The Five Evolution

『"Guardian or Monster?"』

The seven of them arrived at Mabel’s farmhouse. The old woman was waiting on the porch before they’d even stepped out of the van.

She rocked gently in a weathered chair, hands folded across her lap. Almost as though she’d known they were coming.

"I knew you’d be back," she said, staring at the rest of them. "And you brought friends."

Naomi exchanged a glance with Raj, then faced Mabel. "You’re a psychic now?" Her eyes drifted to Sophia briefly. "Because I can’t stand psychics."

Mabel smiled faintly. "When you’ve lived as long as I have..." She looked toward the forest, at the horizon behind them. "...you start noticing things."

Amara stepped forward, reaching into her pocket. "Is this yours?" She held out the silver locket.

The rocking chair stopped and Mabel’s hands started to tremble. Then she reached out slowly and accepted it.

Her thumb brushed across the worn metal. And for a moment, she simply stared at it. "I thought..." Her voice cracked. "...I thought I’d lost this."

She opened it, and Walter smiled back at her from a century-old photograph. Beside him, a little girl with a star-shaped birthmark on the back of her hand. "...My daddy."

Nobody interrupted. They all gave her a moment, allowing her to initiate the conversation.

After a while, she finally spoke. "Mama gave him this before he left for work." She smiled sadly. "He always kept it with him."

Her eyes never left the photograph. "The monsters took him from us."

Raj glanced toward Hiro. "Monsters."

Mabel nodded. "Werewolves." She closed the locket. "I remember him telling me to run." Her fingers tightened around it. "I remember the red eyes." She looked at them. "I remember..."

She started to tremble again, and Amara reached out, placing one of Mabel’s shaky hands between hers. "It’s alright, Mabel."

That seemed to calm her, because Mabel’s trembling stopped. She looked at Amara and smiled. Then she swallowed and continued, "...his throat." The words barely escaped her mouth.

Silence settled over the porch.

"He pushed me away." The old woman let out a shaky breath. "Told me not to look back." She paused. "I looked anyway."

Her gaze drifted once again toward the distant tree line. "And ever since then..." She whispered, "...the woods have always been watching."

Amara felt something tighten in her chest, and almost unconsciously, she repeated the words. "The woods are watching."

Hiro tapped against his lips as he listened. "I don’t think she meant that figuratively." He looked at Ethan. "The biker gang."

Ethan nodded slowly. "They arrive in town. A pack of werewolves." His eyes drifted to the ground, lost in thought. "They’re loud... they attract attention."

Amara finished the thought. "The perfect scapegoat."

Andre continued. "Walter notices them."

Raj slammed his fist into his open palm. "He already hates werewolves."

Naomi crossed her arms. "So he kills one."

Sophia looked toward Ethan. "The first victim."

"The one from the morgue," Ethan said. "Walter realizes he has a taste for something he’s been missing since 1921."

Hiro nodded. "And once people start disappearing..." He looked toward the woods. "...everyone blames the obvious monsters."

Raj slowly exhaled. "Nobody suspects the century-old werewolf fused to an underground fungal superorganism."

Sophia grinned. "Classic misdirection."

Amara stared toward the endless forest beyond Mabel’s house. "Everyone was looking at the monsters that rolled into town..." She looked toward Hiro. "...instead of the one that never left."

The silence stretched until Mabel slowly lowered her gaze to the locket, then rested it in Amara’s hands. Her wrinkled fingers trembled. "He gave me that. But I want you to have it."

Amara carefully held it out. "Mabel, it belongs to you."

Mabel stared at it for several long seconds before gently closing Amara’s fingers back around it. "No." Her voice was surprisingly firm. "You found it." She smiled sadly. "I reckon that’s where it wanted to be."

Amara hesitated. "But..."

Mabel held Amara’s chin up. "I’ve had a lifetime to mourn my daddy." Her eyes drifted toward the forest. "If he’s really still out there..." She swallowed. "...then that ain’t my daddy nomore."

Nobody had a response to that.

Raj quietly looked away. Even Naomi’s usual abrasiveness failed her.

Mabel eventually looked back at Amara. "You’ve got kind eyes."

The compliment caught Amara off guard. "I... thank you."

The old woman chuckled. "My daddy used to have eyes like yours."

For a moment, Amara didn’t know what to say. Instead, she simply squeezed the elderly woman’s hand.

***

The seven stepped off the porch and walked toward the van in thoughtful silence. The forest bordering Mabel’s property swayed gently beneath the afternoon breeze.

Amara found herself glancing toward the tree line again. That feeling. It hadn’t gone away. Someone... or something, was still watching.

"He’s been watching over the town," Amara said quietly.

Hiro glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "For a hundred years. Unable to leave the network. Unable to show himself. Just watching."

By the time they reached the blue van, Ethan was already pulling his laptop back out. "We have a target."

"About fucking time." Naomi clicked her tongue. "I hate this town. And I hate that it’s completely surrounded by all these trees."

Ethan tapped the map. "The fungal network is enormous." He zoomed further. "But the strongest concentration is here." A section of woodland several miles north lit up.

Hiro stepped forward. "If Walter’s using the network. That’s where he likely is." Hiro placed his hand over his mouth. "It’s still a really big place to search."

Sophia placed both hands over her neck in a relaxing posture. "I could help with that. Been working on my psychometry." She yawned loudly as she spoke. "I just need something that belonged to him..."

Amara looked at the locket in her hand. "I think I can help with that."

Andre placed both hands into his pockets. "Why not just burn or freeze that part of the forest? Flush him out and cut his connection to the green? A two bird, one stone solution right there."

Hiro immediately shook his head. "No."

Everyone looked at him.

"If we torch the forest, we destroy an ecosystem that’s existed for centuries." He borrowed Ethan’s laptop and started typing. "But..." His eyes brightened.

A soft smile tugged at Amara’s lips. She recognized that look.

"There are low dose agricultural fungicides that temporarily interrupt mycorrhizal communication." Hiro handed the laptop back to Ethan.

"You’re welcome," Ethan said.

Hiro gave him a forced smile, then looked at the rest of the team. "I just need to find some copper sulfate solution. Maybe I can find something from a hardware store here."

Raj blinked. "English."

"It temporarily disconnects the fungus from the wolf," Hiro simplified.

"So Walter loses his connection." Ethan kept his laptop back in the van and folded his arms. "But how long does that last?"

"A few minutes..." Hiro cleared his throat. "Give or take, a minute."

Ethan closed his eyes briefly. "Figured."

Amara raised her hand like she was in a class. "And it won’t permanently damage the forest?"

Hiro shook his head. "No. Give it a day or two, and the network will reconnect naturally."

She visibly relaxed. "Cool."

"We get the solution, Sophia tracks it down." Ethan clapped his hands once. "Let’s go find ourselves a Forest werewolf."

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