She closed her eyes tightly and rubbed them beneath her glasses, trying to get the last of the sleepiness out of them. She had been having the strangest dream... It involved a bush that could come alive, and a fairy, and a much bigger living bush that had tried to eat her! Such a foolish dream, she thought to herself. And yet, still, it fascinated her. It had seemed so, so real. She could remember everything in such vivid detail, not like most dreams where the details start to fade away as soon as you wake up. She could remember smells, and sounds, and even the taste of the air around her...
She sighed heavily and stood up. This wasn't getting her anywhere. She had things she needed to do, she needed to check on her mother. She couldn't just sit around all night wondering about a fantastical dream. She began walking towards her bedroom door, but stopped when, without warning, all the lights in the house suddenly flashed off.
Alex stood completely still for a few moments, trying to regain her bearings. She changed direction and instead made her way through the piles of clothes on her floor to the only window in her room. It gave her a view of the street, and upon raising the blinds and looking through it, Alex saw that it wasn't just her house, but her whole street that seemed to be out of power. She sighed again. At least it wasn't her mom forgetting to pay the bills again.
Alex once again headed for the door, only almost falling twice. She wrenched it open and stepped into the pitch black hallway, and began her way into the living room.
"Mom?" Alex called, hoping her mother was alright. Of course, when she entered the living room, there was her mothers silhouette, still slumped over on the couch, bottle in her limp hand. Alex begrudgingly walked over to her and took it away from her, hearing the last few sips sloshing slowly around in Alex's hand. She looked around, trying to find something to do with it in the dark house, but stopped when she heard a strange noise. It scared and surprised her so badly that she dropped the bottle, and it crashed as it broke against the thinly carpeted floor. Alex held her breath, hoping she wouldn't wake her mother, but Johanne slept like a rock, oblivious to the world around her.
Alex spun slowly on the spot, trying to find where she thought the noise was coming from, and she at last stopped facing the front door. The noises were strange, as if something were scratching against the metal of the outer screen door. Alex held her breath and slowly approached it. She reached out to open the front door and stopped when she felt the cold smoothness of the brass handle beneath her fingers. For some odd reason, she was surprised by it in contrast to the the soft warmth of the bush from her dream. It had seemed so real... Alex could even remember exactly how it had felt to her. She had never had such a vivid dream in her life, especially not one that she could remember how something felt in it.
Shaking the thought aside, she twisted the door handle and swung the front door open, just as a deafening boom of thunder shook her to her bones, and a giant web of lightning spread across the sky. It illuminated the whole street, and Alex saw everything in harsh detail. It made her squint her eyes, and then all was dark again. The sound of scratching could still be heard above the pounding of the rain, and Alex hadn't had time to look down and see what it was when the lightning had spread across the sky. Alex had never seen such lightning before in her life though, and it both thrilled and amazed her. It was beautiful.
The scratching sound persisted and Alex was brought out of her reverie by it. She looked down through the screen door and squinted, trying to make sense of anything in the darkness. There was definitely something there, but what it was Alex couldn't be sure.
"Hello?" Alex asked, hoping that her voice would scare whatever animal was there away, but on the contrary, her voice only seemed to make it scratch harder and more ferociously.
"Stop!" She cried. "Shoo, go away!"
But the creature refused, and Alex fell back, because she realized that the screen door was bending inward from the force this thing was applying to it.
It must be a wolf or something like that, Alex though, and she made a hasty move to reach for the front door so that she could slam it shut. Before she had time to even contemplate it though, there was a loud snap as the screen door bust open, and Alex could feel the rain being splattered inside.
She closed her eyes, terrified for whatever might happen now...
And was surprised when a soaked but still warm, soft, fuzzy little object leapt onto her chest, quivering and shaking as if it was freezing cold.
Alex knew what it was before she had a chance to look at it, just from the way its... fur? Leaves? From the way its covering felt against her skin. It was the same feeling from her dream... Or was it a dream? Alex wasn't so sure now.
Slowly, she stood up, cradling the bush in her arms. She shut the front door, covering the broken screen, and took the bush back into her room. She set it on her bed, and it moved quickly around, finally settling in one spot and staying still.
Alex fumbled around in a few drawers for several long minutes, finally withdrawing a book of matches and a tall candle. She placed the candle on her bedside table and struck the match, causing a pop and a sizzle, then a flame to sprout. She moved it to the candle wick and lit it, cautiously blowing out the match. Then she finally turned to her bed, and the bush from what she was now sure was not a dream. She sat next to it and it scampered over to her, cuddling up into her lap where it curled up, now looking more like a green fuzzy ball with berries than a bush.
"Did you follow me here?" Alex asked it, to no response.
For a second, Alex wondered if that meant that the older, more larger bush could have followed her, but she didn't want to worry about that just now.
Alex sat there, absentmindedly stroking the strange creature, and then she had a thought.
She picked up her cell phone from the bed where she had dropped it the night before and punched in Jason's number. She put it to her ear and listened to it ring.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Four times.
"Hello..." With the groggy way Jason answered the phone, Alex could tell she had woken him.
"Hey! Jason!" Alex chirped brightly into the phone.
"Alex?" He asked. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Yeah, but listen," she said, "I have the most amazing thing to show you."
"Can it wait until the morning? I just go to sleep..."
Alex was slightly put off by Jason's disinterest in the subject. "Jason, trust me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Jason sighed. "But Alex, it's raining..."
"I know that," Alex snapped, annoyed. "So wear a jacket. Look, can you meet me at the forest in twenty minutes?"
"The forest?" Jason asked, still not understanding.
"You know," Alex continued, "the one by my road. It's not really a forest, but it's a bunch of trees all stuck together. You know what I'm talking about?"
There was silence for a little, and then, "Yeah, but Alex, do I really have to, I mean..."
"If you don't, you'll wish you did," Alex said, then hung up. She looked down at the bush, and it seemed to look back up at her. "You wanna meet Jason?" She asked it, not expecting an answer.
She stood up, scaring the bush off her lap, and she ran to her closet, grabbing a thin wind breaker. It wouldn't do much against the cold or the rain, but it was all she had.
So, with the bush following her faithfully behind, Alex blew out the candle and left her house to meet Jason at the forest.
***
Raul set down the cold, stone passageway, his cape flowing at his ankles, his hood drawn up to hide his eyes. It was late, so most of the inmates were asleep by this hour, but he heard an occasional mumbled or growl coming from a rusted iron cage. In his hands was the master key to the lower levels of Stronghold Prison, and on his hands was the remains of what he had to do to get it. Blood. By now it was dried, and Raul would certainly have to clean it off later, but right now he had a job to do, a job that stretched much further than even he knew.
Lately there had been some strange rumors flying about of occurrences happening all over the world. Natural disasters and what not. But what scared Raul the most wasn't the talk of natural disasters. It was the discussion of the apocalypse which was surely soon to come if nothing was done. So, Raul decided to take matters into his own hands. He knew where the one person who would know what to do could be found. It was only a matter of getting to him, and then getting him to talk. So, Raul had to kill the prison guard, the only one on duty in fact. It had been far too easy, and it terrified Raul that all was going so smoothly. He had expected to be captured by this time.
He turned down another corridor and ignored the cat calls he was hearing more of now. Apparently the prisoners down here didn't sleep quite as quietly as Raul had hoped, and they were making quite a scene at the sight of this unknown man prowling their hall, covered in blood.
Finally, Raul reached the end of the hall. There was a very heavy metal door in front of him labeled Maximum Security -- Solitary Confinement. Shaking, Raul inserted the key and twisted it, hearing the the gears inside turn and rotate, until a final loud click could be heard, and he removed the key. The door opened on its own, allowing Raul to step through. As soon as he was past the door way, the door slammed shut behind him, and Raul heard it click itself locked again.
Raul saw a narrow spiral staircase leading even lower now, and he descended it begrudgingly. He was already several miles below the earth, how much further down could he possibly go? After a few minutes, the stairs opened up into a wide corridor. Placed at regular intervals along the corridor were heavy looking metal plates, only about the size of a brick, which had words inscribed into them, and a small hole, large enough for a key. Those plates didn't look anything like doors to Raul, but he decided not to dwell too long on the minor details. He still had to find the proper cell.
He headed straight for the nearest metal plate and read,
--
Cold Blooded Murder of Sixty Seven Children
Raul moved on, looking to the next plate. It seemed like with each one, the offenses each criminal had committed became more and more vile and terrifying.
--
Cannibalism of His Own Parents and Thirteen Other Individuals
And then...
--
Created and Killed an Entire Cult Devoted to the Worship of Sheep
And after that...
--
Slow Prolonged Torture of Innocent Children
And so it continued, for at least fifty metal plates, until at last, after an hour of reading about such legendary criminals as Tolstoy Demitriov, whose plate was significantly larger than most, and Gabriel Grey, whose plate was purposefully vague about the particular offenses he committed, Raul came upon the plate he was looking for.
--
Cold Blooded Murder and Other Offenses Against the Government
Raul licked his chapped lips and took a deep breath. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he inserted the key into the hole in the plate and twisted it. There was silence for a moment, and Raul removed the key in confusion. Upon the keys removal however, there was a loud grinding sound, and Raul jumped back several feet in surprise and shock. The ground beneath his feet had moved!
He stood back, watching in amazement as the ground in front of the metal plate bearing Heath Branson's name began to rise. In shock, Raul realized that the rising ground was the cell, and he couldn't believe it. This was far from humane... did anyone know about this? Yes, these were bad people, but still... no one deserved to live in that tiny space. It looked to be about the size of an average shower, and looked a lot less comfortable than that.
As the cell finished rising, Raul slowly regained his breath back.
There, standing before him, was Heath Branson, the boy that had been spoken of so often in the past few weeks.
In the tiny cell, there was a boy, who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, maybe older, but not much. There was a chain around each of his ankles, pulled tight because he was suspended in the air by two similar chains around each of his wrists. He wore nothing but a pair of ragged underpants that ranked of piss and shit. He was extremely dirty, and looked about starved to death, but Raul could tell that he was once very handsome, even if it was hidden beneath years of imprisonment. He had hair that hung down past his back, and it was a filthy, greasy thing, matted down by years of neglect. His skin was pale and pallid, with deep purple bruises beneath each of his eyes. His fingernails were yellowed and obscenely long, at least four inches each.
However, five years locked in this tiny cell had obviously not robbed Heath Branson of his spirit, as he was leering at Raul with a look of mockery and superiority.
"You're not the usual guard," Heath said with a sick grin. "You're not supposed to be here. You don't look like a guard at all."
"No..." Raul began. "I'm not. I've come to make you an offer. A deal, if you would."
"And what do you possibly have to offer me, Mr. ..."
Ignoring his request for a name, Raul continued on with his proposal. He held up the key he had with him and did his best to smile back. "Your freedom."
Even in his chains, Heath seemed to straighten up. Raul could almost see the gears turning in his head.
"Surely you jest," Heath accused. "You think just because you have a key means you can bust me out of here?"
"I got in, didn't I?" Raul protested.
"No offense," Heath said boredly, "but this is a prison. Getting in en't the problem. It's getting out you got to worry 'bout."
"Look," Raul said, now annoyed with how this conversation was turning out. "Either take the offer, or don't."
"What are you looking for in return?" Heath asked seriously, his grin gone. "You want me to kill someone? Nah, that en't it. From the look of your clothes right now, you don't need anyone else to kill for you. So what exactly is it your looking for?"
"Information," Raul said. "Here's the bargain. I'll spring you from your chains, take you up to the surface, get you some clean clothes, a bath, anything I can do to make you look more presentable to society. In return, you tell me everything I want to know. Got it?"
Heath was silent for a bit, thinking it over. "You know I'm a murderer, don'tcha? What is so important to you that you need to put a convicted killer back onto the streets to know?"
"You and I both know you didn't mean to kill that girl, Mr. Branson," Raul said slowly. "That's not why they locked you up in here. They locked you up for the same reason I'm breaking you out."
"Ahhh..." Heath's eyes glistened in recognition. "So, you want to know about the other world then, don'tcha?" He laughed. "Talk about it too much and you'll end up where I am, you know."
"This is necessary though," Raul ensured. "The fate of both worlds lie in what you know about all this mess."
Heath was silent once more, and he seemed to be thinking things over. "Alright," he said finally. "I agree to your terms. Now just get me the hell outta this contraption."
Raul held his breath so as not to breathe in any of the fumes emanating from Heath Branson, and leaned forward to insert the key into one of the shackles around the prisoners ankles. It clicked open immediately, and Raul could hear the sound of every joint in Heath's leg popping as he moved it around for the first time in five years.
Raul moved quickly and expertly, until Heath fell a few inches to the ground beneath him. Instead of supporting his own weight however, Heath crumpled as soon as he touched the stone floor.
Raul ran forward and lifted him up, surprised at how little he weighed.
"We're going to have to get you something to eat while we're at it," he mumbled, more to himself than to Heath.
Heath just laughed, causing Raul's gag reflex to kick into overdrive.
"By the way," Heath said suddenly as he was lead down the long corridor lined with other prisoners plates. "What's your name?"
"Raul," he replied. "Raul Mason."
***
Alex stood as Jason finally arrived. She had been sitting beneath the shade of a tree, avoiding the rain for at least thirty minutes now. She was shocked to see that another figure was walking next to Jason. When they got closer, Alex could make out who it was. Ben, Jason's boyfriend, was accompanying him to the small forest. Alex frowned a little in disappointment. She knew that Jason and Ben were desperately in love, but she didn't always like to be around them together. They had a habit of making her feel like something of a third wheel. She knew it wasn't on purpose, but it still bothered her.
"Hey Jason. Ben," Alex greeted them.
"Hey," they both replied, yawning. "I hope you don't mind Ben came," Jason said. "I was staying the night at his house when you called, so I figured I basically had to invite him."
"Oh, no," Alex ensured. "It's fine. Guys, I want you to see something amazing!"
They looked at her skeptically. "Um... where is it?"
She stepped to the left and gestured to the ground next to her. Sitting there was a bush.
Jason and Ben looked at her like she was crazy. The occasional raindrop that wasn't stopped by the treetops above hit their heads, and it only fueled their aggravation.
"Alex Madison Branson," Jason said slowly. "If that bush doesn't do something really cool, I am gonna be so pissed."
"Just watch," Alex said, and she knelt down by the bush and began petting it and whispering to it. Jason turned to Ben and gave him an exasperated look.
"Babe, I am so sorry," he said. "I thought she really --"
"Jason," Ben said, a look of amazement on his face. "Shut up and look at the bush."
Jason turned around and stared at what appeared to be a normal bush, only it was walking around Alex, who was now standing up straight again, smiling triumphantly at them.
"Oh... my..." Ben began. "Alex, what is that thing?"
"I'm not really sure..." Alex said, her smile fading. "It's like a bush, it even has berries... but it's also like... I don't even know. It has six legs. And it followed me home yesterday."
"Followed you home from where?" Jason asked slowly.
"Come on," Alex said slyly. "I'll show you."
