Full Body Chills - Twisted Roots

Episode Date: October 24, 2022

A story of rotten hearts and the blight blooms within.Twisted RootsWritten by Valarie PhilipsYou can read the original story and view the episode art at fullbodychillspodcast.com. Looking for more chills? Follow Full Body Chills on Instagram @fullbodychillspod. Full Body Chills is an audiochuck production. Instagram: @audiochuckTwitter: @audiochuckFacebook: /audiochuckllcTikTok: @audiochuck

This episode was produced with audio effects in full surround sound. For the best experience, we kindly recommend you listen with headphones. Hi, listeners. I'm Jamie Lake, and I have a story I want to tell you. A story of rotten hearts and the blight that blooms within. So gather around and, close. It started with the animals. Back then, it was the natural order of things, and I didn't interfere.

They came to me often in shredded ribbons, gnashed and bloody, torn apart by predators of the woods. Sometimes it was more peaceful than that. The lucky ones got to die old and take a relieved final breath. Their bodies nourished the trees. They fertilized the soil, fed the worms and beetles and scavengers, and made the plants grow thick and tall. My hunger was very well satisfied. It was more than just their bodies, though.

Their spirits would join with the forest. The creatures would flit around for a while as ethereal beings of light and grace before softly flickering out to somewhere beyond. It was a temporary joy, but a much-needed one. My favorites have always been the rabbits. They were my pets.

They were my friends. The only ones I'd had since my own flesh and bone joined this quiet little corner of the world. I don't know how time works anymore. I can only make a guess about how long I've been here based on the way my old physical body has changed. It's a soft sort of decay. I too fed the roots of trees and plants, blood and tissue seeping into the earth. Now I'm merely bones. Years must have passed.

Someday that old skeleton will simply be dust, indistinguishable from the hungry earth around it. But I'll still be here in every tree, every branch, every blade of grass. I had resigned myself to this somewhat lonely, if not entirely unpleasant existence. That is, until the day I met her.

That was when everything changed. She was young, human, maybe nine or ten years old, and she was alone. She was crying because she was lost, having stumbled away from her family's campsite and landing under my dark canopy of trees. Her sorrow felt like my own. She was scared they would never find her. I remembered what that was like. It'll be okay. I didn't expect her to hear me. No one ever had before. But she lifted her head and looked around. Is someone there? I was shocked at first. And then I was thrilled. This girl was special. I should have noticed it before. I'm here. You are not alone.

I can't see you, but I can hear you in my head. I can feel you. How old are you? It was such an innocent question. She wasn't afraid of me. She didn't care that she couldn't see me or that I was speaking in her mind. Maybe she was still young enough to believe in some type of magic. She just wanted to know how old I was.

I considered the question for a moment. I felt ageless, but that didn't seem like the right thing to say. I wanted this girl to like me for reasons I couldn't really understand. I decided to answer truthfully, or at least answer with how old I was when I had died. Fourteen. Well, that's cool. Will you be my friend?

There are no words for how that felt. Yes, of course. For the next half hour, she kept me company. I told her my name was Alice, since that was what it used to be. Her name was Kayla. I reassured her that her family would soon find her. It was true. I could feel their trampling feet upon the soil coming ever closer. To pass the time, I showed Kayla several of my tricks. How I could make the trees bend and sway even without a breeze. How I could make leaves flutter or stick a tree root up in a little wave.

If she wanted, I could have led her to the sweetest berry bushes or the secret little lake that was nearby. Perhaps we would see some fish or frogs there. I felt like Kayla would have enjoyed that. I wish she could have stayed forever and kept me company. But all too soon, her parents found her. They were so relieved to see her. They hugged and cried. I watched it all with deep sorrow and jealousy.

Before she left with them, I whispered to her a desperate plea. Come visit me again someday. I promise. Then she walked away hand in hand with her father. Soon enough, the little family went too far beyond my reach. I couldn't feel Kayla anymore. They must have made it back out of the woods. It would be minutes and hours and years before I would see her again.

There was a part of me that really didn't believe Kayla would ever return. When she finally came back, it felt too good to be true. I felt her footsteps wander tentatively through the forest. She was older. A teenager. Her long blonde hair caught the scraps of sunlight until the canopy of trees threw her into total shade. I thought she was very beautiful. Alice?

My emotions soared. It really was her and she really had remembered me. It had been years for her, but she remembered. It made me feel so real, so valued. And here, I made the tree trunks bend almost in a cordial bow as proof. The look on her face was equal parts relief and joy. I'm so glad I found you again. Kayla spent the next while talking to me, telling me how her life had been going since we last were together. She wanted to come sooner, she said, but hadn't been able to convince her parents without telling them what was going on.

And if she had, they wouldn't have believed her. She half didn't believe herself most days, but she still wanted to come back to be sure. But now I have a car of my own and a driver's license and freedom. I can visit you now, almost whenever I want. I was amazed by her words. It meant so much to me to have a willing friend like Kayla. Alice, I wanted to ask you something. Are you, like, a fairy? This girl.

This lovely girl. She was sixteen years old and had driven herself into the woods to ask about fairies. Kayla was certainly strange. I didn't want to lie to her, though. I knew that wouldn't be right. Actually, I'm more of a spirit, I guess. I was human once. Kayla's eyes widened.

Why are you here now? I was killed here. There was a man. I thought we were friends. I thought I could killed here. There was a man. I thought we were friends. I thought I could trust him. That was a mistake. He was nothing more than a monster. He buried me here when he was done.

No one ever found me. Kayla looked horrified and upset. This was not the kind of reunion I might have hoped for. Being caught up in my own bitter memories. That's awful. I'm so sorry. Will you show me where? It was an odd request.

I couldn't imagine beautiful and kind Kayla having to see the ugliness of it all. I preferred to be the trees and the earth and the plants that I had become, not just the rotting bones of my past. But still, I could deny Kayla nothing. Okay, I said. I swept some of the grass and weeds down with a flourish, creating a path for Kayla to follow and clearing back brambles as she went. She walked with steady determination. I would have thought she might be scared, but she wasn't. I admired her for that bravery,

and for her willingness to see the truth of me. Finally, after a bit of a trek deeper into the woods, she reached the patch of earth where I lay beneath several feet of dirt at the base of an old, gnarled tree. Some weeds had grown over the area, but much of the soil was still loose from recent rain. Here, Kayla kneeled down and began to dig with her hands. I marveled at the way she didn't care about getting dirty. It took a long time for her to reach the first bone. Even longer to find what once had been my skull. It was broken in several places.

She touched it with a delicate finger. Her lips quivered slightly. I'm so sorry, Alice. Is there anything you want me to do? I didn't think it would matter if she told someone or not. I was as much at rest as I felt I ever would be. And mortal justice was a concept that had long since left me. I was also afraid.

I feared if I was moved I might flicker out like the other animals. I feared there might be nothing beyond, nothing waiting for me. No, please don't tell anyone. She spent the next while tenderly recovering the body with dirt. I assisted by sinking some of the soil here and there. After it was done, Kayla wiped her hands on her jeans and sat down at the base of a nearby tree opposite of my body. She would glance at the patch of earth occasionally, but when she spoke to me, her head was lifted towards the treetops. I appreciated that she still thought of me as the beautiful nature around her, and not the decayed skeleton she had found.

You know, someone hurt me once too, and suddenly I got flashes of her memories. The violence of a young man, Kayla's struggle, her pain, her fear, the horror she went through was all too familiar. The suffocating feeling, the violation of it. Rage swelled up inside me. No one would believe me. He still goes to my school. I have to see him every day. The world had not changed so much, I realized.

Brutality still ruled over the innocent. Evil men still did evil things. Kayla had not deserved what had happened to her. Neither had I. If I had the ability to weep, I might have then. But I was not as powerless as I was when I had died. I had strength now. Could you get him here somehow? Kayla's eyes went wide with fear. What? Why?

I could make sure he never hurts anyone again. Kayla continued to look shocked and nervous. Then she glanced at the patch where she had replaced the dirt over my old body. I once again saw flashes of the violence she had faced. I felt the fear. And now this time, the hatred to accompany it. For her attacker, and even for mine. I could get him to meet me here.

Okay. I'll take care of it. Kayla gave a tiny nod. Then, after a long moment, she changed the subject completely. She spent a while longer with me. This time I finally showed her the secret little lake that was just through the forest. It had shrunk a bit since she was here last,

but it was still serene. Kayla delighted in watching the sun set over the water. It was the happiest I'd felt in a very, very long time. After Kayla left, I missed her terribly. I knew that the next time she came, it would not be anywhere near as pleasant. She'd bring the man here, and I'd do what needed to be done. I'd snuff out the life of someone who deserved it. And worse, it would be the right thing to do. However, I feared something could go wrong. That we might be playing with fire, and that Kayla might get hurt.

But I would do everything in my power to protect her. That much I promised myself. I couldn't wait for it all to be over and done with. Sometime later, weeks perhaps, Kayla returned. The man was with her. He was about her age, and there was nothing special about him at all. He had dark brown hair and cold eyes that watched Kayla with a greedy expression that made me sick. I could tell that Kayla was doing a balancing act. It was equal parts luring him playfully while never getting too close.

I could imagine the promises she might have made to get him out to the woods, past the campsites and hiking trails. I felt disgusted at the idea. This is where you want to show me a good time, huh? I knew you were a freak. He stepped closer to her, and she backed away nervously. I readied myself. He'd fight, but I knew I could do it. Kayla, don't look. Don't hang around. Just run. Then I struck. The soil beneath the man's feet started to sink.

My roots broke through the surface from all directions to tangle around his ankles. What the f- Kayla! Kayla, help me! There's something- The sheer audacity he had to ask her for help. After everything he'd done. I pulled harder. The roots spread up his legs around his waist. Kayla watched with wide eyes for just a moment before she finally took my advice.

She ran away from the scene. Hair flying as she went. The man screamed. But I would fix that soon enough. The soil kept sinking beneath him, quicksand of my own making until he was neck deep, thin more. He choked on the dirt, trying to keep his head above the surface. Even after he was completely under, he struggled and struggled, desperately and in vain. He coughed and tried to swim through the earth, but eventually, he lay limp in the ground. I hoped Kayla had made it away safely.

That she wouldn't regret this choice. I didn't regret it at all. He deserved to die. And the forest needed nourishment. I needed nourishment. Nature ran its course over time and took everything. Skin and flesh and muscle consumed. Bugs and scavengers feasting.

Me at the center of it all. Finally fulfilled. I had not, however, anticipated what it would do to me to have his spirit around. It was not the company I desired. His energy was dark and shadowy. I could not speak to him, but still I felt his anger and resentment. It siphoned my morale. The animals had all been sweet, light, and comforting.

This man felt monstrous to me. He stayed longer than I had liked, to the point where I was worried that he would never disappear. It was a terrible thought, that I had caused my own unhappiness, perhaps even my own destruction. But then finally, finally, he flickered out, to somewhere else, or maybe nowhere. But I couldn't feel him anymore. It was a relief. Until it wasn't. After he departed, I was left with the bitter aftertaste of him. It was dark and rotten. And I felt more than ever the lonely emptiness that pervaded my painful existence.

Kayla was the one bright light in my thoughts. I longed for her return, for her comfort and solidarity. I do not sleep, but I dream, and I dreamed of us, together, under the sunlight, admiring the wonders of the woods. It was a beautiful dream, but fleeting. Yet Kayla returned. I didn't know how much time had passed, but her appearance had not changed much. I guess it was less than a year, though it felt much longer. Kayla told me about things regarding the man I had killed. I had almost forgotten him. Kayla had been my only focus for so long now.

She told me there was an investigation, but police were stumped. He had told no one who he was meeting that evening, so no one looked at her twice. I was very glad for that. It was our little secret, and it always would be.

You know, I thought I'd feel guilty, but I really, really don't. I'm glad he's gone. And you were right. This way, he can't hurt anyone again. I was happy to hear that.

She was strong in her convictions and brave enough to see them through. I admired her for that. She was strong in her convictions and brave enough to see them through. I admired her for that. It made my decision that much easier. I'm so glad I helped you. How so? I'm going to keep you safe from now on, and we're going to stay together. Kayla straightened up from where she had been leaning against the tree. She seemed confused and a little nervous now. Alice, what do you mean? I reached for her. Unbeknownst to Kayla, the roots had already been writhing under her feet, and now they punched through the soil's surface to wrap around her shins. I sunk the earth, trapping her to her knees. I'll make it much quicker than I did for him. I promise.

It'll be okay soon. No! She tried to kick away at me, but my grip was tight and firm. Alice, no, I can't! Don't! My family! You don't need them anymore. It was true. I anymore. It was true. I knew that it was true.

All she needed was me. Kayla struggled harder, but the roots had already made it around her shoulders in a warm embrace. No, Alice, no! Let me go! She screamed out, begging for me to stop, or for someone to come save her. But I was saving her. She would see soon enough. I hated that she had to suffer first. It hurt me terribly.

I resolved to work harder, for her sake and mine. I tugged her under the surface with all the force I could muster, pulling and pulling until even her beautiful blonde head was hidden beneath the dirt. Her cries were muffled and then extinguished to nothing. I banished my sorrow and pain for what I had done. It would be worth it. It had to be worth it. After a long moment, Kayla's spirit appeared to me, bright as any rabbit, stronger and warmer than anything I'd ever felt.

She was angry with me, I knew, but that would pass. We would have forever to get through it. Kayla, my dear friend, she would stay with me She was special after all She wouldn't flicker out like the rest Kayla hadn't regretted what we had done to the man that day And I wouldn't regret this We needed each other

And the forest needed us to grow To survive wouldn't regret this. We needed each other. And the forest needed us to grow. To survive. We could do anything now. We would take whatever we wanted from now on. Together. This episode was written by Valerie Phillips and read by Jamie Lake. This story was modified slightly for audio retelling,

but you can find the original in full on our website. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?