Rosehead

Chapter 26. The Repugnant Birth

First stars flickered to life, watching the scene with unblinking interest. Crows screeched in the distance, not daring to fly closer. Panther snapped at Rosehead. She kicked him aside like an annoying fly, reached for the girl, and lifted her. Terror numbed Lilith. She wondered about her parents trapped in the mansion, if she'd ever see them again, if Ed and Petra made it to his cottage, and where her grandfather was...

Time slowed down. The evening air blew on Lilith's face, calming her. There was no point in crying or yelling, because no matter what she did, it didn't have any effect on Rosehead. Lilith felt like a small frightened girl who tried to wear a façade of bravado and failed miserably. There was only one thing she had left to do.

"Panther. You there? Can you hear me? If you can, I'm sorry if I was ever mean to you. I love you." She took a breath, willing the dizziness to go away. "Tell mom and dad I love them. Tell Ed—"

"Don't you start dying on me, madam!" growled Panther from below. "You still owe me steak. I simply cannot allow you to vanish without delivering my payment. Personally."

Lilith's face broke into a smile.

"Let her go, you disgusting, bloated, leafy-brained, club-footed, maggot-eating idiot!" Panther yapped. "I will piss on you!" An unmistakably liquid noise issued up.

Rosehead opened her mouth wider, unperturbed.

"Listen here, you illiterate bush-cake. My name is Lilith Bloom," said Lilith, encouraged. "I hope you choke on my blood."

Rosehead hesitated.

"I hope it poisons you—make your roots rot. I hope it makes you sick." Lilith's voice grew louder. "I hope it gives you a stomachache so vociferously fierce, that you wished you were dead." Just as Lilith's feet dangled a foot away from the lipless hole, Rosehead let out a moan and convulsed, clutching her belly.

For a second, Lilith thought she'd miraculously cursed the creature, but then understanding dawned on her.

A great shiver went through the giantess. She recovered, and then doubled down again, another spasm seizing her. Her belly shifted restlessly. Firmly pressed to it, Lilith glimpsed disturbing flashes of red through gaps of interlaced stems. They appeared to be eyes, dozens of them, so bright that they glowed in the dark.

Lilith licked her lips. "Panther? It's starting. And, er...I just saw something? She's not having a baby mutant. We were wrong. She's having a whole litter of them!"

"I'm very much aware of this, thank you," Panther growled. "Hang on just a little more, okay?"

A violent fit slackened Rosehead's hold. Lilith wiggled, her heart jumping out of her chest. Another powerful cramp and the monstrous bush crashed to its knees. Lilith crawled out of the prickly palm and turned in time to witness Rosehead collapse and bellow, holding on to her middle.

A wet nose brushed Lilith's cheek.

"Panther!" She hugged him. "Are you okay?"

"Why, my dear Holmes, I think I've been traumatized for life by this investigation. However, a healthy dose of steak will positively nurse me back to health."

"I'm not dead, Panther. I'm not dead, I'm not dead, I'm not dead!" Lilith's teeth chattered. "She didn't eat me."

"Do you need me to bite you, to confirm your aliveness?"

A series of powerful blows shook the ground. Rosehead pounded on it with her arms and legs, mashing everything into pulp. Lilith and Panther scrambled out of the way to avoid an accidental punch. They watched her for a while.