In One Fell Swoop, page 24
Billy got back on his feet too, turned the flashlight on, and shone it on Lisa and Allen, who had both fallen as well. The ground around them had cracked in several places.
"Felt like an earthquake," Billy said. "But how can that be? We don't get earthquakes like these in Florida? Hurricanes, yes, but not this?"
"We felt the same thing earlier," Lisa said and got back up too. She looked at Allen. "Right before we went out of the trailer. We thought it was an earthquake, but when we got out, all these trees had shot out of the ground. It wasn't as violent as this shake, though."
"What the heck is it?" Allen asked. "What's going on?"
Billy shook his head. He didn't know. But he did know it was bad. Something bad was coming. He walked to one of the cracks and shone the light into the crater. There was something down there.
As he was shining the light into the crack, the ground started to shake again, this time even more violently. Billy's foot slipped and he slid into the crater, only grabbing onto it by the edge. He screamed for help and felt someone touch his hand. Danielle's face appeared above him, and soon she pulled him back up, staying on her knees, managing to hold her ground, even though the shaking didn't stop. Meanwhile, the crack grew wider and soon he couldn't even reach the other side. Billy got on his knees onto the ground and looked with terror into the crater as something grew out of it. Something huge. Something absolutely terrifying.
"W-w-what are those?" Danielle screamed, her voice trembling from all the shaking.
Billy swallowed. His body was trembling, his hands grabbing desperately in the soil to get something to hold on to. But there was nothing but dirt and his hands kept slipping.
"They're roots," he yelled. "Tree roots as thick as freakin' buses." That was the best image Billy could come up with. He never was good with words. His hands he could use, yes, but words?
Danielle lost her grip and tumbled backward with a scream. Billy reached out his hand and grabbed her, then pulled her close. Roots shot out of the ground, tall as mountains. In one swift movement, one grabbed Lisa by the throat and pulled her forcefully into the crater. Allen barely managed to scream before she was gone. Less than a second later, one root lifted itself above Allen, then slammed down on top of him, squashing him like a bug under a shoe.
Danielle shrieked. Billy grabbed her and forced her to look at him, holding her by the shoulders.
"We have to run, Danielle, you hear me? RUN!"
Chapter 96
Tree roots were shooting up around us. Chaos broke loose while the sun started to rise in the distance. The soldier holding a gun to my head was sent flying when one root swiped through the air and struck him forcefully. All I heard was a small uh-oh, and when I turned my head, I saw him shoot through the air.
I sprang to my feet and ran towards Sam. He was lying on the ground, arms over his head, while Grumpy had fallen backward and was yelling and screaming for this madness to stop.
I wanted to tell him that there was no stopping Mother Nature these days but kept it to myself. Instead, I focused on Sam. I pulled him into my arms and held him tight. I looked at Pete, who was still on the ground, staring at what was going on around him with both marvel and terror. The long line of soldiers standing behind him disappeared one after the other as they were knocked into the ground by roots. Mother Nature was playing a sick game of Whack-A-Mole. Except the soldiers never came back up. Only the last one in the line escaped the hammer, when he ran off, screaming.
When Pete realized the soldiers were no longer a threat, he got up on his knees and crawled towards me and Sam. General Grumpy stayed on his behind, arms covering his head, watching as the giant roots crushed his soldiers or sent them running. The earth then swallowed his tank and one vehicle after another was entangled in roots and pulled underground.
"W-w-w…" Grumpy started, but no real word left his mouth.
"What's happening?" Sam asked.
I looked to Pete for help. The ground cracked open not far from us, and I felt my heart in my throat. I looked at Harry, who was still unconscious, his body shaking from the rumbling underneath him. The ground cracked open next to him, and slowly I could see his body start to slide.
"Harry," I said and pointed, my arm shaking so bad it was hard to see what I was pointing at. "Look at Harry!"
Pete turned and looked just as Harry's body disappeared into the huge crater and we couldn't see it anymore.
I gasped and clasped my mouth. Sam shrieked.
"Harry?"
Pete got up and ran towards him, barely avoiding the roots that were poking through the ground by jumping like a gazelle. He looked into the crater. "I see him," he said. "He landed on something."
I wondered how much shaking a human could tolerate before something vital was cracked loose inside of them, as it intensified. Next thing, Harry's body was elevated out of the crater, floating on one giant root. Pete reached up and grabbed him, then pulled him to the ground.
"G-g-got him," he yelled, his voice shaking badly because of the trembling ground.
I held Sam tight, wondering if this would ever stop, if we would be next to be sucked into the ground or smashed underneath a root. General Grumpy no longer seemed to be the worst of our fears.
"Oh, my g-g-good Lord," he said.
I looked at his face and realized he did have expressions other than grumpy. He had a very fearful one too as he was displaying now while pointing a shaking finger towards the swamps. I shifted my gaze and looked at what he had seen, then gulped. In the middle of the swamps, a tree had risen, a tree bigger than any building man could ever make. It seemed to be growing all the way into the sky.
Dragging Harry behind him, Pete returned and kneeled next to us. "Have you seen her? Isn't she magnificent?"
It wasn't quite the word I would have chosen. More like terrifying, more in terms of I am about to tell you my last wishes kind of scary. But, of course, being who he was, Pete felt a deep fascination with this massive tree surging out of the ground.
"It's her roots. They must be growing underneath the entire swamps and probably Webster as well, " he said with admiration to his voice. "The mother of all trees. It's like the Garden of Eden. At least it's how I always pictured the tree, the ultimate tree of all trees, you know the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It's beautiful, don't you think? In its own way. The cycle, I mean. It all started with a tree and now it's going to end with one."
Chapter 97
Once again, Billy realized he was in a lot better shape than he expected. Maybe it was just the situation, the adrenaline and intoxicating fear that rushed through his body that made him run like the wind; it didn't really matter where it came from.
Billy was grateful it did.
Danielle was right behind him as they sprang for their life, the earth still shaking underneath them in the longest earthquake this planet had ever seen. They jumped the roots, barely escaping their reaching arms, and were lucky enough to avoid being crushed. The roots and vines came from all sides. Some darted through the air and almost swiped them off the face of the earth. On the positive side, they could easier find their way, since the sun had risen and made it easier to spot the pearls in the ground.
Yes, Danielle and Billy were luckier than lucky, or maybe someone was holding a hand over them, they didn't know what it was, and frankly they didn't care. When they spotted the car in between the trees, Billy almost broke into a madman's laughter but saved his energy for running. A huge root shot up between them and looked like it was searching for something, first to one side, then the other. But by the time it found them, they were already long gone. They shot out from in between the trees, stormed to the car, and jumped in.
The car was shaking badly and both girls were screaming inside of it. "Dad! What's happening?"
"I don't know, and I don't intend to stay here and find out," he said, as he floored the accelerator.
Once they got back to the bigger road and zigzagged between the roots and cracks in the asphalt, they finally spotted the tree. That was when Billy's jaw dropped. The massive tree was rising above the swamps, like a mountain, the biggest darn mountain Billy had ever seen, even bigger than those he had seen in California when visiting his sister. A lot bigger, maybe three or four times as tall, and the worst part: it seemed to still be growing.
"Oh, my God," Emily exclaimed, poking her head in between the seats. "What the heck is that?"
"A tree, baby, or maybe God's wrath; I don't know," Billy said, as he turned the wheel hard to avoid a root that sprang up through the asphalt right in front of them and wormed its way across the ground. He avoided it barely.
"It's like the whole damn ground is alive."
"Billy, watch out," Danielle screamed as a huge root rose above them. Billy hit the brakes hard and everyone screamed and flew forward as the root slammed down into the asphalt, causing cracks.
Danielle gasped. "That thing almost hit us. It would have crushed the car like it crushed the asphalt."
"Dad, there’s one behind us, hurry!" Emily screamed.
Billy hit the gas again, drove around the thick root, into the grass, and back on the asphalt behind it, flooring the car once again, when they suddenly spotted something in the distance.
Danielle leaned forward. "People. It looks like people. They're in trouble," Danielle said.
"We're all in trouble," Billy said.
"I know these people," Danielle said. "It's my mom! It's my mom, Billy, and that Pete guy…and he is carrying someone, and who is the man in uniform? Mom…and…and…who is that she is carrying? Stop the car, Billy. Stop the car, I can't believe this! It's Sam. She found Sam."
Chapter 98
"It's a car."
General Grumpy hurried ahead. He pulled his gun and pointed it at the car. "I command you to stop."
I chuckled and walked up to him. Sam was lying over my shoulder, helplessly. I had grabbed him and started to run as the earth cracked open a little too close to us, in order to get away fast enough, and now I put him down.
"Easy there, soldier," I said to Grumpy. I grabbed the gun and pulled it down. The earth wasn't shaking as bad anymore, but roots were still shooting up from the ground here and there, causing cracks to appear and creating dangerous craters.
"It's my daughter. She'll stop."
I had spotted Danielle in the passenger seat, mostly because she had stuck both her arms out of the window and was waving at me and yelling for me.
The car stopped and I was surprised to see Billy Bob was driving it. He yelled at us. "Hurry up. We need to get out of here."
"You don’t have to say that twice," I said, as I opened the side door and helped first Sam, then Grumpy inside. Harry was still unconscious and Pete threw him in the seat, then jumped inside himself, and we took off.
Danielle turned around in her seat and reached out and grabbed Sam's hand in hers. With tears in her eyes, she caressed it. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Sammy."
"I'm pretty stoked to be here too," he said. I saw a hint of a smile on his face. "Where is Mom?"
Danielle looked confused. "I don't know. When I left, she was still at Pete's place." Danielle gasped. "What about Grace and Steve?"
I swallowed hard. I had no idea. I reached into my pocket and realized my phone was still there, while Billy zigzagged between the roots and cracks in the asphalt. It was a bumpy ride, but never had I been so thrilled to be in a car, moving, getting away from this place.
I looked at my display, then let out a sigh of relief. "Grace and Steve are in Orlando. And so is Julia, apparently. They wrote me this text asking us where we were. Apparently, Julia called a friend in Orlando when she got mad at me—probably from the landline in Pete's house, since I had her phone—but, anyway, this friend drove out there to pick her up, and then took her to her place. Grace and Steve left Pete's house when the shaking started. Thinking it was an earthquake, they ran to the road and called Steve's brother, who picked them up, and they all went to Orlando, where they found Julia. So I guess they're all safe. Phew, what a relief," I said, feeling my heart shudder in my chest.
"Who's the army guy?" Danielle asked when things had settled down a little and we felt safe, well safer at least.
"Him? That's Grumpy," I said. "He never gave us his name, so that's what I call him. He lost all of his little friends."
Grumpy grunted when hearing his name. Or at least I believed that was why. I couldn't really tell if he was listening or not. He seemed to be in some odd state of deep shock, and every time he tried to speak, no words left his lips. He didn't seem as grumpy anymore either. He wasn't threatening at all anymore. He reminded me of an old guy at my mother's nursing home before she died. He would always sit in his chair and his lips were moving, but he didn't really say anything. Shell Shock they called it. He had been like that since he was in combat somewhere many years ago.
Soon we crossed the county border into Lake County, where the shaking couldn't be felt anymore. I looked back only once, hoping I wouldn't somehow turn into a pillar of salt. I couldn't even see anything of Webster anymore. Only the Mother of all Trees, surrounded by her minions, the smaller, but still huge tall trees and thick, thick vegetation.
Our town was gone.
Chapter 99
We drove directly to Orlando and called Julia on our way. She was standing outside her friend's house as we arrived, her face torn in nervousness.
Billy stopped the car. Sam spotted her out the window and started banging on it. "Mooom!"
He was sobbing, his body weaving back and forth. Julia couldn't hold back her tears, no matter how much she fought. She touched the window with her hand, then let the tears roll across her cheeks.
"Sam! Baby! SAAAM!"
I jumped out of the minivan to make room for Sam to get out and throw himself into his mother's arms. I couldn't hold back my tears either and joined in, hugging them both from behind, wrapping them in my embrace.
Soon, Danielle joined in as well and Grace too as she came running towards us from the house. Harry had woken up in the car, all disoriented, and when we were done hugging, he came out of the car, looked confusedly around him, then set off directly for Julia. He took one look at her and Sam, then kneeled in front of them. I held my breath.
"Julia, I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you. I was too much of a coward to ever do anything about it, but now I don't want to waste another moment. Sam and Julia, will you marry me?"
Sam and Julia looked at each other, then back at Harry, then they burst into laughter. Not a mean laughter; they weren't mocking him, no, it was a hearty laugh. A loving laugh. Julia reached out her hand and grabbed Harry's.
"How about we start dating first, then see where things take us?"
Harry nodded and got up. "I'd very much like that."
"Come on inside," Julia yelled at us. "Maria says you can stay as long as you want. Are you coming, mom? …Dad?"
Pete froze at the sound of the word. I feared he was going to freak out, but he didn't. Instead, he walked up behind me as Julia, Harry, and Sam walked up to the house. He put a hand on my shoulder with a deep exhale.
"She's growing up so fast," he said.
I looked up at him. I saw a smile start at the tips of his lips. I laughed. Mostly out of relief, but also because I was happy. So endlessly happy right at this moment, when everything was good. Well, as good as possible, given the circumstances.
"They tend to do that."
I turned to look at Danielle and spotted her deeply emerged in a deep kiss with Billy. His daughter, Emily, her arms around Mary, the mayor's daughter, was making a grimace of disgust, then accompanied it with a shrill and loud Ew, before hurrying past them.
General Grumpy was tailing them, staring disoriented at his surroundings. I didn't quite know what to do with him but intended to call someone, a doctor maybe, to come take a look at him and help him, if he was still in this shock-state by tomorrow. We didn't know anything about him or if he had a family somewhere. Someone could be missing his grumpy face.
"I guess it was, after all, a happy ending for most of us," I said. "Not really the ending I would have seen coming, but I guess most things in life never are."
"How about our ending?" Pete asked and put his arm around my neck. We started to walk up towards the house.
"What do you mean?"
"How do you picture our ending?"
"You mean besides us fighting?"
"They never fight in the end," Pete said. "You're not supposed to. You're supposed to be happy and cheerful and…in love."
"Well, I am happy and maybe I can crank it up to cheerful," I said, mocking him.
"You're not in love?"
I pretended to be wondering about it. "I'll have to think about that."
"While you think, do you reckon you might want to have dinner with me?"
"Well, a girl has got to eat, doesn’t she?"
"Especially you," he said and held the front door for me.
"Watch it," I said.
Chapter 100
There was a rustle in the bushes. Mr. Harrington had just stopped the car to take a leak. They had driven all day and finally reached Polk County and the edge of the famous Green Swamps, on the other side of where the remains of Webster rested underneath its coffin of vegetation. Rumors had been going around about the Swamps being haunted, about the small town disappearing recently, and the pipeline that had to be redirected because of it. Mr. Harrington himself was a ghost hunter, one of those attracted by stories like these. He and his wife traveled around the country chasing stories of the supernatural.
They had almost seen a real ghost in Texas, at that small inn, where things kept moving around at night, but it had turned out to be nothing but the innkeeper himself moving the couches around at night to keep the guests coming.
