The Changelings Part 24

"Hey, guys, I'll be right back ... gotta go pee."

I disappeared around some trees, going as fast as I could. I got back in time to see zippers going up. Apparently, the guys didn't worry about hiding to do their thing. Lucky jerks.

I pulled out and ate the remaining food from my pack and swallowed the last of my water. "Well, we'd better find this last waypoint today, because I'm outta grub." I stuffed the wrappers back in my bag and then tried to work my fingers through my tangled hair. I gave up and put it back into a ponytail with my rubber band.

Finn had been carrying Becky's bag along with his. He took the time to go through it, moving its contents into his. "Becky didn't have much left herself. We can share it later."

The thought of eating her food depressed the s.h.i.+t out of me. And the day had started out so well ...

Chase walked to the base of a tree, looking up its trunk to the branches above.

"What's up, Chase?" asked Spike.

He responded, giving one of the longest replies I'd heard him give so far. "I'm not sure which direction to go."

I stood up. Might as well make myself useful. "I'll go up and see."

Chase backed away from the tree; Finn and Spike watched with rapt attention. This was new for them. They knew I was going to do something with the tree, but they didn't understand exactly what. Tony realized what was coming, so he backed up even farther.

I rested my hand on the trunk and made my connection, sending my images out to The Green. The branches started moving in response to my requests. I stepped onto the nearest one, steadying myself before reaching for the next. The only sounds I heard were the swis.h.i.+ng of the branches and the creaks and groans of the wood as the tree strained to do my bidding. The guys were totally silent, watching in awe as I was hoisted up to the higher levels.

I soon reached the top and was happy to see that the last waypoint appeared to be less than a day's travel from here, heading due south. I tried to get a feel for the forest in between here and there, but it was impossible. The only thing I could see was that it was dark. Very dark. The trees were denser there, tighter together. They appeared almost black. The waypoint was in the dead center. I almost turned to go down, but then I looked again. Something wasn't right; but what was it? I looked at the forest around the waypoint. Nothing was happening. It was totally still.

Wait a minute ... That was the problem a it was too still. The forest around us and that farther away from the fourth waypoint moved ever so slightly with the wind, an occasional bird bursting in flight through the canopy only to glide and float back down into it somewhere else. Not so, for the section of forest we would be entering soon. I looked for a while longer, but nothing changed. That forest was utterly still a frozen in place but without ice. I got a bad feeling about it. I climbed down carefully, ready to relate what I'd seen to the guys.

I explained my concerns to them and I could see from their expressions that they shared them. "We need to go in ready for anything," I said. "I have a feeling that whatever's in there will make the wh.o.r.e in the lake look like our fairy friggin' G.o.dmother." Using the W-word to describe the thing that killed Becky made me feel just a tiny bit better. I only used that word when it was absolutely necessary a and this was one of those times. I looked out in the direction of the water. Lake wh.o.r.e, lake wh.o.r.e, lake wh.o.r.e!

We started walking due south. It wasn't long before we were in the darker forest. We could tell the difference just by looking around us. The forest wasn't green anymore. The tree trunks looked black and gray instead of brown. The leaves were faded out husks, none of them fully green. The ground beneath our feet crunched, being dry and brittle instead of spongy like we were used to from the other parts of the forest. There were no normal sounds here. The birds, if they were here at all, were sleeping. Or dead.

I moved closer to Tony who was already walking next to me. I took his hand and he didn't even blink. He was probably as freaked out as I was.

We made our way slowly through the forest, trying to make as little noise as possible. Occasionally, one of our steps would snap a twig, and there was always a bit of crunching as the dry, dead leaves crumbled beneath our feet. After a few hours of our trekking, we heard another distinct sound a my stomach. It started growling loudly. Spike turned around and smiled at me. "Anyone up for some lunch, by any chance?"

I smiled, embarra.s.sed. Stupid stomach. I didn't have any food left.

Finn dropped back to walk next to me. He pulled some crackers out of his bag, handing them to me wordlessly. One of Becky's flags fell out and onto the ground. The food was Becky's, I could tell from the look on his face and how he was trying to act all casual. I bent down and took her flag, shoving it in my pocket.

Part of me wanted to refuse the food, but I was so hungry, I couldn't. And I knew that if it were me in the lake, I wouldn't want Becky to starve when she could eat my crackers. I took them and tore open the wrapper. They were dry, but they did the trick. I shoved the wrapper in my bag and kept on walking.

The others, in turn, took things out of their bags and ate as we walked. A bottle of water got pa.s.sed around and I took a sip. It tasted stale. I couldn't wait to have a nice, ice-cold soda when we got back. I was never much of a soda drinker before, but I would have killed for one right then, especially if it was Dardennes or Ivar standing between me and the bubbly beverage.

I smiled as I thought about that a stabbing one of them with my stick and then causally walking over and taking a nice, long drink from an ice-cold gla.s.s. I think this hunt was making me a little more primal than I used to be. I wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. My thoughts were interrupted by Chase stopping up ahead. We gathered around him to see what was going on.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I think we need another bird's-eye view," said Chase, looking around the forest. He didn't look happy.

"Okay, no problem. You look worried about something," I said, searching his face for clues about what he was thinking. I had to do that a lot with Chase because he so rarely expressed himself. But looking at him now I got nothing, other than concern. He didn't respond to my comment.

I walked over to a tree that looked like a good candidate. I placed my hands on the trunk to make a connection. I inhaled sharply, causing the others to look over. I jerked my hands away, shaking them off and rubbing them on my jeans.

Tony came over to see what I was doing. "What's up?"

"I'm not sure. I was going to talk to this tree, but something weird's going on."

"Here, let me do it with you," said Tony, putting his hands on the tree. He didn't pull his hands away, he just waited for me to start hugging.

I stepped over, putting my hands on his and the trunk. Immediately, I felt the same sensation a a sharp, tingling, coldness ... an emptiness. After the joy and positive energy that came from The Green, this sensation was especially unwelcome. It was like an abomination of the beautiful tree communication that I had quickly grown to love and expect from the forest.

Tony pulled his hands away, a stricken look on his face. "That was awful."

"I know," I whispered. "I don't know what's happening. I don't think I can communicate with this tree." I looked around. "Any of them."

The others walked over. "Something wrong?" asked Finn.

"Yeah, the trees here are messed up," said Tony.

I shook my head, very sad for some reason. My despondency reminded me of Becky. Why did everything have to suck so much right now? "I can't talk to them. There's something wrong with this part of the forest. It's not dead, it's ... hurt. It's been blackened. Something ... or someone, has nearly killed it."

"How can you kill a forest?" asked Spike.

"I have no idea. I just know that when I put my hands on that tree, I got some very unhappy vibes. The trees aren't the source of it. They're merely communicating what is all over this area a in the ground, in the living things ... maybe even in the things that aren't quite living."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" asked Spike, looking a little nervous.

"I don't know. Really, I don't. I just get sensations and feelings from the trees, and that's the only way I can describe what was there in my mind. There are things here, I think, that aren't quite alive and aren't quite dead. And they are not nice things, if the pain I'm getting from the trees is any indication."

Tony had been quiet, thinking to himself. He glanced up at all of us and then around at the nearby trees. I saw a momentary look of panic spread across his face.

"Out with it, Tones; what's on your mind?"

He reached up and scratched his head a a dead giveaway that he's trying to avoid saying something.

"Say whatever it is that you're thinking or I'll make you touch that tree again." We didn't have time to mess around with hurt feelings. I was prepared for Tony to say something I wasn't going to like.

"It's just ... I'm worried that your tree whispering isn't working. The last few confrontations we've had a all of them, actually a kind of went our way because of your help from the trees and stuff. Without them, I'm not sure we would have made it this far."

"Hey, we helped with the werewolves. Don't forget my awesome slingshot skills," said Spike, feigning offense.

"Yeah, but all of us would be with ... well, in that lake right now, if it wasn't for the vines from the forest."

All of the guys nodded. He was right.

Tony got a pensive look on his face. "Jayne, you said that you were feeling things all around us, not just in that tree, right?"

"Yeah ... "

"So how far does that communication link go, anyway?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea. Far maybe ... not far ... I don't know."

"Do you think it's possible that you could connect and reach out past this darker forest and into the green one around it?"

Tony was on to something. This felt right on so many levels. First, the selfish girl in me wanted to connect back up with my peeps in The Green, just so I could feel good again. This dark forest was seriously bringing me down. Also, I'd seen the trees heal two seriously wounded people a maybe they could do it for trees too. Maybe I could help this dark place cast off this mantle of ugliness and ... I don't know ... evil ... and be green again. It must have been green at one time a I didn't see how else any plant could survive here. Mushrooms and moss maybe, but that's about it. The last reason for trying this little experiment was probably the biggest priority in my mind. We needed to figure out where the h.e.l.l we were so that we could get the f.u.c.k out of here and head back home a hopefully five hundred bucks richer, although the money had kind of ceased to matter so much. My life was worth much more than that. I shook my head thinking of all that I'd risked for a mere five hundred bucks. Ridiculous. It made me hate Dardennes all over again. I'd like to tie him up to one of these trees and unleash that hag on him ...

Tony cut into my thoughts, being all practical and s.h.i.+t. "Come on, Jayne, let's get this done. We're all going to help, aren't we guys?"

They looked at each other, faces revealing their unspoken doubt that they could be of any a.s.sistance.

"It might help to have more hands in the mix. Let's go see."

I picked the biggest tree in the area a an Ancient that towered above the other trees around it. Its bark was heavily ridged a I could fit my entire hand sideways between the bark's scabby-looking parts. I debated between a big tree like this and a smaller one, thinking maybe the younger energy would be better. But then I decided to go with an Ancient. Surely this thing had seen some crazy s.h.i.+t. Maybe it had a deeper connection to The Green. That was my hope anyway.

"You guys go hug that tree."

They all just stood there looking at me.

I shooed them away. "Go on! Go hug the tree! After you get set up, I'll come over and find a good spot."

They all moved to obey, but I could tell they thought I was nuts. Finn had felt the power before, more than any of them, but even he was a little skeptical.

I stood there, arms crossed, tapping my foot. "I don't have all day ... "

They grumbled a bit but they moved over to the tree. They each leaned in to give it a tentative hug.

"Man, oh man, I wish I had my cell phone so I could take a picture of this for the Sierra Club's newsletter." I wasn't sure the Sierra Club even had one, but if they did, this would be an awesome cover shot. I stepped over to join them. I found a spot in between Chase and Spike where I could hug the tree and touch a piece of each guy's arm. "Here goes nothin'," I said as I made contact. I was immediately a.s.sailed by the darkness and cold, the p.r.i.c.ks and tiny piercings that were putting invisible marks on my skin.

"Oh, shee-it that does not feel good at all," said Finn.

"d.a.m.n, this is depressing," said Spike.

Chase and Tony said nothing. Tony was doing some deep breathing, I think trying to control his reaction.

I blocked out their voices and faces so I could focus on the connection. I'd never before searched through the link for anything specific a I'd always just let it carry me wherever it wanted, more on the receiving end then the searching end. I smiled as I realized I was just about to wish for a Google search engine. Now that would be convenient.

I let my mind wander the connection, searching for other links branching off. Ha, ha, branching off, get it? s.h.i.+t, this was no time for puns. There was definitely an energy here a I was wrong before when I had said it was dead. It's just that it was a different energy. I realized with a sickening feeling that it was a dark energy a dark as in evil ... worse than the hag and the watery wh.o.r.e. They lived in The Green. Whatever was here, their home was darkness.

I stretched my mind farther out. I rushed past shadows of things I couldn't see clearly a things I knew I didn't want to see clearly. Things that were there sensed the presence of my mind, my energy, and reached out. Screeched. Tried to connect with me. I slipped by as quickly as I could, blocking off the tendrils of energy that tried to make their way into my presence and to coax me into theirs. I didn't want to even think what would happen to me if one of them managed to get through. Who knows if I'd ever be able to get out? I squeezed the arm of the nearest guy a I think it was Chase. He squeezed me back, and I could feel the rea.s.surance in his touch. It was then that I realized I could feel the guys with me. They were like an anchor, keeping the most essential piece of me back there with them. It made me feel more secure, and I used this confidence to reach out even farther, towards a faint green light that I could sense was up ahead.

I knew when I broke through the border of the dark forest. The light and love waiting for me in The Green was unmistakable. I didn't stop at the border. I continued searching, touching tree after tree after tree. I touched the vines, and the bushes and the gra.s.ses. I touched the leaves and the needles and the flowers. I touched everything I could reach and sent out my request. Bring your love and energy back with me, into the Dark Forest, and heal this tree. From there, we can heal them all. This energy I was calling up, I knew was of the infinite variety. I couldn't exhaust it. Once I brought it back, it would feed on itself and spread. I knew this because I realized what this green energy was. It was our oneness ... the thing that connected all living creatures. It was love.

I traced my way back to the Dark Forest, led there by the strong support of my friends, Tony, Finn, Chase and Spike. They felt The Green coming before it got there.

"Here it comes," said Finn excitedly.

"Here comes what?" asked Spike in hushed tones.

"Wait for it ... " said Tony, enthusiasm coloring his voice.

And then we were there. Me and the energy from The Green.

The tree we were hugging shuddered. It groaned. Black leaves fell all around our heads, covering us from ground to knees. The branches waved back and forth as the green energy coursed through their fibers. The roots buckled in the earth under our feet. And then the tree itself started to shake and twist. We could hear a cracking begin, and Tony was thrown to the side.

"Everyone off!" I yelled. The groaning was getting so loud, it was difficult to hear anything else.

We all staggered back, Tony getting to his feet and joining us. We moved away, as far as we could without leaving the tree alone.

"Is this what's supposed to happen?!" yelled Finn.

"I don't know! I really didn't know what to expect!"

Chase put his hand up, blocking me from going back towards the tree. He wasn't even looking at me, it was an automatic reaction. I smiled as it reminded me of my mom. When I'd ride in the pa.s.senger seat of our car and she'd have to slam on her brakes, she'd throw her arm across my chest to protect me from going through the winds.h.i.+eld, as if she could defy the laws of physics with her puny arm. It wasn't the eventual success of the maneuver that mattered; it was the thought. I knew now that even if Chase never said anything, I was important to him. And I realized at the same time that he was important to me ... they all were. If we ever got out of this living h.e.l.l, we were still going to be friends, I was sure of it.

The tree cracked down the center.

Uh-oh, this doesn't look good.

A green glow started to come from the center of the fissure. It spread out of the tree's core and then to the bark, moving up and down from there to cloak the tree entirely in green energy.

We watched as new leaves came out of new buds on the branches. They unfurled in fast-forward time, opening to greet the sun that surely awaited them so they could nourish this gigantic, majestic tree.

There was a bright flash of green again, and then a thin bolt of energy left the tree and struck another tree nearby. Our eyes jerked over to that tree now, watching as the same process began there.

I felt tears jump into my eyes. This was better than I'd hoped for. The visceral energy was leaping from tree to tree a bringing a healing light to each of them. They were being reborn.

A rumbling sound started coming from the first tree, out of the crack that remained in its center. And then a roar. It was not a tree roar a I'm pretty sure a tree can't make a roaring sound like that. Whatever was making that sound was not happy and was ... in the tree?

I no sooner had formed that thought than a black liquid began to seep out of the crack. A black mist rose up from the liquid and a form began to take shape.

We all reached for our weapons, which we'd had the forethought while we were walking earlier to stick in our belts or across our backs. I reached in my backpack, pulling out my flag and quickly shoving it in my pocket. "Get your flags out! Leave the bags!" I yelled. If my instincts were right, we were about to get the h.e.l.l out of there quickly. I didn't want to lose the five hundred bucks a or my life a because I'd lost my flag somewhere. The others quickly did what I said, securing their flags in their own pockets.

Whatever this was, it was definitely not good. It was blackness, something that had been inhabiting that tree when it was near death. And now it had been released.

The form continued to solidify, fed by the black molten liquid and smoke collecting at the base of the tree. After a few moments, the dark liquid abruptly stopped oozing from the tree as the green energy moved from the branches down the trunk and sealed the great crack, leaving the tree whole and unbroken now, beautiful healthy branches and leaves reaching up toward the sky.

Standing upright at the base of this majestic reborn tree, however, was what appeared to be a fully-grown, black, horrible-looking monster. It was covered in spiky, leathery skin glistening with goo a and it was staring at us with blood-red eyes.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

A glob of drool fell out of the black monster's mouth and dripped down its chin, falling to the ground at its feet. My gaze followed the drop down and saw a tendril of smoke rise up from where it fell in the leaves below. I felt sick to my stomach. Acid drool. Faaaantastic.