A Deadly Power
Chilli sobbed as she ran towards the familiar sound of her grandmother’s voice. There wasn’t time for her to think about the madness that was happening. Driven by the thought of safety, she was running so fast that Ty and Oubaas struggled to keep up with her.
Then, suddenly, “Eeeeek!” Ty heard Chilli let out a piercing scream.
“Chilli! What’s wrong?” he yelled.
“Eeeeek!” Chilli screamed again, but this time her scream quickly died away as if she was moving away from him at great speed.
“Chilli! What...? Aaargh!” It was Ty’s turn to yell. Beside him, Oubaas shrieked as the ground under them suddenly disappeared.
“Aaaargh,” Ty yelled again as he felt himself rapidly sliding downhill. He could dimly make out they were slipping down a giant wormhole.
“Chilliiiiiiii!” he shouted.
Somewhere below him, Ty could hear his friend’s faint scream. “Tyyyyyyy!”
Ty frantically tried to steady himself so that he didn’t crash into rock walls as he slid from side to side in the narrow channel. The tube twisted left, then right, and then spun around in a spiral that sent his stomach to his throat.
Then he saw a faint light filtering into the shaft below him. He managed to catch a glimpse of Chilli as she slid into the light that grew brighter and brighter, almost blinding him. Beyond Chilli’s flailing arms and legs he could make out a patch of bright green.
“Chilliiiii...” he shouted in warning. But it was too late. Chilli landed in an untidy tangle of arms and legs. A moment later, Ty hit the ground with a thump. Oubaas plummeted after them, almost landing on Ty’s head.
The three friends lay flat on their backs on a soft green carpet, relieved to be alive. Ty patted the ground next to him. Grass! They were lying on a mound of cool, soft, sweet-smelling grass.
Above them was sunny blue skies, and around them they could see bluebells and daffodils dancing in the breeze. For the first time in what seemed like forever, they took great big lungsful of fresh air.
“I don’t know how many more surprises I can take” said Ty. “Hey, listen to that!”
“What?”
“All I can hear are the birds. I think Morbidius’s heartbeat has stopped” said Ty hopefully.
“I don’t care,” smiled Chill. “I could lie here forever. It’s soooo beautiful” said Chilli. “It reminds me of my grandmother’s garden. In fact,” she sat up in astonishment, “that oak tree over there looks just like... granny!” She suddenly got to her feet.
“What’s wrong?” asked Ty.
“Over there. That’s... that’s my grandmother!” Cilli’s eyes brimmed with tears as she pointed towards a giant oak tree. Under it sat an elderly woman at a table covered in a red plaid tablecloth. The table was filled with plates of cakes, a large teapot and place settings for three people.
“Rachel, my dear. You’re finally here” cooed the old woman. “Do come and join me. Let’s have a cup of tea.”
“Granny!” Chilli shouted. She started running, her arms outstretched.
“Chilli! No! You don’t know...” Ty tried to warn her. But Chilli ignored him and darted over to the old woman.
Ty reluctantly followed her with Oubaas trailing far behind him. Ty could see Oubaas sensed something odd about the old woman. Ty had always paid attention to the baboon’s reactions to people. He knew that it’s impossible to fool an animal. Their instincts are far more reliable than human intellect. Cautiously, he and Oubaas approached the table.
Chilli was about to throw her arms around her long-dead granny, when the elderly woman held up a gloved hand.
“No, Chilli” the old woman said, holding out her hands to prevent Chilli from touching her. “I would dearly love to hug you but physical contact between us is not possible. We must be content to merely be in one another’s company.”
“Okay, granny” answered Chilli, disappointed. She was so pleased to see her grandmother that she didn’t question the instruction.
“My dear, sweet child, how wonderful it is to see you. And please, introduce me to your friend and his pet” the woman said, smiling at Ty and Oubaas. Chilli didn’t notice that it was a smile that didn’t reach her granny’s eyes; they remained riveted on the Ivory Bow slung over Ty’s shoulder.
Ty, on the other hand, was carefully watching Chilli’s grandmother. There was something strange about her. She was dressed in a wide, black caftan that covered most of her body, with thick gloves that hid her hands. Perched on her head was a black furry hat studded with two rows of black buttons. Their shiny black surfaces reflected the images of the children back at them many times over. Attached to the hat was an unusual broach in the shape of two black crescents that rested on her forehead. Finally, she had a furry black scarf wound tightly round her neck. Why is she dressed like that when it’s so hot? Ty asked himself.
But Chilli didn’t care, she was just happy to see her grandmother.
“This is my friend, Ty” Chilli replied, “and that’s his friend, Oubaas.”
“How nice to meet your friends, Rachel. How do you do, my young man? Please, put down your Bow and arrow and join us for a cup of tea. Rachel, have a seat, my dear.” She waved her gloved hand at the empty chair next to her.
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am. But I’d rather keep the Bow with me, if you don’t mind” answered Ty, sitting down. He wasn’t about to trust this odd woman.
The old lady flashed a bright smile at him but her eyes were cold. She narrowed them, ever so slightly. Almost as if she was warning him.
“Now Rachel, sweetheart” the old lady began, “I believe you and your friend are in a spot of bother. How can I help?” As she spoke, she casually poured a cup of tea.
“Oh, granny, you won’t believe what’s happened!” gushed Chilli, happy to have someone they could trust to help them. A floodgate of emotions and words streamed from Chilli as she told her grandmother what they had been through.
But Ty could see that the old woman wasn’t listening Chilli. She was making comments like “amazing” and “how brave of you”, but her attention was riveted on the Ivory Bow still hooked over his shoulder. Her eyes would dart to Chilli’s face, then back to the Bow again.
“...And then we found you!” beamed Chilli, finishing her story with a grin.
“I loved the part about that smelly old Stanley!” The old woman giggled and waved her hand under her nose as if she smelled something bad. “It’s enough to put an old lady off her tea.”
Ty jolted as the old woman mentioned Stanley’s name. There was something odd about her comment. He just couldn’t figure out what.
“You two must be exhausted and thirsty after all you’ve been through” said Chilli’s grandmother, placing a slice of chocolate cake in front of the children.
“Ty, are you certain that you wouldn’t rather put down the Bow” the old woman insisted. “Surely you can’t be comfortable?” She reached out to take the Bow from him, a stiff grin pasted on her face.
“No thank you. I’m fine” Ty insisted. He jerked his shoulder away before she could grab the Bow.
“Please drink up before your tea gets cold” the old woman urged. A light suddenly went on in Ty’s head as Chilli lifted her cup to take a sip of tea.
“How did you know that Detritus’s name is really Stanley?” Ty asked Chilli’s grandmother.
“I beg your pardon, Tyrone?” the old woman asked, glaring at him.
“Chilli! Don’t drink that!” shouted Ty. He slapped her hand, sending the teacup flying across the table.
The woman glared at him and turned up her lip in an angry snarl. Her red cheeks squirmed oddly, as though she had a large worm tucked into the corner of each cheek. This face did not belong to a kind grandmother.
“What are you doing Ty?” Chilli demanded angrily.
“Think about it Chilli! You only told your grandmother about Detritus. Not Stanley. How does she know his real name?”
“You’re right, Ty.” Puzzled, she turned to her beloved grandmother. “Granny, how did you know Stanley’s name?” The old woman’s face started twitching alarmingly.
“Well, you said that... uhm you said that Stanley... uhm,” the old woman stammered.
“I absolutely did not say that. I only remember saying Detritus” Chilli insisted suspiciously.
Then Chilli’s grandmother’s face started to contort and her scarf started to shift as if it had a life of its own. Ty stood up and grabbed Chilli’s arm, dragging her out of her chair towards him.
“Ty, what are you doing?” demanded Chilli. “I’m sure that there’s a reason why...”
“There’s something strange about that... that person who calls herself your grandmother” Ty hissed under his breath.
“Rachel, my dear, don’t listen to him. I’m here to help you!” Her granny reached out to her with both hands, pleading with her granddaughter to listen to reason. As the old woman did so, her hat shifted and a few locks of white hair escaped from underneath it. Chilli walked slowly backwards from the old woman. Fear began poisoning Chilli’s heart as she began to realise that something was wrong.
“Please Rachel, don’t make me do something I would prefer not to.” The woman’s voice had become harsh.
“I’m telling you Chilli, this is not your grandmother!” Ty said insistently.
“B... but Ty, that is my grandmother. She would never hurt me. She...” A part of Chilli still desperately wanted to believe that this really was her grandmother.
O-o! Skree-skree-skree! Oubaas suddenly let out a warning call. His ears fell flat against his head and the ruff of fur around his neck stood straight up. To show that he meant business he peeled back his lips to show his vicious incisors. The baboon was warning them that something was very wrong.
‘Granny’ stood up, scowling at being crossed by this interfering brat and his hairy friend. Her face went into eerie spasms, the skin crawling around as if it was inhabited by a colony of live creatures. The wide caftan began writhing as though it, too, was alive. Slowly, her scarf started to unwind itself and her hat began to slowly lift off her head.
“Granny! What’s happening to you?” Chilli gasped in horror.
“Stay out of her reach” Ty whispered to Chilli under his breath, “she’s not human!”
The three friends backed away from the old woman as she glided towards them. As she did so, the leaves on the oak tree turned black and dropped off, forming piles of decaying, festering humus. The luscious grass she passed over shrivelled and died, starting a chain reaction that spread along the ground, killing everything in its path. Ty noticed that the approaching figure’s feet made small fissures in the soil that began leeching a dense veil of vile gas. Above them, the bright light that lit the landscape dimmed and the warm air was replaced by a cold wind. A curtain of silence drew itself over the countryside as the birds stopped singing.
And then, BOOM! The silence was shattered. The race for life had started again.
BOOM!
The last few leaves on the oak tree peeled away and dropped to the ground. Everything was dying. And they were next!