002

I let my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness and I covered my eyes from the sudden brightness. Looking at the ground I saw several old vines now covering the ground. The doors that I slammed open to reveal the outside tore them from the wall creating a perfect square in a wall of green. Around me trees taller than the tallest skyscrapers and just as large around as the buildings I remember. They towered into the sky far above the lowest clouds, they were scattered far apart from one another allowing the rays of sun light grace the ground below.

I could see hundreds of large trees across the landscape from my vantage point that was far above the earth below. I stood on a thick branch on one of the many trees in the forest and if it wasn't for the normal sized forest far below I would have assumed that I was shrunk into a smaller size. The tree look ancient and no matter how I looked at it this was impossible. I turned back around towards the doors I came from and found that it was still there and open. Taking a glance inside I saw the critters that were making the sounds I heard before. They were small mouse like creatures that were exceptionally fast and the moment they saw me staring they darted into hiding behind vines and in the building.

Looking closely at how the building was situated I would have assumed it was the act of nature reclaiming the world humans have taken. The tree grew around the building engulfing the entire building and growing in and around it. some of the building was missing entirely replaced with plant growth. Seeing no other threat and not finding a safe way to descend I reentered the collapsed building in hopes of not only finding my way down but also answers to explain this strange event. Walking through I took my time to examine the walls and buildings. What I originally thought was a cave looked to be the strange growth of the massive tree. Instead of filling the room in instead encircled it creating natural looking paths through the old buildings.

Signs detailing door location stuck out from the bark and after finding a broken chair with a sharp end I managed to uncover a door to the room. The door was thankfully unlocked and I made my way in and looked around. I looked for a light source but found that I oddly didn't need one as I rummaged through decaying machines and drawers. I found some gauze and bandage wraps, plenty of rusted scrap that used to be medical tools and a clip board that still had a few pages that were somewhat legible.

Date: 03-24-1930

Name: Gary Thompson

Sick.... Rashes.... quarantine advised.... case #125563 after patient zero

I skimmed through the files as best I could and read all that I could make out. I guessed on quite a few and nearly all the paper I handled was turned to dust by the time I was done and I think I figured out what happened or at least I knew what happened to this Gary guy. I left the room and tore down the next set of walls to get into the other rooms, it looked like I was in the office wing where medical heads managed their paperwork. I immediately began to sift through all the paperwork I could read and eventually put together what happened.

This place was once a hospital just outside the town that was destroyed by the eye in the sky. It managed to survive because of its remote location and eventually became the new central hospital in the area asked to treat all manner of cases. One of the cases that popped up most often was a sickness that resulted in what could only be described as radiation poisoning. The closer a person was to the epicenter the more drastic the sickness, hair loss, vomiting of blood, loss of sight and hearing, and everything in between. It was maddening and the hospital quickly became a hotpot of disease and death with the amount of people who came there and eventually died. As time passed a few of the sick individuals saw drastic improvements in their health and fitness. This baffled the doctors as nothing they did was the cause of this sudden recovery. The few who came full circle however started to exhibit strange qualities that were impossible to explain. One man with a single shout deafened the entire hospital and not a single sound could be heard except the mans scream. Sound returned after he ran out of air but the act shocked many. some people developed a connection to fire accidentally setting several citizens aflame in a fit of rage.

The cases began to get so far out of hand that the hospital work staff left for fear of their lives. I only found that out because a worker felt especially bad for her actions of self preservation and she left a note on her desk detailing as such. All of this happened over the first few years after the second event occurred, a book detailing some history opened my eyes to a few things. After the first event it was recorded that strange happening started appearing but was rounded up in the name of military research. That was about the same time I was drugged and put under. A second event occurred roughly fifty years after the first but the details were vague about it and it happened over the military's main research institute, many of the survivors were brought here for care where a second wave of anomalies ran rampant. The world started to deteriorate and the writer was unsure of how the future would play out. The one who wrote the book stated that he too gained an ability from the events but refused to say more.

I frowned at the new knowledge and I sat down in an old chair. It creaked loudly before the base snapped and I was sent sprawling onto the floor. A little mouse like creature that has been following me around jumped on my chest and looked down at me with its button nose and tiny eyes. Its nose twitched slightly and I reached up and petted its head. It half closed its eyes in joy for a few minutes before it quickly jerked its head to the side and ran off faster than my eyes could track. Not to long after the sound of feet walking on a wooden surface echoed down the halls. The steps were unsteady and what ever it was sounded injured, it was dragging something but I was unsure what. I hid in the corner and as the steps grew louder, the dragging getting closer and soon I could even hear heavy breathing as what ever it was labored to move forward.

It paused outside my door for a second before a sound of a small item getting knocked over sounded off in the distance the creature grunted and let out a low growl as it rushed off the sound of its feet hitting the ground sounding like drum beats. I caught a glimpse of the thing as it passed and I stifled a scream. It looked like a man but entirely made of wood and stone with glowing green eyes. Its entire front was covered in barbed vines, the vines were dyed red and sticking out of the vines was an arm. It had a ring on one finger with a jewel the size of my thumb, looking at the ring gave me a slight head ache as waves of heat seemed to radiate from the jewel.

After I was sure the monster was out of earshot I let out a low sigh of relief and I immediately ran back towards the open door to the branch. I didn't stop running until the sun blinded my eyes and the forest stretched before me. I rested my hands on my knees and gasped for air, I could really use some water or something. I haven't been hungry but my thirst has been getting stronger as the hours passed.

As I was gasping for air and squinting at the bright sun lit sky the sound of uneven foot falls entered my ears. Growling and grunting was getting closer to the open door and as watched in horror the monster made its way out into the sun light. It froze as it saw me and for a split second I was astounded by its beauty. If nature was an artist this would be its master piece. The stone held together by muscles made of vine, hair of moss and eyes of luminescent mushrooms looked in my direction. The moment was ruined however when a stone that held it's eyes cracked open and rows and rows of jagged obsidian teeth was exposed and the deafening roar like that of falling boulders erupted from its maw. A green vine shaped like a tongue licked its none existent lips as it charged me at full speed. One of its arms looked like the lower half off a tree trunk with a small boulder smashed into the stump, it raised its arm club and brought it down in an over head swing.

I barely had time to react as I run down the trees branch a loud crash and a spray of splinters flew out from behind me. I tumbled and nearly fell off but I held my footing, I ran as fast as I could but a large stone was tossed at me and flew just barely over my head, it blocked my path and I was forced to turn and face the beast. Wind blew wildly hear and due to the sound of the explosions birds that were perched above us flew off in fear. Many attacked each other and a few pieces of bird flesh landed on the branch only to be blown off by the harsh winds. The winds cut deeply and I shivered as the cold air nearly blew away my patient smock, I might be about to die but a lady has to have her decency. I'd rather die clothed than nude if i had the choice. The beast drew closer, slower this time as if it knew it would win and devour me. I tried to climb the rock but the damned thing was polished to a perfect shine and there was no hand holds.

Another blast of wind send me tumbling dreadfully close to the edge, I quickly stepped back and narrowly avoided a heavy swing by the monster who looked shocked to have missed the way it did. I was righting its self when it stepped in a fairly large birds corpse and slipped. Reaching for me its smaller but longer arm managed to swipe my feet from under me and throw me off the side of the branch. The thing looked smug as it tried to regain it balance but another gust of wind pushed it just far enough to tip it over the edge. It's previous gloating face turning it to shocked horror as it flailed in the air uselessly. While I fell with my arms wide trying to catch as much air as I possibly could, the beast soon passed be falling with all the grace as a thrown rock as it plummeted faster and faster.

A second gust of wind slammed me into the tree again and I started falling through vines dangling from above. My fall was soon halted as my limbs were stuck in the vines embrace. I was given a front row seat as the monster below impacted the hard ground roughly forty feet below my current position. The beast shattered into thousands of pieces scattering all across the trees roots, but a small red light caught my attention. It grew brighter and brighter and wind started to swirl around that spot, fire erupted and began to spin with flares of fire randomly erupting from the ball of fire. It was vibrating wildly and I could fell the heat building from here. The air suddenly stopped at the fire grew very dim, I thought it was over until a sound like a bomb going off entered my ears and heat washed over my body.

My ears were ringing and I was blinded by the sudden flash of bright white light. I numbly felt my self falling through the vines again before getting caught again. My sight was blurry but when they somewhat focused my face was inches from the ground, I was about to try and struggle free but a small rock that must have been blow sky high from the blast took that opportunity to fall back down to earth aiming for the back of my head. one moment I was reaching for a sharp rock the next a sharp pain and darkness swam behind my eyes. Curse my foul luck.