by Chad Brecher
“Lea…ffff. Th…th…lea….fff.” The voice was guttural and barely recognizable as human. Alex could see beyond the roots of the tree the ghastly form of Solomon staggering forward with uncoordinated movements. His pistol was held loosely in his bear-like paws with the shaft of the gun pointed down at an awkward angle. Alex pulled Ellie forward and maneuvered her behind the root just as Solomon raised the pistol again and unleashed another bullet that impacted just in front of Ellie’s feet. She found herself diving forward through a cloud of dust stirred up by the bullet and scampering behind the protective shield of the overgrown root. Alex ducked and weaved as another bullet cut through the air in his direction and created a splash in the water behind him. He slid in beside Ellie, pushed himself close to the root, and peered at the lumbering form of Solomon approaching them.
“He’s lost his mind. He’s going to kill us all!” Ellie exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear.
Alex’s heart raced as he looked back for any possible escape. He was startled to see the spot where Clay had been lying now empty. He followed the trail of blood across the ground towards the water’s edge and could see the wounded man slowly pulling himself by his elbows forward. Clay stopped with exhaustion and reached out towards the leather satchel Alex had previously left haphazardly upon the edge of the island.
“He’ll shoot us down if we try to run. We’ll be an easy target,” Alex said as his finger dove into the back pocket of his pants.
Ellie glanced down inquisitively as Alex found the handle of Phillip’s switchblade and pulled it free.
“What are you thinking about doing?”
Alex reached out and cupped his hands along both sides of her head and brought her close to him. Their foreheads nearly touched.
“Look, Ellie, promise me when I get up. you will run. If things go horribly wrong, jump into the water and take your chances with the canal. Redmund may be right about it.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked apprehensively, fixated on the glistening steel of the opened switchblade.
“Just do it, please,” Alex urged. He could see Solomon’s legs framed by the cage-like array of roots. He tightened his grip on Ellie’s head and kissed her. He could taste the brininess of a tear that had run across her cheek and collected along the folds of her lips.
Before she could protest, Alex sprung up from behind the roots, leaped over the largest one, and lurched forward. Solomon flinched with surprise and wavered on his feet before raising his gun. Before the man could fire, Alex lunged forward, driving the tip of the blade into Solomon’s left flank. Solomon winced from the pain and responded by grabbing Alex’s wrist. Alex cried out as his skin burned. He fought to free his wrist from the man’s grasp. Solomon raised his gun and brought it down hard against the side of Alex’s head, sending him staggering backwards. Alex tried to stay on his feet but tripped over a root and tumbled to the ground.
Solomon grimaced as he gripped the handle of the switchblade and pulled it free from his flank. Alex tried to crawl back but ran up against the gnarled roots as they dove into the ground. Solomon took several wobbly steps forward, holding the blade in his hand. With a flick of the wrist he tossed the blade aside, sending it clanging in the distance.
Alex watched as Solomon’s eyelids parted. He lifted his gun into the air, and pointed it down at Alex.
“No!” Ellie wailed as she leapt over the roots and charged Solomon. Solomon turned to his left and responded by striking her with his elbow, sending her stumbling to the ground.
Alex wiped away blood from his temple and took advantage of the distraction to groggily push himself onto his knees. His eyes were drawn to the island behind Solomon. He could see that the vines that had been previously limited to encasing the tree had propagated, extending from the surrounding water, and covering the ground in a thick coat of green. The vines twisted upon the soil, inching closer towards them.
Solomon wheezed, looked in the direction of Clay, and leveled the gun at Alex a second time. Alex closed his eyes and braced himself.
The pained scream caused Alex to open his eyes. A series of vines had wrapped themselves around Solomon’s ankle. The man tried to pull his leg free but the vines were too strong. He fell to one knee. The vines swarmed up his leg, encircled his waist, and pulled him backwards into a prone position. Solomon cried out as his skin was further seared. The ivy continued to cover his body, running up his neck, embalming him in a wrap of green. Alex looked into Solomon’s eyes and could see in them the fear of one who is facing a certain and painful death. He took a final deep breath, inhaling the caustic poison deep into his lungs, burning his airway, before the green second skin wound its way across his head, and sealed him in a deadly cocoon.
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Clay reached into the satchel. Behind him he could hear the sound of gunshots reverberate through the chamber, followed by the commotion of a struggle. He felt increasingly weak as the blood drained from his side. Inside the satchel, his fingers awkwardly probed the inside until he found what he was seeking. Clay clutched it to his chest and rolled onto his back. A curious clanging noise attracted his attention and he peered back to see an opened switchblade close by. He pulled himself towards the weapon and seized it in his swollen hand. He tried to take a deep breath and focus his thoughts, if for one more crystalline moment.
There is still work to be done.
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Alex scampered towards Ellie and found her crumpled on the ground, nursing a bloodied lip. He quickly reached out, grabbed her hand, and nervously looked back over his shoulder. The island was alive. The vines wiggled and twisted as they spread out across the ground towards them.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t much help,” Ellie muttered, momentarily resisting Alex’s pulling. She could see a mound of green where Solomon had fallen. Ellie’s eyes darted about as the vines surged forward. The animated vegetation wrapped across the earthen bridges and began to climb the walls.
“Alex, the vines…”
“I know. We need to move. We don’t have much time. We need to get to Redmund.”
They maneuvered through the maze of roots and fled across the island towards Clay, pursued by the ever-advancing vines. Alex and Ellie found the man prostate upon the ground near the water’s edge. Alex grabbed Clay’s shoulder and turned him over. Clay moaned. His inflamed eyelids slowly opened and stared at them. His arms were tightly wrapped around Polo’s book. Blood was smeared across the transparent protective covering. The man’s breathing was shallow and labored.
“Where’s the leaf?” Ellie asked urgently. She frantically looked back as the vines, winding their way across the roots, rapidly converged on them. “You need to eat it. Redmund, you’re going to die if you don’t. Where is it?”
Clay dug his elbows into the ground and pushed his torso up. He attempted to speak but only a raspy grunt was produced. Clay stubbornly shook his head back and forth as froth spewed from his mouth. He looked to his right and saw the advancing toxic vegetation. Clay gripped the book even tighter in his hands before pushing it into Alex’s chest. He appeared to be trying to talk once again and Alex leaned in. A guttural sound escaped. “Boo…book.” Alex looked down at the book with confusion. Clay pushed him away. “Ggg…go.”
Alex could feel Ellie tugging forcefully at the back of his shirt.
“We’re in trouble,” Ellie cried frantically. They were surrounded on three sides by the vines. She looked over her shoulder and saw a quickly eroding path towards the water. “What should we do?”
Alex turned back to her and held the book against his chest. “We need to get to the water. It’s our only chance.”
They ran hand in hand as the deadly vegetation rapidly encroached on the pathway to safety. As they neared the water’s edge, the vines dashed across the unaffected corridor. Ellie dug her fingernails into Alex’s palm as they ran full speed at the barrier of vines that had maneuvered to block their escape.
“Redmund had better been right about this. Jum
p!” Alex urged.
The two leapt just as the vines overwhelmed the surface of the island beneath them. As they looked down, they could see the water bubble violently beneath them.
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The water churned as they plunged into it. Alex clung uneasily to the book as he fought his way through the rough surface. He could see Ellie bobbing up and down as she attempted to keep her head above the surface of the water. As the chamber continued to darken, the water periodically assumed a vivid green hue. Alex tried to swim towards Ellie but found his strokes limited by his hold upon the book. He began to slowly drift away from her.
“There’s a current!” Alex shouted above the rush of water.
“Something’s pulling me down!” Ellie gurgled after swallowing a mouth-full of the warm water.
“We need to stay together.”
“I’m trying!” Ellie wailed and frantically tried to swim towards Alex. She suddenly began to swirl around as if caught in a vortex. Ellie battled to keep her head above the chop but an unseen force yanked her down like an ant fighting the suction of a drain. “Alex!” she cried out before vanishing beneath the surface.
“Ellie!”
Alex tried to fight his way to the spot where Ellie had submerged. He labored, casting stroke after stroke through the water with his right hand while holding the book tightly to his chest with his left hand. Despite expending considerable energy, he was dismayed to find that he had not moved a significant distance. Ellie! Alex looked down at the book sealed within its protective covering and released it. It rose to the surface and bobbed behind him. He dove into the water and swam with unfettered strokes towards the location from which Ellie had disappeared.
As he neared the spot, Alex felt a powerful pull grasp his lower body. He struggled to maintain control but found himself spinning wildly. He was pulled underwater for a moment but fought to resurface. Alex tried to tread water as the waves crashed into his face. He peered down into the green water, hoping he could see Ellie. He could feel a sense of hopelessness overwhelm him. Alex dove down into the water and was immediately gripped by an undertow that spun him around and sent him hurtling backwards under the water in a circular motion. His eyes opened wide underwater as he struggled to hold his breath. He could see the shadowy form of one of the earthen bridges pass overhead as he rapidly catapulted within the whirlpool. Alex tumbled uncontrollably head over heels within the strong current. As he twisted his body he could see the source of the intense green light pulsating under water. A volcanic crater seemed to stretch infinitely under the surface as if it arose from the center of the earth itself. Green light and bubbles periodically erupted from the conical opening of the massive structure. He could feel the pull towards the center lessen. The tree’s roots and vines crisscrossed through the water like a net around the structure, ultimately clinging to its side and disappearing into the dark depths of the water. As Alex rounded the formation, he realized that he was being driven towards it as he was caught within the centripetal force of the whirlpool. He struggled to release himself from the pull, but was helpless. Air escaped from his nose and he watched with alarm as the bubbles shot up to the surface. His lung’s burned and his vision began to dim.
Just as Alex was losing consciousness, his movement was suddenly halted and he was pulled up. As he broke though the surface of the water, Alex coughed uncontrollably. Frothy water shot from his nose. Ellie held his shirt tightly as she clung desperately to a tree root. She helped Alex gain a grasp of the root.
Alex limply wrapped his arm around the root as the waves pummeled his face. He struggled to maintain a grip.
“I don’t know how much longer I can hold,” Ellie groaned, her voice raspy and pained.
“We have to get free of this whirlpool,” Alex yelled over the roar of the water. “We need to get to one of those canals.” He looked back and could see an arched opening in one of the far walls.
“The pull is too strong,” Ellie responded, overwhelmed by a coughing fit brought on by swallowing a mouthful of water.
“There’s something under the water…” Alex said.
“I saw it for a moment,” Ellie interjected, her face flush from coughing. Another pulsation of green light was released from beneath the water. Ellie’s face assumed the green color until it faded.
“I think it is producing the pull. It periodically gives off that green light and when it does it seems that the suction it is producing is momentarily relieved. It may give us time to get far enough away from it.”
“I can feel it,” Ellie added as she sensed the whirlpool weaken just as another beam of green light was released.
“I think if we can time it just right we could get free of it. Do you have a watch?”
Ellie motioned to the wrist of her hand clutching the root.
“Thank God I got the waterproof one.” Ellie tried to smile but found her jaw uncomfortably stiff.
Alex peered at the watch and waited until the next episode in which the green light was emitted. When it finally came, he did his best to concentrate on the second hand as the waves crashed around him. After several minutes, he turned to Ellie.
“It seems regular. It comes every 90 seconds or so. The light lasts for twelve seconds. Every six minutes it seems that the light lasts for about twenty-four seconds. I vote for holding on to this root until we can take advantage of the six-minute cycle. It will give us our best chance.”
Ellie cast Alex a skeptical look. “I don’t doubt your mathematics but do you really think we could swim far enough away in twenty-four seconds before we are sucked back?”
“I don’t know. But I think we should go before the six-minute mark and take advantage of the current before breaking free.”
“Like a sling-shot?” She smiled at Alex. “Alex Stone, I would have never in my wildest dreams have pegged you as a physicist. I’m proud of you.”
“Let’s wait to see if it actually works before you start congratulating me.” He looked back at her watch. “Now, we need to make sure that we can identify the six-minute mark.”
Alex clung to the root as he counted the releases of the green light. He counted aloud the length of each episode, identifying the ones that lasted twelve seconds and those that last twenty-four seconds. Satisfied that he had done so, they waited as a new cycle started.
Alex floated face to face with Ellie and tried to give her a reassuring smile. The water glowed green. Staring at each other in silence, they bobbed up and down as the water rushed by them.
“Are you ready? The next one is in ninety seconds. This one should last twenty-four seconds. The way I figure it is if we leave ten seconds early we could get a boost from the current.”
Ellie nodded silently and looked towards the far wall. Alex concentrated on her watch.
“That’s thirty seconds…” Alex muttered.
Ellie could see an object being tossed back and forth behind Alex’s back. She strained to see what it was.
“Ellie, hold still,” Alex protested. “I need to see your watch.” Ellie bit her lip and tried to keep her arm still. “…ok that’s sixty seconds. We are letting go in twenty seconds. We need to swim like hell towards the wall.”
Ellie could see Marco Polo’s book emerge from the chop and begin to rapidly float their way.
“Alex, Polo’s book!”
Alex remained focused on Ellie’s watch and did not look back. “Forget about the book.”
Ellie extended her arm out and watched helplessly as the book was just out of her reach. Straining even further, her fingertips just brushed the binding. Ellie released her grip on the root.
“Ellie, it’s too early!” Alex wailed.
Ellie was immediately ripped from the root. She was able to grab hold of the book but was whipped around the island.
Alex looked on helplessly as she was dragged away.
“Oh great!” Alex pushed off from the root and followed Ellie as she spun uncontrollably in the water passing beneath an earthen brid
ge. He could feel the downward pull and frantically splashed to remain afloat.
“Try swimming towards the wall!” Alex urged as he attempted to break free of the whirlpool.
Suddenly the room was filled once again with the luminous green light. They could feel the downward and centripetal tug lessen. Alex floated into Ellie and grabbed the book from her hand. With all his might, he threw it as far as he could towards the far wall.
“Swim!” he screamed.
Alex and Ellie cut through the water with powerful strokes, taking advantage of the relatively placidity of the water. Alex counted in his head, frustrated by the precious seconds lost by Ellie’s rash action. “…fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…”
“Keep going!” Alex spat out between strokes, his voice barely audible over the splashes.
“…nineteen…twenty…”
Ellie’s heart raced and her arms burned as the lactic acid built up within her muscles.
“…twenty-two…twenty-three…”
Alex stretched as far as he could for the final stoke, propelling himself towards the far wall.
“…twenty-four…”
The room dimmed again as the green light subsided. Alex and Ellie could feel a gentle pull at their feet as they continued to swim towards the far wall. As they neared the wall, the water became considerably more still. They could see Polo’s book bobbing up and down in the water. Alex doggy-paddled to the book, reached out, and retrieved it. He began to tread water as his heart pounded ferociously in his chest. Ellie panted beside him.
“Congratulations,” was the only thing Ellie could spit out as she struggled desperately to catch her breath.
Alex looked at the arched opening in the wall in front of them. The archway was simple and unadorned, naturally carved out of the stone wall. Peering into the underground canal, all he could see was blackness.
As they neared the opening, they could feel the current of the water funneling into the canal. Alex gripped the book even tighter and looked at Ellie with surprise.