~~SHRUBS
by
G.C. Stanford

 Ever since he can remember, ever since he’s been going to school, Alex Bryan has gone down the same route after school, day by day, month by month. Out of school, down the street, into the dark, thick forests, until passing six small shrubs that seemingly never grow, and go right for a mile, then he’s at his fence and just like that he’s at his house.
 His family is never home to greet him, he’s all alone in his two story house for three hours. Today is no different, he’s just finished school and he’s on his way home.
 Unlike any other day however, it’s October thirty-first. Halloween.
 Alex was only getting out of his classes and the photography club he was in. He was excited to get home, because, also unlike most days, his family will be there to greet him when he walks in the door. Alex smiles as his meet was over. “Bye!” Alex shouts and runs out the room and into the hall. Alex smiles and is stopped by the janitor.
 “Don’t go the average way.” He mutters. His name is Dean Henderson, he was deemed mentally insane last year. Claiming that his brother had fallen into a hole in the forest by Alex’s home, and never came out, no one, not even Alex’s over imaginative little sister Carla thinks Dean’s telling the truth.
 “I’m sorry but why?” Alex asks looking confusingly at the middle-aged janitor. “Does this have anything to do with your brother?” he asks rolling his eyes. If those six bushes had come alive, Alex would’ve noticed. But they haven’t.
 “Just don’t.” Dean frowns. “Promise me, I want everybody to be alive this Halloween. Promise me you won’t go by those six bushes!” Alex tries to walk away but Dean grabs his collar and yanks him against the wall. “You’ve been warned!” Dean hisses and let go. “Make your decision wisely, Alex, you can live to see the sun tomorrow or never see the sun again.” He said holding Alex’s shoulder, his grip getting tighter but, it loosens moments later.
 Alex nods. “Sure, I’ll take a longer route.” He says sarcastically, not heeding Dean’s warning.
 “You’ve been warned!” Dean shouts; it was faint as Alex walked quickly through the halls. His footsteps tap against the stone flooring in the hall he walks passed countless Halloween decorations.
 Alex remembered he has to hurry, he promised Carla he’d take her trick-or-treating when he gets home. Instantly he walks to a small open forest, the smell of bark and the feel of bark grazing over his open hand tingles his fingers. Dean’s warning echoes in his mind, then he remembers, there was only one shrub in the forest, then two, and then another the next year. He shakes his head; Dean’s warning is getting to him.
 Alex continues to walk forward, he sees the six shrubs. A tingle runs down his spine as he stops and stares at the shrubs, starting to feel uneasy, he bites his bottom lip but presses onward.
 Hearing Dean’s voice in the back of his mind Alex feels his feet freeze, unable to continue on. He just stares at the immobile shrubs. Its leaves perfectly maintained and at perfect length. It always was nagging in the back of Alex’s mind how a shrub in the middle of a large open forest is so perfectly maintained, so green, so perfect. As soon as Alex could feel his legs move again he starts walking. Only feet away from his former position to which he was immobile he stops again. “What if, Dean’s- no, no he’s just a crazy man, a crazy janitor, right?”  Alex chuckles and feels a little mobility come back to him.
 The grass crunches under his feet, he feels a chill down his spine and he stops by the bushes side. Alex watches the bushes, the leaves dance in the wind and Alex smiles. He knew Dean was just a crazy person. But a part of him still believes that he is still right.
 With the breeze coming from the left, he sees the leaves blowing to the right. And Alex’s eyes gaze at the anomaly and he pulls out his camera. “What the . . .?” he starts, and turns on his video camera. The breeze shifts to the south, and the leaves shift to the north. Alex pulls away, shocked and scared. This isn’t an anomaly, it’s a pattern. Usually, the leaves blew with the breeze, and suddenly it started to blow in the opposite direction. Alex realizes the roots, were starting to rise, to manifest over to his feet. Alex jumps back and feels more roots on the heel of his foot.
 He sees the shrubs start to sway left and right, their roots starting to grab Alex’s leg. He screams for help, no one answered. And Alex began squirming trying desperately to get out of the roots’ grip. But it was pointless; they did not loosen in the slightest.
 The roots were crawling onto Alex’s legs, trying to pry him into the ground. He gave his last sliver of power in one last scream. “Help!” he screams as loud as he could.
He gives up and closes his eyes and just let the roots snake up to his eyes, and let them drag him into the ground. He felt as something took his hand and yanked him out. Holding his hand was the only person who’d know of this. Dean. He yanks Alex away from the roots. “Run! I’ll hold them off!” he shouts. Alex is unable to move. Utter terror fills every inch of his body. “Go!” he shouts pushing Alex.
Alex started running blindly and was watching behind him, watching as Dean was pushing off roots. “Dean! Run!” he shouts trying to get Dean’s attention but it fails; he is too far away.
He runs home, and pants, closing the door and locking it. He stares out the window hoping to see Dean running away. But he doesn’t. “Hi Alex!” shouts Carla. “Ready to go?” she asks smiling widely, and then she sees him out of breath and shaking. “What’s wrong?” she asks concerned for his sanity.
 “N-Nothing, Carla, um, can we, just skip this Halloween? Please, I’m tired. I’ll pick up some candy tomorrow after school. Okay?” Alex sees her sister frown but, soon after nods and smile.
 “I guess, sure. There’s always next year!” she said cheerfully and walks away. Alex looks back at the window and frowns.

NEXT DAY
 Alex yawns, he did not sleep that night; he was too scared. He walks through the forest on his way to school and stops at the shrubs that almost took him. His eyes graze around the shrubs, and he sees it. Seven shrubs.