Mankindby Cori Wintle-NewellIllustrations by Erin McKeen84
I didn’t know vines could havethorns like this. Green ivy snapped,tossed aside into the overgrown pile ofmuck covering the browned walls. Thorns grabbedat his legs. God this house is covered in these vines, Iwonder how they got in here. Arden moved curiously throughdark hallways, the mansion dying to be explored. Another snag at his legsmade him wince.When he’d first arrived at the town’s edge, Arden had been underwhelmed.Even abandoned, the nearby town seemed unassuming. Small. A little boringdespite the mystery surrounding the exodus of all its residents. There wasno graffiti on any of the buildings or signs. It irked Arden how little seemed tohave changed in the time that had passed; there were no signs of wear, noovergrown plants. It was all wrong.This isn’t what I wanted.He walked forward despite the resting unease in his bones, the unnaturalconditions causing it to stir. Arden made his way through the streets, peeringthrough large shop windows only to see dust collecting on furniture. There wasa barbershop, grocery store, a small gas station, and a break in the trees thatcontained a vacant lot. Arden glanced at the empty square that littered thelandscape. I wonder what they were going to put in here… The possibilitiesdidn’t entertain him much. Arden shrugged and turned his attention to thebiggest building within sight: the mayor’s house.A snag caught his arm, ripping his flannel and bringing Ardenback to the present. This is what I was hoping for! Why isn’tthe rest of the town overgrown like this? Another snagcaught his skin. Maybe I should’ve prepared more. Histhoughts bounced all over the place as he movedforward through the property. The building wherehe found himself now was situated at the top ofthe hill overlooking the abandoned town just afew miles west of his own home, only a wideriver separating the towns.It had been a farm town, large fields ofcrops extended out beyond the horizon. Thesoil was rich and healthy, somehow accommodatingall species of plants despite having different needs.At one point Westbrook had been featured in the countynewspaper when the arrival of several botanists and biologistscame to inspect the area and perform tests, something about fluctuating pHlevels. It didn’t matter much though, because not long after they’d arrived, thegrant money ran out and the biologists left. After that, the town didn’t havemuch to offer. People no longer stopped to buy fresh food, and many citizenscould no longer afford the upkeep of their farms. With nothing to keep themthere, most residents moved out.God help me, I keep getting tangled up! He tramped through the hallways,getting angry and irritated by the plants surrounding him. I should’ve paidmore attention in that botany class. Arden took another step forward, his rightfoot getting caught in the endless expanse of greenery, temper finally bubblingover.“Fuck! How are you even alive in here? There’s no light! How can you possiblyphotosynthesize?” Arden ripped his leg free, wobbling and reaching a hand outto the wall to steady himself. He watched the vines pull away, an inquisitivelook on his face before he tumbled through the mirage.Looking around, there was nothing in the new area he found himself in. Nohint as to how he got there, and seemingly no way to get out. Where the fuckam I? Arden took a tentative step forward, hands reaching out in an effort tofind a guide wall. He kept moving forward, his feet struggling to find purchaseon the uneven ground. The vines continued down into the pitch black abyss,snagging on his pants once again. Arden slowly pulled the vines away thistime, taking small steps forward. With every step, he got caught in thegreenery, each time needing to untangle himself. The slow process repeatedas Arden trudged onward, the vines seeming87
Change language