The Last Pitcher

Chapter 3: The Third Technique

Sneha entered the facility making a mental list of chores she had to finish today. She came early as she had to assist Trisha in organizing an upcoming seminar and she was glad. She spent her weekend watching romantic comedies and sleeping till late. She slothfully did her shopping for groceries, housecleaning and listened to her mother nag about her father's excess television mania, her brother's insensitivity not to call their mother back and the house which needed a paint, new furnishing and remodeling for apparently no reason at all. Her mother had talked for two hours ending up accusing Sneha too for not taking out enough time for her only mother.

'Hey!' It was Jai. 

'How was your weekend?' He asked hoping it had gone as miserable as his. He spent it playing on his PSP while thinking about her. Doing his laundry while dreaming about her. Trying to invent a new flavor of noodles while thinking about her. Cleaning his apartment while dreaming about her. And then too exhausted from all the thinking and dreaming, he couldn't sleep and played chess all night on his computer.

'No complains.' Sneha said, amused by the irony.

'How is the project?' She asked.

'Great, thanks for the samples, they should show some progress by evening.'

'I am going to check on mine, you want to join?' She asked.

'Tempting, but I can't, I have to make a few calls from the administrative block to order hmm.' He pretended to focus hard.

'Let's see, Trisha said order bouquets, bottled water, food, pashmina shawls and give pamphlets in printing before she kills me.' Jai recited.

Sneha smiled and scanned the lobby, 'where is everybody? And why are the rooms still locked?'
'Oh, everyone is in the seminar hall visualizing the arrangements to be made for upcoming event. Don't worry Rajeev Sir's cabin is open and I hope you are carrying your set of keys to open the culture and incubation room.' Jai suggested her.

Sneha searched her bag tensely and took out a pair of keys relieved. 
'Got it!' She said.

'Adios then.' Jai waved her a salute and left.


Sneha walked down the corridor which gave her a partial view of her incubation room. She cringed and dropped her bag horrified by the picture. She took few steps to certain that it was not an illusion then stared at the immense green creature in front of her engulfing an entire eight feet tall test tube stand. As the stand skidded making curves in its thick stem, she saw it moving creepily through its multiple tentacles towards the door, towards her!
Sneha slammed the main door tightly then deceased the front stairs. She exploded in Mukesh's cabin looking for a lock. She found some steel chains and a lock to shut down the facility and climbed back plucking them. Trembling, she tied the chains round the door handles and staggered towards the block of seminar hall.

'SIR, SIR!!' Sneha almost broke down in tears. 

Rajeev Sir turned, he was briefing Trisha, a small build chubby girl with eyes jutting from her face, on the stage.
'What's the matter Sneha?' Rajeev Sir asked, worried all of a sudden as he had never seen her so terrified. 

'Breath, slow down.' Rajeev Sir said walking up to her. Sneha stood there ghastly unable to imbibe what she just witness. But she had to tell him, tell everybody!

'It's huge, its...its ...big...it has tentacles and...and it's ...its crawling !!'

'What is?' Rajeev Sir asked, confounded.

'The pitchers.' Sneha exhaled.

'Did you say the pitchers? The pitchers...the plants...you saw a moving plant!' Rajeev Sir said, trying to omit the sarcasm.

'I know I sound crazy but it's true.' Her voice broke down as her eyes welled up again. 

'Ok, ok. Ahh..' Rajeev Sir said, figuring out his next move.

'Let's go and see first.' He walked up to the gate then turned to address the team.

'Trisha, you continue with the preparation, we don't want a no show tomorrow. Mukesh you wait for my call and if something is wrong prepare everybody to leave the campus.'



'So run me again.' Rajeev Sir asked marching up to the facility. Sneha shook her head then decided to speak up.

'The pitchers have grown to a majestic size and have swallowed the entire culture room.'

Rajeev sir threw an askance look wondering what the hell was today's generation taking. Sneha brought her eyes to face him then shrugged, 'What? I am serious.'

They reached the rectangular glass door, opened the chains and entered the reception which greeted them with stunned silence.
'Where?' Rajeev sir inquired.

'Straight then left, first incubation cell.' Sneha said wondering why she gave him the directions, he almost lived here, and the room caption would have been enough. 
They hurried to the incubation room. At the center of the lobby, Sneha pulled Rajeev sir's arm to push him back to take the few final steps carefully. Sneha couldn't understand why it was so quiet, it was definitely making noises when she last saw the creature swallowing the flasks. As it struck to her that it only made noises when it was swallowing or breaking anything; the window of the incubation room banged with full force shredding the glass into pieces. They stooped then fell on the floor terrified of the adverse event.
The fire alarm broke loose and white smoke started to fill the lobby. 

'Are you ok?'
Sneha heard Rajeev Sir, his voice felt miles apart. 

'I am alright sir, are you?' She shouted.

Before she could hear him respond, her eyes caught the reason of the break.
Through the dust of smoke Rajeev Sir followed her sight of awe. His eyes viscidly stuck on the six feet tall and ten feet wide green, slimy, grisly creature with thick appendages spreading itself out of the broken window. It wrenched and a wide capacious mouth sucked the broken pieces of glass in its abysmal body.
Rajeev sir watched every move of the pitcher in desperation.

'We need to talk.' He screeched through the staccato of the alarm. 

Sneha looked up to the approaching pitcher then yelled, 'Not now.'

She swiveled back then tapped hard on his shoulder to run towards the gate.
They crawled like an excited baby on their hands and knees then jumped to rush outside.

'W-w--wait..I have to get my laptop and notes.' Rajeev Sir said.

'There is no way...hey wait.'

'Look..it's all my work in there..I can't leave it to get eaten by a plant. You chain it up here, I am going through the back entrance. Bring more chains and lock. Meet me back in five minutes!'
Before Sneha could stop him, he ran towards the back of the building. Hastily, she chained the facility back then rushed towards the other exit. She examined the premises before entering then slid past the reception. She trembled in her own skin when she felt the floor vibrate. She could hear the motile tentacles mapping the surface of the lobby for its next prey. It had grown twice in size from the last time she had seen it. She looked towards the cabin but there was no sign of Rajeev Sir. She dashed towards his cabin and found him knelt on the ground, his hands scanning thousand reports.

'Sir, it is coming close, we need to leave now.'

'Almost done, almost done.' He repeated unperturbed.

'Here, take these files.'
He unloaded a massive bundle of hardcopies in her hands then placed his laptop on the top of the pile, crushing her hands.

'Let's go.' He opened the door for her than balked.
The lush green appendages had covered the lobby and now closing up on the reception. 

'What the hell, what are these?' Sneha asked.

'Hyphae.'
Sir replied analyzing its movement.

'It is growing faster than I thought.' Sneha exclaimed.

'Quick, give me some notes.' He took a few files beneath the laptop then instructed.

'Listen, we need to run for our lives here, follow me and don't stop no matter what. Ok?'

Sneha nodded then blurted, 'Wait, What? Run for lives?'

Rajeev Sir elbowed her, 'Just say ok.'

'OK.' Sneha repeated.

Rajeev sir opened the door of his cabin again then started to tear out pages from the report and throwing them in succession.

'Run, Sneha run!
'
Sneha bolted out, dazed seeing the hyphal structures whirling those pages and retracting to the mouth clearing enough area for them to sprint out.

'Oh god! That was smart!' Sneha said.

They ran like people competing in Olympics. They reached for the door handle but got wiped out by an arm of the pitcher and landed on the ground flat on their backs. The arm swung in a circle but missed them.