I woke up in the midnight hotel feeling betrayed and angry. I hoped he'd be there, but was disappointed to find it empty. My first consensual sexual encounter and he just used me. It was one of the first times I'd felt happy since the apocalypse and it was just a trick to kill me. Gates is just as bad as all the monsters and rapists I've encountered. I gathered up my things and headed back to The Unchanged.
I never really spoke about The Unchanged base. It's a small two story suburban house. It actually belonged to Katherine and her husband pre-apocalypse. Her husband wasn't Mark then. It was someone else. Unfortunately, he was the example that taught her about her new powers. After that she found Mark and Sera and she and Mark got together and sort of adopted Sera and then I showed up. The second floor has a patio balcony she used to sit out on to work. Now, usually Mark sits up there with a rifle to keep watch.
As I approached the house I saw Mark up there and terrible ideas popped into my head. I approached to within visual range, which was pretty far for him, and beckoned for him to come down. He did so and once we were out of normal range for the house I grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss.
It was wrong, terribly wrong. After the thing with Gates though I was an emotional wreck and I just, I longed for the consensual touch of another person and Mark was the first person I laid eyes on. To his credit, he was loyal and pushed me off pretty much immediately. I struggled to grab him and kiss him more as he held me at bay.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Rise?" he questioned angrily. I let out a needy mewl in response.
"Please... Mark. I need you," I replied, "Katherine will never have to know. Please just give me this one time!" He pushed me back with all his strength pushing me onto my ass and I tried to get back up, but suddenly found his gun in my face.
My lust was instantly replaced by fear and I sat back down on my ass. "Rise, I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you don't calm down I'm going to shoot you. I don't want to shoot you, but if you're really Rise you'll come back anyway. Are you calm?" I nodded cautiously. "Alright then explain yourself right this ins-" He suddenly cut off at the sound of laughter and turned aiming his gun at a strange figure who seemed to materialize out of the ground.
The figure was androgynous and seemed to be made out of intertwining vines in the general shape of a human with a large bulbous pod thing for a head. "What are you?" Mark asked keeping his gun focused on it. It ignored him though and addressed me.
"Prolonged one. You will come to Eden. We must discuss," the voice didn't seem to come from the creature itself, but instead from the air around it.
"What happens if she doesn't want to come," Mark asked angrily and the creature turned to him this time.
"She will not have a choice," it responded and then suddenly lunged at him. He easily shot it in it's bulbous, easy to hit head and it exploded into a cloud of spores, which then all launched into Mark's mouth. He let out a sound like a sigh and then twitched a few times and fell backwards.
I carried him back to the house with some difficulty and then screamed until Katherine and Sera came running. Katherine saw Mark and quickly helped me carry him to a bed. I told her what happened and when she asked why we were away from the house in the first place, I hung my head and told her that as well.
I was lucky she was still wearing her gloves, as she delivered a slap to my face that knocked me to the floor and caused tears to well up in my eyes. She stared down at me with abject hatred and began slipping off her glove. I trembled as she approached, but Alyce stepped in the way.
"We need her," Alyce argued and Katherine scoffed.
"Even if I kill her she'll come back!" she spat in response.
"She'll come back a day from now. Which will likely be too late for Mark!" Alyce countered and Katherine suddenly became very still, "The person who did this said this was done to make sure Rise went somewhere. Presumably that means that if Rise does as asked this person might be willing to cure Mark. It's your only option," Alyce finished and Katherine sighed, pulling her glove back on.
"Alright, Rise. I won't kill you. You're going to save Mark and you better not fail," Katherine explains turning away. Sera spoke up.
"You said it wanted you to come to Eden right? I've been looking and Eden seems to refer to a garden-"
"-No shit," Katherine responded angrily and Sera glared at her.
"Not a biblical garden a real garden. More accurately, when the change hit, the area around a city garden saw rampant growth. It's referred to now as The Twisted Eden. Apparently another Illustrious has made a home there. She's called Mother Nature and it's likely she's the one responsible for this," Sera explained. I stood up.
"Alright tell me how to get there and I'll go," I said and turned to Katherine, "I'll save Mark. I promise and I'm sorry about everything," she just glared at me. Sera got me directions and I headed out. Despite knowing I was likely heading into terrible danger I was glad to be able to get away from Katherine.
For once I managed to reach my destination without running into any problems. The Garden that became The Twisted Eden was a large complex building of steel and glass. It was essentially just a two story greenhouse however underground there were a number of extra floors that held various storage rooms, botanical and biological research labs and other functional rooms that didn't belong above ground. At least this is what Sera's research on the location had revealed. Upon arriving the reality was quite different. The building had been completely overgrown. Thick patches of thorny growth surrounded and covered the first floor making approach treacherous. Above the thorn layer the second floor of the building was enclosed in two giant leaves that obscured it from view. They moved slowly in a strange almost twitchy motion that was eerily reminiscent of breathing. Above the leaves resting atop the structure was a massive flower bud.
I approached, trying to figure out a way through the thorny wall blocking the entrance when suddenly two figures burst out of the ground on either side of me. They were vaguely humanoid in shape and seemingly formed out of creepers and vines. Large red flowers grew where their faces should have been. Before I could react they grabbed hold of my arms, fingers like vines curling and wrapping around my arms to hold me in place. I couldn't struggle free and after an experimental kick to the shin failed to phase them I gave in. They forced me down to my knees and then the thorn wall parted and the door to The Twisted of Eden opened. From within stepped out a figure like the ones holding me except this one was very distinctly female in form. The vines shaped in such a way to give it curves. It's face was also covered by a purple flower instead which moved as the creature spoke. "You came, I knew you would," the creature spoke.