Forest of Hearts

Chapter 11

Mae's POV

After a long time of convincing Mrs Evans allowed us, those who had lost loved ones to the plants to leave. We took more weapons from the kitchen and tool shed including; knives, shears, clippers, blades of any kind. 

We gathered some salt and got as many working flashlights as we could find. As we neared the row of trees that was the forest's edge, my heart stuttered. I was with Daphne, Elle, Juan Bruno and a few others. Elle looked at me:

"Are you ready?" 

I took a deep breath and nodded. I only had an hour of Data left. Only an hour to find them and bring them back. My finger hovered over the button. I whispered a prayer. I opened Snapchat and went to maps. As a tag representing him appeared, I pointed in his general direction and we began our journey.

After a while of walking through the forest it was becoming darker which was unnerving. 

"Turn on your flashlights." Elle said stuttering a little, turning on hers. It flickered before it's clear beams lit the way ahead of us. As we got closer his location tag flickered, then disappeared. Just then I tripped over something and dropped my phone. The whole group stopped as I bent to pick it up. I shone it over the spot where I had tripped. I saw what looked like a peeled-orange sticking halfway out the ground with a vine growing in the centre.

"Look!" Elle said.

"No, you need to see this!" I said before I looked up and froze. There were more of the same vines of varying size and length all swaying in time without a breeze. The vines seemed to get bigger and bigger the further I looked. We moved forward cautiously. There were massive flowers the size of sleeping bags. Some were open, some were closing, and some were sealed.

"Everyone stay still..." Elle whispered, as she motioned for me to come forward. I picked up a pebble and threw it in the center of one flower. It snapped shut. There were a few quiet gasps.

"Don't touch the open ones." Elle instructed. She didn't need to tell them twice.

As I looked at some half-opened ones, I realized they were people inside... I tapped Elle and moved closer towards one. Moving the petals apart I realized it was Yohan.

"Yohan!" I whispered. Daphne's and Juan heads turned, but he didn't respond. I pulled the petals wider apart and realized it suspended him in a fragrant gel like substance. The vine had wrapped him in its tendrils. Daphne move forward I could feel the relief mixed with anxiety radiating from her. Without hesitation she placed her hand onto his face through the gel. She gasped.
"He still warm." She exclaimed. There were a few scattered murmurs. She called out.
"Yohan wake up, we have to get home. Let's go home.We have to get out of here. As she said his name he opened his eyes. They looked far away. As he gazed around, his eyes focused.
"Dude, I thought you were dead." Said Juan. Yohan moved causing the gel to melt and the flower's tendrils to fall away. His sister embraced him.
"What the hell happened?" He mumbled.
"Why is it so cold?" He said. Looking down realizing he was completely soaked in the weird gel.
"You don't remember anything?" Juan asked. He shook his head 'No.'

Soon the others also woke up and surrounded by their closest friends and family from school. Even Mr Benjamin. There was only Tyler left. Elle opened the last flower there was Tyler in the same gel. But instead of wearing a blank expression like the others he looked happy. Elle frowned pausing for a moment, but continued. The sun would soon get low in the sky, we needed to get back soon.

"Tyler." She called as she reached a hand inside to touch him. Something flashed in her eyes and she let go of him.
"What's wrong," I asked.

Elle's POV

When I touched his cheek, it was like I could see his thoughts. I saw his house, His parents, his jobs. Then I saw why he was always late to school, why teachers always went easy on him but he never got lazy. Why he was so determined to go to college. That's why he looks so happy now. That's why he didn't fight when they took him last night.

You guys go on ahead. Mae looked at me worriedly before sighing, the others were just worried around getting out of the forest before the helicopter arrived or the sun set and the plats roused. The rest of the group rushed ahead.

She had a knowing look in her eye. 

"Elle, are you sure?" She said hugging me. I nodded. Reluctantly she let go of me. Bruno had been waiting for her and together they ran to catch up with the rest of the group.

It was just me and him now. His eyes opened. 

"Tyler..." I whispered caressing his cheek. 'I can't leave.' He told me his thoughts traveling at light speed through our skin. 'I know...' I thought back. I knew I could leave him. That I should do what Mrs Evan said. But I couldn't let him die alone, that the tendrils didn't go half as deep as his pain, this was the only he could be at peace. That I would not be the same without him, that life wouldn't be the same without him. I climbed into the flower with him. As the petals closed around us I shivered, I felt him reach for my hand and squeeze it, 'You shouldn't do this', 'I know, but I want to' I thought back as I kissed him, we were transported to a faraway field of flowers.

Mae's POV

When Elle said she would come after us I knew... I also knew there was nothing I could do to stop her once she decided.
As we exited the forest, the helicopter she had said would come was just landing. As the groups converged Mrs Evans' eyes found me and she knew. She knew Elle wasn't coming back...

Fin