58 Creeper vines

Nero narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the apartment. Everything was still, and the sound he heard was barely audible. The absence of the fire alarm, which had been so deafeningly loud, somehow made the quiet even more deafening. But it was exactly because of these reasons that the sound had been so prominent.

Without lowering his guard Nero made his way to the source: a closet in one of the rooms. He was fairly certain that one of the vine creatures would not be hiding, but he was not going to take a chance.

Nero raised his knife, ready to strike, before abruptly opening the door. But what waited for him was not a vine creature, but a pale, frightened looking boy hiding among hanging clothes. He was frozen stiff, and hadn't even reacted to the opening door.

Nero checked him for wounds, but he was unharmed. The kid was, however, in shock. Nero tried moving him to get him to respond, but his mind seemed to be blank.That left Nero with only one option.