Root of all blooms

Chapter2 : He's faith

As I took a look stepping in front of Alice, I saw an arm bone covered with the same goo I had seen on Luis's body. While Alice was still stunned, I searched for a way out when I noticed her crouch down.

"Alice?" I said with worry.

She didn't respond; she just stared at the arm, frozen. She wasn't even moving. I followed her gaze and saw... a phone. It looked really familiar, but I just couldn't grasp it. As I stared harder, there it was. It was Alister's phone. Realizing this, I instinctively looked at Alice.

I could tell she was trying to hold back her tears. I was about to reach for her when she got up, took the knife, and walked toward the door.

"ALICE!" I yelled before grabbing her shoulder.

"Alice, listen to me. We have to go... Whatever is out there, we have to go."

The more I look at her, the more I see the grief in her eyes.

"LISTEN! I DON'T CARE WHAT THAT THING IS; I WILL MAKE IT PAY FOR TAKING MY BROTHER!" Alice sounds really mad. As much as I want to talk to her more to calm her down, the door suddenly breaks, and vines begin to enter. Without any choice, I grab Alice, forcing her to get in through the window.

We run out of the bathroom and try to reach the school gate, but vines cover the gate, blocking our exit.

"Dang it!" I mumble. The school is already infested with vines; we are stuck.

I can feel Alice starting to lose hope.

"M-Missy." Alice's voice is very weak.

"Yes?"

Before Alice can even respond, a vine launches toward us.

Before it could reach us, it was cut.

"Are you two okay?" the girl said.

"ASH!" Alice exclaimed, full of hope.

They seem to know each other. I don't think I've ever met this person before.

"Alice, let's go! The others are already at the gym court," Ash said. What a fierce and confident lady.

Alice didn't hesitate and followed her, so what other choice do I have but to follow? As we ran to get to the gym court, I saw something in the dark hallway... a pitcher plant? There seemed to be something on it. As much as I wanted to take a closer look, I was already falling behind.

"Missy, let's go," Alice said. She seems to be back to her old self despite everything—despite losing her brother—and Ash seems to be way too calm for all of this.

After running for at least 15 minutes, we managed to arrive at the gym with only five near-death experiences.

As Ash opened the door, I finally understood why they chose this place as a safe zone. The walls seemed to be thicker and stronger than the other parts of the building. And the door is not made of wood, making it harder to impale. Smart move.