Elimination (The Mind Breaker Book 1)

by Marina Epley

  She stepped out from the shadows walking toward me, tiny and pitiful. I stopped, stunned. Some features in her bruised hollow face resembled my lost sister. Her tangled filthy hair had the same reddish color. She had the same green eyes.

  She actually tried to rob me, not knowing that I’m a breaker as well and not subject to her hypnosis. When she understood, Kitty turned and ran. I chased her for a long time. When finally I caught up to her, she hissed and scratched at me like a feral animal.

  “Let me go,” she pleaded. “I didn’t know you’re like me.”

  “Calm down,” I suggested. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “Yes, you will,” she said accusingly. “Everybody tries to hurt me!”

  I had no idea what she had gone through before, being homeless and facing dangerous strangers every day. Eleven-year-old Kitty was an orphan. Maybe her parents just abandoned her, upon learning she was a breaker. It happens often in our world.

  I offered shelter and food. Kitty accepted, although she didn’t trust me at first, even being scared to walk into the apartment. I had to bring food for her outside. After that first evening, Kitty began coming to me every day.

  “You’re like a kitty cat,” I joked. “You come around only when you’re hungry.”

  That was how she became known as Kitty. She never told me her real name, saying only that she hated it. Kitty suited her much better.

  One rainy night she knocked on my door and when I saw her my heart ached with pity. My Kitty could barely stand on her own two feet. Her eyes were watering and face was pale. She had the flu.

  Passing out, she fell straight into my arms. So needful of shelter and care, Kitty couldn’t remain cautious anymore. She chose to trust me, entering my apartment for the first time. She was wordless. Her face had a strange expression of hopelessness and fear. I could do whatever I wished to her. And all I wished was for her to become my sister.

  I bathed her and put her to bed. I offered her all the food I could round up. Then I ran down to the drug store and bought all the medicine I could afford. I was caring for Kitty as if she were my own child. Most of time she remained silent, but her look was becoming softer. The fear was melting in her eyes.

  “Why are you doing it?” she asked. “Why are you helping me?”

  I couldn’t really explain. Probably, I was just afraid of being lonely again.

  In a couple of weeks Kitty got well, but didn’t leave me. She always thought I was the most kind and generous person ever because I’d saved her. In reality, it was her who saved me from complete and utter loneliness. She became my only friend, somebody whom I could genuinely trust and care for. Although we’re not related by blood, as far as I’m concerned, Kitty will always be my little sister.

  She returns in the middle of the night. I can’t see her face in darkness, but can tell she’s been crying.

  “Please, forgive me,” she pleads, offering a warm hug. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier.”

  “That’s okay,” I say, holding her. “Nothing to forgive, we just need some rest.”

  “I can be your sister anytime you please,” Kitty adds. “I guess I could be whoever you want.”

  I’m too tired to figure out what that means at the moment. My head aches. I feel like I got run over by a truck. Truly, it’s been a long day.

  I close my eyes, but can’t fall asleep. I remain fully awake almost till sunrise. Kitty is lying beside me, snuggled up close and dreaming peacefully. Her head is resting on my shoulder. I watch her sleep. Kitty seems even younger than she really is. Her small face seems so childish and untroubled. What will happen to her now? What will happen to us? Gloomy thoughts swirl in my head. I see nothing good coming in the future.

  You have to protect Kitty, I say to myself. No matter what, don’t let Elimination get to her. Even at the cost of your own life.

  When I wake in the morning, Kitty’s gone. I call her name, but she doesn’t answer. Panicking, I search the entire house, checking every room. She’s left me!

  I run outside searching, and suddenly see her walking toward me. Kitty smiles and raises the bag she’s carrying.

  “What the heck?” I say. “Where did you go?”

  “There’s a little town twenty minutes away,” she answers. “I got us some food.”

  Great. While I was going crazy not knowing what happened, Kitty was robbing a store.

  “You can’t do this,” I say. “Somebody may recognize you.”

  “Oh, c’mon,” Kitty answers. “I’m a strong breaker. Nobody remembered anything. It’s just food, and yes, they did think I paid for it.”

  I look angrily into her beautiful yet shameless eyes and see nothing mean or malicious in them. Kitty doesn’t fully realize the consequences of her actions.

  I sigh. Anyway, we have to eat. Having no money, hypnosis is the only option left at the moment.

  Kitty opens her sack and pulls out a hotdog, juicy and still warm. I feel a hungry spasm in my stomach. I eat greedily, with no guilt for consuming stolen food now. Then I drink the bottle of water that Kitty provides.

  “I also have chips and some candy,” she says. “Plus cookies and milk for later.”

  Kitty seems very proud of herself and happy to be useful.

  After breakfast we finally agree to head south. It’s the wildest part of our country, where practically no law exists. Mostly just farmers live there, who simply shoot or hang any thieves trying to rob their farms. Home to me, this is where I grew up. Hopefully, nobody’s been watching the news too closely down there.

  We pass through the woods coming to a torn up highway. Some people still use it for traveling. An occasional car passes by, but they’re not paying any attention. We pick one out with a neutral color. Kitty closes her eyes, concentrating, and the vehicle stops. A driver steps out, his face calm and indifferent.

  “He won’t remember us,” Kitty says, smiling.

  “Doesn’t it hurt your head?” I ask.

  “No,” she answers. “Why would it?”

  That’s weird. I thought all mind breakers suffer from agonizing pain, when hypnotizing. Apparently, this is just my own personal affliction.

  “May I drive?” Kitty asks. “I mean… I don’t wanna die in any fiery car crash you may cause.”

  “I’ll drive slowly,” I answer sheepishly, getting behind the wheel. Suddenly the realization of what she’s just said strikes me. “Wait!” I exclaim. “When did you learn how to drive?”

  “Well,” Kitty says, averting her eyes. “I did practice lots of useful things while you weren’t at home.”

  I fall into a stupor for a few moments, her words echoing in my ears. Of course. How could I be so blind, not noticing anything going on? That’s also how she’s capable of hypnotizing people so well. Now I understand. While I was so busy working, Kitty had an opportunity to do whatever she wanted during the day. She probably hypnotized regularly, perfecting her skills. I saw her dressed in her school uniform every morning, carrying an arm load of books, but where did she really go?

  Bitter feelings of unease and disappointment overwhelm me. I thought she had changed her ways years ago. Apparently, my Kitty has some secrets.

  I keep driving till late evening, holding the steering wheel with shaky hands. My right eye is still blurry from the accident. I have to squint to see the darkening road. Our car jerks and I’m scared to lose control. I’ll have to stop soon else we may end up in a ditch.

  Spending the night in another abandoned house probably isn’t the best decision, with no electricity and the temperature near freezing. I don’t want Kitty to catch cold. We need to find somewhere better to sleep.

  Passing a small town, I see the askew sign of a cheap looking motel. Its walls are uneven and scratched. The layers of plastic and wood replace the glass in some broken windows. Just nasty enough to give it a try, I guess. People who dare to stay in this rat hole must be in trouble themselves. Hopefully, they won’t report us.

  We leave the car
in an obscured parking lot and walk through the squeaking entrance door of the motel. I feel Kitty’s hand squeezing my fingers in friendly support. She knows I hate hypnotizing people.

  The air is grayish blue from cigarette smoke. There’s a filthy bar in the hall where several drunks sit, backs turned to us. I see a tall skinny girl pouring whiskey behind the stained counter. She’s in her early twenties with short spiked hair, wearing a biker’s jacket above an indecently open dress. A bizarre pattern of numerous tattoos covers her chest and neck. The girl wears black lipstick and heavy makeup, looking as freakish as possible. Her pale blue eyes meet mine for a moment and she turns away indifferently.

  We approach the sleepy clerk. Irritated, he raises his head and asks what we want. That same moment I concentrate hard, sending my suggestions into his brain. I’ve no idea how it works really. I just feel our minds connecting. Familiar pain engulfs my head. The guy resists slightly, but only for a second. Then his facial muscles relax, leaving him with a silly expression. I expel a quiet breath of relief. You never know when you may meet a resistant. Thankfully, this clerk isn’t one of them. At the same time Kitty is hypnotizing others in the room, making sure they won’t remember our faces.

  I place a torn piece of paper on the desk. The clerk grabs it, thinking that this is cash, and hands me a key.

  “Good job,” Kitty whispers.

  I wince, rejecting her compliment. Everything we’re doing now contradicts my principles. I feel ashamed, taking advantage of my skills.

  We proceed to our room. It’s very small and it stinks. A fat brown cockroach crawls along the smeared wall, moving its long antennas.

  “Well, looks like sleeping outside wouldn’t be that much worse,” Kitty says.

  “C’mon, it’s just for one night,” I answer.

  There’s only one bed. Fully dressed, we crawl under a thin blanket and hold each other, trying to keep warm. Kitty’s tiny arms wrap around my neck. She mumbles something unintelligible and drifts off. I remain sleepless, unable to relax. I have the feeling of sinking in quicksand. Whatever I do seems wrong and only winds up making everything worse. On the run from police, hypnotizing people and stealing cars. Just like a real criminal. Maybe Tim was right about all mind breakers being plain evil? No, I won’t stay like this. At least I hope I’m different.

  Being worn out and feverish, I force myself to calm down. I need to sleep, but my mind outlines countless scenarios of our future. I imagine officers in black uniforms surrounding the motel. I see guns and rifles pointed at us. So needful of rest, I can’t make myself stop listening and watching.

  Around a midnight someone knocks on the door. This could be trouble.

  Chapter 4

  The steady rhythm of knocking sends chills throughout my body. I sit up abruptly on the edge of the bed, waking Kitty.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispers.

  I shush to keep her quiet and walk toward the door. I don’t believe that Elimination or the police could have come for us this soon. No, they wouldn’t be knocking. They would boot the door with guns at the ready. This must be someone else.

  Holding my breath and keeping as silent as possible, I take a cautious look through the peephole. I see the girl from the bar who gave me an odd glance earlier. She must be a resistant as our hypnosis apparently didn’t work on her. What does she want? I can’t read anything on her face.

  “Let me in,” the girl says. “I recognized you.” Her voice sounds calm as if nothing unusual is happening.

  She knows who I am. I instantly open the door, grab the girl and drag her inside. The door shuts closed. I press the girl tightly against the wall.

  “What do you want?” I ask, squeezing my hands on her shoulders. I don’t know how I should behave with her.

  “Easy, easy,” she says. “I’m a breaker like you. I’m here to help.”

  “How can we know that?” I ask. “Maybe you’re just resistant.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” she says. “Elimination would already be here if I were just a resistant.”

  Her words make sense and strike a chord of truth within me. I lessen my grip.

  “Rex, let her go,” I hear Kitty’s thin voice. “Can’t you see? She’s one of us!”

  “Looks like your girlfriend has more brains than you,” the girl says. The stranger remains absolutely calm as if she’s in complete control of the situation.

  After a brief hesitation I let her go.

  “This is my sister,” I say. “Not girlfriend.”

  “Whatever,” the girl says. “It’s none of my business. I don’t care who you are or what you did. I came to offer my help, not hear to your relationship status. It’s dangerous for you to stay here. Somebody else could have recognized you. I saw what you did in the hall. It was pretty impressive, but as you already know some people are resistant.”

  She speaks without emotion, nor changing the cold expression on her face. It reminds me somehow of a mask. Her black lips and heavy layers of makeup must be part of her disguise, I guess. If she were to ever wash her face, she’d be unrecognizable.

  “If you wish, you can spend the night at my place,” she offers. “I live thirty minutes from here.”

  “Why should we trust you?” I ask, still suspicious.

  “I don’t really care if you trust me or not,” the girl answers. “You just don’t have any other place to go that I’m aware of.”

  She’s right. Remaining here is too risky. It was a bad idea to come to this motel. What was I thinking?

  “Rex, please,” Kitty pleads. “Let’s go with her.”

  She must be excited to meet another breaker.

  “All right,” I agree. I’m probably becoming overly paranoid, seeing an enemy in every person I meet. Although in our current situation doing so may be the only way to stay alive.

  Her apartment is large and empty for the most part. I only see a cheap mattress on the floor of the living room, several books and a TV set. No other furniture.

  “It’s easier to move this way,” the girl explains. Looks like she lives in a constant readiness to run for her life, whenever needed. No photographs lying around. Nothing that might give a lead to a pursuer. Smart girl. She obviously knows what she’s doing.

  “You can take showers,” she advises. “I can also provide a change of clothes for each of you.”

  She brings a dress for Kitty, which I think will be too large, and men’s shirt and jeans for me.

  “My ex left them,” she comments, handing me the clothes. “And don’t worry, he doesn’t remember them anymore.”

  “Did you wipe his memory?” I ask. “You mean he wasn’t a breaker?”

  “He was,” she answers. “Just a considerably weaker breaker than me.”

  This is surprising. I didn’t know that breakers could manipulate each other.

  Kitty goes into the bathroom. I remain alone with the girl, sitting on the stained carpet and feeling somewhat awkward. I’m not used to being a house guest. The girl doesn’t pay me any attention, lost in a book picked from a stack on the floor.

  “Thanks for taking us in,” I say to break the silence.

  “Don’t feel too welcome,” she answers. “You’ll be leaving in the morning.”

  “Sure,” I say. Her rudeness doesn’t offend me. She is already risking her life, letting us stay here tonight. Expecting warmth and hospitality would probably be asking too much.

  “What’s your name?” I ask curiously.

  “Why do you freaking care?” she says with an irritated look.

  “Well, you know my name,” I explain. “I thought it’d be only fair if I knew yours.”

  “Your name isn’t real anyway, is it?” she asks.

  “No,” I admit.

  Her black lips curl into an understanding smirk.

  “Of course. We all have fake names,” she says. “Anyway, why did you take such a stupid name? Rex Hunter. Sounds terrible.”

  “I was eight when I took it,” I ex
plain. “What would you expect from a child?” I smile, remembering my struggle with choosing a name. “Rex was borrowed from the Tyrannosaurus Rex. I used to like dinosaurs.”

  She rolls her eyes.

  “Why are you telling all this to me?” she says, wincing. “I really don’t want to know. The less you tell people about yourself, the safer you are. Learn to keep your mouth shut, stupid.”

  Don’t take her rudeness personally, I remind myself. Rudeness is just a defense mechanism for her. We all build walls to keep our secrets safe. In a mind breaker’s world you can’t allow many close relationships.

  After showering, our hostess warms up a large frozen pizza for our supper. We eat it, sitting on the floor and watching the news. My face is on every channel.

  They use the photograph from my bank ID, which looks like a mug shot. I’ve never been photogenic, but watchers may easily come to some wrong conclusions after seeing this. This pic is exactly how Elimination wishes a mind breaker to appear.

  Shockingly, police accuse me of a bank robbery attempt and homicide. I supposedly killed the security guard. I additionally shot Mr. Thompson and beat the hell out of Mandy and Tim. No word about the actual criminals. Strange.

  I see Lola, the most popular journalist in the country, whose specialty happens to be mind breakers. She is overly thin, almost on the verge of anorexia. Her actual age is a mystery, but I’m guessing she’s past fifty. Countless plastic surgeries have distorted the natural features of her face, leaving her skin too strained, lips too big and cheekbones too high. She wears a red mini dress which seems a bit obscene for her age, along with a blond wig and tons of makeup.

  Today, Lola is interviewing Captain Wheeler from the Elimination force. He’s a middle aged man with perfect posture and friendly face.

  “This is an extremely dangerous case,” Wheeler says. “This young man is unstable and psychotic. He can definitely kill again.”

  “Why do you think he committed these heinous crimes?” Lola asks.