The Woodsman drags Trey into the shack. It takes every ounce of Trey’s remaining strength, but he turns his head just enough to scrape the leaf off of his mouth. With the leaf gone, he can speak again.
“What do you want?” he rasps. His arms and legs are still floppy and weak.
“It isn’t what I want,” the Woodsman says. “It is what the trees want.”
“What are you talking about?” Trey says.
“It is time to go. Now get up. UP!” The Woodsman rips the red leaves off of Willa and Dominic’s mouths. “The trees have tasted you, and they will feed on you. Such bright minds. Such youth. They will consume you and bloom.”
Pain twists Dominic’s face as he stands up—his broken arm is twisted at a weird angle behind his back, and his face is white.
“Now march,” the Woodsman says, holding his ax across his chest with one hand and pushing the three of them out the door with the other. They stumble on shaky legs in the darkness, falling and taking one another down.
“Get up. Get up,” the Woodsman says. “Hurry. The bloom is near, and the trees must be fed. They told me it is time. It is time. The moon will be full tomorrow night. Go.”
“What did you do to the other kids?” Trey asks.
“Silence!” The Woodsman flings his ax at Trey. He flinches but the ax whirs over his head like the blades of a helicopter and then returns to the Woodsman’s hand. Trey’s knees turn to jelly and he falls to the ground.
The Woodsman purrs, “You will soon see the others.”
“Don’t mess with him,” Willa whispers as Trey gets back up. But he’s not listening, because out of the corner of his eye he sees a figure duck behind a tree. Leslie is following them.
Yes! We’re saved! he thinks—but then, No! She’ll be captured too, and then we all die!
The Woodsman herds them toward the grove behind the shack. The moon slides out from behind the clouds, and Trey realizes has never seen such trees in his life. The moonlight glints off silver and amber scales, and roots writhe and entwine at the base of the trunks. Trey shudders when he sees that the trunks pulse and swallow like long, narrow throats.
A slight breeze blows, and at the top of the tree, tiny silver pods move and click together with a sound like chattering teeth.
“Listen,” the Woodsman says as he stares up at the branches. “The trees are pleased. It has been thirty years, but the trees have borne fruit, and inside are the seeds of the future.”
“What future?” Trey says.
“Silence!” the Woodsman commands. He reaches down towards the moss-covered ground and pulls open a hidden door. He forces the three of them down a steep wooden staircase made of black roots that twists and turns, leading them deeper and deeper into the earth. Glowing silver crystals embedded in the walls light the way.
The stairs end at a wooden door. The Woodsman shoves them forward and presses his hand against it, and the door opens, spilling the three of them into a chilly cavern. It smells of earth and something sweet. The door shuts behind them, and Trey sees three hollowed-out tree trunks lying on the ground like coffins.
The Woodsman pushes them all forward, and Trey sees that each trunk contains a young person suspended in a thick amber liquid. One boy and two girls. The ends of the black roots dangle in the liquid, and Trey realizes that they are feeding the trees above.
Chapter 14
“You will make my Saturian trees so happy,” the Woodsman says as the black roots carry two more tree-trunk coffins into the room and set them near the wall. The ax marks on the trunks are still fresh: the chopping sound was the Woodsman cutting these trees and carving out coffins—for them.
“Saturian trees?” Trey says.
“Yes,” the Woodsman says proudly. “Soon, they will take over the earth. Once the trees have fed, the silver pods will burst open and their seeds will spread across the earth. They will grow and flourish, fed by the entire human race.”
Willa looks at him. “Why? Why do you want to destroy our world?”
“Destroy it? Humans destroy it themselves. The trees will save Earth. They will keep humans from hurting this world any more.”
Trey tries to bolt for the door, but black, slithering roots pull tight around his ankles.
“Let us go!” he yells at the Woodsman.
“Oh no,” the Woodsman says. “The trees need fresh minds in order to bloom.”
The Woodsman waves a hand, and the roots drag Trey across the dirt floor to one of the tree coffins. Inside it, Trey sees a blond-haired boy suspended in amber liquid. The boy opens his eyes, and his right hand moves, as if reaching for the surface.
“They’re alive,” Trey yells to Dominic and Willa.
“Of course they are,” says the Woodsman. “They are kept dreaming in order to feed the trees.”
The boy mouths the word, “Help,” then closes his eyes again.
Chapter 15
Thick, twisting roots slither around Trey’s face like tongues.
“Not yet. Not yet,” the Woodsman says, pushing the roots away with the handle of his ax. “Remember, we must let the humans ferment.”
The roots retreat.
“You,” he says to Willa, pushing her toward one of the new tree trunks. “Get in. So bright and strong. You will feed the trees well.”
Willa pulls away as Dominic lunges forward, yelling, “Let her go!” But roots whip out and pin him to the ground.
“No,” the Woodsman responds. “This is what the trees require.”
The woodsman twists a copper spigot on the wall, and a syrupy liquid flows into the first new tree trunk. The stream is hypnotizing as it slowly fills up the emptiness.
“Get in,” the Woodsman demands again, but Willa kicks and elbows him. The ax clatters to the ground as the Woodsman tries to slap another leaf over Willa’s mouth. Then the door crashes open, and Leslie tumbles into the cavern, grabs the ax, and waves it wildly above her head.
Startled, the Woodsman turns to Leslie, and Willa throws her shoulder into his side and topples him into the amber liquid before slapping a red leaf across his mouth. His eyes bulge, but his limbs only twitch, and the black roots rasp against the floor in their slithering haste to drink.
Leslie chops through the vines pinning Trey and Dominic to the ground. The severed roots scream in high-pitched whistles, and amber liquid oozes out onto the floor.
“Let’s get out of here. Now!” she shouts, but Trey is heading across the room to where the three kids float in amber liquid. The closest holds a girl in a bright-pink, oversized sweatshirt and jeans. Her curly black hair is pulled up into a matching pink scrunchie.
“We can’t leave them,” he says. “They’re still alive. We have to get them out of here!”
He reaches into the amber liquid, but it is like putting his hands into quicksand. He can’t reach the girl, and he can’t pull his arms out.
“How do we stop it?” Leslie says.
Willa points to the roots feeding on the liquid, and Leslie brings the ax down on the thickest cluster of them. The room vibrates with shrill tree screams.
“Keep going!” Trey gets his hands under the girl’s arms and pulls her into a sitting position. She gasps air and coughs out strings of amber syrup. “I think the roots create a suction of some kind,” he yells as he hauls her over the edge.
Leslie chops her way through the roots, and Trey follows her, pulling the next girl free and then the boy. Dominic is crouched down, speaking to the first girl, and then he helps her up with his good arm.
“Can you walk?” Trey asks the boy, who is still coughing.
“They have to do better than that,” Leslie warns as black roots slither toward their legs. “They have to run!”
The missing teens move slowly, as if they aren’t used to Earth’s gravity, and Trey, Willa, and Dominic are still woozy from the red leaves. Still, they make it through the door, Leslie slicing any root that gets too close, and when it slams shut behind them it shudders under the po
unding of a hundred wooden fists.
Chapter 16
When they reach the top of the steps, they start to head into the woods—but Trey shouts, “Wait! Leslie! We have to cut the trees down! We can’t let them bloom. They’ll feed off every human on Earth. Willa, Dominic, you keep running with the other three.”
The ground shivers as roots, hundreds of them, slither in, grabbing at ankles and legs. Leslie cuts herself free with the ax and then slices at the roots tangling around the others’ legs. Willa leads the other four past the shack as Trey and Leslie head deeper into the grove of scaly trees.
“Go for the trunks,” Trey pants. The trees shake, and red leaves and silver blossoms fall all around them. “Don’t let the leaves touch your face!”
Leslie swings the ax as hard as she can at the closest tree. It hits not with the sound of metal against wood, but with the squelch of something soft. The tree screeches as thick amber liquid pours onto the ground.
“Timber!” Trey yells as the tree crumples and falls.
Leslie is already swinging at the next trunk, and the keening of dying trees is deafening. Red leaves flutter around them, sticking to their skin and hair. The last of the trunks collapses, and Trey and Leslie peel leaves off as fast as they can and run for the woods, where the non-alien trees seem to be reaching out, as if offering safety.
Soon they catch up with the others. “This way,” Leslie says, pointing to the east, where the sky is starting to turn from indigo to a light violet. “We just need to keep moving toward the rising sun, and sooner or later, we’ll find our way out.”
As they walk, Leslie turns to the tall girl in the pink sweatshirt.
“Are you Louise?” she asks.
She nods.
“I’m Andrew Miller’s daughter,” she says.
The girl stops in her tracks, and a tear escapes from her eye.
“How long have I been gone?” she whispers.
“A long time,” Leslie says.
“This my sister, Sarah,” she says as the other girl reaches for her hand. Her hair is tied into a side ponytail, and she looks a lot like Louise. “She came to search for me, and the Woodsman took her too.”
“And you are Sasha?” Trey asks the thin, blond boy.
“Yes,” he says.
“Your parents have been searching for you.”
“I’ve been dreaming of going home. I wish I would’ve never left.” He has a thick Russian accent.
“We will get you all back home,” Trey declares.
As they make their way through the woods, the sun rises higher, turning the woods into a spectacle of shimmering golden light.
Chapter 17
They stop at a stream to drink. Then Louise, Sarah, and Sasha wade in to wash the thick, sticky liquid from their skin. As they do, Louise and Sarah rapidly age. Gray streaks appear in their hair, and their bodies lose their youth.
“What is happening?” Louise asks, looking at her wrinkling hands.
“We need to keep going,” Trey says, taking her arm. “We need to get you to safety. You’ve been gone for a long time.”
The seven of them walk through the forest for nearly three hours, jumping nervously with every cracked twig. At the top of a steep, rocky incline, Trey says, “Everyone check your phones. See if you have reception.”
“You’re the only one left with a phone,” Dominic reminds him.
“Phones?” Louise says. “You carry them with you?”
Trey shows her his phone. “A lot has changed since 1984.”
“Crazy,” Louise says, watching the screen light up.
“One bar,” Trey says. He tries to make a call, but it drops. He puts his phone back in his pocket and they continue on.
An hour later, just as the sun is starting to come up, they find a trail; as it crests a hill, they see the ranger station and Lake Helen below.
“We made it!” Leslie says as they step into the clearing. But behind them comes the sound of branches breaking beneath heavy, running feet. Trey knows before turning around that it is the Woodsman.
Chapter 18
The Woodsman steps out of the woods. Amber syrup covers his skin, and he glistens in the sun.
“Get to the car,” Trey says. Leslie hands him the ax, but a strong force seizes it from his hands, and it flies through the air to the Woodsman’s hands.
“Go,” Trey yells to the others. “Run.”
The Woodsman swings the ax, growling, “You destroyed my trees. You destroyed the new future of this world.”
“Who gave you the seeds? How did you get them?” Trey says, trying to buy the others time.
The Woodsman looks not only angry, but anguished. “They were sent to me,” he says.
“Who sent them?” Trey asks. If I keep him talking, the others have a better chance of getting to the car.
“Years ago, a meteorite crashed on the shore of Lake Helen, and when I went to investigate, I found a silver pod filled with seeds. As soon as I touched them, I knew their power. I knew what to do. They spoke to me. They told me what needed to be done. Years I have taken care of those trees. Years.”
“And they told you they were sent here to take over the Earth?” Trey says.
“To take over the human race,” the Woodsman says. “The trees knew the value of this world; humans do not.”
“Most of us want to make the world a better place,” Trey says.
The Woodsman steps closer to him. Trey backs away.
“You could help me,” the Woodsman says, pulling a silver pod out of his pocket. “Just hold this in your hand. Feel the energy. You could help me care for the new trees. I will not give up. I will start again.”
A fly circles Trey’s head and then another and another, and suddenly a swarm descends upon the Woodsman, covering his syrupy face and arms.
Trey bolts down the path and catches up to the others at the car. “We need to get out of here.”
Dominic throws Trey the keys. “You drive. I won’t be able to steer with my arm.”
“He’s coming!” Leslie yells as Dominic, Willa, and the three missing kids cram into the backseat. The fly-covered Woodsman stumbles down the hill toward them.
“You’re my copilot,” Trey says to Leslie. “You keep your eyes on the Woodsman, and I’ll keep my eyes on the road.”
“Hurry!” Leslie says, looking out the rear window. But when Trey turns the key, the engine sputters and dies.
“Try it again, and don’t flood the engine,” Dominic says from behind him.
Trey turns the key again and steps lightly on the gas. The engine turns over, and he jerks the car into gear just as the Woodsman’s ax slams against the trunk.
“Go!” Leslie shouts as the Woodsman pulls the ax out of the car.
Trey guns it up the road, swerving left and right as the Woodsman chases them, but slowly he loses ground.
Trey throws his phone to Leslie.
“When you see even one bar, dial 9-1-1.”
They approach the fallen tree blocking the road.
“We’re trapped,” Dominic says, looking out the back window. The Woodsman is still following them, his ax raised above his head.
“We made it past this tree once. We can do it again,” Trey says. He yanks the steering wheel around with all of his might and shouts, “Hold on!” as the car dives into the ditch. The car ricochets off a rock near the bottom and Willa, crammed in on one side, cries out as her head hits the window. Trey steps on the gas, and the car surges up the steep bank and back onto the road.
They gain only a few hundred feet before the ax strikes the back tire.
“Keep going!” Dominic yells, but the ax jams against the wheel well and the engine revs uselessly. Leslie throws open the door, jumps out, and pries the ax out of the tire.
“Pop the trunk,” she yells as she throws Dominic the phone.
Trey pulls a lever, and Leslie drops the ax in the cooler, locks it, and slams the trunk closed.
“Nice,” Trey
says as she hops back in the car.
They keep going even though the back tire is flat and the metal rim strikes sparks against the gravel.
“I got 9-1-1! There’s a sheriff in the area already!” Dominic shouts, holding the phone up for all to see. “What do I tell them?”
“Tell them to hurry!” Trey says.
The car thunks down the road. Everyone cheers as the trees thin out, revealing the flashing of red and blue lights turning off the highway onto the road ahead.
Chapter 19
As the sheriff’s car stops in front of them on the narrow road, Leslie takes the phone from Dominic to call her dad. A short but strong-looking uniformed man gets out of the car and storms over to the driver’s-side window.
“What’s going on here?” the sheriff asks, looking suspiciously into their packed, muddy car.
“The Woodsman,” Trey says. It comes out all wobbly. Adrenalin is coursing through his veins.
“The Woodsman,” Leslie says into the phone to her dad.
“We found the missing kids,” they both say at the same time.
“I don’t understand,” the sheriff says and then nods to Leslie. “Put the phone down.”
The back window rolls down. “I’m Louise,” she says. “I’ve been missing since 1984. My sister and I were kidnapped.”
The sheriff shakes his head. “What kind of prank are you all pulling?” he asks.
“We aren’t making this up,” Leslie says. “My dad is on his way. Andrew Miller. He’ll explain everything.”
“There’s a madman and he calls himself the Woodsman and he’s been growing alien trees—”
“I don’t believe any of this,” the sheriff says. “Do you know the penalty for pranking 9-1-1?” As he steps away from their car, though, the Woodsman appears behind them on the road, still surrounded by a swarm of black flies.
“There he is!” Trey yells to the sheriff. “He’s coming for us!”
Truth or Dare Page 4
