Bloody Thorns

*CW: Blood, Mental health*

Leaves crunched and crumpled under her feet. Brambles teared at her legs. Branches slapped her face and arms, leaving scrapes. Still, there was only one thought in her mind.

Run

Run

Run run run run-run-run-run–

A cry escapes her as she trips over a stump, leaving her calves sore and bleeding. She hears the whispers behind her and wastes no time standing up, and running, running, running–

*

My hands hover over the keyboard. The first bit of the story came easily, but what comes next is harder. That little voice in my head murmurs; So unoriginal. This is creative? Pathetic.

I click ctrl-a and then backspace. The white doc glares at me, so I turn the brightness down. I must have stared at it for a solid five minutes before my phone buzzes in the annoying tone I have it set to for Cody.

Still up for this afternoon?

I respond with a quick yes and shut the laptop. Stressing over this stupid free-write won’t do me any good.

I get up and get a glass of water. Me and my best friends since junior high are going on a hike later today. At least, I think we met in junior high. Cody and Umar usually go on their weekly stroll alone, but they usually get distracted doing… other things. So, for the sake of both of them getting actual sleep, I decided to tag along for this one.

My eyes are drawn back to my computer as I fill the glass. What made me want to write that story in the first place? I can’t remember.

Wetness spilling over my hand draws me back to the moment. I curse and turn off the faucet. Taking a long drink, I look out the window. My apartment is on the fourth floor, so I have a nice view of the damp pavement below. Must’ve rained last night, I think.

There are vines creeping up the side of the building. Ivy-like, with nasty looking thorns. Strange, were those there the other day?

I shake my head. "You stress too much, Nadine." I finish off my water and grab my car keys off the counter. A new weed isn't something to worry about.

I glance back up at the vine as I get in my car. A chill goes down my spine. It's just a plant, Naddy.

“Hey, Nadine!” a voice yells as I scan the parking lot. I turn towards it and grin. Cody waves rigidly at me with one hand and pulls his boyfriend along with the other. I wave back, short and rigid.

“Hey Cody, Umar.” The two of them started dating last year. They both seem to stumble a little as they walk. I raise a questioning eyebrow at them. "Are you guys drunk or something?"

They don't answer my question. "Are you ready?" Umar asks. "You have something to drink?"

"Yeah," I hold up a large bottle of Gatorade I got at a gas station last minute. "But seriously, if you're even a bit tipsy, maybe we shouldn't do this today..."

"We're fine." Cody says. I catch sight of something dark in his mouth. Unease fills me.

"Okay, if you're sure." The darkness in his mouth disappears.

The trail we take is a walking path at a local park. It’s a little over a mile long, going in a loop through the woods. Usually it’s bright and filled with chirping birds, but today it seemed cold and private. No one was allowed in or out.

Cody and Umar didn’t seem to notice this however. They went straight in. I look up as the cloudless sky is obstructed by leaves. Whispers seem to come from them, from the grass, from the ground itself. Run.

I don’t see it until my foot is in the middle of it. Sitting in the path, which is usually kept clear, the thorny vine hugs my calf, digging thorns into me. I pull my leg free and frown.

“Naddy! Are you coming?” Cody calls. I look up at my friends, who are a considerable distance away from me. How did they get over there so fast?

“Yeah, hold on,” I shout back. I jog to catch up.

We had to have been halfway when it happened. So close to the end. So far.

The whispers intensified with each step we took. Run, run, run. There was a slithering sound under it, like a snake weaving through dry leaves.

The thorns prick at my ankles. The creepers are visible every few steps. Cody and Umar don’t seem to notice them. They just walked over them like they weren’t there. Was I seeing things?

One of the vines tripped me. I cry out as I fall to the ground.

“Naddy, what’s wrong?” Umar crouches next to me. “You’re so tense. You need to be careful."

“I’m fine,” I lied. I attempt to stand, but the vine that tripped me tightens around my ankle. I tug at it and it comes off with more difficulty than last time. I look up, but Umar isn’t there. Neither is Cody. I stand up and turn in a circle. “Guys?” I call out. “Is this a prank? It's not very funny,”

My heart pounds in my chest. They were just here. Right? I take a few steps toward where I saw them last, and the path disappears. It just vanishes. My breath quickens. I start to speed-walk to my right, where the path should have been. The whispers are louder now.

Run little girl, run home.

“I’m not a little girl,” I say to the trees.

Run little girl, run run run.

"Go away!" I yell.

The birds have stopped singing. I can feel the dirt wanting my blood, wanting to take it from my veins, from my muscle, from my bones.

The slithering noise becomes louder, closer. A vine grasps my foot again and twists up my leg, leaving deep scrapes. The thorns take on a reddish hue as they suck away my life. I listen to the whispers.

I run.

The vines are weak by themselves, and they snap when I move. I take off in a blind sprint. When did it get dark? My heart pounds in my ears and my breath catches. Leaves snap and crackle under my feet. Branches scratch my face and arms. But I can only think of one thing.

Run

Run

Run run run run-run-run-run–

I trip over a stump and cry out. My legs are bleeding even more. I hear whispers behind me, and get to my feet, running with blood dripping down my legs. But I took too long. A vine comes out of nowhere and brings me down. I struggle as more come to feed.

*

The girl twists and turns pointlessly on the ground. The vine wraps around her pant leg so that none of the fabric is visible. Red spills between the coils, and more plants creep out of the shadows. She screams, a wild and frightened sound, as the vines wrap around her arms and neck.

Her dilated eyes flick around aimlessly. She chokes and watery red trickles from her mouth. The dark stain on the ground becomes bigger, and her movements slow. Her wide eyes lose all life. The creepers around her throat rush to fill her mouth and slither down into her. Her body convulses as it fills, needle-like thorns sliding in and out of her skin. The vines on her limbs retreat. Then all is still.

Bird song rings through the trees. Suddenly, Nadine stands up clumsily on the path. The blood from her clothes is gone. "Wait up!” she shouts to her friends. She runs to them, stumbling just a little bit. The trio continue their walk, grinning in satisfied comfort, seemingly ignorant to the bloody vines slithering on the ground.