Iris had a passion for the outdoors, in all the forms that took. Everything from hiking, to kayaking and even rock climbing, she was into it. After graduating from college, she wanted to take a special trip. It had been a dream of hers to do a solo mountain hike, but as of yet she hadn't done so. It was nice to hike with family and friends, but Iris had a taste for adventure. So, she decided to mark the occasion of her graduation with a week-long hike, completely solo. She found a location a few hours from where she lived; a gorgeous forested mountain with stellar views, which allowed free camping along the way. Her family was nervous about her going alone, but she couldn't be persuaded. She was 22 years old, an experienced hiker, and knew how to navigate if she got lost. However, she promised to bring along a small radio, in order to let her call for help if anything came up. And so, with her tent, supplies, and her best hiking boots, she set off to the site.
Parking at the bottom of the mountain, Iris heaved her things onto her back and began hiking up the mountain. She was dressed in her standard hiking clothes; her legs covered in black leggings, her feet in heavy hiking shoes and a comfortable t-shirt. There wasn't a proper trail, but she had marked on her map the directions of where to go, and so with her compass and map in hand, she trekked upwards through the woods. The trail was as beautiful as the website had promised. Soon, she was deep in the woods, dazzled by the forest and feeling peaceful and content. After several hours, she decided to take a break and rest for lunch. She came upon a pile of small boulders, and deciding that it was a perfect makeshift bench and table, she sat, slinging off her backpack and taking out some food.
As she sat and ate, she had no idea that she was in grave peril. Unknown to her, a small gap between the rocks and the ground hid a large underground cave. This cave was as yet unmapped and unknown. Here, in this dark and undisturbed shelter, a strange mutation of a plant had spawned. Sensing a viable capture, the plant's strange intelligence slowly guided a vine out of the hole and towards one of Iris' legs, which were dangling tantalizingly close to the opening. Iris, distracted by her meal and her beautiful surroundings didn't notice as a thick green vine appeared from between the rocks. She remained ignorant of it until it suddenly wrapped around her ankle, squeezing tightly and pulling downwards.
Iris let out a surprised yelp, pulling her leg back and attempting to pull it off of her. The coil was tightly squeezing her right ankle, retracting downwards towards the hole it had emerged from. Iris was unable to pull her leg free, but was strong enough to keep herself from being yanked completely downwards. Sensing that it needed more tugging power, the plant extended another vine outwards, grabbing her other ankle. With this extra pull, It was able to slowly drag Iris towards the hole. As her feet disappeared into the opening, Iris grabbed at the ground, now completely panicking and starting to scream for help. Unfortunately for her, no one was nearby to come to her aid. Her screams echoed through the woods, but did not reach anyone's ears in time to make a difference. Even though this was the case, the plant was relentless in its efforts to subdue her, continuing to yank her backwards, and in addition extending yet another vine towards her. Instead of grabbing her legs or arms, this vine wrapped around her throat, squeezing tight enough to cut off her airway, but not enough to seriously harm her. This was enough to finalize her doom. Instinctively, Iris reached for her throat with both hands, desperately yanking at the vine that was strangling and silencing her. Without her arms holding on, the plant was able to yank her fully into the hole, where it could finally bind her properly.
The plant dragged her towards a nook in the cave, where the main body of the plant lay. There was some light streaming in through the opening, but it was still dim. Iris could vaguely make out a tangled mass of vines connected at a single point, which she was being dragged towards. They all seemed to spring to life, ready to bind her more thoroughly. More vines wrapped around her legs, completely binding them together from ankles to knees. Others grabbed her wrists, forcing them down to her sides, while yet more wrapped around her torso, plastering her arms in place at her sides. Iris' struggles got weaker as the plant continued its hold on her throat. Thus, she was unable to resist as a vine extended towards her face. In front of her very eyes, she saw the end of the vine morph, expanding into a cupped shape, which then slapped itself over her mouth and nose.
Finally, the vine moved away from her throat, allowing Iris to take in several gasping breaths. The strange plant mask that had been forced over her mouth allowed her to breathe, inhaling a grassy smell. When he exhaled, part of it expanded, capturing the breath. Before she could scream, she felt the vine continue to morph over her mouth, forcing a tube into it that reached almost to the back of her throat. By the time she was able to let out a terrified scream, her voice was muffled to the point that it was inaudible outside the cave.