2.18

The view from the clifftop was stunning, they weren't that high but it was enough to get a good view over the treeline.

Fear grew in the pit of my stomach at the sight of many wandering dead walking towards the trees towards the meteorite's magnetic pull. Even I could feel it the second I reached the beach. Not on my body, but on my soul.

Carefully walking barefoot across the rocks I made it to the nearest tree and soft ground. My feet relaxed at the finally comforting sensation.

I was grateful I'd not cut them on the rocks, the last thing I needed was the smell of blood. I'll be damned when I get my first period. Going off Hannah's memories she bled heavily. I needed to make sure System would stop that.

I wandered from tree to tree, my bare feet feeling a strange electric buzz each time they landed on the ground. I did not even need to make an attempt to connect with the plants around me, diving straight into the deep end I could hear their many voices buzzing around in my head. Though they didn't speak to me in words, they spoke to each other with emotions, feeling, and intent, unlike people.

It may have been a hindrance initially, but as I kept going I realised I could sense where each of the dead was wandering, making it easier to avoid them as I made my way to the field.

The buzzing feeling at my feet grew more intense to the point it felt like static shocks with each step taken. I bit my lip trying not to make a noise when they caught me off-guard.

Right at the end of the field, I climbed the nearest tree, stopping to sit on its thickest branch and observe the field in front in detail.

The impact site was smaller than I had anticipated, not to mention the meteorite. I'd anticipated a large rock I could climb and sit on whilst System did what it wanted, but this one was small, barely noticeable if not for the green glow it emitted.

All this fuss for something that was barely the size of my clenched fist. At least I'd be able to pick it up and run back to the sea. Let the fuckers try to follow me then, as far as I was aware they couldn't even swim.

Something tickling my scalp made me glance up to see a branch moving without wind to stroke me as if trying to patt my head like a human would a dog or cat.

"The plantlife has already absorbed a good deal of the virus, many even have nuclei," System explained as I raised a finger to poke the waving branch.

"Is that a bad or a good thing?" I asked, though I felt no malice from any of the plant life on my way here, it didn't mean there wasn't any.

"Good for you, bad for the dead, they seem to view the zombies as food."

I gagged at the thought. I felt the intense hunger radiating from the tree I sat on.

"Good," a new voice entered my mind, "want food."

At the realization that it was the tree's voice, I almost fell off the branch.

"Take the nuclei out of your dimension and eat it," System ordered.

At first, I felt reluctant, remembering just where it had come from, but at the sight and sound of groans and grunts on the beach, I sucked it up and obeyed after cleaning it thoroughly.

Again it almost melted in my mouth, filling me with a euphoric rush in my veins.

"Now, time to give them their dinner," I shuddered my mind running wild imagining just how the trees would go about doing that.

Closing my eyes, with my hands gripping tight on the bark, I focused on the annoying buzz of activity, trying to narrow out just the trees. Everything else zoned out, all that existed was the vast network of trees in the forest, it was amazing but also overwhelming.

I focused the euphoric rush of energy on my fingertips, letting it seep into the tree branch, down its trunk, into its roots, then spread into the soil connected to those along the forest edge.

"Dinner time," I muttered, as I felt a tug on my energy, they were all happy to drain my power and obey.

Roots crawled out of the soil like vines, pulling at the dead one by one, dragging them deep underground leaving only upturned soil, very much like a fresh grave.

"Good tree," I patted its branch before jumping back to the ground, wincing at the sting of my bare feet hitting the cold, solid soil.

My connection did not break off, they drained me from my feet through the soil, continuing to pull away to ensnare any of the dead who dared to wander too close to me, eventually clearing a path to the meteorite site.

Its magnetic pull had almost made me stumble forward as I lowered into the soil, piercing a sword in a slightly too fast-for-comfort zombie who was also in the shallow pit. Roots popped out, pulling the freshly dead body underground. I felt more and more trees tugging on my connection, eager for their meal.

The meteorite really was small, mainly round in shape and jet black in colour, except for the eerie green veins pulsating around it.

Wary that more dead were entering the forest at all sides, heading my way, and toward the sounds of fighting continued on the other side of the dunes, I quickly scooped it up, aiming to go back the way I came and directly jump from the cliff edge into the water.

Only I never made it out of that pit. Burning pain spread from the rock to my hand, then followed along my bloodstream to my heart, before spreading to every inch of my insides.

My knees gave out as I tried to shake it off. It remained glued to my palm. The pain only increased so bad I found myself screaming in agony, drawing the dead in my direction. Fuck.

I could not breathe let alone fight. Was I going to die here? Roots reached up wrapping around my legs this time. Were they going to eat me too? Hearing only my pulsating heart as my vision blurred, the soil slowly crept around me, covering every inch of my skin.

Was I really going to die so quickly again?