Annihilate
Chapter Nine: Alteration
PART TWO: OBLITERATION
The biologist leaned against a tall oak tree, jotting down notes in her overfilled journal. Her mind occasionally drifted off to the beautiful landscape around them, the flowers changed shape and color every couple minutes, and the trees echoed with a vibrating hum. Everything in the Beyond had a purpose but she couldn’t quite figure everything out yet. She started noticing changes in the team just a few hours ago, subtle at first but as the day went on, they grew. Short tempers and paranoia plagued Cline, the supposed leader of the team. At one point, the biologist thought his brain was deteriorating. That was only a thought…she hoped.
The journey continued on. It was only five more days until they reached the crash site and solved the mystery of the Beyond. There was no turning back now, this was it. They stopped at a small shack to rest their feet and grab a bite to eat before heading back out into the forest. They were all tired, scared, and on edge.
“Only a few more days.” The biologist said, biting into the fresh side of a half rotten apple.
“Think we’ll fucking make it?” Cline snapped at her.
She dropped her apple into the grass and wiped the juices on her pants. “How about you lose the attitude.”
“How do you suggest I do that, hm?” He zipped up his bag and tossed it on his shoulder. “This expedition is a waste of time and you know it. No one ever comes back from the Beyond.”
“We will.” The biologist reassured him. But she wasn’t all that confident in her answer. He was right, no humans returned, only people infected by the mutations.
He huffed. “Yeah right.”
“You don’t have to be such a dick, Cline. I’m just trying to stay positive.” She checked her ammunition and stormed out of the shack.
“Hey.” A girl’s voice called out.
The biologist jumped, clearly startled at the girl’s random appearance. “Maddie. You scared the shit out of me.”
“What’s going on in your head?”
That was a tough question that she had no answer for. “I’m not sure. This place is driving me insane.”
She smiled, her voice soft. “Soon it will be in us all.” She walked away, leaving the biologist with the puzzling words.
The team stayed a few feet apart as they headed back out into the thick forest and eventually stumbling upon a large open area. A village sat in ruins, vines dance up and down houses, flowers sprouted from the windows of a supermarket. Nothing surprised her anymore, the Beyond was otherworldly and she had come to terms with that. The biologist scraped some fungus off of an old brick wall and dropped it into a small tube. Her eyes focused on a body stuck against the side of a building. Fungus covered it from head to toe, its arms outstretched, vines tangled around its wrists. The top half of its face was no longer recognizable, its head turned into a blossoming fungus and its jaw wide open, exposing its rotted teeth.
“Hey.” The biologist grabbed Maddie’s arm as she passed by. “What did you mean? It will be in us all?”
A confused look crossed the girl’s face. She jerked her arm away and pushed up her glasses. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“C’mon you two. We need to find a place to stay for the night.” Cline shouted
The biologist took a deep breath and rubbed her hand across her sweaty forehead. She felt like she was going insane, like the world around her was slowly closing in and starting to choke her. The people made from branches showed up again as they made their way deeper into the village. The vines and twigs mimicked the human stature so perfectly, beautiful but mysterious. Cline pushed open the door to an old abandoned house. The blinds closed, the air stale and musty. He tossed his rucksack on the living room floor and unrolled his sleeping bag. He was the first asleep.
The sun had just set and the rest of the group had fallen fast asleep, everyone except for the biologist. She set up her mobile microscope and smeared her small sample of fungus on a slide, placing it under the lens. Her eyes hovered just above the scope as she watched the multi-colored, oily shimmered cell dance around. The beautiful glow reflecting in the whites of her dark brown eyes. She pricked her finger and smeared it across another slide. The biologist replaced the fungus with the small droplet of her blood. She hesitated at first, and then looked. The chair flew out from underneath her as she scooted quickly away from the microscope. Spooked at what just graced her eyes.
The biologist leaned against a tall oak tree, jotting down notes in her overfilled journal. Her mind occasionally drifted off to the beautiful landscape around them, the flowers changed shape and color every couple minutes, and the trees echoed with a vibrating hum. Everything in the Beyond had a purpose but she couldn’t quite figure everything out yet. She started noticing changes in the team just a few hours ago, subtle at first but as the day went on, they grew. Short tempers and paranoia plagued Cline, the supposed leader of the team. At one point, the biologist thought his brain was deteriorating. That was only a thought…she hoped.
The journey continued on. It was only five more days until they reached the crash site and solved the mystery of the Beyond. There was no turning back now, this was it. They stopped at a small shack to rest their feet and grab a bite to eat before heading back out into the forest. They were all tired, scared, and on edge.
“Only a few more days.” The biologist said, biting into the fresh side of a half rotten apple.
“Think we’ll fucking make it?” Cline snapped at her.
She dropped her apple into the grass and wiped the juices on her pants. “How about you lose the attitude.”
“How do you suggest I do that, hm?” He zipped up his bag and tossed it on his shoulder. “This expedition is a waste of time and you know it. No one ever comes back from the Beyond.”
“We will.” The biologist reassured him. But she wasn’t all that confident in her answer. He was right, no humans returned, only people infected by the mutations.
He huffed. “Yeah right.”
“You don’t have to be such a dick, Cline. I’m just trying to stay positive.” She checked her ammunition and stormed out of the shack.
“Hey.” A girl’s voice called out.
The biologist jumped, clearly startled at the girl’s random appearance. “Maddie. You scared the shit out of me.”
“What’s going on in your head?”
That was a tough question that she had no answer for. “I’m not sure. This place is driving me insane.”
She smiled, her voice soft. “Soon it will be in us all.” She walked away, leaving the biologist with the puzzling words.
The team stayed a few feet apart as they headed back out into the thick forest and eventually stumbling upon a large open area. A village sat in ruins, vines dance up and down houses, flowers sprouted from the windows of a supermarket. Nothing surprised her anymore, the Beyond was otherworldly and she had come to terms with that. The biologist scraped some fungus off of an old brick wall and dropped it into a small tube. Her eyes focused on a body stuck against the side of a building. Fungus covered it from head to toe, its arms outstretched, vines tangled around its wrists. The top half of its face was no longer recognizable, its head turned into a blossoming fungus and its jaw wide open, exposing its rotted teeth.
“Hey.” The biologist grabbed Maddie’s arm as she passed by. “What did you mean? It will be in us all?”
A confused look crossed the girl’s face. She jerked her arm away and pushed up her glasses. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“C’mon you two. We need to find a place to stay for the night.” Cline shouted
The biologist took a deep breath and rubbed her hand across her sweaty forehead. She felt like she was going insane, like the world around her was slowly closing in and starting to choke her. The people made from branches showed up again as they made their way deeper into the village. The vines and twigs mimicked the human stature so perfectly, beautiful but mysterious. Cline pushed open the door to an old abandoned house. The blinds closed, the air stale and musty. He tossed his rucksack on the living room floor and unrolled his sleeping bag. He was the first asleep.
The sun had just set and the rest of the group had fallen fast asleep, everyone except for the biologist. She set up her mobile microscope and smeared her small sample of fungus on a slide, placing it under the lens. Her eyes hovered just above the scope as she watched the multi-colored, oily shimmered cell dance around. The beautiful glow reflecting in the whites of her dark brown eyes. She pricked her finger and smeared it across another slide. The biologist replaced the fungus with the small droplet of her blood. She hesitated at first, and then looked. The chair flew out from underneath her as she scooted quickly away from the microscope. Spooked at what just graced her eyes.