The Thing in the Woods [Phayu x Rain] (Love in the Air)

Chapter 10

The humans were close. The last time so many of the loud creatures had come to him was when they made the mistake of confining him here in the dark.

The thing let out a blood-curdling laugh.

"C-C-COME!" it whispered into the night, trying to lure more of the delicious mortals into the waiting net of its roots.

One was already so, so close. It was one of the creatures it had turned. Its form gave it the false belief to be invincible. It was not.

"Y-Y-YES, LITTLE ONE! COME CLOSER-R-R."

Vines draped itself around a big furry body, pulling him down into the dark, where a boy and a girl were already imprisoned. They were too weak to wake. Poor weak creatures.

The thing laughed again. This time it echoed, screeching and bellowing through the entirety of the forest.

"S-S-SURENDER TO MORK-K-K, LITTLE ONES! THERE IS-S-S NO USE TO S-S-STRUGGLE. MORK IS H-H-HUNGRY. MORK WANTS TO FEED-D-D AND GROW-W-W!"

~

The closer they got to the source of the roots, the more tense Rain grew. Even the sounds around them lessened, and the plants and trees lost their color.

Phayu and Rain reached a clearing. In the middle stood a tree. It was huge, well, it had been huge. Now only the trunk was left. It looked burned out and dead. Nothing was growing around the stump. The chilly air made Rain shudder in his thin jumper.

"That's it!" he shouted.

Phayu nodded. "I think you are right. The tree looks dead, but the roots come from it."

Rain kicked the closest one in disgust. His foot vibrated from where it had touched the bark.

There it was again, that strange 'thump, thump, thump-thump...'. It felt much stronger now.

"C-C-COME! YOU ARE SO-O-O CLOSE-E-E! TOUCH!" The voice from before called to him.

Without wanting to, Rain found himself leaning down, stretching out his arm.

"Rain? What are you doing?" Phayu looked at what he was doing in concern.

As Rain touched the root, two things happened simultaneously.

The gnarled lump suddenly came to life, curling around Rain's leg, and something solid knocked him to the ground as a tentacle-like root shot from the dead tree in the clearing.

Rain dropped to the floor in agony. His vision blurred as the thing around his leg sucked all the energy out of his body.

"No!" Phayu shouted in shock.

Something jowled in the distance. The sound was full of the same anguish Rain was feeling.

But Rain couldn't concentrate on any of that. He was in too much agony.

Sluggishly he eventually managed to open his eyes. Phayu stood over him with the ax held high over his head.

"Hm!" Rain smiled. Look at that. The stupid ax was helpful, after all. "I love you," he whispered as Phayu swung it down in his direction.