The Mutation Breakdown

by E S Richards

  Once midday dusk fell the three of them resumed their walk. Cain admitted he didn’t know how long it would take for them to walk there but he said he knew they were going in the right direction and with Zahyra knowing nothing about where they were or indeed where the safe haven was she was happy to let Cain lead.

  Besides, she thought, when they did eventually reach the safe haven she would have to say goodbye to Cain and that was something that hurt to even imagine. Even though they weren’t talking she relished the time she had left with him and a part of her willed for the walk to go on for days.

  Every time her right foot hit the ground she thought about different ways that could allow them to be together, but every time her left foot hit the ground her ideas were thwarted by reality. Still she kept thinking, imagining and wishing for a way for them to be together. She realised that although she had got her brother back if she lost Cain now the feeling would be like losing Asher all over again. Cain was now just as important to her and she was willing to do almost anything to keep him with her, no matter what it took.

  Chapter 26

  This thought continued to become more solidified in Zahyra’s mind as the three of them continued their walk. Cain’s words about how he felt about her whistled through her with the wind and she yearned to tell him that she felt the same way.

  Knowing so little about his mutation made it difficult for her to understand what he went through trying to control it. Her knowledge of how mutations worked in general was extremely poor, especially as her own mutation was entirely fabricated. But she refused to believe there wasn’t a way for him to control it so they could be together, especially if she helped him. Swallowing her fear Zahyra decided to try and talk to Cain about this once more before they reached the safe haven.

  She was filled with mixed emotions about their arrival. The thought of seeing her mother again caused a smile to break out onto her face, but in reality she knew it wasn’t a guaranteed promise. It had been almost two weeks since Zahyra had last seen her and she had no idea what her mother’s plans had been for reaching the safe haven. She was getting old now and Zahyra prayed her journey had been less eventful than her own, unsure whether her mother would be able to cope in the desert by herself.

  Forcing these thoughts to the back of her mind along with her questions about Cain, Zahyra tried to focus on happier consequences. She had Asher back to begin with, and although she remained wary about how he was reacting to his time in the mutant camp that was an area of her little brother’s life that could be managed at a later date, in a safer environment with the support system he needed.

  She looked just ahead of her where her brother was deep in conversation with Cain and it warmed her heart to see how well the two of them were getting on, any jealousy she had felt earlier fading away. Both of them had been through a tremendous amount of stress recently but from watching them in that moment Zahyra struggled to believe they had ever experienced hardship.

  “What you guys talking about?” Zahyra asked, skipping a few paces to fall into line beside her brother and Cain. The two of them smiled at her arrival and Asher reached out his right hand to take hers.

  “Cain’s gunna teach me how to hunt!” Asher grinned up at her, bearing his teeth.

  Zahyra raised an eyebrow in response and looked over at Cain. “Is he now? And what makes you think Cain can teach you better than I can little man?”

  Cain chuckled under his breath at Zahyra’s stubbornness, allowing Asher to answer for him.

  “Cain said he was the best.”

  “Sounds like Cain fancies himself a little challenge,” Zahyra smirked, avoiding eye contact with him herself. “You hungry then, Ash?”

  “Always.”

  Zahyra and Cain let out a laugh at his response and eventually their eyes drew together to look at one another over Asher’s head. Zahyra’s heartbeat increased suddenly and her mouth dropped open a few millimetres. Cain’s eyes bore hungrily into hers and just for a fraction of a second Zahyra felt like she was going to spill all her feelings towards him before she remembered her little brother stood between them. Closing her eyes deliberately she looked away, opening them again to the face of her brother.

  “What do you fancy?”

  Asher thought for a moment, entirely unaware of the tension radiating through the air between his two companions. Zahyra was excited by a bit of light competition between herself and Cain and was happy to join in to appease her brother. She didn’t know how much longer they’d have to walk until they reached the safe haven so any distraction from her thoughts came as welcome relief.

  “There’s should be some decent food to catch over by the mountains when we reach them,” Cain interjected; pointing to the mountain range they were walking towards. “It’s about an hour’s walk I reckon.”

  Asher nodded his head, “Okay, I’ll decide by then,” he grinned and picked up his pace a little to reach the promise of another meal.

  Zahyra and Cain fell into step just behind him and walked in silence for a few moments, Asher kicking up sand and dust in front of them until Zahyra handed him a bottle of water and told him to calm down a little. Eventually she broke the silence. Knowing they didn’t have long left together forced her to make every moment count.

  “How do you know where we’re going?”

  Cain mulled the question over in his head for a second before replying, still watching Asher in front of them rather than turning to look at Zahyra.

  “You live in the wind for as many years as I did, you just come to know this kind of thing.”

  Zahyra paused. She hadn’t really thought about what Cain had done in the years between escaping the mutant camp and settling down in his cabin. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know either and so decided it was in her best interests not to ask.

  “How far away it is then?” She asked instead, feeling as if she’d spent too long roaming the desert and the surrounding forests by now. The thought of a safe bed and proper food made her grow both weary and hungry at the same time.

  “It’s closer than you think,” Cain replied turning his head to wink at her quickly before looking back to Asher once more.

  Zahyra wished he’d be more straightforward with her and almost opened her mouth to allow the tidal wave of questions inside her to break free. She instead let out a loud sigh, indicating to Cain that she was becoming frustrated with the situation. He didn’t say anything in response and the silence won out between them as they continued to trudge towards the mountains.

  “What you gunna catch then?”

  The three of them were only a few hundred meters from the mountain line and midday dusk was just setting in providing a welcome cover from the hot sun when Asher asked the question. Zahyra had already all but forgotten about the ensuing competition she had somehow forced upon herself and Cain.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Cain replied, his answer once again causing Zahyra to sigh. His unwillingness to make conversation was beginning to annoy her. She couldn’t understand why he was acting this way when they would have to part ways so soon and the future between them became unknown.

  They reached the mountain line shortly after, the ground beneath their feet giving way to a thin layer of grass rather than the sand Zahyra had become so accustomed to. Asher settled down on a large rock and leaned against the cliff face. Cain had already wandered off into the distance, his knife drawn on the hunt for a meal. Reluctantly Zahyra drew her own from her waistband and looked around the surroundings. Aside from a few bushes here and there it didn’t look like there was much in the way of food and she wondered what Cain had been expecting.

  With her brother whining at her to catch him something to eat she slowly moved away from him in the opposite direction from Cain, further away from the where they’d come from. She shouted back over her shoulder to remind Asher to stay in the same place and keep within earshot and then turned, her brain switching over slightly to hunting mode although her heart struggled to whip
up any enthusiasm for the competition.

  She kept her right hand side to the mountain as she moved away from her brother and noticed the grass begin to get thicker beneath her boots. The mountain face cut out in front of her suddenly obstructing her view and with one last cautionary glance back to her brother – who she was pleased to see remained lounging on his rock – took a step around it and out of view.

  The vegetation was instantly thicker on this side of the mountain and Zahyra heard the faint sound of running water in the distance. Her mouth quickly became dry and she lowered her knife with the intent to find the source of water first.

  She followed the line of bushes beside the mountain, noticing now they were becoming laden with ripe berries in bright colours. She picked one as she walked and marvelled at the strong taste that latched onto her taste buds as she bit into it. It was sour at first but then faded down to a pleasant sweetness, causing her to grab another handful from the next bush she came across. As the greenery intensified, so did the sound of running water and soon enough Zahyra was able to see a small stream in the distance, its source trickling down from high in the mountains.

  She jogged the last few paces and sank to her knees beside it, scooping up mouthfuls of cold water in her cupped hands. After she had drank her fill she prised the cap off her water bottle and held it down below the water to refill it. She was just screwing the cap back on when a loud siren started blaring out from behind her, causing her to drop the bottle into the water where it slowly floated away from her.

  Whipping around her eyes grew wide as she tried to figure out what the sound was and then realised in an instant that it was coming from where she’d left Asher. In her quest for water she had moved too far away to be able to hear him.

  With her heart thudding in her chest Zahyra sprinted back around the mountain face to where she had last seen Asher, her knife clutched firmly in her hand. He was now stood further away from the rock where she’d left him and was staring at it with a look of both amazement and terror etched on his face. Cain was running towards him from the opposite direction. As far as Zahyra could see there was no one else stood with her brother and she quickly cut down the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Asher as soon as she drew near enough.

  “What happened?” She yelled over the sound after checking he was physically okay and storing her knife back in her waistband. Her eyes scanned the area and fell on the rock where Asher had been sat. It was now tilted back at an angle and the noise seemed to be coming from beneath it where a black hole had appeared.

  “I don’t know,” her brother shouted back just as Cain reached the two of them. “I was just sat there and then this happened!”

  Panic was visible on his face and the look was mirrored in Zahyra’s eyes. She looked to Cain who had his hands on his knees and was bent forward trying to catch his breath.

  “Cain?” She questioned irritably, “Any ideas?”

  Cain took in a few more deep breaths and then slowly moved back to an upright position. A smile broke out on his face when he saw the look of confusion Zahyra and her brother shared and after a moment he started chuckling lightly to himself.

  Zahyra waited a second longer before she could take it no more then strode over to him and punched him squarely on his right bicep.

  “What is going on?”

  Cain laughed again and rubbed his arm gingerly where she had hit him before focusing his eyes on Zahyra. He paused again for effect and then opened his arms wide, gesturing to the open space around them.

  “Welcome to your safe haven,” he smiled, “entrance B.”

  Zahyra’s mouth dropped open at his words and she stared blankly at him. Then all of a sudden the siren stopped and a blanket of silence shrouded the three of them. A long minute passed before Zahyra dared to speak again and when she did her mouth was a quiet whisper.

  “The safe haven? We’re here?”

  “Yep,” Cain nodded, “give it a few minutes and I’m sure someone will be out to greet us.”

  Zahyra looked at the rock where the siren had come from. It had now returned to its original flat position and looked like nothing more than a fallen boulder from the mountain above it. The surrounding area was nothing special where they stood; the area she had found the water had been busier with plant life but even that didn’t look like a safe haven to her.

  She tenderly took a step towards her brother and placed an arm over the front of his chest, pulling him slightly behind her. Something about this place didn’t seem right and she didn’t understand why Cain hadn’t simply told them the safe haven was here rather than letting the alarm go off. Anyone who was nearby must have heard it and Zahyra became worried at the thought of any other mutants roaming around who would come to investigate the noise.

  Where had it even come from? A thousand questions fought to take poll position in her mind, combining with all of her unanswered ones from before. If this was the safe haven, what did it mean for her and Cain? Would Cain be allowed to come in or would he be sent away? Was he even safe here with his Gen 4 ranking? She noticed he had put his jacket back on but couldn’t ascertain whether it was because of where they were or if he had just got cold in the midday dusk. She tugged her own sweater closer around her body at this thought, ensuring her own ranking was covered and that Asher’s was too.

  There was still so much she wanted to talk to Cain about before they had reached the safe haven. Had he purposefully avoided conversation with her today because he’d known how close they were, and if so why? Immediately Zahyra was angry with Cain for misleading her. She opened her mouth to question him when there was a loud crack in the mountain above her head and a few small rocks and dust began to fall down around them. She pulled Asher fully behind her back and shielded her eyes, the dust growing thick around her and cutting out her field of vision.

  “Hands in the air,” a voice suddenly boomed from beyond the cloud of dust, “no sudden movements.”

  Chapter 27

  Before Zahyra could begin to process what was happening her arms had been grabbed and twisted violently behind her back. She was then pushed forward into the dust, her eyes struggling to make out where she was being taken. She opened her mouth to call out to Asher and Cain but inhaled dust particles instead forcing her to cough and splutter.

  The ground beneath her feet suddenly felt hard in comparison to the short grass beside the mountain and eventually she could make out shadows as the dust cloud thinned around her. Asher was just ahead of her being led into the darkness by someone who she assumed was similar to whoever was leading her.

  She twisted her head to try and get a better view of what else was around her but the grip on her arms behind her back was too firm to allow her any movement. In her limited field of vision she realised she couldn’t see Cain and began to struggle against whoever was holding her. She noticed someone else dressed in all black with a mask over their face walking just in front of her brother and prayed that Cain was beside her, also being led into wherever they were going.

  In the moment Zahyra felt as far from safe as she could possibly be and begun to question what was going on. Cain had said this was the safe haven – entrance B she thought she remembered – but if it was, why were they being treated like criminals?

  A wave of doubt shot through her as she thought about how Cain had kept the reveal of the safe haven a mystery until the very last minute and she wondered for a second whether this was part of some elaborate plan he’d had all along. Whether Cain already knew she was a Zero and now that her brother was as well he’d taken them to a lair of more violent mutants, the type who hunted Zero’s like herself.

  She began to feel sick as she thought this and lost track of where she was being led, only just managing to keep an eye on her brother in front of her. They walked through darkness for what felt like hours, but in reality can’t have been more than a few minutes before a red flashing light illuminated a large door in front of them.

  The d
oor was unlike anything Zahyra had ever seen in real life, but reminded her of pictures she’d seen from The Before Time. It was almost five times the size of her and looked to be built into the rock. She realised then that they had to be underneath the mountain and a shiver ran down her spine. She had never liked tight, enclosed spaces and being underground definitely didn’t appeal to her. Down the middle of the door there was a seam, so she assumed it opened in half. The red flashing light was situated on the wall to the right and now she was closer Zahyra also realised it gave off a low humming sound.

  This light was also a mystery to her, having never seen light of any colour other than in her campfires. However this one didn’t flicker like a fire did and seemed to be encased in something. She watched the light flash rhythmically until it stayed red for a few seconds and then turned green in colour. Her eyes widened at this change in the light and she automatically tried to take a step forward, only to be pulled back by the person she’d almost forgotten was holding her from behind.

  She only had to wait a moment however before the huge door parted in the middle and she was marched through into a blindingly white room. The room was completely empty except for the door they had just walked through, an identical one on the opposite side and a white bench running down the side of the wall between them.

  Zahyra was led towards the white bench, which her brother had just been seated at. As she was pushed down into a sitting position she breathed out a sigh of relief as Cain was forced onto the bench beside her. The look on his face gave nothing away so she instead turned to watch the four people exit the room from the other door. She was unable to tell whether they were men or women – or what their generation numbers were – because of the masks and clothes they wore. The door slid closed behind them with barely a sound and then an eerie silence filled the room, almost feeling louder because of the emptiness and cleanliness of where they were.

  “Is this the safe haven?” Asher asked nervously after a minute. He was rubbing his wrists where he must have been held and glancing quickly around the room. Zahyra did the same but after surveying it several times concluded there was definitely nothing else in there apart from the three of them.