Read Online Tandem of Terror by Eric S. Brown - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eric S. Brown
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restricting his movement. Dozens of vines
coiled over his body, tight and restrictive. He opened his mouth to
call for help but a vine snaked into his mouth, silencing him.
The mattress ripped open as more vines and
stalks coiled out of it dripping with thick fluid. Beetles, aphids,
ants and centipedes swarmed over the leaves and spilled on top of
the helpless Cameron.
In a frenzy Cameron bit down on the vine in
his mouth, chewed and spit it out, white pus coated his lips and
cheeks. "Get the hell off me you bastards!" He looked down at his
body and all that was there was the sheet he went to bed with,
tangled around his legs.
" You gotta be kidding?" He
wiped the sweat from his brow and searched the room. It was just as
he remembered, potted plants sitting silently around the room. He
got out of bed and left the bedroom.
He walked sluggishly into the living room and
glanced at the shaft of moonlight that fell in through the bay
window. It picked something up in the new pot of seeds. Something
had grown!
Cameron ran to the pot as fast as he could
but it was more than just sprouts that he saw, actual stems had
grown full blown out of it and nearly trailed to the floor. "My
God," he said as his eyes widened. He giggled a bit as he examined
the leaves that grew on the hanging stems.
They were speckled with fleshy pink-colored
spots and had prickles. He had never seen anything like it. He knew
of no such plant in all of his studies and growing, and he thought
he had seen it all. "Overnight growth?" he said as the prickles
twinkled in the moonlight. He giggled again to himself as if it
were the moonlight that started the growth instead of sunlight.
He brushed a finger against the leaves of
this strange new plant, attempting to caress it as he did all of
his other babies when he drew his hand away sharply. "Ouch! Damn."
A prickle stuck his finger and he winced. Blood oozed from the
wound.
Enjoy. The word from the typed note
flashed in his mind and he wondered when the enjoyment was really
supposed to begin. "That's it." He reached for his cell phone
charging on the end table. He dialed information. "Yes, I need the
number for a business called Earthly Pleasures."
He waited and wasn't all that surprised that
they had no listing for any such company.
" Cam?" the voice came from
the doorway. His friend Nikki stood there, her hair tussled, eyes
half closed. "Is everything okay?"
" Ah yes, I'm fine, Nik. Just
couldn't sleep." He shut off his cell and slipped it into his
pajama pocket.
" Too many
cocktails?"
" Something like
that."
She walked over to him and looked around at
all his plants. "You have been growing things ever since college,"
she began. "But then, they weren't all legal like they are now,"
she chuckled.
" Oh, the good old days," he
laughed. "I just have the greenest thumb in the country I
guess."
" I'll say. Look at this one.
It's beautiful." She reached out to touch the new plant with its
spotted leaves and razor sharp prickles but Cameron grabbed her
hand.
" Don't touch that one. The
needles are too sharp. I just got one hell of a prick, and boy does
it sting."
" Wow, what kind of plant is
it?"
" I have no idea. It was sent
in the mail to me. I didn't order it. It just showed
up."
" Really, that's weird. Well,
Cam, I really should go back to before Adam misses me. I just
wanted to make sure everything was alright."
" Oh yes, everything's
fine."
" Good. Thank you again for
letting us crash. You are such a sweetie."
" No problem, anything for
you guys. If it weren't for you guys I'd have nobody to talk to but
my plants."
" Not true. What about what's
her name...Melissa?"
" She thought I loved my
plants a little too much."
" Well her loss, you
know?"
" Yeah, I know."
Nikki gave him a peck on the cheek and headed
back to bed. Cameron sat and stared at the plant. He hadn't thought
about Melissa in a long time. Truth be told, she didn't just think
he loved his plants too much she thought he was an
coiled over his body, tight and restrictive. He opened his mouth to
call for help but a vine snaked into his mouth, silencing him.
The mattress ripped open as more vines and
stalks coiled out of it dripping with thick fluid. Beetles, aphids,
ants and centipedes swarmed over the leaves and spilled on top of
the helpless Cameron.
In a frenzy Cameron bit down on the vine in
his mouth, chewed and spit it out, white pus coated his lips and
cheeks. "Get the hell off me you bastards!" He looked down at his
body and all that was there was the sheet he went to bed with,
tangled around his legs.
" You gotta be kidding?" He
wiped the sweat from his brow and searched the room. It was just as
he remembered, potted plants sitting silently around the room. He
got out of bed and left the bedroom.
He walked sluggishly into the living room and
glanced at the shaft of moonlight that fell in through the bay
window. It picked something up in the new pot of seeds. Something
had grown!
Cameron ran to the pot as fast as he could
but it was more than just sprouts that he saw, actual stems had
grown full blown out of it and nearly trailed to the floor. "My
God," he said as his eyes widened. He giggled a bit as he examined
the leaves that grew on the hanging stems.
They were speckled with fleshy pink-colored
spots and had prickles. He had never seen anything like it. He knew
of no such plant in all of his studies and growing, and he thought
he had seen it all. "Overnight growth?" he said as the prickles
twinkled in the moonlight. He giggled again to himself as if it
were the moonlight that started the growth instead of sunlight.
He brushed a finger against the leaves of
this strange new plant, attempting to caress it as he did all of
his other babies when he drew his hand away sharply. "Ouch! Damn."
A prickle stuck his finger and he winced. Blood oozed from the
wound.
Enjoy. The word from the typed note
flashed in his mind and he wondered when the enjoyment was really
supposed to begin. "That's it." He reached for his cell phone
charging on the end table. He dialed information. "Yes, I need the
number for a business called Earthly Pleasures."
He waited and wasn't all that surprised that
they had no listing for any such company.
" Cam?" the voice came from
the doorway. His friend Nikki stood there, her hair tussled, eyes
half closed. "Is everything okay?"
" Ah yes, I'm fine, Nik. Just
couldn't sleep." He shut off his cell and slipped it into his
pajama pocket.
" Too many
cocktails?"
" Something like
that."
She walked over to him and looked around at
all his plants. "You have been growing things ever since college,"
she began. "But then, they weren't all legal like they are now,"
she chuckled.
" Oh, the good old days," he
laughed. "I just have the greenest thumb in the country I
guess."
" I'll say. Look at this one.
It's beautiful." She reached out to touch the new plant with its
spotted leaves and razor sharp prickles but Cameron grabbed her
hand.
" Don't touch that one. The
needles are too sharp. I just got one hell of a prick, and boy does
it sting."
" Wow, what kind of plant is
it?"
" I have no idea. It was sent
in the mail to me. I didn't order it. It just showed
up."
" Really, that's weird. Well,
Cam, I really should go back to before Adam misses me. I just
wanted to make sure everything was alright."
" Oh yes, everything's
fine."
" Good. Thank you again for
letting us crash. You are such a sweetie."
" No problem, anything for
you guys. If it weren't for you guys I'd have nobody to talk to but
my plants."
" Not true. What about what's
her name...Melissa?"
" She thought I loved my
plants a little too much."
" Well her loss, you
know?"
" Yeah, I know."
Nikki gave him a peck on the cheek and headed
back to bed. Cameron sat and stared at the plant. He hadn't thought
about Melissa in a long time. Truth be told, she didn't just think
he loved his plants too much she thought he was an
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