The Invasion of Crooked Oak

by Dan Smith

  Pete looked over at the open classroom door and saw that the lights were off in the corridor. Nancy’s dad was out there, watching them from the shadows. His skin was pale, and there was a blank look in his eyes. He was wearing a thick overcoat, yet it was boiling in school.

  “He’s right there,” Pete whispered without moving his lips.

  Nancy didn’t look up. “The worst thing is the smell,” she said. “At first there was only a bit of it, but now … it’s disgusting. It’s like when we had fungus growing in the bathroom in our old house.”

  “Fungus,” Pete said as he suddenly remembered. “That’s it. I smelled the same thing in Mr King’s shop. I knew I recognised it. It’s like those musty black splotches in the corners above the shower. Mum makes me spray everything after I’ve been in.”

  “Exactly like that,” Nancy agreed. “But ten times worse. And it’s not the house that smells, it’s them. After Mum and Dad went out to give everyone that tour of Carpenter’s Field last night, the house started to smell normal again.”

  “What?” Krish asked, looking up from his phone. He was searching The Mystery Shed again. “What tour?”

  “Mum was showing people the fracking site,” Nancy said. “Letting them look inside and talking about what’s going to happen to it now they’ve stopped fracking.”

  “Yeah, my mum mentioned that,” Pete chipped in. “She couldn’t go because of her back.”

  Krish pushed up his glasses. “I heard Tracey Levin say her parents were acting weird this morning. Weren’t they leading the protests? I’m sure they would’ve been on that tour.”

  Pete stared at Krish, shocked. “I bet Mr King was there too. I bet all the shopkeepers were. They all had those ‘Keep Carpenter’s Field Natural’ signs in their windows.”

  “Maybe there’s a connection,” Krish said, and looked at Nancy. “You told us your mum and dad started acting weird after they went to Carpenter’s Field to collect files, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And after the tour last night, Tracey Levin’s parents are acting weird.” Krish tapped his fingers on the desk as he put it all together. “Mr King too.”

  “So now you believe me?” Nancy asked.

  “I’m not saying that,” Krish said. “But maybe we should investigate. We’ll go to your house after school and see for ourselves what your mum and dad are like.”

  CHAPTER 5

  A Stab of Fear

  Mr Finney was at the gates when school ended, wearing his long coat with the hood pulled up, even though it was sunny. He was handing out letters and reminding everyone about an important “emergency” meeting in the school hall at seven o’clock that evening. Something to do with cracking down on the use of mobile phones in school.

  He lifted a hand to wave at Nancy as she rode past with Pete and Krish. Pete looked back and saw Mr Finney watching them with a blank stare. The breeze ruffled the letters gripped firmly in his right hand.

  On the way to Nancy’s house, they rode past the parade of shops in the village centre. There was a sign in the window of Hutson’s Hardware advertising Aqua Zap water guns for half price. Typical – Pete had paid full price at the beginning of summer.

  When they reached King’s Corner Shop, Krish braked suddenly and jumped off his bike. “Just a minute. I’ve got an idea,” he said as he ran into the shop, leaving Pete and Nancy waiting outside.

  Krish came back out a few minutes later carrying a flat cardboard box about the size of a school exercise book. It had a metallic red lid.

  “Was Mr King in there?” Pete asked. “Did he seem weird?”

  “A bit,” Krish said. “He didn’t say much.”

  “What about his eyes?” Pete went on. “Did they look blank?”

  “And was it dark in there?” Nancy added.

  Krish shrugged. “Yeah, but maybe he had a headache or something.”

  “Ugh. Stop being so logical,” Pete said. “And what’s that for?” He pointed at the box in Krish’s hands. The gold lettering across the top said “Turkish Delight”.

  “It’s a test.” Krish gave the box a shake and looked at Nancy. “I reckon your mum loves this stuff. I once saw her eat a whole box of it while she was having tea with my mum.”

  “I remember that,” Nancy said. “And you’re right, she really does love it. But so what?”

  “You said your mum hasn’t eaten anything for two days.” Krish shook the box again. “Well, let’s see if she refuses this.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Pete complained.

  “Don’t you see?” Nancy said to him. “If my mum refuses Turkish Delight, then there’s definitely something wrong with her.”

  *

  The first thing Pete noticed when Nancy opened her front door was the mouldy smell that spilled out into the crisp autumn evening. The second thing was the heat. It was as if she had opened an oven door.

  Standing on the doorstep, Pete whispered in Krish’s ear, “You sure about this?”

  “Yes.” Krish adjusted his glasses. “Of course.”

  Nancy’s mum was normally bouncy and loud. She loved to talk and always met them with a big smile, but today she just stood in the darkness by the kitchen door at the end of the hall.

  “Hello,” she said in a low, monotonous voice as they draped their coats over the bannister. “How about some hot chocolate and biscuits?”

  When Mrs Finney turned and went into the kitchen, Pete and Nancy hung back by the front door.

  “Come on!” Krish hissed at them as he clutched the box of Turkish Delight and followed Mrs Finney.

  It was dark and hot and smelled damp in the kitchen. The sun was still out, but the blinds were pulled over the windows.

  Nancy’s mum put the kettle on, then poured herself a glass of water from the tap. She drained it in a few swallows and left the empty glass beside the sink. “Your friends can’t stay long – Dad will be home soon,” Mrs Finney said without emotion. “And then we have to get ready to go out.”

  Nancy frowned.

  “The meeting,” her mum said. “Seven o’clock at school. It’s very important.”

  Krish was watching Nancy’s mum so closely that Pete had to nudge him forward with the Turkish Delight.

  Krish held it out. “For you, Mrs Finney. It’s your favourite, right?”

  With a waft of damp, mouldy smell, Nancy’s mum came forward to take it. As she did, she stepped into a beam of sunlight that had found a crack in the blinds. It cut across the gloomy kitchen like a glowing sword. When it touched the skin on Mrs Finney’s hand, she jumped back as if she’d had an electric shock.

  Krish gasped in surprise.

  And in that split second, Pete saw that Mrs Finney’s eyes were so bloodshot that the whites were almost red.

  “Are you all right, Mum?” Nancy asked.

  “Fine.” Mrs Finney put her hand behind her back and forced an empty smile at Krish. “Why don’t you put that on the table?”

  Krish hesitated, and Pete saw that all the colour had drained from his friend’s face. Krish was finally starting to believe that something strange was going on. How could he not believe it?

  Pete took the box and stepped forward, trying not to gag on the smell. “I could open it for you?” he said to Mrs Finney. “You could try some now.”

  “No. Thank you.”

  “It’s from Krish’s mum,” Pete added. His hands were trembling. “She’ll want to know if you liked it, so …” He tore the wrapper off and opened the box. Each chunk of hard jelly was dusted with half a ton of icing sugar. “You’d better try it or she’ll give Krish grief.”

  “All right,” Mrs Finney gave in. “Just a small piece.”

  Pete watched closely as she bit into it and chewed.

  “Delicious.” Mrs Finney went to the sink and poured herself another glass of water.

  Pete couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. Mrs Finney had passed Krish’s test. But that didn’t make her normal. What about her vo
ice? And her eyes? And that smell?

  And there was something else: Pete put the box of Turkish Delight on the worktop and saw a half chewed chunk of it lying in the sink. He felt a stab of fear and excitement. Mrs Finney hadn’t eaten it. She’d spat it out when she was pouring another glass of water.

  “Well, it was nice to see you, Mrs Finney,” Pete said. He grabbed Krish’s arm and made sure he saw what was in the sink. “But we have to go now. Come on, Nancy, we have that thing, remember?”

  “What thing?” Nancy was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened as she understood. “Oh. That thing. OK. We’d better go.”

  The three of them bustled from the kitchen and snatched their coats from the bannister. At that moment, the front door swung open to reveal Mr Finney standing on the doorstep.

  His empty eyes stared down at them from beneath his hood.

  “In a hurry?” Mr Finney asked.

  “We have a thing, sir,” Pete said. “We need to go.”

  Mr Finney ignored him and looked at Nancy. “Where are you off to?” he asked her, and blocked the doorway. “Don’t forget the meeting. Everyone must be there. Your parents too.” Mr Finney stared at Pete and Krish.

  “Mum can’t make it,” Pete said. “Bad back again. Can’t sit down for more than a few minutes.”

  Mr Finney opened his mouth to say something, but Nancy pushed past and the boys hurried after her.

  “Everyone must be there!” Mr Finney called after them. “It’s important!”

  *

  Nancy, Krish and Pete rode away as fast as they could, but at the corner at the end of the street, Nancy screeched to a halt. “See,” she said. “There’s something wrong with them. I told you.”

  “We believe you,” Pete replied, and looked at Krish. “Don’t we?”

  “Did you see her eyes?” Krish said. “What was wrong with her eyes?”

  CHAPTER 6

  In the Shadows

  “I’m not going back home,” Nancy said. She wiped her eyes and gave Pete and Krish a pleading look. “Don’t leave me on my own.”

  “We won’t,” Pete told her.

  “And you’ll help me?” Nancy asked.

  “Of course.” Pete turned to Krish and lowered his voice. “How do we help her?”

  “Umm.” Krish shook himself. “I’m not sure. Maybe we could—”

  A loud rattling sound shattered the quiet evening, making them all turn to look along Elm Street, towards Nancy’s house.

  “That’s our garage door,” Nancy said. “It always rattles like that.”

  It was just starting to get dark, but they could see Nancy’s garage door roll up. A moment later, Nancy’s mum and dad drove out in a red van. There was a white logo painted on the side of the van:

  BioMesa.

  “Where are they going?” Nancy wondered out loud. “What time is it?”

  “It’s just after five o’clock,” Krish said, checking his phone. “They’re too early for the meeting at school.”

  As the garage door clattered shut, the van pulled off the drive and headed in the opposite direction along Elm Street.

  “Come on.” Pete jumped on his bike. “Let’s see where they’re going.”

  *

  They followed the red van along Elm Street, then into the heart of the village and out the other side onto Ridley Lane.

  “They’re going to Carpenter’s Field,” Krish said.

  When the van stopped at the gates, the headlights lit up the main building with BioMesa painted across the side.

  Nancy’s dad stepped out of the van and went to unlock and open the gates. The evening was fresh and clear, and already a bright sliver of moon was sitting among the stars.

  “I was reading about fracking last night,” Pete whispered. “About all those chemicals they pump into the ground to get the gas out. It’s all poisonous stuff, you know. Maybe it did something to them. Turned them into freaks.”

  A vehicle door slammed and they turned their attention back to the van. It was now driving into the Carpenter’s Field fracking site.

  As soon as the van was inside, Pete, Nancy and Krish followed. They put their phones on silent and wheeled their bikes behind the shipping containers. Hiding in the shadows, they watched Nancy’s mum and dad climb out of the van and disappear inside the main building.

  “Should we follow them?” Nancy said, standing up.

  “No way.” Krish grabbed the back of her coat. “Stay where you are.”

  “But we don’t know what they’re doing in there.” Nancy pulled away from Krish.

  As she stepped forward, the door opened and Nancy’s mum reappeared. She was carrying a crate of shoebox sized packages which she slid into the back of the van.

  A moment later, Nancy’s dad appeared, carrying another crate.

  “What’s in those boxes?” Krish wondered aloud.

  Nancy’s mum and dad made several trips, filling the van with boxes, then climbed into the cab. They turned the vehicle around to head back to the gates, and Nancy grabbed her bike, ready to follow them.

  “Let them go,” Krish said, stopping her. “We should investigate that building.”

  CHAPTER 7

  A Terrible Discovery

  To Pete’s surprise, the door to the BioMesa building was unlocked. He pulled it open and sneaked in first. “It’s so hot in here,” Pete said as he felt the wall, searching for a light switch. When he found one, he flicked it, expecting the place to light up like a Christmas tree, but nothing happened.

  “No power.” Pete remembered how Mrs Finney had reacted to the beam of sunlight in her kitchen. “Or they took out the lightbulbs.”

  “It stinks,” Krish said, following Pete inside. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t like this.” He turned to leave, but Nancy held on to him.

  “We need to stick together,” she said.

  They took out their phones and switched on the torches, but the huge room was so dark it swallowed the light. Everything was black, black, black.

  The deeper they went, the stronger the mouldy smell became. “The ground feels funny,” Nancy said. She shone the torch at her feet. “It’s spongy.” She crouched, bringing the torchlight closer to the floor. Twists of fine fibres formed a miniature landscape of hills and forests covering the ground. When Nancy shifted her feet, the awful mouldy smell wafted up at them.

  “It’s some kind of fungus.” Nancy put out her hand.

  “Don’t touch it,” Krish said. “Don’t touch anything. We should tell someone about this.”

  “In a minute.” Pete shone his torch ahead. “I think I see something.”

  In the centre of the building was the lower section of the drilling rig. It looked like tall scaffolding over the roof outside, but inside it was totally different. Huge black vines snaked around it, forming a smooth, shining black trunk. They twisted up to the ceiling and spread out like branches. When Pete directed his torch at them, the vines shrank away from the light.

  “We should leave,” Krish said. “I don’t want to investigate this any more.”

  Nancy shone her torch at a huge hole beneath the rig, where the black fungus had erupted in vines from the earth. “Maybe the fracking disturbed it,” Nancy said. “Released it from underground, I mean.”

  “Keep away,” Krish said in a low, scared voice.

  “What about the people who came on the tour last night?” Nancy said. “If they came in here, they must have seen this. The way they’re acting, and the way my mum and dad are acting … It’s got to be connected to this.”

  Pete moved closer to the main stem of the giant fungus. The ground squished and squelched with every step. “You’ve got to see this,” he said.

  Hundreds of bent limbs burst out from the spongy trunk. At the end of each limb was something that looked like a claw. Most of the claws were empty, but one or two gripped pods the size of grapefruits. They were deep purple and covered with thousands of tiny white spots.

  “They look lik
e spore pods,” Krish whispered. “Like you find on a fungus, but bigger.”

  “So what were my mum and dad doing in here just now?” Nancy said.

  “This might be a clue.” Pete called them over to a long table that was piled with boxes.

  “Those are the boxes Mum and Dad were putting in the van,” Nancy said. She lifted one of the lids. “And there’s one of those pod things in it.”

  When they peered in to look at it, the purple pod began to beat like a heart.

  “Get back!” Pete shouted. He slammed the lid shut and pulled Nancy away. “I’ve seen Alien – I know what happens next. That thing bursts and …” He spread his fingers wide and clamped them over his face. “Argh!”

  “Stop messing about,” Krish said, pushing up his glasses and giving Pete a serious look. “It’s not funny.”

  “And I’m not joking,” Pete said. “It wasn’t supposed to be funny.”

  Nancy hugged both arms around herself. “Where do you think Mum and Dad were taking these thi—” She turned to Pete and Krish with a look of horror. “The ‘emergency’ meeting,” she said.

  “What?” Pete was confused.

  “The meeting at school,” Krish reminded him. “Everyone’s supposed to be there.” Krish started tapping on his phone. “Maybe it’s nothing to do with cracking down on mobile phones like the letter said. Maybe they’re going to do something with these things. We have to tell someone. I’ll call my parents and … oh my days.” Krish stopped. “No signal.”

  Nancy checked her phone. “Same here.”

  “We’ll go to my house,” Krish said, and started towards the front door. “It’s closest. And I’m pretty sure my mum and dad are still normal.”

  “There’s no point,” Nancy told Krish, going after him. “Look at the time. We’ve been here longer than we thought, and the school meeting’s about to start. Your mum and dad will be there already. They’ve probably been trying to ring you.”