Dating Father Time's Daughter (Book 1)

Chapter 19: Best Friends, Dead or Alive (2/3)

The roots, vines, and branches that emerged underneath the sand moved with intention. The thick trunk of trees slowly erupted above ground in a rectangular pattern that outlined the entire beach. Inside of the perimeter, vines and branches twisted and wrapped together creating a massive thick hedge. The blue sky was quickly blocked by wooden branches that sprouted abnormally large leaves that shaded everything within the perimeter.

Joe noticed that the vines weren't attacking people; they were enclosing people. He didn't remember when he started running, he just felt his body naturally take off. This wasn't the time to think.

As he pushed his body to move faster, he looked up and saw the blue sky disappearing above him. Trees rose to the height of skyscrapers nearly 330ft into the air. A sweet scent oddly floated through the cacophony of screams. Flowers of all varieties: orchids, violets, buttercups, camellias, tulips, and thousands more sprang out of the vines and sides of trees. The beach was turning into a forest before his very eyes. Flowers with bright colors were mixing with the chaos.

Joe looked ahead and saw a series of vines twirling and twisting together creating a plant fence. He swallowed hard and felt his body accelerate. He knew what was going on.

"It's a prison! They're trying to lock all of us inside! We got to get out of here! Get off of the beach!" screamed Joe.

No one listened. Joe looked to his left and saw classmates on the ground with their ankles caught in a tight vine. Other students tripped over the roots of trees and crashed into the sand.

Time was running out for Joe. The opening in front of him, leading back to the concrete jungle and away from this nightmare jungle, was converging closer and closer. At first, he saw people sprint out of the opening, but now, people were diving through it. The hole kept growing smaller and the vines and thorns continued to connect together. Joe frowned as he sped ahead of more people caught in the snare of the growing forest.

"I'm not going to make it. I'm not fast enough" said Joe.

The hole was the size of a window and shrinking with each second. There were no other openings available to Joe. This was his only escape route.

Joe shut his eyes and closed himself off from the panic around him. In his head, he saw an image of Pixie, next an image of Vanilla, then an image of Inertia, and last an image of Freida. Joe opened his eyes and pointed his open palm at the tennis-ball sized opening.

"If I can't find an exit, then I'll make my own! Entropy!"

A blast of chaos shot out of Joe's hand and burned through the opening expanding it to the size of a doorway. But just as fast, the vines were starting to connect again.

"Now's my chance!" said Joe as he slipped through the opening and sprinted into the safety of the city.

He ran until his body collapsed against a trash can in the middle of an alley. His mouth was a vacuum sucking up as much oxygen as his lungs could hold. Joe looked down at his legs and noticed the bulging muscles on his calves.

"When did I?"

Joe thought about his desperate dash off of the beach. Hundreds of people started running before he did, but he somehow managed to sprint ahead of them all. Something wasn't right. Yes, he had long legs, but he was never that great of an athlete. Then Joe realized something else.

He was no longer wheezing. His breaths were controlled and his heart rate was normal. Joe placed his palm over his chest and felt a calm pulse.

"That was the hardest I ever ran in my life. How did I cool down so fast?"