May 28, 2025

A Plant Called Death - Terrifying Forest Horror with a Lovecraftian Twist

A Plant Called Death - Terrifying Forest Horror with a Lovecraftian Twist
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When a married couple ventures deep into the Pacific Northwest wilderness in search of a mythical flower, what starts as a quirky botanical quest spirals into a hallucinatory nightmare of glowing blood, eerie silence, and body horror.

In Bruce Haney’s A Plant Called Death, ancient legends come alive as a group of hikers stumbles upon a plant that shouldn’t exist—one that changes those who touch it. What follows is a chilling descent into madness, mutation, and survival as nature itself turns against them.

🌲 Perfect for fans of: The Ruins, Annihilation, and Lovecraftian horror with modern character dynamics.
🌸 Featuring: Mythical plants, eerie wilderness, found-footage vibes, gruesome transformations, and a truly unforgettable climax.


Get your very own signed copy of Weekly Spooky's The April Fool !

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
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📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Mark Shields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

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When a married couple ventures deep into the Pacific Northwest

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wilderness in search of a mythical flower. What starts as

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a quirky botanical quest spirals into a hallucinatory nightmare of

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glowing blood, eerie silence, and body horror. Join us for

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a descent into madness.

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What's that You want to be scared?

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Come with me. You will experience tales over our borah,

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ghosts and death.

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It is not recommended, but of weak at heart heart,

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listen us in the dark. It's more fun at that

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way way. This is Weekly Speaking.

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Hello, my spookies, It's Wednesday, and you know what that means.

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It's time for a little spooky in your weekly I'm

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your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and we have quite

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a terrifying story of hiking and nature and all that

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other terrible stuff. But before we get to that, I

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want to let you know that tomorrow, right here on

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the Weekly Spooky Feed, we have a little extra treat

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for your ears from a good friend, So make sure

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you tune in tomorrow and check it out. And on Friday,

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well we just might have a little bit of Edgar

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Allan Poe horror for you to enjoy, So make sure

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you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, and if you

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haven't already, leave us a five star rating at Apple

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podcast or Spotify. It really does help the show. And

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if you want to help us in a much more

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direct way, you can head to Weeklyspooky dot com slash Join.

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For as little as one dollar a month. You get

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bonus episodes twice a month, as well as over five

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years of creepy pasta readings, audiobooks, and so much more

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that's at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. Your support means

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everything to me. I really mean that. But now, as

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for tonight, they say the woods can be quiet, too quiet,

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and sometimes it means something is watching. In the Pacific Northwest,

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there's a legend about a flower that only blooms once

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every seventeen years. No one knows what it looks like

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because no one who's seen it has ever come back.

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The same Night's tale is about a camping trip, a

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mysterious plant, and the horrible things that can grow inside you.

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So get yourself cozy and we'll start after this A

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plant called Death by Bruce Haney. My wife was much

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more intelligent than I, and the nicer of the two

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of us. Yet she was the one who got us

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into that mess, the one that I found myself hiding

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from in the woods on what was supposed to be

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our vacation, terrified that she would find me. The quote

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unquote vacation was her idea. My idea of a perfect

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vacation was returning to Cabo to hang out at the

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pool bar, have a few drinks and read my books.

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Hers involved hiking two to three days deep into the

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woods to search for some elusive flower that may or

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may not exist. You have heard of the corpse flower

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and Morphophallus titan aram, right, that elusive, rotten smelling flower

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that only blooms every seven to ten years. Well what

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if I told you there was another rare flower with

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a weird blooming cycle, one that most people haven't heard of,

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and those who have think it's just a myth. My

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wife told me about it and said that it was

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called death. When she told me this, I asked, really,

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that's the name. Yeah, it's called death, just death, no

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hard to pronounce name that derives from from several Latin words,

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just death. Why not? Why is its name so simple

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when every other flower seems to have some long, hard

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to pronounce scientific name. She explained to me that no

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actual scientist had ever seen the flower. Most argued that

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it didn't exist because of how rare it was. They

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didn't even know how often it bloomed. Was it ten years,

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fifteen years, One estimated thirty, but Sarah didn't think it

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was quite that long of a blooming cycle. There were

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only a handful of references to it in historical documents,

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and one of those is believed to be fiction. One

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of the earliest references she found was in the third

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issue of Oregon's first newspaper, The Oregon Spectator. That article

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went something like this man found dead in a precarious position,

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in a condition that baffled the person who found them.

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There are no signs of any other people, and multiple

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large animals were found nearby in various states of mutilation.

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It might not have been Cabo, but it was exciting

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to get away from the city, away from work, and

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away from my phone. As we drove, my worries drifted

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away as we stopped passing Starbucks and McDonald's and started

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passing by trees and nature, eventually even spotting wildflowers along

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the side of the road. Yes, it rains all the

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time here, but that suffering pays off. Once spring hits,

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everything in the Pacific Northwest starts to bloom. We parked

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near the trailhead of Blue Ruined Pass, so named after

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an incident on the Oregon Trail where six men died

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after consuming some ill distilled liquor that people refer to

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as blue ruin. With us came our long term friends

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Jane and Tom, who were a couple that met through

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us at one of our summer backyard parties. Tom was

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a colleague of Sarah's. Jane was my buddy. We met

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about ten years ago. She was a regular at the

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bar near my house. We quickly became friends because of

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our shared taste in music. On karaoke nights, we both

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sang nineties alternative rock. I would sing songs like Semi

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Charmed Life and Flagpole Sida, and she would mostly sing

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songs by Sublime. There was never any flirting, at least

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from my end. If she had, it wouldn't have been

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noticed by me. My happy marriage kept me from looking

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for that kind of thing. Tom seemed like a stand

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up guy, so there were never any worries for me

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about the two of them flirting or anything like that,

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especially after he became partners with Jane. He was a

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bit of a hard hang for me. We didn't have

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nearly any shared interests. As I know, fuck all about

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plants and outside of his work, sports was his favorite subject,

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which I also know fuck about. You can't beat the

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Pacific Northwest for its nature, Tom said, while pulling his

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supplies out of the vehicle. You look so happy, baby,

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Jane said, I am. Six days in nature is heaven?

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Tom said, I'm just happy to be off work, I added.

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Sarah was busy going through her bags, making sure she

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had everything she needed. pH Meter check, shears check, nope, book, camera, yep, yep,

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there that is yep. I think I got everything. She

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smiled at me. How about you. I have clothes, portable meals,

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and our shelter. What else would I need? Vodka? Jane said, gross,

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I have a bottle of whiskey in my bag. I said,

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Then I think we're set, Jane replied. The first day

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was uneventful. We walked, took breaks, and chatted. It was

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a fairly easy trail. The elevation gain was moderate. The

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only struggle was a large down tree that had landed

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on the trail and that we had to climb over.

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It took Jane and Tom a couple of attempts. We

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didn't stop walking until nearly nightfall. After setting up the tents,

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we had dehydrated soup for dinner. It was all right,

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excusing myself from the group. The rest of my night

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was spent reading the new Charles Campbell book and sipping whiskey.

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In the middle of the night, there was a rustling

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sound outside our tent that woke me. Sarah, being a

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sound sleeper, was oblivious. It didn't quite sound like a human,

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so I didn't think it was Jane or Tom. Then

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there was a hissing sound that startled me. What the fuck?

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I said, a little too loudly. This startled Sarah, who

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bolted upright, what's wrong? Sorry, nothing, I just heard an

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animal outside moving around the camp. And then I got

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startled when I heard it. Hiss hiss. Yeah, like a

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bobcat or a cougar, Sarah said, revealing a bit of

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panic in her voice. Smaller, more like a possum. Oh okay,

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then go back to bed, she said. You know, possums

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freak me the fuck out. Yeah, And I don't know

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why they're adorable. They're disgusting, regardless of what crazy people

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on those TikTok videos you send me say. Sarah laughed.

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She knew my hatred of possums, so she sent me

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pro possum TikTok videos every day. Videos of people holding

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the disgusting things and saying stuff like, Oh, isn't he cute? Oh,

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he's just a little baby. Made my skin crawl. We

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heard a rustling against the tent again, which made me

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move closer to my wife.

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Don't go away, weekly, spooky. We'll be right back.

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Calm down, it's nothing. Come on, get to sleep. We

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have a long hike tomorrow. Okay. Another rustling was heard

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at the tent, and then I saw the impressions on

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the wall as it pushed its little hands against the material.

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Fuck this. Grabbing my shoe and hitting against the would

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be intruder seemed to scare it off. It hissed one

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more time. Then we could hear it run off. John,

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you heard it good? Why are you so afraid of possums? Experience?

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When I was little, I ran into the woods and

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one freaked me out. Why you imagine being alone in

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the woods as a young child and seeing what looks

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like a giant rat with mange hanging from a tree.

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I would have thought it was cute. That's because you're crazy,

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I joked, fuck you, she said, playfully. But the worst

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was when my mom spotted a wounded possum near our house.

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Because of its condition, she started feeding it. Everything was

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fine for a few days, and I even found myself

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warming up to the idea of them. But one night

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I was taking out the trash and it must have

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been around the time that my mom usually fed him,

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because I went outside and there was a dozen of

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them with their ugly pink skin and matted hair and

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beady eyes. I was already scared, and then they all

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started hissing, hiss, hiss, hiss, I said, squinting my face

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and holding my hands like claws. Sarah laughed, Hey, it

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was trauma to me. She continued to laugh. I'm sorry.

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I don't laugh at your trauma. My trauma isn't hilarious.

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The next morning, we woke up to discover the damage

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our nighttime visitors had done. There was no rhyme or

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reason for what they destroyed. It didn't appear that they

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were going after the food. After some powdered eggs on tortillas,

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we started our hike for the day. The end goal

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was to reach Root's Ridge by dark. From Sarah's calculations,

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she believed the death plant could be found around there.

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Remember keep your eyes peeled and your nose open. I

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don't expect to find it on the way, but you

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never know, she said, with excitement. So why do you

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think it'll be near the ridge? Jane asked, do you

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know the legend of Root's Ridge? Sarah asked, no, I

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just know it's supposed to have a great view of

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Cougar Lake was a semi popular route on the Oregon Trail.

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People supposedly stopped using it after the Barlow Trail was established,

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But I think it was the Roots family tragedy that

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led people trying to find another route. What happened to them,

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Jane asked, Well, it's hard to say what people wrote

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versus what happened isn't always the same thing, and people

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back then tended to shy away from the gory details.

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But one of the people who found them, for how

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messed up they were, said he would have rather come

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across the Donner party, and Sarah believes that the roots

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incident has something to do with the death plant. Tom said, Oh,

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so this plant has some kind of dark history to it,

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yet we are trying to find it. Jane said. They

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were also malnourished and in a state of starvation, which

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could explain some of what happened. Sarah exclaimed, plus, no

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one is going to force you to go near it.

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The rest of the hike that day felt off, but

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it was hard to place why. We were having fun.

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We had lots of amusing conversations. We found out that

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Tom fell in love with plants after seeing Little Shop

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of Horrors of all things. Jane told us the story

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of being busted as a teenager for shoplifting Green Day's

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American Idiot on CD. They wouldn't sell it to her

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because of the parental advisory sticker. Her mom was so

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mad that she took away all of her Green Day

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CDs since they were such a so called bad influence

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on her. Sarah also made me tell my possum stories

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so they could all join in on making fun of me.

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Tom was the one to figure out why the day

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felt so weird. Isn't it strange that we're in the

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middle of the woods, yet we hear almost no animal noises.

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I haven't even seen a gray squirrel today. That is strange,

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Sarah said. It's like that story I told her from

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that pulp writer, the really bad one, Henry B. Quinn.

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Sarah said, how did that go again? I have a

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copy with me, Sarah said, pulling off her pack to

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00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:40.680
dig for the Weird and Fantastic Monthly photo copy from

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00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:45.279
nineteen thirty one. Here it is. I don't want to

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read it. Come on, read it for us. Tom said, why,

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because it's the only entertainment we have out here. Jane said,

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Just read from here to there, Sarah said, pointing to

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the middle section of the second page. Okay, okay, the

233
00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:09.799
story went like this. I never did know what evil

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00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:15.839
scent hunch guided me into those preternaturally quiet woods. I

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had merely gone out to find a good stick for

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the purpose of whittling. But there I found myself, deep

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in the woods, at the witching hour of all hours,

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miles away from my humble cottage home. It was like

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I had walked there in a daze, guided by my

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nose chasing an indescribable scent. This daze that was broken

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00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:47.759
only when my eyes finally fell upon what a plant

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that I would come to call death. It stood tall

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00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:57.559
at three feet and was just as wide. Though the

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only light was the moon up above. It was fully illuminated.

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It was a color that couldn't be described, as it

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00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:12.200
was unlike anything that human eyes had ever laid eyes upon.

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You're not safe yet, weekly Spooky will be right back.

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Tom laughed. Sounds like a poor attempt at sounding like

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HP Lovecraft. Didn't HP publish his stories in that same rag, maybe,

250
00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:36.799
I said, as I wasn't that much of a fan

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of old literature, the HP Lovecraft comparison is apt. Sarah said.

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Henry Quinn was obsessed with Lovecraft, but he was one

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of the few people who couldn't get a pen pal

254
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relationship going with old HP. And he wrote to everybody.

255
00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:57.680
It's estimated that he wrote one hundred thousand letters in

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his lifetime. What we did Lovecraft call him? Again? I ask,

257
00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:10.599
an unintelligible, incompetent, titchy muddle pate, What does that even mean?

258
00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:16.160
Tom said, I forget something like a small idiot. I

259
00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:21.160
had to google it. We arrived at Root's Ridge at nightfall,

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and Sarah swore there was a strange scent in the air.

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00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.319
I just smelled the pine trees, but I never had

262
00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.839
that grade of a nose. She wanted to explore that

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00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:36.440
night to look for it, but we all talked her

264
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out of it, afraid that she would break her ankle

265
00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:43.039
on the rough terrain. We even talked her into drinking

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with us in celebration of making it to the ridge

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and the indescribable scent. It is quiet up here, Jane said,

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as she sipped her vodka with a crystal light packet

269
00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:03.319
in it. Every ounce counts when hiking, so powdered drink

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00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:08.759
mixes became our go to mixer, which is disgusting. That's

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00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:13.079
why Tom and I were drinking whiskey straight. I don't

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hear any movement in the woods at all, I added,

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isn't it nice, Tom said, and held his collapsible cup

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up to clink against mine. It's eerie, I said, But whatever,

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After a few more drinks, I won't mind it. Just

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00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:36.839
like the night before, I woke up to strange noises

277
00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:40.680
outside the tent. I was pretty sure I heard another

278
00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:45.039
possum hiss. I debated whether I should wake Sarah up,

279
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:48.119
but when I looked over to where she should have been.

280
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She wasn't there. I heard animals scatter when I opened

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00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:58.799
the tent. The footsteps sounded like they were from various

282
00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:03.559
sized animals, almost like all the different species in the

283
00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:08.640
woods came to meet at our campsite. Where were they

284
00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:14.400
all day? Sarah? I said out loud. It was not

285
00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.559
quite a whisper, but I didn't want to yell and

286
00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:21.000
wake Jenny and Tom up. But when I heard the

287
00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:25.720
zipper on their tent, I assumed I had. Did you

288
00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:31.400
hear all that? Jenny asked, in a yell whisper. Yeah, man,

289
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:36.000
did Sarah sleep through that? Tom asked, I don't know

290
00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:42.079
where she is? Oh. Tom said, she probably just went

291
00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:45.200
out to pitdle and then saw the animals and decided

292
00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:50.640
to wait to come back. That's possible, I guess, since

293
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they were both awake. Now. I took in a deep breath,

294
00:22:54.440 --> 00:23:00.440
funneled my hands around my mouth, and yelled Sarah. I

295
00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:05.079
did this in each direction, not getting a response. I

296
00:23:05.160 --> 00:23:11.039
waited two minutes and did it again. Damn, I said.

297
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:15.000
Then I walked back to my tent and grabbed my flashlight.

298
00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.960
I noticed hers was gone, as was the small bag

299
00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:23.480
where she kept her plant tools. When I came out,

300
00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:28.160
Tom and Sarah had their flashlights out. What's the plan,

301
00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:33.160
Jane asked. We decided we would stay together and for

302
00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:36.680
now we would only explore one hundred yards from the

303
00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:41.839
camp in each direction. We found nothing when we went south,

304
00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:47.440
nor when we went north. When we went west, though,

305
00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:51.799
we came across a patch of white flowers that were

306
00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:56.480
unlike anything I had ever seen. When we put our

307
00:23:56.519 --> 00:23:59.960
flashlights on them, I could see that the whole plant

308
00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:06.319
was translucent and white, from the stem to the flowers. God,

309
00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:12.599
those are strange. It's just Monotropa uniflora, aka the ghost plant.

310
00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:18.960
Tom said, they're parasitic, so should we go around? I asked,

311
00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:23.440
It feeds on fungus instead of sunlight. Unless you're part

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00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:28.839
fung guy, heresafe, Tom said, and laughed. Jane moved her

313
00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:32.440
flashlight further into the group of the ghost plant and

314
00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:37.400
then gave a little scream. Tom and I looked over

315
00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:43.079
to wear her flashlight illuminated specks of blood. The red

316
00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:46.160
drops on the translucent white made them look like the

317
00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:52.119
blood was glowing. What the fuck, Jane said, There are

318
00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:54.920
a lot of animals in the woods. I'm sure it's

319
00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:58.480
just blood dripping from something carrying a rabbit through here,

320
00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:03.599
or a bleeding buck from a fight. Tom reassured us

321
00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.680
put out your flashlights quick, I said, then put my

322
00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:12.200
hand over the front of my light. Tom and Jane followed.

323
00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:18.000
Even without our flashlights, we could see the blood because

324
00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:23.119
it was, in fact glowing. Does the blood of a

325
00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:29.839
dead rabbit or buck glow? Jane asked, maybe a chemical

326
00:25:29.880 --> 00:25:34.720
reaction between the plant and the blood. I asked, I

327
00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:39.279
doubt it. Tom told us. I began to walk in

328
00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:44.960
that direction. Where are you going? Jane asked, it's the

329
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:50.319
only clue we have, I said, and continued forward. They

330
00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:53.920
argued that my wife's blood doesn't glow, so it can't

331
00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:58.440
be hers, but I didn't listen. We saw more blood

332
00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:01.759
along the way. It was an easy path to follow,

333
00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:04.880
but at the end of the trail we didn't find

334
00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:09.000
my wife. We found a dead deer that had its

335
00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:14.200
guts opened and splayed on the ground. The strangest part

336
00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:17.880
was that its legs appeared to be broken and pulled

337
00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:22.480
into angles that didn't make sense, like it had been

338
00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:25.799
dropped from a distance or attacked by something that could

339
00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:31.319
grab and pull back its legs. What the fuck? Tom said,

340
00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:36.079
in the distance, I heard movement in the woods. Be quiet.

341
00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:41.519
We stood there in silence as whatever was making that

342
00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:46.680
noise headed in our direction. Jane held on to her husband,

343
00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:50.920
but reached over to hold my hand as well. That

344
00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:55.440
glowing blood and the way that deer was killed spooked me.

345
00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.640
Why didn't I grab the bear mace before leaving my tent?

346
00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:04.559
It was getting closer. I could hear it struggle as

347
00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:08.039
it made its way up the ridge. Once it did,

348
00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:11.960
it would only be twenty five yards in front of us.

349
00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:15.920
That only gave us a slight advantage if we had

350
00:27:15.960 --> 00:27:19.640
to run, and if it was a cougar or a bear,

351
00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:23.200
it wasn't an advantage at all.

352
00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:30.640
Are you afraid? Good? Weekly spooky, We'll be right back.

353
00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:36.640
Put out your lights. When it was near the top

354
00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:41.480
of the ridge, we knew it was human. We could

355
00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:46.240
see light from a flashlight. I held my breath and

356
00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:51.160
hoped it was Sarah. As soon as the person got

357
00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:55.559
to the top, they pointed their light at us. How

358
00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:59.599
they knew exactly where we stood in the darkness, I

359
00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:03.880
had no idea. The light was too bright to know

360
00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:07.880
who it was. I looked away and thought about what

361
00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:14.039
I should do guys, you have to see this, Sarah said,

362
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.480
feeling relieved that it was my wife. I let go

363
00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:22.440
of Jenny's hand and made my way to her. You

364
00:28:22.599 --> 00:28:27.279
had me so worried, but my fear returned when I

365
00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:30.839
saw the blood on my old white, oversized blink one

366
00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:35.759
eighty two shirt that she always slept in. What happened

367
00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:40.960
to you? She looked down. Oh this a deer attacked me.

368
00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:47.240
You killed that deer? I asked. It was either me

369
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:51.039
or it. I think it might have been rabbid. Thank

370
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:54.960
god it didn't bite me, she said, like it wasn't

371
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.519
that big of a deal. Come with me. We watched

372
00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:03.359
as she turned around and headed down the ridge. We

373
00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:08.160
were all hesitant, but we followed. The terrain was rough

374
00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:13.079
but not impossible. Jane almost fell, but Tom was able

375
00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:16.960
to catch her. I think she was still buzzed. She

376
00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:20.839
could always drink me under the table. When we got

377
00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:23.440
to the bottom of the ridge, I could tell that

378
00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:28.200
our destination was through the trees. A hundred yards or so.

379
00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:32.920
I saw there was a light. I found it. I

380
00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:37.400
can't believe I really found it, Sarah said, as she

381
00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:40.400
guided us to what I imagined was the so called

382
00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:45.640
death plant. It stood about four feet tall in the

383
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:49.640
middle of a clearing. Around it sat what appeared to

384
00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:54.160
be large boulders that were covered in so much moss

385
00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:57.960
and plant life that they must have been moved there

386
00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:03.559
a long time ago. The plant had a translucent quality

387
00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:07.039
to it that was not unlike the ghost plant, but

388
00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:11.960
just like that, amateur weird fiction writer wrote, it gave

389
00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:18.519
off an indescribable scent, not necessarily bad, but not a

390
00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:23.880
welcoming smell either. I found myself wanting to run, yet

391
00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:27.799
transfixed as I tried to comprehend what I was looking at.

392
00:30:28.839 --> 00:30:32.480
Right now, as I write this, I closed my eyes

393
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:36.119
and try to recall what it looked like, and I

394
00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:39.599
can barely picture it. I want to say that it

395
00:30:39.720 --> 00:30:44.119
was a large flower with different shades of black and purple,

396
00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:48.279
but the colors were ever changing, and the longer I

397
00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:52.119
stared at it, the more the feeling of sickness came

398
00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:56.599
over me. Sarah walked right up to it and went

399
00:30:56.680 --> 00:31:01.960
to touch it. Don't I said. She just smiled at

400
00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:05.279
me as she first touched, and then she slid her

401
00:31:05.319 --> 00:31:11.680
hand right through its pulpy mass without any resistance, and

402
00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:15.359
when she pulled her hand back It showed no sign

403
00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:21.119
that it had ever been penetrated. But her hand was different.

404
00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:27.400
It glowed in shifting colors of black, purple, and blue.

405
00:31:28.440 --> 00:31:31.519
As she moved her hands around and opened and closed

406
00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:35.759
her fingers, we could all see these particles of glowing

407
00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:43.039
matter jumping from finger to finger. What the fuck? Jane

408
00:31:43.079 --> 00:31:47.160
and I said in unison. Sarah looked back at the

409
00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:52.400
plant and then nodded her head like it was telling

410
00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:57.759
her something. She smiled and put both hands into the plant,

411
00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:03.200
then back out and took the glowing substance and rubbed

412
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:09.880
it through her hair. Stop she didn't. She continued wiping

413
00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:14.640
the goo onto her face and her arms, then put

414
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:19.960
her hands back in for more. This time, she took

415
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.279
her covered hand and wiped the glowing substance all over

416
00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:28.920
the inside of her mouth. The fuck are you doing?

417
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:34.000
I think we need to go, Jane said. Tom took

418
00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:39.119
her hand and they began to walk away. When Sarah

419
00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:44.880
began to float a few inches off the ground, they

420
00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:49.960
took off running. Sarah grabbed Jane's other arm so hard

421
00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:52.839
that it not only pulled them both to the ground,

422
00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:59.079
but I heard her arm break in several places. Tom

423
00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:04.079
let go of her and ran. Sarah followed him, so

424
00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:08.400
I grabbed Jane, who was screaming in pure agony, and

425
00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:12.680
dragged her in the opposite direction. As we ran, I

426
00:33:12.839 --> 00:33:18.319
started shushing her, be quiet, be quiet please. I took

427
00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:22.079
us to the embankment to climb up in a different area,

428
00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:27.039
which I believed would take us close to our camping site.

429
00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:30.200
She was out of her mind in pain and panic,

430
00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:34.720
and it was a near impossible task, but we were

431
00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:38.039
able to get up there without my wife catching us.

432
00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:41.599
I didn't want to think about what she was doing

433
00:33:41.640 --> 00:33:45.440
to Tom. I wondered if he would look like that

434
00:33:45.599 --> 00:33:51.039
deer or worse back at the camp site. I grabbed

435
00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:55.000
a backpack and filled it with essentials, food and water.

436
00:33:55.839 --> 00:34:00.400
Jenny grabbed her bottle of vodka and chugged it something

437
00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:04.039
to numb the pain. She told me, we need to

438
00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:07.880
keep moving. Is there anything else you need? Jane grabbed

439
00:34:07.880 --> 00:34:10.920
a jacket and winced in pain as she slid it

440
00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:15.599
over her broken arm and then onto the other. I

441
00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:20.880
think I'm good, she said, and gave a fake smile. Okay,

442
00:34:21.280 --> 00:34:26.960
let's go. Before we could, we heard breaking branches and

443
00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:31.920
crunching brush, as if somebody was running through the rough terrain.

444
00:34:33.639 --> 00:34:37.960
We didn't wait around. We took off running. I was

445
00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:41.239
afraid that my wife would find us, because Jane was

446
00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:44.719
crying out in pain from the shaking of her broken

447
00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:50.679
arm as she ran. But to my surprise, we got away.

448
00:34:52.840 --> 00:34:57.719
U sh it was only the wind. Your safe, weekly spooky.

449
00:34:57.800 --> 00:34:58.840
We'll be right back.

450
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:04.800
When the sun came out, we realized we were not

451
00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:09.800
on the trail back like we had thought. Feeling defeated

452
00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:14.000
and worn out, we decided to get some sleep since

453
00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:20.400
we hadn't heard her sounds in hours. Jane found us

454
00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:25.039
a nice spot to hide, semi hidden between two down trees.

455
00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:28.960
I found a few broken branches to put over the

456
00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:33.039
top to further aid our hiding spot. It might have

457
00:35:33.159 --> 00:35:37.519
helped us camouflage, but it didn't help when the spring

458
00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:43.159
rain came. We held each other for warmth before we

459
00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:48.079
fell asleep. Jane spoke, do you think Tom made it?

460
00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:53.440
I don't know. Do you think my wife can be saved?

461
00:35:54.320 --> 00:36:00.679
It has to be some kind of tocsin, right? Sure? Sure,

462
00:36:01.519 --> 00:36:07.440
Jane said, trying to comfort me in case we die.

463
00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:11.239
I just want you to know I always loved you

464
00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:15.599
as a friend, of course, but if things were different,

465
00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:19.119
and if Sarah, wasn't so damn good for you. I mean,

466
00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:26.480
before the toxic plant induced psychosis and murderousness, I would

467
00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:30.119
have wanted to be with you. I held her tighter

468
00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:37.000
and fell asleep. We woke up hours later, freezing and

469
00:36:37.159 --> 00:36:42.840
drenched from rain. But that wasn't what woke us. It

470
00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:49.280
was the sound of something moving in the woods. Curiosity

471
00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:54.679
kept us hiding instead of running. Jane stared with intent

472
00:36:54.880 --> 00:36:58.360
in the direction of the noise. I think she was

473
00:36:58.440 --> 00:37:02.320
hoping it was her husband. The part that piqued my

474
00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:07.599
interest was the irregular pattern of its movement. The sound

475
00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:12.480
was unnerving your whole life. You're used to the rhythm

476
00:37:12.519 --> 00:37:18.159
of how things move, sometimes with slight differences. Some people

477
00:37:18.280 --> 00:37:22.519
drag their feet more than others. But this was different.

478
00:37:23.599 --> 00:37:35.440
Nothing moved like this. It was thud pause, thud, thud, pause, thud,

479
00:37:35.559 --> 00:37:41.679
thud thud. When it appeared, Jane gripped my hand harder.

480
00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:45.519
Her face froze in terror, with her mouth open, like

481
00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:48.760
she meant to scream, but was in too much shock

482
00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:54.239
to do so. Tears were filling her eyes. I looked

483
00:37:54.280 --> 00:37:59.599
back at Tom, who was heading our way. The changed Tom,

484
00:38:00.199 --> 00:38:04.239
with his broken limbs, he walked on his hands and legs,

485
00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:07.960
and each time he stepped you could see the bones

486
00:38:08.239 --> 00:38:11.800
shifting at the points where they were broken instead of

487
00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:16.000
at the joints. He also had the purple plant goo

488
00:38:16.519 --> 00:38:22.320
rubbed on him in various spots. Tom. Jane yelled, I

489
00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:25.800
put my hand over her mouth. If he can continue

490
00:38:25.840 --> 00:38:29.800
moving in that state, he is no longer your Tom.

491
00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:34.840
He is either something else or so insane that he

492
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:38.639
can't be trusted. I took my hand off her mouth.

493
00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:44.159
We've got to go. Her gaze was transfixed on him now.

494
00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:48.480
She didn't respond, so I stood up and grabbed her

495
00:38:48.519 --> 00:38:52.559
by the shoulders to get her up and moving. This

496
00:38:53.079 --> 00:38:58.360
was a mistake. It saw us the thing that once was.

497
00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:05.480
Tom smiled, revealing his blood stained mouth and teeth. He

498
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:08.039
was so broken that it could have been his own

499
00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:11.400
blood coming out of his mouth from the sheer trauma

500
00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:15.880
he had been through, or maybe he had killed and

501
00:39:16.119 --> 00:39:22.480
eaten something on the way up here. Hello, honey, Tom said.

502
00:39:23.320 --> 00:39:27.239
This snapped Jane out of it, and she turned to run.

503
00:39:28.559 --> 00:39:32.679
I did the same. But that was the moment we

504
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:38.239
saw something glowing in the woods heading our way. It

505
00:39:38.280 --> 00:39:42.639
didn't take long to realize it was my wife now

506
00:39:42.760 --> 00:39:47.480
covered head to toe in the purple goo from that plant.

507
00:39:48.480 --> 00:39:52.239
She was illuminated, and just like that plant, she had

508
00:39:52.280 --> 00:39:57.679
become semi transparent. I could see her now purple blood

509
00:39:57.800 --> 00:40:01.800
rushing through her body, and I could see her heart

510
00:40:02.239 --> 00:40:06.719
pumping it. We heard a scream behind us, and we

511
00:40:06.840 --> 00:40:10.360
turned to see Tom leaping into the air towards us.

512
00:40:11.239 --> 00:40:13.320
He might have been able to get into the air

513
00:40:13.519 --> 00:40:18.199
using his broken limbs, but when he landed, his body

514
00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:22.360
couldn't support the weight and he dropped hard to the ground.

515
00:40:23.320 --> 00:40:27.800
With that his right femur broke through the skin. This

516
00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:31.920
didn't stop him. He now dragged that broken limb as

517
00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:36.840
he continued his pursuit. Jane grabbed my hand and pulled

518
00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:40.400
me to run. We headed back down the main path

519
00:40:40.480 --> 00:40:44.039
in the direction of the car. Of course, even at

520
00:40:44.119 --> 00:40:48.599
running speed, it would take hours to get back. We

521
00:40:48.880 --> 00:40:51.800
just had to lose them. I knew we could get

522
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:56.039
away from Tom, but Sarah was always faster than I,

523
00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:01.239
and with her death plant energy or whatever, who knew

524
00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:05.360
what that did for her speed. We ran and hoped

525
00:41:05.400 --> 00:41:08.440
that they were not catching up. But when we got

526
00:41:08.480 --> 00:41:11.320
to that one area of the trail that we hit earlier,

527
00:41:11.840 --> 00:41:15.360
and had to climb over the down tree. I leaped

528
00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:19.559
over it and landed on the other side and kept going.

529
00:41:21.039 --> 00:41:25.559
Then a few seconds later I heard a large thud.

530
00:41:26.320 --> 00:41:29.360
Jane had tried to do the same and must not

531
00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:34.360
have jumped high enough and tripped, landing face down hard

532
00:41:35.039 --> 00:41:40.800
on the ground. Sarah, in her ghoulish condition, suddenly appeared

533
00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:44.920
on top of that down tree, stopping me from wanting

534
00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:50.840
to move forward to help Jane. Hia, john why don't

535
00:41:50.880 --> 00:41:54.800
you come here and give your wife a little kiss?

536
00:41:55.960 --> 00:42:01.480
She said, and pursed her lips. Her now purple saliva

537
00:42:02.400 --> 00:42:08.800
dripped out of her mouth a rain check. But I

538
00:42:09.159 --> 00:42:14.599
just need a little kiss. Come on, Johnny, just a

539
00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:20.239
little kiss. More of the thick slime dripped out of

540
00:42:20.239 --> 00:42:25.280
her mouth. It made me sick to my stomach. I'm

541
00:42:25.400 --> 00:42:30.400
just not in a sexy kind of mood. I continued

542
00:42:30.440 --> 00:42:34.199
the conversation in hopes that it would give Jane time

543
00:42:34.320 --> 00:42:37.320
to get up. She was starting to move a bit,

544
00:42:38.559 --> 00:42:42.440
but then an arm appeared on the down tree, and

545
00:42:42.559 --> 00:42:46.880
quickly I saw it was Tom pulling himself on top

546
00:42:46.920 --> 00:42:51.639
of it as well. His body was hideous, not just

547
00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:55.440
from the mutilations and limbs being bent, in weird directions,

548
00:42:56.440 --> 00:42:59.960
but he was now bloody and beaten up from using

549
00:43:00.239 --> 00:43:06.519
that broken body to pursue us. Jane, come on. She

550
00:43:06.599 --> 00:43:09.679
put her arms out and started to get up, but

551
00:43:09.840 --> 00:43:14.360
then Tom leaped onto her back and began biting huge

552
00:43:14.519 --> 00:43:18.400
chunks out of her. Jane looked up at me in terror.

553
00:43:19.320 --> 00:43:22.639
I was full of fear, but I moved towards her

554
00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:26.599
to try and get him off, But then her wilderness

555
00:43:26.599 --> 00:43:32.960
friends appeared behind her, all covered in the slime. There

556
00:43:33.039 --> 00:43:37.119
was a deer, a beaver, and a few squirrels, but

557
00:43:37.239 --> 00:43:43.920
what terrified me most was the half dozen hissing possums.

558
00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:48.599
I froze, but when Sarah jumped down and all her

559
00:43:48.679 --> 00:43:56.599
critters followed, I ran, leaving my best friend behind. It

560
00:43:56.719 --> 00:44:00.599
seemed like I had run for hours, but who knows

561
00:44:01.239 --> 00:44:06.559
pure adrenaline is disorientating. Only once I ran out of

562
00:44:06.599 --> 00:44:11.679
all energy did I look behind me. Thankfully, there was

563
00:44:11.719 --> 00:44:16.840
nothing following. Stopping was a mistake. Once I did, my

564
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:21.760
body tightened up and I could barely move. So with

565
00:44:21.880 --> 00:44:25.800
the little energy I had, I walked slowly off the

566
00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:30.159
trail and sat behind a down tree that barely hid me.

567
00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:35.679
But it was as far as I could go. Next

568
00:44:35.719 --> 00:44:39.920
to the tree was a rhododendron bush. I used to

569
00:44:40.039 --> 00:44:44.800
like these, but their purple color was now ugly to me.

570
00:44:46.039 --> 00:44:49.880
The warmth from the sun as night became day once

571
00:44:49.920 --> 00:45:00.199
again felt nice, and despite everything, I found myself falling asleep.

572
00:45:06.280 --> 00:45:09.519
When I woke up in the afternoon, I made my

573
00:45:09.639 --> 00:45:14.480
way to the car. Whatever happened to them, I don't know.

574
00:45:15.960 --> 00:45:19.400
I went to the police and reported the incident. Some

575
00:45:19.639 --> 00:45:23.079
rangers went up there, and there were search parties as well.

576
00:45:24.320 --> 00:45:27.960
Everyone in my life looked down on me for not

577
00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:31.960
joining in the search, and it made some think that

578
00:45:32.079 --> 00:45:38.039
I must have killed them. Hopefully this will make everybody understand,

579
00:45:38.119 --> 00:45:43.360
but since I am writing this from the Locust Grove

580
00:45:43.519 --> 00:45:48.320
Mental Hospital, I don't know how much credence people will

581
00:45:48.360 --> 00:45:52.159
give it. All I can say is to make sure

582
00:45:52.239 --> 00:45:56.920
that you stay away from Roots Ridge, especially in the

583
00:45:56.960 --> 00:46:00.480
spring of two thousand and thirty nine, which should be

584
00:46:00.599 --> 00:46:04.599
the next time it blooms. If Sarah's calculations were right

585
00:46:05.440 --> 00:46:16.559
about its blooming every seventeen years, well, my spookyes, I

586
00:46:16.599 --> 00:46:19.159
hope that helps put you into the right mood and

587
00:46:19.239 --> 00:46:22.559
spirit as you decide to head out on that springtime

588
00:46:22.679 --> 00:46:26.360
hike as the weather continues to get warm and cheery,

589
00:46:27.599 --> 00:46:31.719
or does it well regardless, just make sure you wear

590
00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:34.480
a good pair of hiking boots. Thank you so much

591
00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:37.360
for joining me this week on Weekly Spooky. I very

592
00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:40.639
much appreciate it, and I hope you're subscribed because we

593
00:46:40.719 --> 00:46:43.800
have so many more stories to bring you. Today was

594
00:46:43.880 --> 00:46:48.320
three hundred and thirty two stories shared on the program

595
00:46:48.679 --> 00:46:52.599
and we have no plan to slow down. So subscribe

596
00:46:52.599 --> 00:46:55.039
on your favorite podcasting app and be ready for a

597
00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:59.519
little taste of Halloween every single week, because that's how

598
00:46:59.559 --> 00:47:03.159
we live in the Spooky lifestyle. And if you want

599
00:47:03.159 --> 00:47:06.480
to support us and help us go another three hundred

600
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and thirty two episodes, head to weeeklyspooky dot com slash

601
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join For as little as one dollar a month, you

602
00:47:13.360 --> 00:47:16.280
get two bonus shows every month, as well as over

603
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five years of creepy pasta readings, audiobooks, and so very

604
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much more. That's Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. And speaking

605
00:47:25.480 --> 00:47:27.760
of I want to say an extra special thank you

606
00:47:27.800 --> 00:47:31.239
to our Patreon podcast boosters. These are folks who pay

607
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just a little bit more to hear their name at

608
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609
00:47:36.280 --> 00:47:41.119
Jessica Fuller, Jenny Green, Amber Hansford, Brent mccaullaugh, Karen Wee,

610
00:47:41.159 --> 00:47:44.480
met Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen. If you want to

611
00:47:44.480 --> 00:47:46.039
hear your name at the end of the show out

612
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:50.199
of my silky spooky voice, just head to Weeklyspooky dot

613
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Com slash join and choose a tear at fifteen dollars

614
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a month or higher. It really does make a huge difference,

615
00:47:57.360 --> 00:47:59.760
And we're getting ready to launch a brand new strict

616
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Feld novel which we'll be releasing two chapters per month

617
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over at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join, so make sure

618
00:48:07.159 --> 00:48:10.159
you sign up and join over ninety other spookies in

619
00:48:10.239 --> 00:48:13.559
supporting Halloween all year long. But now it's time for

620
00:48:13.599 --> 00:48:15.599
me to get back to it. I'll have more for

621
00:48:15.679 --> 00:48:18.760
you very soon, so for myself, for my producer Dan Wilder,

622
00:48:18.760 --> 00:48:22.559
my executive producers Rob Fields, Markshieldanpapoltopia dot com, and my

623
00:48:22.639 --> 00:48:26.960
composer Raymatis. I'll talk at you next time. Thank you

624
00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:27.920
for listening me.

625
00:48:28.679 --> 00:48:31.760
Make sure to find your way back next week Weekly,

626
00:48:32.320 --> 00:48:37.559
But for now you are safe, trust me.