She laughed when she saw the first one transform. It was just so ridiculous, a trick of the eyes. The laugh died in her throat when the second one hit the side of the car hard enough to put it on two wheels. Without thought, she accelerated. She was able to outrace them because they gave up eventually, but others joined the chase along the route so there seemed to be a never-ending supply. Small trees and shrubs somehow changed into running beasts. Leaves turned to fingers, thorns to talons, roots to legs, all trying to kill her.
She rounded a curve, nearing town, hoping she was in the clear, when a larger one came from the left and finally took the car into a sideways roll. As her vision tunneled down, she saw it reaching for her through the broken window, long branches twining out. Then she blacked out.
“You were in an accident honey. You must’ve taken the curve too fast. We are so glad you’re alive, we were so worried!” Her mother’s face swam into focus. Everything hurt. Especially her left leg. It throbbed just below the knee. She tried to move it but found she couldn’t. She looked down. Something was missing. A scream built in her throat, and she pushed it down.
“What… what happened to my leg?”
“Well honey they couldn’t save it, I’m so sorry. It must’ve been… sheared off in the accident…” Her mom trailed off, not meeting her eyes. She looked nervous.
“Tell me Mom, I can take it.”
“Oh honey,” she continued, “well, the cut was pretty clean except for a few leaves but they couldn’t… well, they couldn’t find your lower leg anywhere…”
In her mind she saw again the reaching branches, twisting tighter and tighter, and the pain. She saw the shrub running away, cradling its trophy like a small baby. She couldn’t help but wonder – was it being devoured? Or were they even now building themselves a better body…piece by piece. She started to sob, and it seemed she would never stop.