Seed of Evil by Greig Beck (great reads .txt) 📕

“What is that thing doing down here?” She looked briefly up at him, her breathing coming fast.

Mitch lowered his gun. “I don’t think it’s like the ones from outside.”

Kehoe glanced at Mitch’s gun for a moment and grunted his displeasure. Mitch ignored him, took the flashlight from Karen, and went a little closer. He was right; it was and wasn’t like the ones outside. This one was wet-looking and the features more distinct. He briefly shone his light at the cave ceiling to see if water was dripping on it but found the rest of the cavern fairly dry.

He brought the light back to the thing’s head—undoubtedly, this one was a work of art, and if not for the rough wooden surface, was absolutely lifelike.

Oddly, the roots were twined around it, growing up from the floor and embracing it. The other difference was instead of having a visage of agony, the face of this petrified statue made it look like the subject was in ecstasy.

“Amazing,” Kehoe whispered. “Did someone bring this down here, or was it always here?”

Karen came closer. “It looks like it’s growing down here. How is that possible?”

“Or taken root,” Kehoe said.

“Was this here before? Does anyone know?” Mitch asked.

Kehoe shrugged. “Never been this far in. Never had a reason to.”

Karen went up to the thing and peered into the upturned face. “It seems, almost, familiar.” She held up a hand. “I could swear it looks like Marshal Simmons, the garage owner.”

Kehoe squinted. “Yeah, it does look a little like old Marsh.”

“Simmons is on our missing person’s list, boss,” Deputy Anderson said softly.

Karen reached up with her flashlight to prod at the statue. “Hard, but not quite petrified hard.”

Kehoe shone his light around at the walls. “Those damn roots are everywhere.”

Mitch followed his gaze; Karen and Deputy Anderson did the same.

“No more statues. Thank God.” She turned her light back to the single statue. “Just this one…hey!”

Mitch spun back.

“Has this thing…?” She turned to Mitch, frowning.

Mitch knew what she was getting at. The statue’s face seemed to have turned a fraction. Before, it was tilted up toward the cave ceiling but now was slightly angled toward them.

“Please tell me it’s just a trick of the light.” Deputy Anderson’s voice was strained.

Mitch felt a tingle run up his spine. Kehoe’s light went from the thing’s head down to it base, and he saw that it also seemed to have slid along the ground.

“Yeah, I’m thinking we should probably leave now.” Kehoe lifted his light to the statue’s face.

Its eyes flicked open.

“Shit.” Mitch lifted his gun.

The twin orbs were a brilliant yellow and shone like lights in the darkness. Then to everyone’s horror, it screamed, a sound so animalistic and ear-piercing it stretched their nerves to breaking.

“It’s freaking alive!” Kehoe yelled.

With the sound of ripping root-threads, it took a step toward them and its arm rose.

“Move, move, move!” Mitch yelled.

Deputy Anderson was first out of the side cave, followed by Mitch dragging Karen with him. Kehoe came last while keeping his gun trained on the thing.

Out in the main shaft, Kehoe headed toward the exit, but Karen sprinted to get in front of him. Mitch tried to stop her.

“No.” She swiped Mitch’s hand away. “We are not leaving without my son.”

“We need backup,” Kehoe said. “This is beyond us.”

As Mitch, Kehoe, and Karen debated their next move, from behind them came a gurgling noise, and Mitch spun to see the deputy being held by another of the statues.

Kehoe and Mitch raised their guns, but the thing had the deputy between itself and the line of fire.

“Get out of the way!” Kehoe yelled, his gun up and steady.

Karen shrunk back but toward the cave depths. As they watched, the statue thing leaned forward to fix its mouth to Anderson’s neck and as the young man screamed, the hard thorn-encrusted lips burrowed in.

“No shot, no shot!” Kehoe screamed. “Anderson, get out of the fucking way.”

Mitch didn’t have a clear shot either but fired anyway. His bullet struck the side of the thing’s head, blasting away a fist-sized piece of the lumped, overgrown skull.

Even after the damage, it didn’t let go and in the glare of the light, its eyes fixed on him and he could see inside the open skull was just a mad tangle of what looked like fibrous roots.

It took its mouth off the young man’s neck long enough to bare thorn-like teeth coated in blood. Mitch fired twice more. This time, most of the top of the head, from nose up, was blown clean away.

Even with the top half of its head gone, the thing didn’t go down. Instead, it dropped the deputy and stumbled away into the darkness as Karen screamed behind them. Kehoe rushed to Anderson as he fell, holding his neck as blood pulsed through his fingers.

“Gotta get him out.” Kehoe lifted his deputy.

Mitch spun to where Karen had been. She was gone.

*****

“Karen!” Mitch shouted. “Karen!” He roared again and then jogged a few paces further in.

“Goddamnit,” Kehoe said between clamped teeth. He shook his head and exhaled. “Sorry, Mitch, got to get my deputy topside before he bleeds out.”

Mitch half-turned. “Go.” But then spun back to the sheriff. “Wait.” He ran to snatch the deputy’s large black flashlight from his belt.

Kehoe held his deputy under his arm, and then nodded to Mitch. “Good luck, son.”

“You too. Both of you,” Mitch replied. “See you soon.”

*,kh.hk***

Mitch went fast, holding the gun out in front of him and the flashlight underneath, trying to cover every inch of the mineshaft.

In the cave, the tree roots were everywhere now, like ribbing, and making the shaft seem more like the gullet of a large animal. Several times, he came across the standing statues, and even though some slowly turned on creaking necks to watch him pass, none moved from where they had taken root.

He now knew this was what was happening to many of the people who were infected. Perhaps to begin with they