Swamp Thing #14 (2013)

Alec Holland was troubled for a long time by nightmares, as a boy. He was covered - made of - leaves. Walking down a long passage toward a dark doorway. As much as he wanted to stop himself from heading down that tunnel, and opening the door at the end, he could not. Even though he knew that on the other side of the door was an even worse nightmare. Now, Alec is the Swamp Thing, and for a year now, The Rot has ravaged the earth, leaving only one small pocket of The Green left. Earth's heroes have been corrupted or killed. Even now, a siege is being waged against the Parliament of Trees, led by the Rot-infected Teen Titans - a sure sign that Anton Arcane knows Alec has returned. Though he doesn't want to hurt them, the Parliament urges Alec to fight with abandon, as they are truly lost to the Rot. The Parliament reminds Alec that he can tap into their power - the Green's power - to defeat them. While, in the past, he had only ever fought far from the Green's source, now he is in the presence of the Parliament, and has the Green's full power at his disposal - weak though it is, now. With the Green behind him, Alec Grows to the height of a skyscraper, and begins crushing the Rotlings and the corrupted Teen Titans under his massive feet. In fear, the Rotlings run away. With the threat gone, for now, Alec refuses to do anything more until he is told what happened to Abigail Arcane. Abby had had a similar dream to Alec's. She would travel down that same passage, night by night, and eventually, she would meet the boy of leaves at the bottom. Then, the two of them would venture through the dark doorway, knowing that horror awaited. For Abby, that nightmare came true. Abby had journeyed to Blestemat, the Carpathian village in which she was raised. Though her plane had crashed due to the Rot's influence, she had survived. She had come because she thought that she could stop the Rot by going to its source. She was wrong. Alec reacts with disbelief when he hears that Abby was killed, but the Parliament and Poison Ivy insist that he give up on her and face the truth. Finally, Alec decides that it is time to face and destroy Arcane, once and for all. The Parliament begs him to stay; to sustain the Green's meagre existence in the poisoned air of the Rotworld. Annoyed, Alec recommends that Ivy protect them while he serves out his calling as the Green's warrior. Deadman decides to accompany Alec on his journey, providing the key clue that a weapon against the Rot may exist in Gotham City. Just a short distance from the Parliament's sanctuary, Alec's connection to the Green begins to fade, and he can no longer maintain his massive size. Deadman warns that the Rot is strong, and drains Alec's power. It is too dangerous to go to Gotham on foot from Louisiana, so they decide to go by sea. Alec uses his power to grow a boat for them, but the act drains him significantly, so it will have to last them through any attacks. As Abby approached the castle in which her uncle had conducted his experiments, she saw the townspeople, merely constructs of the Rot, gathered around outside. Tucking her head down, she used a path she had used several times in her youth in attempts to escape her uncle. She would sidle along the narrow ridge near the bottom of stone bridge that overlooked the chasm below the castle, while the enthralled villagers stood above. From there, she entered a cave, leading down toward a darkened doorway. As Alec and Deadman float toward Gotham, Alec hopes aloud that Abby is not dead. He believes that he can feel her presence, somewhere nearby. If she is gone, though, there is nothing left for him on this earth. As Abby pushed the door open, she was greeted by her uncle Anton's face, who welcomed her with a sinister grin. Suddenly, Alec was startled by something moving beneath the water's surface. A horrible, rotten sea monster swam up from below and crushed the boat he had made, ridden by William Arcane, who has gained dominion over the sea, and command over the Trident of Neptune.