S17 - Tree Growth

Jack Spicer was alive. In spite of everything, in spite of the tower falling apart, he was alive. He had been slowly but surely making his way through the big branch, and he was pretty sure he was about to escape. The Xiaolin Showdown was, in all likelihood, over. He didn’t care about it anymore. Right now, his only hope was that Able forgot about coming back. It probably happened. He probably had a bunch of other stuff to worry about. Busy guy.

“Hi,” said Able.

Jack Spicer sighed. He didn’t have the energy to nearly shit himself. It was more just resignation at this point.

“Okay man,” said Jack Spicer. “What are you gonna do? Kill me with the drill?”

“No,” said Able. “Not with the drill.”

Jack’s surroundings changed. Where once the tower was grey, color returned. The mist above cleared and the sun shone through. It was actually kind of pretty. The acrid smell of decaying flesh assaulted Spicer’s nose. He would have plugged it, but he did not have the free hand. Maggots birthed from thick oozing viscera and crawled over Jack’s hand.

“What’s happening, what’s happening,” said Jack.

“Sssh,” said Able. As the hiss of his voice drew to a close, the maggots darkened, sprouted wings, flew, fell, died, decayed, and were gone. “Time is catching up.”

“To me?” said Jack. “Is it catching up to me?”

“No. Not to you. But.”

His watch turned to rust. The metal dug into his skin. His rotors crumbled and fell apart.

“No!” said Jack. “My stuff!” On his watch, his Jack-Bots disappeared one by one. “My Jack-Bots!”

“Well. Nothing lasts forever,” said Able. “Necessarily.”

Flowers bloomed and vines crept along the shattered ruins. They crept up Jack’s skin. They were cool and soft to the touch.

Jack cried. “What’s happening?”

“It’s nature,” said Abel. “Give it time. It’ll always grow back.” Something touched Jack’s spine. “What’s happening,” he said. “What’s— what’s— what’s—“

He felt cold. Something crawled through his chest cavity. Snaked between his ribs. And emerging from his sternum, painless, bloodless, was a small sapling. “I,” said Jack. “I.” The sap grew and grew. Roots wrapped around Jack Spicer’s body. Able’s face was soft and watched in wonder. “Beautiful,” he said. “Truly beautiful.”

“Why aren’t I dead?” said Jack. The roots wrapped around his eyes. All went dark. And yet he was still alive.

“It’s not your time yet.” Able said. One last root wrapped around Jack’s mouth. And yet, he still lived.

Able nodded and looked at what had grown. He placed his hand on the surface. He closed his eyes.

CRACK.

CRACK.

The branch jutted out and distorted. It was the shape of an axe. Able nodded. He chopped into the tree. Dark red sap oozed onto the axehead and held it in place. Able yanked, sap splattered on the ground. And he chopped again.

And again.

And again.

Until the tree fell.

- Season 17 Round 1B, /u/Ragnarust