The Mutation Breakdown
Page 26
Zahyra opened her mouth to reply but Cain cut her off. Four of the six men were now surrounding his chair and the other two walked towards her and Asher in an attempt to stop them moving towards him.
“I’ve lived in the wind, remember?” Cain’s voice carried over the noise of them unfastening his restraints and removing the metal helmet from his head. “I’ll continue to do so. Now you need to live here, live for your brother.”
“Cain!” Zahyra cried and struggled against the man that was holding her. Cain’s head was pushed down as the other four men surrounded his body and led him out of the door and away from Zahyra and her brother.
“Cain!” She shouted again in desperation. “Please don’t take him!”
Her shouts were met with silence however as the door slid closed behind him leaving Zahyra, her brother, Heather and the two remaining men alone in the room. She sank back against the one holding her and forced herself to swallow a sob that was rising in her throat.
She couldn’t imagine her life without Cain. After knowing him even for such a short amount of time he had changed her completely. He had awoken thoughts and feelings in her she’d never imagined having and now she couldn’t imagine living without those feelings. She couldn’t imagine living without seeing his face every day and feeling his touch on her body. She longed for his kiss, to feel his breath against hers and take his lips between her teeth. A world without Cain was one she could no longer imagine, no matter where she was. A world without Cain was one she didn’t want to inhabit at all.
Silence drew out into the room as Zahyra struggled to control herself. Asher remained still, his gaze moving from the door Cain had been taken through and back to his sister. No one said anything for another minute until Heather stepped forward once again, the metal helmet and Identifier clutched firmly between her hands.
“Zahyra, is it?”
Zahyra sucked in a deep breath and turned to look at her younger brother. Thankfully she had warned him when Heather and her men first arrived that morning what her result would be. The stern look in his eyes when she’d whispered her true generation ranking to him had been exactly what she’d expected.
She felt awful having deceived him all his life, especially the last few days after he was revealed to be a Zero as well. Overall she knew it had been the correct decision though. Asher was still so young and if he’d known about her false branding earlier in his life he could’ve accidentally slipped up and let someone find out. She was just thankful she’d managed to tell him earlier, so he didn’t have to find out this way.
Offering him a weak smile Zahyra began to walk proudly towards the chair. The man who’d been holding her followed behind but she knew now it was worthless trying to escape or cause any trouble. She would be revealed a Zero and then housed in the facility with her brother. Maybe one day she could find a way to get out and reunite with Cain, but for the time being he was right. She had to stay in the safe haven and look after Asher.
She nodded slightly at Heather as she sat down in the chair. The man bent over her and fastened the restraints around her wrists and ankles. Zahyra flinched as the cold metal touched her skin and held her firmly in place. As the helmet was placed on her head Zahyra thought once more of Cain. She regretted him leaving without knowing the truth about her, but hoped that her one small omission wouldn’t change how he felt about her when they next saw each other. If they ever saw each other again.
Heather tightened the strap of the helmet under Zahyra’s chin, adjusting the length to accommodate for her head being smaller than Cain’s. Then she stepped back and pressed a button on her Identifier.
The overwhelming whirring sound of the machine tore through Zahyra’s skull. She squeezed her eyes shut to help deal with the noise and clenched her hands into fists. The noise only lasted a few seconds for her, much shorter than it had been for Cain, before it stopped and three beeps sounded from Heather’s Identifier.
“You’re a Zero?” Heather asked questioningly after a moments pause.
Zahyra opened her eyes in response and slowly nodded her head. Heather simply stared at Zahyra and gestured for the man to remove the helmet and restraints. Once free of them Zahyra instantly rubbed her wrists as an automatic response and rose to her feet. Her eyes were trained on Heather’s, curious about what she was about to say. There was an air of silence between them before she spoke again.
“Rank: Zero. Recommended for T128.” A pause followed before the look in Heather’s eyes softened slightly. “You can stay here for your brother’s result if you wish.”
Zahyra nodded slightly and moved to stand next to her brother. What was T128 that Heather had just recommended her for? Something about the way she said it and how she’d looked at her made Zahyra feel uneasy, but she knew that was just another thing she would have to worry about later.
“It’s not so bad,” she said softly looking down at Asher. “I’m right here as well so we can go explore together afterwards, okay?”
Asher looked up at Zahyra with a brave glint in his eyes. He offered her a smile and started walking slowly towards the chair. Heather was leaning against it now with her eyes trained steadily on Zahyra. Curiosity rose inside of her again as she wondered what T128 was. As Heather’s eyes only left hers when Asher reached the chair she vowed to keep an eye out for that woman, something about her just didn’t sit right with Zahyra.
Asher jumped up onto the chair and sat in place. His legs were too short to reach the ankle restraints but Heather waved the man off, happy with only Asher’s wrists being held in place. She placed the helmet on his head and once again tightened the strap slightly so it was snug against Asher’s chin. Zahyra caught his eye briefly and she tried to give him a reassuring smile. This would all be over soon and then their new life could begin. Zahyra’s mind drifted briefly to her mother and she wondered whether she was being housed somewhere in the facility and whether she would be able to see her again soon. Then the whirring noise kicked off and she trained her eyes carefully on her little brother.
He too had closed his eyes to deal with the sound within the helmet. His face was scrunched up and Zahyra hoped it would be over quickly like it had been with her so she could take care of Asher and hold him in her arms.
The noise continued however. Longer than she had had to endure it for and even longer than it had lasted with Cain. Zahyra furrowed her brow in confusion as she watched her little brother. Her eyes drifted to Heather who was staring at the Identifier in her hand with an equal look of confusion. Another minute passed before the whirring eventually stopped and the three beeps sounded for the third time. An unnatural silence filled the room. Zahyra waited and watched Heather, as did her brother who had opened his eyes and turned his neck slightly to look at the woman. Heather drew in a deep breath and began to speak.
“Rank: Generation 6. New-Wave mutant. Unsuitable for housing. Begin removal procedure.”
About The Author
Thanks for reaching the end of The Mutation Breakdown, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
This is the first book I have released, but don't worry - books 2 and 3 in The Generation Series will be published very soon. You can find out more details about these upcoming releases, as well as read prequels to the main trilogy by visiting my website: www.esrichards.com
I would also love to hear from you if you want to leave a review about The Mutation Breakdown, or if you have any questions about the following books in the series.
Thanks, Elle.
Connect With Me
Email: elle@esrichards.com
URL: www.esrichards.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esrichardsauthor
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