A Dark Descent

The Tree

He stepped away from the tree, far away from the tree. He looked away for one moment and looked back. The tree was now just inches into the room. Alex walked toward the tree, holding tightly onto his axe. He made it inches away from the tree. Then the tree cracked apart at Alex's eye level and formed a terrifying smile with evil hollow eyes.

Alex screamed and long vines shot out from the tree's mouth and wrapped around Alex's wrists before he could get away. The vines tried to pull him in but Alex fought back. He tried to grab the axe tied around his waist but the grip of the vines were too strong. He looked back at the tree and saw thousands of red eyes hiding in the tree's mouth. The tree itself didn't move at all but the vines weren't going out without a fight, and neither was Alex. He pulled so hard that the vines to his left hand broke loose. His hand breaking free pulled back on the vines and he fell to the floor. More vines came out to grab his legs and other arms. The bag slid off his waist and to the side was the cutting plier.

He clawed on the floor to reach them as the vines came closer to his hands. They nearly got his shoulder when he barely grabbed the pliers and cut the vines to his other arm. He cut the rest of them and took the axe out from his waist and lunged at the tree's face which cracked into a scared frown. The axe cut clean into its face and the tree screeched as if it was pain, even though it wasn't.

The tree cracked and fell apart. Alex moved away and picked up his stuff off the floor. He looked back and there was only a pile of ash left in the doorway. He looked back at the door across from the door outside, but he didn't want to go through it just yet. He looked to the mirror to the right and walked towards it. He put his hand to the mirror and it went through. He walked inside and saw the same room as before, except a different body under the blanket.

He pulled the covers off and saw James under them.

"James, wake up." Alex said, not making too much effort.

James woke up just as Annabelle did.

"What? What's going on?"

"Just- get up."

James got up.

"Where am I?" James realized where he was, or where he wasn't. "Oh my God! Where am I!"

"It's ok, I'll get you out."

"Does this have something to do with that monster?"

"No," He looked at the stone. "It doesn't I think."

"Well, what happened?"

"It doesn't matter, cause I'll get you out and everything will just feel like a bad dream." Alex didn't know if he was correct on that.

Alex went through his bag but only found the dragon doll.

"Umm, I will be back I promise."

Alex left, not letting James be able to tell him. "Wait, come back!!!"

Alex ran out and ran up the path but never came across the gray dead stillness of the forest. He instead came across the pantheon again. He ran around and went up and down the hill again. He was too far from his house so he just took a stuffed squirrel off the shelf at the store run by Ms.Ara. He didn't want to do it, and didn't feel proud of it, but what else was he going to do.

He ran back, the exact way and came very quickly.

"Here!" He told James once he was.

"Umm, what's that for?"

"Just, touch it!"

James touched it and his body flowed into the doll. Alex stuffed it into his bag and walked out of the mirror.