Pete was the first to move. He grabbed the RipSaw lying on the ground by the car. It was a long pole with a battery pack at one end and a large circular blade at the other. A strong sling was clipped to the handle, close to the battery pack.
“Krish!” Pete shouted. “How do you start this thing?”
Krish tore his eyes away from the horror in front of him. He shook himself and looked at what Pete was holding.
“Try this,” Krish said, flicking a switch on the battery pack. “And there must be a—”
“Trigger,” Pete finished for him, finding one on the handle. When he pressed it, the battery pack hummed, and the blade became a blur.
Without hesitating, Pete walked around the abandoned car and plunged the spinning blade into the body of the plant.
The blade whined.
The plant went into a frenzy.
Creepers uncoiled from the scientist and began thrashing about.
Pete held the RipSaw firmly as the spinning blade tore into the plant. Sap and digestive fluid splattered into the air. Pieces of the plant fell away, and Pete kept going until the blade cut the main stem and it toppled like a rotten tree.
Close by, the other plant continued to focus on the sheep it had caught, so Pete moved towards it and used the RipSaw to tear it to pieces.
As he did so, Nancy and Krish dragged the scientist to safety.
*
The scientist lay with her head propped against the rear wheel of the BMW. Her white coat was covered in dirt and amber-coloured gunk. Pinned to her coat was a name badge: Doctor Ada Valentine. They recognised her as one of the scientists they had seen the night they sneaked into the Vault. That night, Doctor Valentine had let the guards chase them away, but now things were different. Now Nancy was standing over Doctor Valentine with her hands on her hips and a furious expression.
“What are those things? Why make something so dangerous?” Nancy demanded. She was as angry as Pete and Krish had ever seen her.
“It wasn’t supposed to be dangerous,” Doctor Valentine said. “It was supposed to be useful. A super-plant.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Nancy snapped.
“Variant 41 was perfect,” said Doctor Valentine. “It was everything. A carnivorous plant that ate pests. It absorbed greenhouse gases like no other plant. The sap could be used to make bio-fuel. It would have changed the world.”
“But something went wrong,” Krish said. “Something always goes wrong.”
“It mutated,” Doctor Valentine admitted. “We’re not sure why, but the mutation, which we called Variant 42, grew fast. Its appetite changed, and then … it began to move and show signs of intelligence.”
“So why not just destroy it?” Nancy asked.
“They wouldn’t let us,” Doctor Valentine explained. “The people in charge wanted to keep it. The BioMesa people. They told us to feed it. To study it and …” She closed her eyes and hung her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t make the decisions – I just do the science.”
Doctor Valentine opened her eyes and looked at Nancy standing over her, with Pete and Krish at her side.
“Thank you for saving me,” the doctor said. “When the power went off, the plants escaped and overwhelmed the four of us. I’m the only one left. I hid in an empty container on the other side of the car park. I couldn’t get out until you distracted them just now. You’re very brave.”
“Have you at least called for help?” Nancy asked. “Is anyone coming?”
Doctor Valentine shook her head. “The storm,” she said, as if it explained everything.
“Great,” Krish said, glancing around. “How many more of those things are out there?”
“And where are they all?” Pete asked, scanning the car park. It was still dark and hard to see far.
“They’re gone,” Doctor Valentine said. “They’re everywhere. They’re hungry.”
Pete, Nancy and Krish looked at each other. They all had the same thought.
The day was starting in Crooked Oak. People would be rising to see the damage the storm had left, but no one had any idea that the plants were coming.
And the plants were hungry.
“We have to get down there,” Pete said. “We have to warn everyone.”
“But what if we run into more of those plants?” Krish asked. He pulled his phone from his pocket, hoping the signal would come back.
“Come with me,” Nancy said. “I have an idea.”