Hot wind swept over almost invisible spores, and imperceptible green light scattered everywhere. Marina turned to leave, gesturing at the soldiers to open fire. Sporadic gunshots rang out, but more frequent were the screams of terror. Her heart sank as she gripped her submachine gun and spun around.0

Her body felt heavy, and her feet felt trapped in a swamp. The force of turning around made her lose balance and fall to the ground. She stared in terror at the fungi sprouting all over her body. The stems were pale and slender, the white caps mottled with clear black patterns on the undersides, as dark as ink.0

Vines had covered the ground without anyone noticing, quickly spreading and grappling the soldiers, binding them in place. White mushroom caps emerged from their pores all over their exposed...0