Tiny Tales of Terror: Ivy man

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"Was he hiding in the bushes again last night?" asked Sheena.
I shook my head. "It's hard to tell, but they shook so violently, and there was no breeze to speak of. But it's usually dusk, not nighttime, when he's there, and his visits are increasing.
Last week, I had just left the house when I spotted him by the garden wall. He'd stretched himself flat alongside it, his arms and legs splayed out like four thick branches. Ivy covered every part of his body except his eyes—bright yellow eyes. I took my gaze off him for a moment, and that's when he got me."
Sheena's hand recoiled from mine. "You never told me."
"I'm telling you now, aren't I? He didn't so much grab me; he rushed past, and his fingers brushed my bare arm - look."
I lifted up my sleeve, and Sheena's eyes filled with tears as she saw the mouldy green hue of my skin and the tendril-like veins snaking just below the surface. "It's growing," I said.
And as if hearing my words, the sharp tip of a pointed leaf protruded through my skin, and a trickle of green sap seeped out.
"That's why I wanted to see you," I said, leaning over and kissing her cheek.
"To say goodbye."

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