Chapter 24

It's Ambrose, and the sap has already reached his neck. He gasps for breath as the liquid starts to weigh down on him. A thick plant stem begins its ascent, coiling around his thighs. It'll soon travel up his body and crush his lungs. Reaching into my bag, I pull out my knife and start sawing away at the plant. But this makes it tighten its vice-like grip, and I stop. Ambrose squirms beneath the sap. "You guys are one of the nice ones."

I'm not sure how much he remembers from the Simulacrum, and I don't say anything about that.

The sawed piece in my hand starts to sprout a new plant, extending its way to the nearest tree trunk. The false immune sighs and hands me a crushed identification bracelet. "As it turns out, it was hiding under a huge stone."

"Why did you take it?" I ask.

"Well, it sucks to die without a name, so I picked up the first bracelet I could find. Whatever name was carved there, I'd take it as my own."

Ambrose coughs and wheezes as the plant constricts him even further. I dare not speak anymore since his breathing gets more difficult. Lifting a weary hand, he gives me the bracelet. "I'm Thomas now...not just a number anymore," he breathes. I take the band and stuff it inside my bag. He smiles at last, but his relief is short-lived. His face turns purple as the plant continues upwards, coiling around his chest. He gasps for air as it continues up to his throat. Then, he closes his eyes, preparing himself for what's to come.

A deafening crack echoes endlessly through the trees. The plant's thorns puncture his body. I look away and bury my head in Jax's chest. He traces soothing circles over my back, leading me in the other direction. If there's anyone we can help with, I hope we can do it before it's too late.

Jax runs his fingers through my hair until my breathing slows, but I dare not look at Thomas's face again. Instead, we head further into the dense forest. Shivers shoot down my spine as the leaves and branches scratch my bare skin. The chilling sensation awakens my senses. I'm aware of every feeling, the scrape of our feet against tough bark and the jump in my pulse when my feet graze the sap.

Immediately, I'm wary of a subtle glow above the canopies. It gets brighter and larger until it illuminates the entire area, revealing a sea of massive cocoons. They dangle from the branches overhead, the creatures inside making muffled noises and squirming movements. Each one is several feet taller than the average human.

The creatures kick and thrash inside their prisons, spilling a slimy liquid onto the grass. Jax suddenly moves towards the other side of the forest and combs the area. He's careful not to step on the crawling stems while he searches the ground.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

He scrutinizes the ground and looks at the forest, his brows furrowed. "It's a Constrictor," he says as he takes in the vision of gold and copper-colored stems snaking throughout the forest. "That's where the sap is coming from."

I nod, trying to collect myself as the stems twist more aggressively along our path. We must move slowly, ensuring we find a steady footing over the coiling plant. There isn't much room to balance, and we're forced to turn back. I cringe as the creatures in the cocoons react to our presence. They kick and screech while we navigate through a cacophony of nightmarish noises. I'm half-expecting a chrysalis to pop open, but we've been lucky so far.

When we're back, the fire is reduced to a miserable flame lapping some charred wood. The snares are snapped already, though they hold no blood. Jax hurries inside, and I quickly follow. Mateo lies on his side with stab wounds everywhere. A dark, grainy substance spills from his injuries.

Jax inches towards his brother, turning him on his back. Mateo's breathing is heavy like it takes all his energy to keep his lungs working. Squinting, he looks between the both of us. "Scipio came for our supplies. They took what they could find, but I managed to save some." Mateo tries to catch his breath as he explains, leaning against the wall for support. He wipes his nose. "I'm guessing that Proxy tracked down the Outsiders and did some serious damage. Both sides are growing desperate and want the real immunes."

"They're whacked in the head," Jax murmurs.

He shrugs. "I think Scipio forgot why we agreed to come here first, and that's to bring you guys back to where it's safe. At least, that's why I'm here." Mateo settles awkwardly against a cracked section of the wall. He hands us a ring, his fingers trembling as he drops it onto my hand. Inside, the symbol of two arrows pointing in opposite directions is engraved on the metal. There's a line across the engraving. "I found this near one of Scipio's supply routes, and she had people fetching resources for her stay here. Food, water, ammo. That sort of stuff. But Proxy cut them off, and she's getting desperate. I'm sure she has taken supplies from the others too."

"What's the meaning of the line?"

"The arrows are part of the Outsiders' insignia, and the line across must've been carved by someone who hates them. It means to get rid of them once and for all."

While Mateo talks, I continue healing his wounds. He's still dazed, and his eyes hold a vacant look. While there's still daylight, I pack my things and get ready to head back to the forest. "Don't tell me you're going back there," Jax grabs my arm, arresting me with the sudden pleading in his voice.

"I just need to gather some materials. That's all," I refuse to meet his gaze. I wish I could tell him what I plan on doing, but the words are stuck in my throat.

"If we need supplies, I can get them." He places his hands on my shoulders, squeezing like he doesn't want to let go.

"Jax, I should go before the daylight goes completely." My voice cracks, but I hold my ground. We'll need to make better traps, just in case Scipio returns.

With Eorius setting soon, it's my cue to get going, and I know I can't keep delaying this anymore. We part ways, and I dare not look back. A drizzle has cleared the path, but the sap builds up again. For now, it's safe to step on certain parts of the forest floor. I move quickly, looking at each section of the Constrictor. It's vital to pick the right ones. They taught us back at the Institution, and I hope it'll come in handy here. The younger stems are always more aggressive. But the old ones will take too much time to produce more sap.

I can roughly gauge how old the section is from the stems' thickness and the number of thorns. I stop at a middle-aged area of the Constrictor and start slicing away. A new shoot instantly reaches for me, causing me to bend in an awkward position. I quickly regain my posture and cut the new sprout. I keep gathering as many as possible, mindful not to stray too far from the camp. If these stems aren't replanted soon, they'll shrivel and die. I'm guessing how it works. There's only so much that the Institution prepares us for.

The next one I cut up is slightly younger. It pierces clean through my wrist until it protrudes from the other side. Biting down on my lip, I slide the plant out and blink away the hot tears. I'll need to disinfect the injury first before the skin can heal.

The most straightforward way requires a blooming lake named after the infamous plants floating atop the murky waters. I've seen several around here, but those would've been too far by now.

I keep moving, eyeing one while searching for more suitable branches or stems. Soon, I stumble across a lake to my far right. I make my way there as my hand burns like the bites of fire ants. The water bubbles like a hot spring and the surging currents agitate the dirt and soil inside. Dipping my arm into the murky liquid, I relish the cooling sensation the lake brings.

Once the scorching feeling subsides, I slowly pull my hand out. It looks worse than I expected, especially while the flesh is still raw and bleeding. The tingling sensation starts in my arm. It concentrates around my wrist, and I resist the urge to scream as the skin and flesh fuse together once more. Reaching up, I wipe away the sheen of sweat on my forehead before moving on.

I take another two shoots until I have a decent-sized bundle in my hand. The first few I've gathered are starting to brown at the edges already. The sap levels are rising once again. I tread carefully, sticking to the logs as I make my way to the camp.

Once I'm back, I place the shoots on the ground, lining them up at varying distances away from the building. Mateo emerges with Jax behind him, and they're instantly frozen while staring at my spoils. Mateo is the first to regain his composure as he gets a little nearer, scrutinizing the surrounding area. He nods as he seems to get an idea of what I'm planning to do.

He rushes back to camp, and I hear him rummaging through his things. While he's gone, Jax takes my hand and examines my face and arms. "Did you hurt yourself?"

I shake my head, but he doesn't seem to buy that. He's about to speak when Mateo reemerges with a knife and slices the stems halfway down. I don't know what he's doing, but I don't interrupt. He splits open all of them to reveal tiny protrusions inside.

"Those are the plant's detectors. It's how they sense their species." Mateo uses another knife and slices his finger open, gesturing toward us. "What if we could trick them into thinking that we're one of them? Then, the plants could protect us."

I never thought of it that way. All I could think of was putting them here as a warning, so no one else would try coming near the camp. Of course, we'll ensure they're far enough, so the sap doesn't affect us. It's crazy and, quite possibly, a dumb idea.

"How do you know that it'll work?" Jax asks.

"I don't, but I've worked with similar plants outside."

Curiosity gets the better of me. "You were a gardener?"

"I'm nothing like that." With Mateo's curt answer, it's obvious he doesn't want to talk much about it. Jax raises an eyebrow. Walking up to the shoots, Mateo drips his blood inside, and the plant glows a bright yellow. He brushes his leg against the thorns. It scratches his skin, but no sap comes out. Jax and I deposit our blood into the remaining plants until they start to glow.

Mateo admires the transformed plants and starts repositioning them around the camp. After a while, they return to their normal colors so we won't attract attention at night.

"What's the point of the Constrictor? It doesn't make sense if the real immunes die to the sap," I murmur.

Mateo leans against the side of the building, and he stares at me like I've just grown another head. "It doesn't. All who've died in the sap are false immune prisoners. You think that's just tough luck?" He shakes his head. "Seems strangely convenient to me."

It hits me then how little we know about Proxy and what goes on in their sick minds. All we have is an empty playbook. They've got a whole collection of our biological blueprints.

Mateo and Jax bring out some instant food packets, combining them for dinner. We don't say much because we're too busy studying the stumbling figures in the distance. They're trying to break a hole in the Sanctuary's shield. One attempts to crack the glass with a makeshift hammer, only to collapse. While we eat, I watch as more real immunes try to squeeze or dig their way through. One by one, they fall to the ground in a paralyzed mess. My hand trails over the chip in my collarbone, and the movement reminds me why I can never leave this place.

"Proxy will come by and take them away," Mateo mutters so softly that I almost don't hear him. Retreating into the safety of the building, I take the first night watch, and Mateo volunteers for the next one. The time drags on, and I'm on high alert for the slightest noise, even if it's just the breeze rustling the leaves. Though my eyelids grow heavy, I pinch myself to stay awake for the rest of the watch, earning me a chuckle from Mateo as he rises to take my place.

"Loverboy is waiting for you," he drawls. Smirking, his grin grows wider while the heat rises to my cheeks. I break into a scowl.

"That's what you said back at the Institution too."

"Only because you guys were too blind to see it back then," he lowers his voice to a ghost of a whisper, "and tell me if he hurts you. Trust me, he'll regret it for a long time."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around? I thought you'd defend him."

"Same goes for you, Aria. I didn't say I was letting you off easy." He claps me on the back. Dragging my feet back to the building, I take the space to a quiet corner. Jax draws me against his chest and slides an arm over my waist. Smiling, I melt into his embrace as he nuzzles my neck and tangles our legs together. A sleepy sound escapes his lips.

"Not too loud, kids. And remember to stay safe." Mateo winks at us and goes back to staring outside. Before sleep threatens to take me under, I contemplate throwing my shoe at him.

Except, sleep doesn't come for a long while. The moment I close my eyes, the lightness of the moment evaporates instantly. I see the pale, expressionless faces trapped in sap. They try to pull themselves out, only to sink in deeper. The more they struggle, the tighter the grip of the Constrictor. It snakes around them, crushing their bones with a single squeeze. Some reach out for one last hope of being saved, but it's too late. Their mouths hang open as they solidify under the mass encasing them.

I startle awake with cold sweat dripping from my brow. My heart races, and adrenaline rushes through me. As I stare outside, I adjust the straw bed, fluffing up a pillow for my back. The air is deathly cold. Movement from the other side startles me, but it's just Jax switching sleeping positions. As if he senses me staring, he cracks an eye open and takes my hand in his, drawing lazy circles on my wrist. "The thorns hurt you here."

"How did you know?"

He pulls me deeper into a corner, and we duck our heads to avoid the searchlights piercing through the window. The Proxy patrols are out again, coming near the camp, and loading up the paralyzed subjects on the back of a truck.

"Once you see this, you'll know what I mean."