Before I open my eyes, I want to stretch. But when I try to move, cords shift and lock me into place. I feel the sore scrapes on my fingers give way to fresh cuts. When I open my eyes, I find those cords to be green and leafy. And suddenly I'm back to last night, watching a scared girl fight against a siege of ivy. Or was it even last night? I can't tell. How long have I been out? I hear footsteps approaching, followed by quiet murmuring. My estimated chances of survival shrivel when only one person enters the room, shushing himself. I try to stay completely still, as if Jurassic Park can save me a second time, the first time being when watching Jurassic Park was the only thing keeping Handsy Harry Clapman at bay. He turns his attention to me, slipping a leather coat off of his shoulders and draping it around me. I find myself confused, trying to determine whether this is a true act of kindness or a tactic to lull me into a sense of security. All I know for sure is I can smell the tangy scent of deodorant mixed with sweat seeping out of the sleeves.
"Ms. Vanderhaul, so nice to finally meet you." He reaches out to me, slipping a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I jerk back, holding back a feral snarl. "I'm sorry it had to be under such grim circumstances. You poor, sweet thing, caught in the middle of this mess." He crouches in front of me, clasping his hands in front of him and leaning his elbows on his knees.
"Where am I?" He sighs, analyzing me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.
"Even if I were to tell you, what difference would it make? You couldn't escape, and even if you did, you're so new to the town a random address wouldn't be of much use." I crumple at the thought of being stuck here, of decaying surrounded by heart shaped leaves and the smell of cow shit.
I look around the room to find glowing green rocks lining beds of soil, sprouts of I don't know what reach towards the fluorescent lights. The man follows my eyeline, cracking a wry smile.
"Don't get too excited, I'm not gonna let you sample the product." My eyes widen as I notice the small ridging on the edge of the delicate green leaves. I want to burst out laughing.
"Is that weed?"
"Hell yeah, it's weed."
"So this is a drug thing?" His shoulders shake as he laughs at me.
"Not just any drug thing. The best damn weed you've ever had and the craziest high you'll ever experience." I refrain from telling him about heroin. "Something about the meteor rock changes the genetic properties. It has somehow created a strain of cannabis which is hallucinogenic. Not only that, but it endows the smoker with certain… abilities. Tell me, Sarah - may I call you Sarah?"
"No."
"Well, Sarah, how about if I let you call me Jacob."
"No, Jacob, you may not call me Sarah."
"You're quite icy."
"And you're quite insane." I see his jaw lock as he lunges at me, wrapping his fingers around my throat and pinching my jaw.
"Ms. Vanderhaul, I will remind you that you are at my mercy. One wrong step and I will not hesitate to snap your neck. Insult me at your own peril." He begins to squeeze, watching as I hack and struggle against the vines holding me in place. My hand screams for release, trying to claw at my attacker, but the ivy snaps it to my side. My whole body itches, preparing to go numb. There isn't necessarily pain, only pressure. The kind of pressure which makes my blood panic. Then I'm released, his hand stretching open and retreating slowly. Everything in the room brightens as my lungs fill with a painful amount of air. "Now, may I call you Sarah?"
I try to say yes but my throat burns and blisters under my effort. Instead I nod.
"Well, then, Sarah. I ask you, if you were forced into growing marijuana, only to discover such an amazing new form of pharmaceuticals which can simulate the high of heroin along with such amazing side effects, do you tell your boss?" I shrug, letting my eyes drop, frantically searching for an escape. "Of course you do, Sarah. You and I, we're honest people. So we tell our bosses. Well, we tell our boss, singular. But do you know what really gets my goat? I'm fired. Me! Fired for following through with orders. Fired for testing the product. Fired for becoming what I am now. And I was mad, god knows I was mad. But I can move on. Until Lex is on the news, calling me insane. Calling me a poor sack who's off his marbles. Says I started the whole drug business, that it was me who wanted to go coocoo for cannabis puffs. You see-" The sound of metal groaning stops him. Jacob turns towards the door, baring his hands towards the opening. The vines at my feet shift, snaking along the ground and nipping at Jacob's heels.
"Doctor Hendrickson. How good to see you again." Fluorescent lights bounce off of smooth skin and designer buttons. Lex stands with his hands in his pockets, a smile edging on the corner of his lips. He inspects Jacob up and down, eyes snagging on the ivy.
"Mr. Luthor. How good of you to come. Ready to reconsider?"
"Never."
"Pity. She's such a charming girl. Though, I know you're not as attached to her as that Lana girl. But I'm sure you wouldn't want her to die."
"Who said I even cared?" Dr. Hendrickson shrugs and I feel a vine nudge at my lips.
"Do you know how it feels to be suffocated, Sarah?" I lock my lips, denying the vine entry, and shake my head no. "Well, it's far worse than anything you've experienced, I can assure you."
"Now now, Doctor, let's not be hasty. You want money? I can get you money."
"I want the grant, Lex. I want my job back, with a raise."
"I can't clear you for that, you're mentally unwell."
"I'm not unwell."
"You've got a girl in a basement."
"I'm doing what I have to!" I barely see Lex move, but one moment he's listening to the doctor and the next there's a gun in his hand pointed at the doctor's head. Everything falters as the green in Lex's eyes turn jade.
"Give me the girl. You don't want me using this gun on you."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't I? It'll be a lot easier and a lot cheaper for me to kill you now. I should've done it in the first place."
I'm so focused on keeping my mouth clamped I don't notice the vine wrapping around Lex's leg until it's too late. I open my mouth to scream but the ivy slips past my tongue and dives into my throat. Choking, I can feel myself slipping. A shot rings out as Lex hits the floor. I feel the vines slack around my wrists and the one in my throat stops slithering farther. Not waiting to see if this is a lasting development, I yank the ivy from my esophagus, feeling the cord scraping against my soft inner skin. I cough up blood and struggle to get air in my lungs. My eyes start to spot and I strain to see a crumpled body a couple feet away from me.
"Sarah!" A hand tugs at my elbow, flipping me over towards the light as I sputter. Lex slaps my face, like that will help. Instead it just adds to my pain.
"Lex, you only slap me if I'm unconscious. And even then, don't." I say when I gain my breath back. Behind me is Dr. Hendrickson, still lying on the floor, unmoving. "Lex, did you…?" Lex forces my head around to face him.
"It's ok, Sarah. You're safe now. Look at me, everything's ok now." I want to slam my hand against his chest and push him away, to tell him that it's not alright, that nothing about this is ok. But my wrists are starting to scar and my breath is still labored. I don't want to fight. I hate fighting. So I let him tug me to his chest as he murmurs his attempts at comfort.
Lex's people show up in a matter of minutes. I watch them erase everything in the basement, clearing ivy from the walls and dumping soil beds. Lex escorts me personally to his car, still telling me everything's going to be alright. He doesn't enter the car with me, only tells the driver my address from the backseat window. He turns to me one last time, an anxious look crossing his face.
"Sarah, I know this is difficult, but you can't tell anyone what you saw today." I begin to argue, but end up just nodding. Of course he doesn't want me telling. He doesn't want them to know what Dr. Hendrickson said is true. And he definitely wouldn't want them to know...
"Lex? Is he...is he dead?" Lex's eyes darken as his feet shift.
"I hope not."
"He looked dead."
"He was unconscious and barely breathing." I suck in a breath, remembering the way his body lay, limbs scattered and back bowed. I want to believe Lex, that he was still alive. But the man's back never moved, not one centimeter. And Lex doesn't seem convinced of his own story as his eyes evade mine.