Explain It Like I'm Tree

Determination

Sure, everyone had pooled information. The group internally cleared Arthur of intent-to-murder. Mystery explained his role in Arthur's amputation. Lewis recounted his actions after death to fill in the missing pieces for them. Vivi was re-introduced to her dead boyf—

She came out of the blackout as the van swayed hard left and a horn bellowed dead ahead. She yanked the steering wheel to the right as hard as she could, barely missing the oncoming truck. She screamed as they passed so close she could have reached out her window and high-fived the other horrified driver.

The van skidded off the edge of the road, its frame bucking on the shock absorbers as pavement gave way to hardened chunks of dirt and brush. A few hellish seconds later, momentum surrendered and the van ground to a blessed halt.

Vivi kept the brake pedal pressed flat to the floor. She wasn't sure if anything short of a crowbar would get her hands off the wheel. She stared ahead, taking short, shallow breaths, her instant-replay stuck on the near-miss and what easily could have been.

As the adrenaline began to bleed off, her first thought was a calm, dry, Suspension's got to be shot. Arthur will throw a fit.

There was no sound behind her. Woodenly, she cranked her head around to peer over her shoulder.

Mystery had his haunches and forelegs braced against the sides of the van. He watched her with ears flat and nostrils flaring. Beneath him, Arthur hadn't so much as budged.

Slowly, she turned her head until she was faced forward again. "I don't know what you want from me, Mystery. Seems to me our objective is to keep Lewis in check so he doesn't hurt anyone. Think you can wrangle him all by yourself without damaging him?"

"I'm... unsure."

Vivi nodded. As a Kitsune, Mystery was a yokai, and yokai tended to have predatory natures. He was better suited to consuming spirits than restraining them. He was the Mystery Skulls' ace in the hole if situations went irreparably sideways. "Figured. Meanwhile, Arthur's down for the count. Seems like this Dib kid lost control early, so I can't count on him. That means it's me and you dealing with Lewis, and I don't see me talking Lewis down and getting him under control unless he decides that's what he wants."

"You don't seem to believe he'd submit that control to you."

"Yeah, gee. At every opportunity I've let him know how ready I am to blow his skull off. I wonder why I think he'll fight me now." She forced one hand to unclamp from the wheel and twisted the key in the ignition. She breathed quiet thanks as the engine gunned right up. "Lewis is our responsibility as a group. If he hurts anyone, that's on us. Arthur can..." her voice failed for a moment.

She swallowed, then started working the van forward, carefully guiding it back toward the road. It took several abrupt jerks and jolts for her to get back to the asphalt. Once she did, she dug deep for the grit to finish her sentence. "Arthur can hate me if he wants. But I'm the leader of this group and I'm going to make sure nobody else dies."

..............................................

The van wobbled into a parking lot at the address Vivi had been given. It continued fighting Vivi's efforts to keep it pointed straight with every rotation of the tires. As she entered the lot, one of the tires exploded with an angry BLAM and the van listed to the left even more. Throwing her hands up, Vivi put the crippled vehicle in park and peered over the steering wheel.

"Holy... flapping..."

Her colorful word bank failed her. Dead ahead was a waist-high barrier of interwoven brambles that filled half the lot. The expanse of brambles reached all the way back to a decrepit three-story building. She squinted. "They're growing in through the first story windows. Or out? Did they grow out of the windows?"