Chapter 59—Things That Move in the Dark

"Jojo...where are you?" Taylor missed him.

"Down here." The faint voice came from down where the water escaped under the rock wall. The team followed the sound and saw stone steps leading down into a shadowy vault. An adjacent rock formation walled off the river, which disappeared into the darkness.

They descended the steps along the fast-moving river one by one and saw a pair of shiny black eyes staring back.

"Wow, an impressive find, Jojo," Taylor said. "I didn't see this." She scanned the humid chamber filled with odd-looking plant growth. "How did you find it?"

"Pure curiosity."

"I think the crystals could be in here." Taylor said roaming around the densely foliated room, poking her head and arms inside and around the unusual plants.

"Let's all give the room a look," Jojo said, catching Taylor's excitement.

The team separated and shined their flashlights over every square inch of the chamber. As their eyes adjusted, they noticed many unusually large-leaved plants, bluish-green in color, some growing directly out of the walls.

"The nest has to be inside one of these plants," Taylor said as she approached the biggest one. Then she heard a loud buzzing sound, like some kind of insect ensemble.

Taylor moved closer to the plant towering over her. It was different from the others, with leaves the size of elephant's ears and thick vines that encircled it like a protective shield. As the others approached, the buzzing and humming grew to an earsplitting din. Tip and Chaz covered their ears. Taylor ignored the noise and, determined to find the nest, reached out to the monstrous plant.

"Don't touch it!" Jojo said, grabbing his amulet.

Taylor pulled her hand back just as a vine lurched like a snake toward it.

"That was close," she muttered, spinning around to get away, but several lower vines shot out to capture her legs and trip her to the ground.

"Watch out!" Tip pulled his knife from its hip case.

"Come back, you." Jojo pulled Tip away.

The vines tightened around Taylor's legs and the odd humming sound got so loud she thought it might pierce her eardrums. Jojo aimed his amulet at the monster plant and after an agonizing few seconds, the vines retreated. The sound dimmed and then stopped completely. Several massive leaves drew back to reveal a nest of glowworms covering an assortment of stones.

"Singular, mates," Jojo said. "I think we've found our nest. Taylor, are you okay?"

All eyes flashed to Taylor, who lay on the stone floor, shaking like a frightened kitten. She had her arms wound around her head and seemed to be in shock.

Jojo approached her. The vines had eaten through the fabric of her pants and burned her legs in several places. Taylor opened her eyes and screamed. "Are they g-gone? Are they?" Hysterical, she was still inside her nightmare.

"They've released you," Jojo said. "You're safe now, but it looks like you're a bit burned. Can we have a look?"

"Yes, please," Taylor said with a convulsive sob, her eyes flashing around.

"I'm going to apply a burn formula," Jojo said. "It's just manuka honey and aloe, so it shouldn't hurt. Then we'll wrap the burns. Is that okay?"

"Please, anything to make it better. It burns like crazy."

Taylor calmed down as the remedy seeped into her wounds.

"Can you stand?" Jojo looked at her with sweet concern.

"I think so," Taylor said, reaching up her arms. Jojo pulled her to her feet and their eyes met. An observer might have noticed a tiny blush on both faces.