Chapter 1
The Beginning of the End
Marv’s Tree Emporium, Early June
Marv wasn’t prepared for a tree to have sprouted in his shop, but it was there as if by magic. The sapling reminded him of a birch or aspen with a white trunk and vibrant green leaves, but the smell was all wrong. The tree had a phosphorus scent, like a freshly opened pack of fireworks.
It wasn’t odd that a new tree had appeared. In the hundred or so acres where he grew and supplied the Portland-area with trees for front lawns, business parking lots, new construction, and a healthy Christmas hustle every year, he always had trees sprouting where they weren’t supposed to.
If a new sprout appeared outside the orderly rows where he grew a wide variety of stock, he would try to replant it in the appropriate row. He could already tell that this tree wasn’t going to transplant well because of the way it had appeared in the first place. At six pm, when he had closed the shop earlier that evening, there was no tree in the building.
A couple of hours later, he had wandered the path from his house, which sat hidden on the property, to the store so he could order some supplies. Marv made a point to have no computers or televisions in his home. He didn’t like screens, and smartphones even less. Regular trips to Powell’s provided all the entertainment he needed. Whenever he wanted to use a computer, or any device with connectivity, he had to hike the path to his store.
The building was a big brown structure and visible from the US-26 highway, which had been strangely busy for the time of night. Marv supposed all the cars flooding out from the Portland area must be on their way to the ocean or something. Traffic always seemed to be worse in the summer. Though it was a strange time of night for a road trip.
The store’s interior was only four rooms. The largest one was the merchandise floor where he had fertilizer, insecticides, lady bugs, anything a person would need for taking care of their trees, plus some camping gear he got at an auction a while back that never seemed to sell. The two small rooms were restrooms and the fourth was his office behind the cash register, where he would watch Netflix when no one was in the store.
His lack of screens at his own home wasn’t because he hated TV. It was more that he knew he would do nothing but binge his favorite shows. At least during business hours, customers and tasks would interrupt him and prevent him from wasting the entire day.
He had planned to just place a couple orders from his suppliers and then be back at the house before his husband knew he was gone. However, the moment he walked into the sales floor and saw a tree sticking up through the concrete in the middle of the gardening tools aisle, he knew it was going to be a long night.
The concrete looked like the tree had burst out, resembling sidewalks in old neighborhoods where the roots had reclaimed some of the land. The building was on a slab foundation, so it would have taken considerable force for it to erupt through like it had. The tree itself was also odd in the sense that it was at least one to three years old.
The grain of the bark and the leaves were also mismatched. The leaves were robust, much like a maple tree, but the bark was white with black knots in the wood. It was fascinating to behold. He was pretty sure that it was a new type of tree. Not only would he be the discoverer of it, but he was well-equipped to sell it.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you. You’re going to make me lots of money,” Marv said, as he touched the tree. His half smile turned into a grimace. The bark was very sticky, and when he attempted to pull his hand away, it wouldn’t budge. The branches of the sapling bent toward him.
A tendril of wood wrapped around his arm and coiled toward his chest. Marv screamed, but he knew that it was a futile effort. His partner was exercising on that damned bike, and the headphones would drown out any chance of hearing him. Not that the sound would even carry all the way back to his house.
He struggled to free himself as the tree took hold of his other limbs and the leaves twisted around his head. Once the first branch was above his heart, it thrust into his chest. He cried out in pain just before the leaves muffled his scream.
