No sooner had Swamp Thing put one monstrous supernatural threat in its place when another one reared its ugly head. The outbreak of the swamp-born virus is on the decline, but a nearly 100-year-old body unleashed another, more potent infection. One that passes similarly to zombism. Such darkness was never meant to leave the swamp, but its escape forced Abby into action once again. It also provided plenty of cover for Avery to make his latest acquisition: Susie. His intentions for taking the young girl in remained unknown, but history shows that it can’t be good. Alec knows all about the darkness contained in the swamp, but Marais’ evil remains in the shadows for now.
Understanding The Impossible
Abby returns to the swamp in search of Alec. She wants to help him the best way she knows how. Alec offers her a tissue sample for study and a warning. The swamp holds a powerful darkness. Abby returns to the hospital to analyze the sample, but Jason interrupts her. He flexes his brain by noting that her figures are off. Cells cannot show characteristics of both plants and animals. Abby allows Jason a peek at the sample and Jason stands corrected. Alec’s cells resemble plant cells but are arranged like animal cells. He asks Abby’s permission to study the sample, but Abby isn’t dumb. She knows Jason works for Avery. Abby agrees only if Jason keeps any results confidential from Avery. That’s a deal Jason can’t pass up.
Abby steps out to visit Susie. She’s doing much better but still has Alec on the brain. Numerous drawings of Alec prove such. The Sunderlands arrive, announcing a celebratory crawfish boil to honor the recovering infected. Maria peels off to visit with Susie, forcing Abby away. She tells Susie to hide her drawings, but Maria almost immediately gets an eyeful of the swamp monster.
Living Nightmares
The darkness Alec spoke of seeps out of the swamp once again thanks to two illegal lumberjacks and a mummified corpse. One of the men, Todd, cuts himself on the corpse after finding some of its teeth and an old hotel key in the dirt. Todd returns to his real job at Delroy’s the next morning, but immediately notices something amiss. He hallucinates that a snake is wrapped around his arm. Liz and Delroy try to calm him but it isn’t long before Todd takes a knife to his own arm and shoves it into the disposal.
Lucilia and Abby arrive shortly after, but Liz already has a theory. She blames the swamp. There’s no time though as Delroy begins hallucinating about the thieves that killed his grandma. He pulls a shotgun and starts unloading, but Lucilia is able to subdue him, though she does get a nasty scratch on the neck. Delroy wakes up in the hospital and informs Abby that Todd scratched him and had been in the swamp the night before. Abby heads back out to the swamp, discovering the body. Alec isn’t far behind. He warns her about a darkness on the hunt for hosts. Abby puts two and two together and pegs Lucilia as the current host. Alec tells her the darkness belongs in the swamp and sends Abby back into town to find Lucilia.
Hero’s Destiny
She shouldn’t be hard to find. The entire town is at Avery’s crawfish boil. Everyone except Abby and Liz. They’re too busy connecting the corpse to an old hotel full of ghost stories and dead bodies. The infection dates back to the 1930s and the corpse was a host that chose to sacrifice himself. The sleuthing doesn’t absolve them of their mission though. Abby rushes into the boil as Lucilia begins to hallucinate Matt’s death. She pulls her gun on Abby, believing her to be Matt’s murderer. Daniel, still struggling to understand his connection to Abby, rushes in the disarm Lucilia. Abby is scratched in the fray, freeing Lucilia and dooming herself.
Abby rushes back to the swamp but succumbs to her own hallucinations of a nightmare man from her childhood. Alec grabs her and forces her to pass the infection onto him. He returns the darkness to the corpse and the swamp consumes it. Abby questions how Alec knew that would work, but he has a credible source. The plants told him. There are worse things though. The swamp is fighting back because of years of polluting and Alec feels like he’s losing himself. Abby knows he’s still Alec in his heart and promises to stay by his side. That level of commitment is worthy of Alec’s gratitude, but this is only the beginning. Alec is scared of what might become of Abby as the swamp’s darkness continues to rise to the surface.
It can’t be much worse than the darkness in Marais. Specifically Avery. Fresh off of burning Gordon’s body in the bayou, he agrees to take Susie into his home. It doesn’t hurt that Maria has a warm spot for the girl and Jason can further treat her illness. But the adoption is more of an acquisition. Avery pays off Susie’s uncle for her custody. He’s sure Jason will enjoy such an interesting subject to study.
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