It won't take her, not until she's weak or dead, Mathias knows that, but even so, he wraps his arm around Lucy to hold her steady. "It's alright," he says and around them the vines quiver, almost as if they're responding to what he's said. Almost as if they're laughing.

"Be careful," he says to Julie. "The sap will burn if you get it on your skin. If you cut it, it might retreat." Or more will come out to help, as it did with Henrich's body, but he doesn't want to say that. He doesn't even want to think it. All he wants it to be off this hill, somewhere safe with these people.