Mutation (Twenty-Five Percent Book 1)

by Wheatley, Nerys

Micah nodded and they started away from the wrecked car, his arm draped over Alex’s shoulders to keep him on his feet. Alex steered them in the direction of Micah’s only hope, the lab. If they could get there before he turned, maybe, just maybe, they could help.

  As they walked, however, their progress slowed, Alex feeling more and more of Micah’s weight bearing down on him. After only a couple of hundred yards, Micah collapsed, sliding from Alex’s grip and hitting the ground with a grunt.

  “I can’t keep my eyes open,” he said, his voice slurring. Already the infection was talking control.

  Alex lowered to one knee beside him. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll get you there.”

  Micah reached up and clutched the front of his shirt. “Don’t let me turn,” he gasped, his face wracked with pain, eyes glassy. “Promise me you won’t let me become one of those things. Promise me you’ll kill me first.”

  Tears burned at the back of Alex’s eyes. He placed his hand over Micah’s. “I promise.”

  Micah nodded as his eyes closed. His body slumped back onto the ground.

  Alex pulled Micah’s pistol from his waistband and tucked it into his holster, then pulled him to a seated position. With a grunt, he hoisted Micah’s limp body over his shoulder and stood. He was heavier than he looked and Alex had to stand still for a moment, shrugging him into a more comfortable position.

  Another explosion vibrated through the ground nearby. Alex pulled the gun free and took off at a run.

  Before, the streets had been clear. Now the eaters Micah had led away were trying to return to the horde. With Micah slumped over his left shoulder and the pistol in his right hand, he picked off any eaters that got too near. When the gun was out of bullets, Alex pulled out a skull-spiker and ran on.

  With every second that passed he expected to feel Micah stir, to hear his hunger filled moan. On and on he ran, fighting past eater after eater, never letting Micah go and never stopping. His muscles screamed and his chest burned and every breath felt like it would be his last, but still he ran.

  Finally, Alex rounded the last corner that would take them to the front door of the lab, and stopped. He stood still, gasping for breath, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.

  Where before they had been closed, the gates leading to the building were wide open. Inside the fence, blocking the way to the doors, were dozens of eaters. He knew without a doubt it was Kerry’s doing. Even after death, she was punishing them.

  He looked around, desperately searching for a way through, but there was none. It was thirteen minutes since Micah had been bitten. There was no time to get to the back door in the shed.

  “This can’t be it,” he whispered.

  The eaters nearest to the gate saw him and began to move in his direction. The rest turned towards him as one.

  He lowered Micah to the ground, propping him up in a shop entrance where he’d be safer. Where hopefully they wouldn’t notice him. Alex was exhausted, still losing blood from the wound on his back and the eater bites he’d sustained. He could barely stay upright, he didn’t stand a chance against that many eaters.

  It didn’t matter.

  Taking a spiker in each hand, he strode towards the horde.

  Within seconds, his fatigue became almost overwhelming. He took down the first few eaters in flurry of movement and scrambled back from the grasping arms of the rest, on the verge of collapse. He’d never been so tired. If they caught him, he knew he wouldn’t have the energy to escape.

  The next wave took him longer. He could feel his movements slowing. And there were still so many. An eater managed to grab his right arm, almost getting it to its mouth before Alex plunged the spiker in his left hand into its head and backed out of reach again.

  I can’t do it, he thought, looking back at Micah’s unconscious form. I’m not going to make it on time.

  What am I going to do?

  A bang reverberated from the surrounding buildings. Then another.

  When the head of an eater not three feet away exploded in a shower of blood and brain matter, Alex scrambled backwards. He caught sight of the front door of the lab, now open. Carla and James stood in the opening, rifles methodically picking off eater after eater.

  Alex ran back to the shop entrance where he’d left Micah and dropped to the ground beside him. He hunched over him, trying to protect his body with his own, and waited for the shooting to stop.

  Beneath him, he felt Micah stir.

  29

  Micah groaned.

  Alex raised his head from the book he was reading to see his eyes flutter open and focus on him.

  “Where are we?” he rasped.

  Alex closed his book. “The lab.”

  “How...” A fit of coughing swallowed the rest of the sentence. Alex retrieved a glass of water from a nearby table and held it so he could drink. When he’d had enough, Micah sagged back onto the bed. He looked pale and weak, but at least he was awake. It had been a long couple of days for Alex.

  “How long have I been out?” Micah said.

  “Two days, more or less.”

  He grimaced. “I feel like someone’s pounding my brain with a mallet.” He lifted his hand to his face and stilled, staring at the bandage wrapped around his arm. “I was bitten.”

  “Yes.”

  “We crashed.”

  “Yes.”

  “How did I get here?”

  “I carried you.”

  Micah’s eyes widened. “But we were over a mile away.”

  “I know, believe me. If you expect me to do it again, you’re going to have to go on a diet.”

  The corners of Micah’s mouth twitched and he patted his stomach. “This is all muscle.”

  Alex snorted and shook his head.

  “So what happened to me?” Micah said, his smile fading.

  “When I got you back here, they gave you the new and improved cure they’ve been developing. You’re the first human they’ve tried it on. I think they were secretly quite pleased to have a guinea pig. But they weren’t sure it would work with this new strain and you being so close to turning when they administered it.”

  Micah looked at the padded steel shackles attached to the sides of the bed on which he was lying. There were three other identical beds in the lab’s infirmary.

  “Did I turn?” He touched the fingers of his right hand to his eyes, as if he could feel their colour.

  Alex stood and took down a small mirror that was hanging on the wall. He handed it to Micah and sat down again.

  “I’m sorry. Your eyes are still a remarkably boring shade of blue.”

  Micah looked at his reflection then closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. Then he frowned. “Wait, that means I don’t have super strength either?”

  “Nope. You’ll just have to learn to live with your jealousy of these babies.” Alex flexed his right bicep and patted it with a grin.

  Micah rolled his eyes then focused on Alex’s arms. “Looks like they got their teeth into you a few times.”

  “A few.”

  Once the adrenalin wore off and the pain started, Alex found he’d been bitten far more than he thought. As she treated his wounds, Hannah counted a total of thirteen bites on his arms and hands and one on his ankle where his jeans had pulled up. He was covered in bandages.

  “When I saw you fall, I thought that was it,” Micah said. “I still can’t believe you crowd surfed that eater horde. I was so stunned I almost forgot to go and get you.”

  Alex smiled and looked down at his bandages. “I would have died there.”

  “I know.”

  Alex huffed. “‘I know’? Way to kill the moment. I’m trying to thank you here.”

  Micah smiled. “Go ahead then.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  There were a few seconds of silence.

  “Aren’t you going to thank me for carrying you all the way here?” Alex said.

  “Well, technically I
wouldn’t have been bitten if I hadn’t come to save you.”

  “Oh, that’s gratitude. Next time I’ll just leave you there.”

  “I drove into a horde of thousands of eaters! I risked my own life to save yours.”

  “I ran with you over a mile through eater infested streets. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to fight off eaters carrying fourteen stone of dead weight over your shoulder?”

  Micah glared at him. “Twelve and a half.”

  Alex crossed his arms. “You just can’t get over the fact that I have saved your life six times and you’ve only saved mine four.”

  “Your memory is obviously going in your old age.”

  “I have every one of them on my list.”

  “Fine,” Micah said, “go and get our lists and we’ll see whose is more accurate.”

  “I...” Alex was cut off as Dr Vincent walked into the room.

  “Why didn’t you call me when he woke up?” Larry said, rushing to Micah’s bedside.

  “It’s only been a few minutes,” Alex replied, a little defensively. He stood and walked towards the door.

  “Get me something to eat while you’re out there,” Micah said. “I’m starving.”

  “Feeling hungry is a good sign,” Larry said as he picked up his wrist and pinched it, looking at his watch.

  Alex turned to go.

  “Alex?” Micah said.

  He looked back.

  Micah’s expression was serious. “Thank you.”

  Alex smiled, nodded, and walked from the room.

  . . .

  The day after Micah woke, the phone, internet and television signals returned. After seeing the panicked reports of what was happening outside the city, Alex almost wished they hadn’t.

  Every one of the barriers around the city had been overwhelmed at exactly the same time as the one he and Micah witnessed. Alex had held out a hope that the military had been able to wipe out the eaters, but there were too many of them, and those in charge had seriously underestimated the threat. He couldn’t help wondering, if they’d been able to get the information on the flash drive to them, would it have made a difference?

  The army surrounding the city had been routed. Hordes of eaters were roaming the countryside, adding to their number by the hour. The full might of the British army, air force, police force and every other force they could muster were being thrown against the growing eater hosts, but they were still being pushed back.

  The eaters were doing exactly what they’d been designed for, and they were extremely effective. With no-one to direct them, they were out of control.

  Terror reigned.

  The government were pleading for help from their overseas allies. So far, it hadn’t come.

  Alex spoke to his parents and brother. Fortunately, they lived on the other side of the country. He hoped the eaters would be stopped before they got there, but deep down he knew it was unlikely. He told them to stay together, stockpile food and not try to travel. After that, he called everyone he knew and told them the same thing.

  People were attempting to flee the country, but every border was closed to them. Already boats, small and large, had crossed the channel and the Irish Sea only to return, having found nowhere to land. The French, Belgian and Irish armed forces were guarding every inch of their respective coasts and airspaces. Nowhere wanted to risk the infection coming to them. For once, being an island nation was a disadvantage.

  Internal transport was hopeless too. Everyone wanted to get away from the affected areas or to their loved ones, but there weren’t enough trains, or even enough staff to run them, as people abandoned their jobs to stay with their families or try to run. Roads were gridlocked. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

  Civilisation was breaking down.

  Ironically, Sarcester seemed to be the safest place to be. The eaters had fanned out, abandoning the city, drawn to easier food sources.

  After watching panicked report after panicked report, Alex couldn’t take it any longer. No-one complained when he suggested they only check the news every few hours.

  30

  It was two days before Micah was strong enough to leave.

  Larry Vincent tried to persuade him to stay so he could do more tests, but Micah pointed out that he’d had so many needles stuck in him he felt like a colander.

  All the doctors had decided to stay in the lab for now and keep working on a way to stop the new virus, as well as on a cure for those already turned. Carla was staying with them, still hoping to get her husband back. She’d been out a few times while Alex and Micah were there and Alex knew she was finding bodies to feed him. He wasn’t about to judge.

  After four days underground, Alex was relieved to breathe fresh air and see the sun again when they finally left. People were on the streets again, although they were noticeably nervous and most were carrying some kind of weapon.

  Alex and Micah made a detour to the where the barriers had been on the north east of the city. The nearer they got to the edge, the worse the devastation became. Bomb craters littered the roads. Blackened buildings, some still smoking, appeared on the verge of collapse. It looked like a war zone.

  Reaching the site of the barriers, Alex jumped onto the bonnet of a car that had been driven into a concrete bollard and stepped up onto the roof. He looked around.

  “See anything?” Micah said, shielding his eyes against the bright sun to look up at him.

  “Nothing that we can’t see from down there.”

  The huge, twisted shapes of the metal barriers lay across the street behind them. They weren’t built for strength and had crumpled under the pressure of the thousands of eaters like aluminium foil. The people who designed them hadn’t anticipated an army of eaters working together to bring them down.

  The bodies of the eaters who had been trampled or crushed against the barriers lay scattered around the crushed metal, as well as those killed by the army as they frantically tried to halt the horde. The smell of decomposition was becoming unpleasant, but Alex ignored it. Someone would have to deal with the bodies, but it wasn’t going to be him. He’d had enough death for a lifetime.

  The remains of the army’s presence lay scattered as far as he could see. Abandoned vehicles, the remains of temporary canvas structures, shredded, bloody uniforms. No bodies though. They had been devoured by the thousands of starving eaters. If there had been any weapons, they were gone now.

  Alex jumped back down to the ground. He’d seen enough.

  “Let’s go home.”

  . . .

  Without a city full of eaters to avoid, they covered the few miles back to Micah’s flat in less than two hours. Neither of them said much.

  When they reached Oxford Heights, they stopped outside.

  “Do you want to come up?” Micah said.

  Alex looked up at the grey walls and windows. “Thanks, but no. I think I just want to go home and check on my friends. And then sleep for a couple of weeks.”

  Micah nodded in understanding, having been told what Kerry said about Janie. Alex still refused to believe she was gone, but he was nervous nevertheless. He could have called Leon, but it wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to hear on the phone. And if he was honest with himself, he’d been putting off hearing the truth.

  “What are you going to do about your neighbour?” he said.

  Micah looked up at the seventh floor. “I’ll take care of Mrs Jacobs. I won’t leave her like that.”

  “I can do it if you want.”

  Micah gave a wan smile. “Thanks, but it’s my responsibility. She was my friend.” He sighed. “I know she’s gone.”

  “I’m sorry, Micah.”

  He nodded. “So maybe I’ll see you around.”

  One side of Alex’s mouth hitched up. “Not if I see you first.”

  Micah rolled his eyes. “That is never funny.” He smiled. “Goodbye, Alex.”

  Alex returned the smile. “Goodbye, Mike.”

  “Seriously,
I will kick your butt.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  He turned and walked away across the lengthening grass, looking back just before he got out of sight. Micah was at the door to his building. He raised a hand and Alex waved back, then turned and headed towards home.

  It felt strange to be alone again.

  31

  When Alex reached East Town, he was surprised to see how much had changed while he’d been gone.

  The double line of cars had become a barricade, built from cars tipped onto their sides in between two lines of vehicles to keep them upright. A normal and two Survivors, one of whom was Pete, were patrolling the wall.

  Alex had to climb over the obstacle just to get in.

  “Did the eaters come here?” Alex said when he was inside.

  “No,” Pete replied, sighing. “We’ve been going out and stocking up on food and some people have been trying to take it. Anyone who needs help is allowed in, but some people don’t seem to like what we’re doing here.”

  “They weren’t wearing camouflage, were they?” Alex said.

  Pete frowned. “Why would anyone be wearing camouflage in a city?”

  “That’s exactly what I said.” Alex admired the barricade. “This is a good idea. Glad to see you haven’t used mine though.”

  “Oh, none of these belong to Survivors,” Pete said, grinning.

  Alex looked down the street towards his home without moving. He wanted to ask about Janie, but the words wouldn’t come. If he asked, and Pete told him she hadn’t come back, Alex would know Kerry hadn’t lied about what she’d done.

  “You okay, Mac?” Pete said.

  Alex looked back at him. “Uh, yes. Yes, I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”

  Pete smiled. “It’s good to have you back, Mac.”

  “Pete, I can honestly say, it’s good to be back.”

  Leaving his neighbour at the car barricade, Alex continued along the road, aiming for his building. As he was about to go inside, movement caught his eye. Someone was walking out of a door across the street.