Darkness Blooms Read Free Page B

sight of the black and white plant from the corner of her eye, still crouching where it had been when she first saw it.
    It was almost like it was waiting, then Sylvia thought she saw why.
    The green creatures that had burst from the orb came toward her in a steady line and then stopped as if there was an imaginary line marked on the ground. Although the green creatures stopped moving forward, they still spread out to either side, and Sylvia began to see an arc forming. An arc which if it surrounded her would be a circle.
    A perfect, pristine circle.

5
    Sylvia looked across the room at the rumpled black trench coat she’d thrown when it touched the back of her neck because she’d thought it was the black and white plant.
    After taking a shuddering breath, Sylvia looked up at the scarecrow that she’d ripped the trench coat from. The antique plague doctor mask and hat were still where they’d originally been.
    Upon the main post and along the post that intersected to make the arms, hundreds of the same dusky black flowers that ate the Neofinetia nested. The blooms were still twisted shut, and there seemed to be more plants where the chest of the scarecrow was than any other place.
    None of the flowers moved.
    Sylvia realized that the greenhouse was completely still. Even the green spores had quit their movement, their circle only half complete.
    Taking a second to assess her situation and trying to come up with a way to escape, Sylvia looked around with just her eyes. She didn’t dare move her head.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the jar that held the plant with the milky white jewels of liquid. The plant was now hanging down from the lid like a pus dripping bat.
    Above it, sprouting from a piece of bark were several long, bright yellow tubes. Sylvia didn’t know what was inside of those tubes and didn’t want to find out.
    Cutting her eyes to the left, she saw a giant bush that blocked the window. It was covered in tiny leaves that ended in little sharp points. The leaves reminded her of holly leaves, but these were definitely more aggressive.
    Black beads of liquid hung from the points of most of the leaves. The beads glistened in the light, poison dew drops from some other place. The wood of the table in front of the bush was also covered in black liquid. So much that the liquid had dripped down one of the posts.
    I’m going to have to turn around and go for the door. Fine.
    Sylvia glanced back at the scarecrow, one last time to make sure that all the blooms were still closed.
    Up around the left pocket, something glittered in the midday sun.
    Still not moving her head, Sylvia squinted, trying to get a look at what it was, a sense of deep unease filling her.
    Clink, clink.
    She’d seen something glitter like that before.
    Clink, clink.
    On the gold wallet chain that Papere always wore.
    The scarecrow was Papere. The flowers were growing out of his body.
    “Fu—” Sylvia breathed, trying to cut it off before the word was completely out of her mouth.
    It didn’t matter though.
    One bloom, then two, then four, then twelve burst open in red flares, a hellish organic fireworks show that exploded across Papere’s corpse.
    Sylvia screamed and spun around, scrambling to flee from the black flowers.
    She felt three barbs pierce the back of her neck, another six down her spine, two on her ass, and three in the back of her right leg.
    She didn’t give the flowers a chance to pull her in though. She kept churning forward, ignoring each new jab of pain as she pistoned her legs toward the door. The flowers tried to pull her back as she pressed forward, but she was too strong. The pistils snapped and one of the barbs in her ankle tore out, taking a chunk of her skin and flesh as she felt it snap away.
    Fine.
    They could have a chunk of her so long as she wasn’t dragged back and eaten alive like Papere had been.
    Sylvia tried not to look at the glowing skull on the inside cover of the control box as she