by E S Richards
“Piss off!” The Gen 3 boy shouted back at Cain. “We don’t need anyone else.”
Cain remained silent in response, watching the second boy turn to his friend and mutter something in his ear. The two of them then seemed to argue quietly for a second before the same boy called out again.
“Come over here.”
Cain scurried forward, pulling his jacket and bag back on as he moved. Standing in front of the two boys he couldn’t decide whether they were more or less intimidating. He was reassured by the fact that they were definitely only a few years older than he was, certainly no older than eighteen. However they were stacked with muscles and the Gen 3 had an unpleasant look in his eye. It was him who continued to speak as Cain drew to a halt in front of them.
“You’re just a kid,” he smirked. “What’re you doing out here by yourself?”
Cain looked from the Gen 3 to the other boy, who was yet to say anything. He was equally as large as his companion but his face was much softer; Cain realised he was the boy who would likely be more lenient to him.
“I’m thirteen.” Cain spoke clearly and confidently, a flourish of adrenaline keeping his otherwise exhausted body going. “I’m a Gen 4 and I’ve left my old camp behind. I want to join a group of mutants more like me. I’ve been travelling for a while, searching…”
“What can you do?” The Gen 3 boy interrupted Cain receiving a confused stare from the younger visitor.
“What’s your mutation?”
Cain turned his attention to the other boy once again who had finally asked a question. His face was still soft and it made Cain feel more at ease. Although that moment of calm quickly turned to panic as the question was repeated. Cain definitely had a mutation, he was sure of that. But he realised he didn’t know how to explain it. Since the day it had been triggered he had been on his own, and the fact that when it did become active Cain was unsure how to control it made him sound stupid. He knew the Gen 3 boy would laugh in his face if he admitted to that. But he had to say something, too long had already passed in silence while Cain thought. He had to speak up or lose his chance of joining the two boys.
“I can fight.” Cain mumbled quickly. “My mutation only really comes out when I’m fighting. It’s like strength and power and speed all in one.”
“Prove it.”
“I can’t.” Cain shook his head at the Gen 3. “It’s only when I’m fighting, I swear.”
“Well fight me then,” the older boy grinned and stepped forward, curling his hands into fists as he stepped towards Cain.
“Ozzy quit being a dick.” The other boy stepped in front of the Gen 3 – Ozzy – and stopped him from approaching Cain. “He’s clearly shattered, look at him. And he’s only what, thirteen? Let’s just let him sleep here tonight and then we can make a decision in the morning with the others. He’s ranked a Gen 4 so that’s got to stand for something.”
Ozzy glared back at his friend, his hands still clenched into fists. “Always looking out for your own, aren’t you Jay?”
Cain’s protector – Jay – scoffed. “Don’t be stupid man, he’s got potential. We can argue about it in the morning if you really want to, but for now just let us go to bed.”
“Fine!” Ozzy threw his arms up in the air and turned to walk towards one of the wooden huts. “He’s sleeping with you though, I’m not having him in with me.”
“Whatever,” Jay mumbled under his breath and then turned back to look at Cain. “What’s your name kid?”
“Cain.”
“Great,” Jay smiled. “I’m Jay and that was Ozzy, as you might have gathered. He’s not as bad as you might think I promise. Now come on, you look dead on your feet – let’s go to bed.”
Cain stayed rooted to the spot for a second longer, letting Jay turn and walk towards a different hut without him. After a few metres the older boy realised Cain wasn’t following and turned back to face him.
“Come on kid!” He called over. “I won’t bite, I just wanna get to bed.”
Cain took a deep breath and started to follow. He allowed Jay to lead him into one of the three wooden buildings, finding another boy already asleep inside. Thankfully it wasn’t Ozzy, although it looked to be a boy of similar age to the other two, perhaps a little younger. The sleeping boy was occupying the bottom bed of one of the two bunk beds in the hut. Very little else filled the room apart from a large trunk next to the door and a pile of clothes in one corner.
“That’s Fetzer,” Jay nodded to the sleeping boy as he climbed loudly onto the bed above his head. “He’ll sleep through anything, don’t worry. I suggest you try and do the same. I’ll see you in the morning Cain.”
With that Jay rolled over to face the wall and the small wooden hut fell into silence. Cain stared at the other boy sleeping on the bottom bunk for a moment before shrugging off his jacket and shoes and climbing onto the bed opposite. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept in a proper bed and the comfort instantly pulled him under into a deep sleep, his mind quickly forgetting the incidents of the evening.
“Who the hell are you?”
Cain woke with a start as a strong hand grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him up in his bed. It took a second for him to remember where he was and to recognise the boy holding onto him as Fetzer, the one who had been asleep when Cain and Jay had entered the hut last night. Before Cain had a chance to argue or speak Jay had jumped down from his bed on the other side of the room and was pulling Fetzer away from Cain, explaining to his friend what had happened the night before. After a moment Fetzer shrugged and turned back to face Cain.
“Sorry about that,” he half smiled and held out his hand towards Cain who remained in bed. “Always gotta be careful round here though, you know?”
Cain stared at the boy for a second and then returned the smile. Shuffling out of his bed he took Fetzer’s hand in a short shake, deciding he didn’t dislike the boy the same way he did Ozzy.
“No harm done,” Cain murmured, taking in the generation numbers he could now see on both Fetzer and Jay’s arms. Both were marked as Gen 4’s like himself and Cain realised that was what Ozzy must have meant the night before when he accused Jay of looking out for his own.
“Hungry?” Jay asked casually. “We’ll eat and introduce you to the others, then decide what we’re going to do with you.”
Despite the ominous phrase Cain didn’t feel frightened around Jay and Fetzer. Jay had protected him the night before and therefore he believed Ozzy or anyone else wouldn’t be allowed to do him any harm. Curious to meet the other residents the boys lived with Cain pulled on his boots quickly and followed the two boys outside, the morning sun making him squint after waking up in a much darker room to what he was used to.
Sat around the fire Cain noticed Ozzy from the night before and two more boys. Just like Jay and Fetzer they all looked between fifteen and eighteen and for a second Cain let himself imagine living amongst them. Each one of them was eating something out of a tin can, Cain having only seen a very small number of them in his life. He remembered learning that in The Before Time everyone ate from tin cans, but in the new world they were few and far between. Apart from in this camp, Cain accepted when Jay bent down and picked up three more cans, handing one to himself and Fetzer.
“This is Cain,” Jay spoke to the other boys as he sat down, pulling his can open from a ring that was folded to the top of it. Cain copied his action and sat down next to Jay, noticing the two other boys only look up slightly from their cans for a second.
“That’s Yugo and Parker,” Jay continued. “And obviously you met Ozzy last night.”
“Hey,” Cain smiled at the two other boys and at Ozzy as well. He then noticed both Yugo and Parker also were marked as Gen 4 mutants, leaving Ozzy as the odd one out. Slowly things started to fall into place in Cain’s head as to why Ozzy had been so against him the night before.
Still neither of the other two boys responded to Cain’s greeting and there was an awkward sile
nce that slowly spun out amongst the group.
“Oh come on!” Jay sighed after a moment, putting his can down and getting back to his feet. Then with a determined look on his face he walked towards Yugo and Parker and stood in front of them both, his hands on his hips. Very quickly Cain was already getting the idea that Jay was the so-called leader of the little group he had stumbled across and he was so grateful that he had been present the night before.
“Are you guys seriously gunna judge this kid on whatever bullshit Ozzy told you last night?”
Jay remained stood in front of Yugo and Parker, questioning them sceptically. Neither boy looked up and engaged in eye contact with Jay, both seeming enthralled by the contents within their cans.
“Well?” Jay pressed again after a longer period of silence, making Cain feel increasingly awkward the longer it went on.
“Give it up Jay.” Ozzy’s voice drew Cain’s attention from the side and he turned his head to see the boy throw his empty can to the floor. “We vote on new members and we always have, you don’t get to decide whether this new kid stays or not.”
Jay sighed and turned to face Ozzy, shaking his head slightly at the two silent boys who still sat in front of him. As Cain continued to take in the scene be began to feel uneasy about his safety with the boys. While it was clear that Jay was in charge it was also obvious that Ozzy had some swing in what went down amongst their group. Despite him being the only Gen 3 he also looked to be the oldest and strongest and Cain suspected that was what gave him his edge amongst a group of Gen 4’s. If he got his way and a vote was held, Cain didn’t like his chances.
“There’s no point arguing,” Ozzy continued. “It’s how we decided about these three so why would we change the rules for this guy?”
“Alright!” Jay raised his voice in frustration. “I vote to let Cain stay. Fetzer?”
“Yeah he can stay,” Fetzer grinned. “I don’t mind the kid.”
“Yugo?”
“Na, we’re good as we are I think.”
“Parker?”
“I’m with Yugo. We don’t need anyone else.”
“Well then Oz,” Jay turned back to look at Ozzy after individually asking each of the other boys. In that moment Cain’s heart began to sink. “Looks like you’ve got the final vote – what do you say, in or out?”
Cain looked at Ozzy and held his gaze, watching the older boy’s face slowly morph into a smile.
“I’ll let him stay,” Ozzy started, bringing a gasp from both Yugo and Parker who still sat beside the fire. “If,” Ozzy grinned, “he fights me first.”
Chapter 3
“Are you mad?” Jay shouted at Ozzy’s statement, taking a step towards the Gen 3 boy. “He’s in no fit state to fight, who knows how long he’s been wandering around on his own!”
“He’s a Gen 4 like you isn’t he?” Ozzy retorted. “And he said his mutation only comes out when he’s in a fight. I just want him to prove it. I won’t even use my mutation so it’s a fair game. If you want him to join Jay then he needs to prove he’s worth it.”
“This is ridiculous! There’s no way he’s fighting you Ozzy. So make your vote – in or out?”
“I’ll fight him.” Cain’s voice sounded small as he spoke and so he stood up and repeated the statement, finally drawing the attention of the five other boys.
“Cain,” Jay turned and moved towards him. “You don’t have to fight him.”
Cain looked up at the older boy and took a moment to compose himself. “Yeah I do. He’s right. It’s not fair to ask to join you guys if I can’t prove what I can do. I’ll fight him.”
“See,” Ozzy smirked behind Jay. “This should be fun.”
Cain watched as Ozzy walked away from the campfire into a larger space of the clearing and started shaking his arms and stretching his muscles. He boy was about three times the size of him, especially now Cain had lost so much of his muscle mass. Back when he’d been at the peak of fitness he’d been able to hold his own against boys of Ozzy’s size, but now he wasn’t so sure.
The thought of his mutation also played on the back of Cain’s mind. He had never tried to use it properly in a fight and he wasn’t sure if he actually knew how or if it was even possible. But he knew he couldn’t spend the rest of his time alone. He had to try and find a group to live with and something told him this group of boys was the best chance he was going to get.
“Cain?” Fetzer’s voice behind him drew Cain’s attention. “Are you sure about this? What actually is your mutation?”
“You’ll see,” Cain spoke quietly and turned away from both Fetzer and Jay, slowly walking towards where Ozzy stood waiting.
The truth was he definitely wasn’t sure about what he had just agreed to do. Even with Ozzy saying he wouldn’t use his mutation Cain was unsure whether he could beat him. Several months ago it would have been a very even battle, now Cain realised the odds were stacked firmly against him.
He forced himself to remain calm as he came face-to-face with the Gen 3, reminding himself that he had succeeded in the past and he could do the same again today. He dug into his mind and accessed what he could of his mutation, concentrating on controlling it and letting it come out when he needed it. He would try and get through without it, but he had to learn how to control it sooner or later.
“You look a bit nervous kid,” Ozzy smirked again as Cain stood in front of him, a good several inches shorter than his opponent. “Let’s at least try and give ‘em a good show, yeah?”
The other four boys had moved closer to the two of them, Jay’s face was anxious but Cain knew he had to zone them out and concentrate on the fight ahead of him.
“Let’s just get this over with.” He spoke to Ozzy who laughed in response and took a step backwards.
“Alright,” Ozzy smiled. “First to knock the other one out wins. Bring it on.”
In an instant Ozzy snapped out of his playful, jeering mode and pulled up his fists, a stern look on his face. Cain mirrored his stance and breathed deeply. Fighting was familiar to him and after his first proper nights sleep in months and a good breakfast he had more energy than he’d had in a long time. He remembered his training and watched Ozzy closely, waiting for the boy to make his first move.
When it came Cain was fast to react and dodged the punch flying at his head before swiftly returning one to Ozzy’s stomach. The boy let out a groan and stepped back, a small grin creeping over his face.
“Maybe I underestimated you.” He muttered and quickly came forward on the attack again. A flurry of punches came at Cain’s face and body as he struggled to duck and dodge them. Despite his best efforts a strong fist still impacted with the side of Cain’s head, causing a ringing to fill his ears.
Cain didn’t pause though and quickly took his opportunity when Ozzy stepped back slightly, skipping forward and planting a few punches of his own. The two of them engaged in the back and forth fight for a couple of minutes. Ozzy attacked and Cain tried to dodge, and then he hit back himself when Ozzy retreated.
Cain knew that he needed to make a proper move soon though. Even with his night of sleep and a stomach full of food he was still much weaker than Ozzy and he knew he would grow tired before his opponent did. Rushing forward he flung a fist towards Ozzy’s head, going in for what he hoped would be the knock out blow but he underestimated Ozzy’s speed. The older boy dodged him easily and stuck out hard with his own fist, punching Cain repeatedly on the side of the head before he managed to break free.
Stepping backwards the ringing in his ears began to overwhelm Cain and his vision became blurred. He breathed deeply as he felt his mutation slowly starting to bubble up inside of him, threatening to break free. He knew he had to finish this fight before he lost control and so stepped forward again, haphazardly throwing punches towards Ozzy. He was on the back foot now though and Ozzy dodged his blows easily, returning punches with more strength that Cain had left in him. Retreating once more Cain pressed his thumbs against his temples
and closed his eyes. Something had snapped inside of him. His mutation was coming out and he was powerless to stop it.
When Cain peeled his eyes open again his vision was no longer blurred. Instead it was clear and focused, while his mind remained blank aside from one purpose. Without thinking about tactics or the pain his body was already in he stepped forward and began attacking the boy in front of him. He couldn’t remember what he was called or why he was fighting him; he just knew he had to defeat him.
His body moved with a swift skill and direction. Newfound strength erupted inside of Cain and he continued pummelling the body in front of him until it was just a heap on the floor. Then the sound of cheers echoed off to the side of him, although they sounded muffled and strange to Cain in his mutated state. He felt someone grab him from behind and instantly spun around, flinging the body backwards with all his might and watching as it landed in a crumpled pile several meters away. Three other bodies then caught his eye, stood frozen – staring at him.
Rage coursed through Cain’s body and his mutation fully broke out and he charged towards them, a loud roar escaping his mouth. He saw them scatter in front of his eyes but his body wouldn’t let him stop and his animalistic mutation continued to keep hold of him. One by one Cain chased the bodies down and beat them until they all lay motionless on the ground.
Scanning around where he stood Cain cast his gaze through his surroundings. His breathing was heavy and ragged and the ringing in his ears was piercing through his head. Stumbling over towards a tree he put his hands against it and leant forward, dropping his head down to the ground. Then his legs became weak and his vision began to blur again before he dropped heavily to the ground, his own body losing consciousness.
When Cain came to he looked around himself, confused. He was lying against a tree some distance from the small camp of three wooden huts. None of the other boys were in sight. Pushing himself to his feet Cain quickly scrunched his eyes shut as his head started to throb. He had felt like this before. In a panic he opened his eyes and fought through the pain, looking more closely at the camp area ahead of him. Then he saw them. Bodies on the ground.