𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - 𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘕𝘛 𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓 2 𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌✓

✿19. 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦

The pair approached the door leading to the greenhouse area behind the glass. The door slowly slid open but jerked slightly and stopped. Thick overgrown vines were pinning the door down - and clearly did not want to let go. The door gave off a squeak before pulling free of the vines. The broken greenery fell to the side, joining the room's foliage.

Leon clicked his flashlight on as they stepped through. His eyes widened. "What the..."

The room, clearly used as a storage unit and transit between the greenhouse and viewing area, was covered in foliage. It was like a jungle. Intricately intertwined branches of vines hung from the ceiling. Veins of leafy briar sprawled all over the once perfectly white walls. This was the bluntest way of saying 'nature took its course.'

Chloe and Leon exchanged a look. She shrugged, "Well, we have no choice but to go forward, no?" She said, walking past him as she raised her pistol.

He sighed. "Yeah..."

As the pair continued walking past the large, half-overgrown shelves once used for materials, a  low guttural groan was heard from around the bend. It was unlike any of the noises of the other zombies they had encountered so far. And that was something to worry about.

"Stay sharp," Leon murmured, taking out his pistol and aligning his wrists to point his weapon and flashlight ahead.

Chloe nodded and crept around the corner. Her light hit a large creature standing in their way. Its beady eyes spotted the two, its mouth opening to let out an ear-shattering growl. The only human thing about it was its figure. But everything else?

The creature seemed to be constructed out of overgrown infected branches and thick green vines acting as a structure for its body. Stray briar sprawled out of various parts of its body like tentacles, snapping and whipping around to try and get a hit off. Long veins of healthy green leaves decorated the naturalized mutant. Its face was a hollow shell of a human's, its eyes being the only semblance of flesh in sight. 

Its large, tree branch-like claws slashed at Chloe, which she narrowly avoided as she jumped back. The creature stumbled but quickly regained its footing as it lifted its head. Another deafening scream emitted from it as it lunged toward the two yet again.

Chloe and Leon started shooting at their newfound foe, but their shots did nothing to stop the creature's advance. It only staggered closer and closer to the two, barely fazed by the countless bullets penetrating its bark-like figure. The protruding vines whipped at Leon's arm and tried to grasp at him, but he ducked out of the way just in time. He caught himself with one hand on the ground, the other still firing his gun at the creature.

The monster only stumbled slightly in response to their torrent of bullets. It wasn't long before it extended its arms again, charging at the duo.

Chloe dropped her gun beside Leon. "Hold that for me!" She yelled. She reached back, grabbed the flamethrower attached to her back holster, and unclipped it.

Leon caught her pistol and looked down at it before up at her. "What the hell are you-?!"

Chloe hoisted the flamethrower over her shoulder and aimed it at the monster. Her index finger pulled the trigger, a deluge of flames spewing from the nozzle. The firestorm engulfed the monster in seconds, lighting the tree-like structure of the mutant. As the inferno raged across the creature's body and began charring its once sturdy structure, it let out an ear-piercing shriek of agony. 

Her finger didn't let up on the trigger for a few long moments, her features lit with a flickering blaze as the flames continued to bombard the mutant. The creature quickly crumbled to the floor, convulsing and writhing in agony as its once brown, healthy anatomy was blackened and charred. Ashes from its body sprinkled the ground around it. The vines and leaves shriveled and cracked off, decorating the ground with dead, crunchy foliage like autumn.