The Great Wide Somewhere

Chapter 2

It was an impressive and imposing state to feel entirely surrounded when in the presence of only one nefarious creature, but that was the state the crew and I found ourselves. The terrain seemed to yield to him and do his bidding without even a call to action. Even the clouds thinned just enough to allow his disfigured stature to cast long, ominous shadows carrying his presence dangerously close to our party of five mates. Each step was marred by the jutting of a twisted, gnarled branch snapping at our legs. There was no clear path; there was no path; we were trapped.

"Announce yourselves," the monster roared in a gritty rumble that echoed through the ground beneath our feet.

"We do not mean any harm," Captain began in a shallow tone that did nothing to mask his horror.

This crew had faced battle; fought in wars we had no stake in, but this moment struck fear so deep we were frozen; tied to this land and any torture this magnetic foe wished to bestow on us.

"We are explorers from Earth. We have come here to learn and share." Cap's voice faltered though, was it from the fear or something else? Did the terror make him unable to commit to the speech he had given in countless other daunting moments? Did this horror crack the guise of collaboration for what our mission's true goal was; to steal knowledge with no return.

"Earth," the beast let out a hysterical laugh. "You rats are from Earth." It was not a question. It was a condemnation.

"Yes, it is a distant planet..." Cap began in vain.

"Enough, I know of your planet. Unlike your ignorant goals, I have learned of your planet and your people. You do not seek to learn and share. If you did, you would not have a planet dying at your feet that your people are so eager to abandon."

His words filled me. They struck a profound truth I, and all members of Earth, tried to stifle. Our planet was dying beneath our feet and from our hands. Our quaint villages were popping up because the cities were too strangled by pollution to survive. Even in the far reaches of meagerly populated villages, the toxic bile permeated; rib breaking coughs were common, and the life expectancy plummeted with each passing year. Even as his words highlighted a truth deep within me, I knew what was next. My study of psychology and tactics combined to allow for an almost clairvoyant view into what would unfold. A battle of bluster and ego would erupt around me, and we were sure to lose.

"How can we change your impression of our people?" My words came quick like the shooting of a star. My team's eyes shifted to me, most with nervous expressions of concern from my audacity to speak over our Captain. But it was our Captain's eyes that landed on me in a condemning manner. Ours was not a mission of goodwill, to prove the morality of our people. No, to our Captain, an aging man in military terms, member of the old guard, my words were a betrayal.

"Step forward," the creature commanded to me.

"I am who you should be speaking with; I am the commander of this team," Captain stepped forward. I should have seen the chivalry, but I did not. It was ego that pushed him forward.

"I do not speak with swine. I will let you live, but the girl stays with me." His words struck us with a lunge causing Captain to stumble back.

"Absolutely not!" Cap fought. As he did so, the brush around us kicked up. 

In a curdling slither, the branches rose and twisted around our team, but while they were herded together, I was ushered away. As the trees' fingers hissed and threatened my squad, they guided me away with gentle flowing waves. All with little more than a twitch from the beast.

"The branches will constrict." The monster spoke with an unsettling, soothe of confidence. "Like a hungry snake preparing its meal, they will crush the life from them." As he continued, the branches began to slither in on the team, causing them to huddle closer together. "Your team claims goals of learning, but you are the only one that seeks. You will stay with me. I will teach you of this land and the lands beyond. And, in doing so, I will also spare the lives of these undesirables, if you wish."

"Yes," there was no thought in my answer. There was no thought of being abandoned on this haunted planet with only this beast as company. My team would be set free.

"No," Cap roared. "He is not to be trusted. You turn your back on us, and we will be killed."

With a simple flick, the branches rose around me, but not in a slither. They glided and braided in a hypnotic twisting that, for a moment, depleted my fear and entranced my yearning for understanding.

"You may stay here and see your friends off. When they have departed, the emory will guide you to my home. But I should warn you, the emory shares my impatience. Should your friends delay for too long, it may bite." His voice seemed to fill with a loving pride as though he spoke of a child and not a sharp plant. As he turned to leave, he let a shadowed hand dropped to the brush, stroking it in a gentle manner of thanks. Once he was gone, the gnarls around my squad reluctantly rescinded.

"Cut her out," Cap demanded absently.

But as the team set to their goal, the branches around them descended angrily. They blocked the path to where I was held and sliced mercilessly into the flesh of my comrades. The curdling, painful screams of the team filled my ears.

"Enough, you will leave me. Leave now before more is lost," I demanded.

Cap stared at me; the sting of my second insurrection coursed through him. "You heard her; we will leave her. Her unwillingness will not benefit us."

The branches again receded as the team began to scurry away, eager to return to the safety of the sky. But one mate stalled. Peeta, a young recruit that had only joined the team a few months prior, gazed at me. The dimness of the light obscured his eyes, but I could see a tiny sparkle as he faltered, warring with his morals.

"Go," I whispered, and he was gone.