Littleton Blues

Into the Unknown

"Fuck!"

Tanya felt Avery's pulse and took a deep breath when she realized he was still breathing. This felt like the beginning of every bad horror film she'd ever seen. But, unlike the dumb folks who trip and die within the first five minutes, they were going to survive.

Avery and I had been in the backwoods of Littleton for the past two years. Littleton was an off the map town in the middle of nowhere, long forgotten by the world around it. We were out here for a strange request by Avery's job. He was gifted in certain ways and ended up on the governments radar. From there on, he'd been sent on various work 'trips' I wasn't privvy too. There were just certain things he couldn't disclose to me, but he promised we were safe.

Until today.

I heard a screeching howl in the distance and I shuddered at the thought of whatever was out there. Fortunately for us, the house came with a large bunker fully stocked and prepped in case of emergencies. There was no way anything was getting past the solid three ton door of concrete hidden behind a secret wall in the basement.

While Avery was still unconscious, I made sure to grab all of the safety kits we'd placed around the house. Somehow, Avery was able to get a hold of a few satellite phones and kept them fully charged no matter what.

I tried to control my breathing and remember everything Avery taught me. He knew there was something dreadfully wrong when he got the assignment, but he couldn't turn it down without putting our lives in jeopardy.

"Come on, come on, come on." I mumbled to myself, trying to open the safe in our bedroom. We kept a stash of cash and extra passports in case we had to run. There was also two guns fully loaded and tucked safely away in the safe as well. I didn't know what we were up against or who, for that matter, so I grabbed them too. This wasn't the time to not be prepared.

My husband had a beautiful gift with the Earth that made him a target for our government. He could talk to plants of all kinds and they would talk back. I mean any plant you could think of, he could bring it to life. Plants that had gone extinct were made real again at the touch of my husband's finger. I was amazed at the beauty his joy in plants could bring. I'd seen roots sprout from his hands with my own eyes. There was a type of enchantment that came with watching him tend to Earth. The tenderness in his touch, the smile on his face when something blooms.

No matter how beautiful his gift was, there was a danger behind it that was unnerving too. Just as I'd seen those roots grow out of love, I also saw how dangerous they could be when provoked.

"Be aware of the strength our Earth holds, it could swallow you whole and that wouldn't be the worst of it."

I could hear his voice echo in my head. There was more evil than good in this world and Avery had been thrown into the mix of it. Government officials kept a close watch on how he utilized his power. With his affinity for plants, Avery thrived as a farmer and was known for his community outreach in areas considered to be food deserts. If you had the space, he would create the ultimate garden to feed as many as possible.

There was movement on the roof and my heart skipped a beat. Moving quickly, I could hear Avery regaining consciousness and I teared up knowing he was okay.

"Shh, shh. Don't try to talk, just nod your head and let me know you're okay." I told him in a shaky voice.

He nodded his head and pointed to the front door.

My mind instantly knew what he wanted. I needed to get all of the windows boarded up. Even though I made sure everything was locked, including the rooms upstairs, there were custom boards created for our windows to make a barrier for only God knows what.

I was struggling to finish the last window and before I knew it, branches were growing from Avery's hands and began to help me. I looked back at him, truly amazed. I'd never seen him do that before.

I could tell he was trying his best to regain his strength. He was almost on his feet when we heard shuffling at the backdoor.

We quietly crept into the basement and collapsed into a pile of nerves once we were safely in the bunker.

My mind was everywhere. I'd never heard anything like that scream before.

I took another look at Avery's face as he dozed off, trying to ignore the pain piercing through his body.

"What are you?" I whispered to myself, still to scared to utter the words out loud.

Knowing he wouldn't answer, I laid beside him, allowing my eyes to get heavy and letting my body relax.

I had questions and the truth was going to come out, sooner rather than later.