through his organs. He let it rip and tear its slow path, all the way down until it came out his punched out from his stomach. Rich dark blood poured all over his feet and the base of his home tree. The boy’s eyes went dead, and his head flopped to the side.

  Chapter Ten

  Vicky woke to the sounds of yelling, and for a moment she didn’t know where she was, and then she remembered. She’d fallen asleep in her clothes and just pulled on her boots and ran down stairs. The big Irish guy, Liam, was yelling at Roger and everyone else was watching them like it was part of their reality show.

  ‘He must have just left?’ Roger yelled

  ‘why should I believe that his bed was unmade and he left his phone’ Liam yelled back

  ‘He must have forgotten it, it happens you know’ Roger said.

  ‘He never said to me he was leaving’ Liam yelled back

  He’d told Vicky he was leaving, but she was surprised he’d gone at very first light, she’d expected him to at least have some free breakfast and tell Roger to stick it. Still, he was the type to forget a phone and not make the bed, why would he.

  She spoke up ‘he told me he was leaving.’

  Roger looked at her, hope lit up his eyes. She saw how angry Liam was getting and he was a big, gym fit guy. He looked ready to hit the older man.

  ‘See, why would I lie, I’m angry too, I need you kids to work’ Roger said.

  Liam turned to her ‘he hated you, why would he tell you shit’ he asked.

  ‘I saw him late last night, he said he was leaving first thing, he hated it here’ she said

  She saw the anger fade out of L
iam ‘why didn’t he say goodbye.’

  Roger laughed ‘aww your boyfriend didn’t say goodbye, don’t worry he’ll probably call when he realizes his phone is gone’ he said.

  ‘what about his other stuff’ she asked, she didn’t trust Roger, he seemed so happy to have someone back him up.

  ‘It’s gone’ Liam said and walked out.

  Vicky hated this place, and she was getting a very bad feeling about the whole thing. True, Nick had said he was leaving, but maybe she should as well. She wanted to get the visa but this was bad, she couldn’t even call anyone. Roger said on they could use the phone on the weekend and she could call her boyfriend, but this was getting weird. She’d eaten a quick breakfast and took a bowl of cereal to Bree.

  She found her sitting up in her bed. She looked a million times better, she sat smiling in the bed, her swelling had gone down a lot, and she looked much more normal.

  ‘someone’s feeling better’ Vicky said.

  ‘I am, I just realized what an amazing place this is, I had some bad luck, but we are blessed to be in such a wonderful piece of nature’ she said.

  It was far from how Vicky felt, but she was glad Bree was feeling better.

  ‘Nick left’ she said.

  ‘When? last night?’ Bree said.

  ‘I don’t think so, but this morning, left his phone, Liam seems to think it’s a bit suss’ Vicky said.

  ‘He was an arse anyway, it’s better he is gone, he shouldn’t have cut down that tree’ She said.

  Bree was acting weird, Vicky realized she might have been too hasty in befriending her, sometimes people are sitting alone because they had already said all this weird shit before you got there.