Blood Moon

Chapter Sixteen - A Shattering

Nina's string had hung broken from Lilo's soul for days, it's threads catching on things as she moved and pinching horribly. Despite the hassle however, she untangled it with gentle care each time, careful not to let it fray anymore. After all, any piece of Nina was precious.

It did, however, slow Lilo as she shadowed the three. So when she finally reached Albie's parked car, her blooming buds froze in horror. The Green lay before her, though it was now the dark red of dried blood. A great hole had appeared at the centre and for a moment her soul flashed to the past. The pit was much smaller but in many ways sensed like the one left from the great meteor that had wiped out the dinosaurs. What had they done?

Strangers were spilled across the square, a mismatch of flesh. Their skin had bubbled peculiarly and she could not help but sniff the air hungrily as the scent of rotting corpses hit her. Most of the faces were in pieces and impossible to make out. A few, however, she still recognised. Acquaintances at best but still some of the brightest flames she knew. These people had been the rebellion.

It was only then that it hit her. She had followed Albie's car here, a car that still stood in the carpark. Perhaps it had been innocence but Lilo had always imagined she would know when they died, even if she could not be there. In fact, though she had long shunned the idea, Lilo had always planned to be the one to decay their corpses. To, in some way, be with them once more. It had been the kind of thought a fungus makes but the line was now so blurred, so pointless she grieved the loss of that chance. They would have burnt when the bomb went off. Distantly, she supposed her body was dead too.

It didn't matter, there was no one to be human for.

Grief flooded through her. Try as she might, spread it all over time, it would always be expanding. If she had not got so carried away, if she had not given her name so willingly, if... In place of screaming Lilo tore at Nina's string and it snapped with a sudden satisfying elasticity. The rawness that struck her as each piece dissipated into the network produced no satisfaction. What had she done?

It was certain now, the end was soon. The genius thing was the mycelium wouldn't even have to lift a finger now, with the rebellion voiceless humans would destroy themselves. Denying the climate emergency till the last second. She was too frightened to ask her network for the future but her imagination did the job just fine.

A nuclear bomb, a mutated disease or even just the fossil fumes that clogged the atmosphere. The human race would die.

Herself entirely Lilo desperately tried to become lost. She sliced at her soul, screwed it up and threw the pieces to the ends of her filaments. Then spread across the world and silent for a moment in her frustration, she finally heard them.

Did the chosen ones succeed?

All but one, I told you she was not worthy for this mission. Our sister always spent far too much time chattering about stars.

You are unfair, our sister just wiped out the whole rebellion in one sweep.

Yes, a plan we devised. The Nina and Albie are still breathing. There is talk they are the witch and queen of our legends.

What can two mortals do?

Have you not been listening, she is a witch now. Perhaps you are too young to know that word, having been bloomed only centuries ago but trust me one witch can and has done a lot.

Some others survived too.

What?

The witch, she healed them.

There was silence and for a second Lilo wondered if she had lost them but it appeared the network was speechless.

Our sister can still kill them though, yes?

The futures are still branching, I think it is time we and our dear sister communicated.

There was a rustling of agreement and the network went silent once again. Lilo waited for many moments but hearing not even a twitch finally allowed herself to dance.

It would have been a peculiar sight from the surface, as Lilo's many mushrooms swayed in ecstasy. The ground even erupted in some places, as her filaments shook with relief.

They were alive.

Carefully Lilo regathered her soul; thanking the stars she had failed to become lost. Then, still unable to stop shaking, sent the pieces on a new mission. Find my friends.