by E S Richards
Cain nodded, telling Mace that he would join the hunt when they left and then filling up his own mug from the stream. As the group of them departed just over an hour later Cain was disappointed to learn they were going on foot. He knew that meant it was unlikely they’d venture anywhere near groups of lower ranked mutants. Hence diminishing their chances of finding a Zero and dragging out the time he had to spend in the mutant base.
Aside from himself and Mace Cain was pleased to see that the other two mutants in his hunting party were Hunter and Atom. Hunter nodded his head as Cain approached while Atom scowled at the ground. Cain was unsure why the young mutant had taken such a dislike to him but vowed that it wouldn’t stop him being properly integrated into the base. Mace took to the sky shortly after they left the walls of the base, scouting from above for anything that was worth their effort.
“What are your mutations?” Cain asked after a while to Hunter and Atom. He could see their generation rankings burnt firmly into their right arms: Hunter a Gen 4 like he was, Atom a Gen 5.
Atom looked back slightly at Cain who was walking behind the pair and smirked. He then looked at Hunter who shook his head slightly and picked up his pace, leaving Atom falling into step with Cain. He looked down at the boy, although he was only an inch or two shorter than Cain he easily equalled him for muscle mass. His skin was tanned and created a sharp contrast with his blonde hair, cascading down to sit on his shoulders. Atom met Cain’s gaze and smirked once more, stopping in his tracks. He then snapped his fingers and Cain too stopped in his tracks, suddenly unable to move forward.
Cain let out a short burst of breath as he stopped. He struggled to move his leg up and put his foot forward, fighting against the invisible object that was stopping him. He tried to turn his head to look at Atom who was now slightly behind him but couldn’t move that either. Panicking he realised he couldn’t even twitch his fingers or wriggle his toes in his boots.
He was completely frozen in place aside from his eyes glancing around and his mind working furiously. Trying to open his mouth to speak he found he couldn’t do that either. Whatever Atom had done to him had turned him into a living statue, and he wasn’t comfortable with it.
“Let him go, Atom!” Hunter called from ahead of them. Cain could just see him in his peripheral vision and noticed that he too had stopped but was clearly still able to move, his hands on his hips and his voice shouting.
Atom walked around Cain until he was standing directly in front of him, occupying his entire field of vision. Cain stared at the boy, an uneasy feeling filling his body as he realised he was completely at his mercy. Atom let out a low laugh, rumbling loudly through the tranquillity of the forest around them before snapping his fingers once more.
Instantly Cain felt the control of his body return to him and he sagged slightly, breathing in deeply through his mouth. Atom watched him regroup in front of his eyes and waited until Cain met his gaze once more. Cain was instantly cautious of the boy but knew better than to let him know he was afraid.
“Impressive,” he said with a nod, watching a little of the confidence fall from Atom’s eyes. He said nothing in reply, just stared at Cain for a while longer before turning and jogging to catch up with Hunter who had continued to move on.
Cain paused for a moment longer before following them. He regarded Atom with a different opinion now. The boy was certainly dangerous and Cain knew he would have to be careful around him. For someone so young to have such a powerful mutation was hazardous enough already, combined with the environment they were living in Cain didn’t want to fall on the wrong side of him.
Mace eventually flew down from the skies and fell into step beside Cain, causing him to jump slightly in surprise.
“Nothing special out here today boys,” Mace said as his feet touched the ground. “Some dogs about a mile east though, I reckon we go catch some of them for supper.”
Cain winced internally at the thought of coming up against wild dogs again, his foot twinging as he remembered his last encounter. Thankfully he was all healed now, with nothing but a nasty scar to remind him of the encounter, but he was still apprehensive about coming close to dogs again.
Hunter and Atom seemed of a completely different perspective though and immediately changed their course due east. As they approached the dogs Cain wondered how they were going to overcome them: none of them had any weapons that he could see, although his knife was still concealed on the inside of his boot.
It didn’t seem to matter though. As they neared the group of dogs Cain saw they were all sleeping. Atom quickly moved to the front of their group and came to a stop just a meter away from one of the dogs. He stared at it and clicked his fingers, Cain seeing him perform the same trick he had just been victim to. It was definitely a useful mutation if he could control anything – something Cain had never seen before.
Hunter pulled a knife from his own boot in that moment and Cain pondered doing the same. Seeing the older man had the situation covered however he decided to keep his blade a secret, unsure of when he would need it next.
Hunter silently slit the throat of the dog Atom was controlling, while Cain and Mace watched the other three. They killed another one as well, and then Cain and Hunter dragged the two dead bodies away from the final dogs. Thankfully neither had awoken, but Atom was still controlling them with his mind, just in case.
Working quickly Cain ripped down some vines from a nearby tree and tied his dog’s legs together: front to front, back to back. Hunter then passed him a large piece of wood and Cain worked about fastening his makeshift ties onto it, suspending the dead animal from the log. Mace and Atom approached when the dogs were secured, each hoisting the other end of the log onto their shoulders. Cain shared his with Mace, while Hunter and Atom set off at a brisk walk back to the base, the wild dog swinging carelessly between them as they moved.
“Impressive mutation that kid,” Cain said to Mace as they walked. He was at the front of the log so Mace walked behind him, meaning Cain was unable to judge the reaction on his face.
“Yeah,” the reply came eventually, “we were pleased when Hunter returned with him.”
“Why did he leave?” Cain asked curiously, “Hunter I mean. He told me he was here when he was younger, then left and came back.”
“Aye he was,” Mace’s voice carried through the forest from behind him. “He was the commander’s second when I joined up. Lucky for me that he left really, meaning I could move into his position. Returned about a year ago with his boy.”
Cain paused. “Atom’s his son?”
“Yeah. They don’t like to talk about it much but everyone knows. Hunter went back for his Turning Age Ceremony several years back then trained him until he was strong enough to join us. He keeps to himself mainly but he’s pretty impressive. Well, you’ve seen what he can do.”
Cain nodded in response and was pleased Mace couldn’t see his face. He hoped he hadn’t seen Atom exhibiting his mutation on him earlier; it was bad enough Cain had let it happen to begin with.
The rest of their journey was carried out in silence. Cain followed the path Hunter and Atom set in front of him and they reached the base within a couple of hours. He was glad for their guidance: although his sense of direction often served him well, in this new part of the forest he was yet to completely gather his bearings.
The atmosphere of the base was buzzing when Cain and Mace finally walked in. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to the introduction of food or if something else had happened. Mace left him to untie the wild dog when they set it down in front of the fire and headed towards the commander’s office to find out what was going on.
As Cain unfastened the dead animal and dragged it over to a wooden table near the fire he strained his ears to listen to the excited chatter amongst the mutants. Very soon he realised it wasn’t anything to do with the wild dogs his hunting party had retrieved.
Talk focused on another hunting party that had gone out the same time as his. It so
unded like this one had moved out of the forest towards more civilisation and Cain could tell they had discovered something interesting. Unfortunately his arrival had been too late to hear exactly what the discovery was and he struggled to piece together the snippets of conversation he overheard. Eventually the commander appeared from his office and a hush slowly fell over the base, each mutant waiting to hear what was about to be said.
“Excellent work today men,” the commander started once the base was silent. “Not least in the arrival of our supper,” he nodded towards Cain slightly who was still dealing with the wild dogs. “But moreso with the discovery of a new refugee camp. Eat well tonight, for tomorrow we set off on a real hunt.”
The base was overcome with cheering and shouting in response to the commander’s short speech. Cain let out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. The discovery of a refugee camp could only mean one thing: lower ranked mutants. Cain prayed for there to be a Zero hiding out amongst them. Although he hated what he would have to do to capture one, he knew that finding a Zero would mark the beginning of the next stage of his plan. Tomorrow, he resolved to himself, tomorrow he would find a Zero.
Chapter 19
The energy in the camp was electric when Cain woke up. He was one of the last people to leave the sleeping quarters and when he did he saw everyone engaged in one activity or another. Hunter was busy chopping up the remaining food from the wild dogs they’d brought back the day before, so Cain moved over to offer him a hand.
“Morning,” the mutant muttered as Cain approached.
“Alright,” Cain replied, “do you know when we’re heading out today?”
Hunter didn’t reply immediately, sliding over some of the meat towards Cain who copied what Hunter was doing. Cutting it into portions and wrapping it tightly in some leaves.
“Whenever everything is ready I imagine,” Hunter said simply, continuing with his task in a uniform manner.
Cain helped Hunter until all the food was organised. They still had a lot, probably enough to last them a couple of days Cain thought, wondering about the specifics of their hunting trip. From listening into various conversations as Cain helped with several other tasks he learned that Mace had left the base late last night to contact the safe haven. Cain prayed that they wouldn’t resist dealing with the mutant party after the ambush, the fate of his future hanging in the balance of their decision.
He was cleaning and counting guns and ammunition when Mace arrived back at the base. He looked exhausted and sweat clung to his brow. Midday dusk was just rolling in providing some relief from the sun but the humidity in the forest still made each task harder than it should be. Mace didn’t stop to speak to anyone, just walked into the commander’s office and closed the door behind him. Cain returned to the weapons in front of him, counting out the rounds of ammunition carefully, ensuring that each mutant would be properly equipped.
He wasn’t sure how the raid of the refugee camp would go down. When they’d ambushed the safe haven they’d needed all the weapons they could carry, but for an attack on lower ranked mutants Cain didn’t imagine they’d put up much of a fight.
Through the night he’d battled with the knowledge that he would probably have to kill some of them. It went against everything he’d strived for in his life to date. Killing innocent people wasn’t who he was, but to fit in with the other mutants he knew it would be something he’d have to do. After getting this far there was no chance he was going to let his morals ruin it for him.
Once he was finished with the guns he moved over to the fire. A basic broth was hanging over it, made from the bones of the wild dogs and Cain helped himself to a portion. He was just sitting down to drink it when the commander and Mace appeared, making him stop with the bowl half way to his mouth. As the other mutants noticed their presence the noise of the camp stopped, each body turning to face their commander.
The commander held the silence for a moment, looking out over each mutant’s face in turn.
“Saddle up boys,” he said slowly, a wide grin breaking out onto his face. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Immediately the mutants finished up whatever each of them had been doing. Cain downed the contents of his bowl, his throat constricting as the hot liquid sloshed down to his stomach. He watched as mutants began running up to the commander in turn, speaking for a moment and then moving on. Cain faltered before doing the same, wondering what was being said.
“You ready for this?” The commander said as Cain stood in front of him.
“Yes sir,” he replied enthusiastically, “ready to get going.”
“Good,” the commander nodded at Cain. “You can ride with me.”
Cain nodded back to the commander and moved away towards an SUV. There were two in camp but it appeared only one of them would be used for the raid. Cain wondered whether this was a tactical decision, or whether a lack of fuel was simply deterring them. Either way he didn’t dwell on the question, many more things deserving his attention.
He helped one of the mutants he’d never spoken to fill the back of the SUV with weapons and food. Cain received a nasty look as he began helping him, the mutant unimpressed by his arrival. Cain wasn’t surprised by this. He could tell there were still many mutants in the camp who didn’t think he deserved to be there. All he could do was keep his head down and help out as best he could: try and prove to everyone that he was an asset to the base.
When the SUV was filled the commander and Mace walked towards it. Mace climbed into the drivers seat, the commander sitting behind him. Two other mutants appeared by the vehicle, each one climbing into the back. Cain looked at them for a second before climbing up and taking the final seat. There were a few raised eyebrows as he sat down but no one said anything, unwilling to question the words of their commander.
The rest of the mutants gathered around the vehicle, ready to run behind it. Cain noticed then that Hunter and Atom were still in the centre of the camp. He was surprised by this, knowing that they had stayed behind during the ambush and curious why they weren’t then first in line to embark on this mission.
He knew Atom was young but with his mutation he would be a great talent on their team. As the SUV roared into life however Cain didn’t have long to ponder the question, watching as the image of the two mutants disappeared from view.
The drive was silent. Cain could see the commander’s lips moving in the front seat, presumably talking to Mace but over the roar of the engine Cain couldn’t make out what they were saying. Neither of the other mutants spoke at all, each of them staring blankly ahead.
Cain wrestled internally with his own demons as they drove; constantly trying to reason with himself why it was okay he was about to take part in a mutant raid. Zahyra had told him about the one on her camp and he could tell how terrified she had been. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your home destroyed by mutants who only wanted to hurt you – and just for the reason that they could.
When the SUV ground to a halt Cain was still struggling with his thoughts but as the commander ripped open the back door and the other two mutants jumped out he swallowed, knowing he would have to put his resignations to one side until everything was over. Only then could he truly deal with whatever he had done.
Cain helped the other mutants unload the back of the SUV while Mace spoke quietly to the commander. Once everything was ready they waited for the rest of the mutant party to join them, their footsteps giving them away before they were visible. Cain was impressed by the stamina of each of them, the run being much further than the one to and from the ambush sight.
All but one of the mutants were drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, the one who wasn’t smiled, looking around at his companions. Cain figured that must be some side effect of whatever mutation he had but it wasn’t important at that moment, if he stayed in the camp long enough he might ask about it, but secretly he hoped he’d never find out. Once everyone had caught their breath the commander began
to speak, relaying instructions to each member of the party.
They were going to be surrounding the camp in pairs. Cain was matched up with Mace; whether it was because he was still new to the group or for some other reason he didn’t know, he was just pleased to be paired with someone who appeared not to entirely hate him.
He followed the mutant around the side of the camp to their start point. Cain was impressed they were going ahead with the strike in broad daylight, indicating to him how badly the commander must want to capture a Zero. He still wondered about why the mutant party was dealing with the safe haven, trading in the Zero’s for various supplies. Cain figured that with a party as strong as his, the commander could find his supplies elsewhere but again, didn’t question the matter.
“Did you contact the safe haven?” Cain asked Mace once they were in position. The air was alive with chatter from the refugee camp so Cain figured any conversation they engaged in would be lost amongst that sound.
“Yep,” Mace replied without looking at Cain, his eyes scanning their surroundings. “We’re all good. They need us more than we need them really.”
Cain didn’t say anything in response to Mace, his answer confirming his suspicions that the commander didn’t really need their trade deal. Whatever his reasons were for continuing it Cain didn’t need to know, he was just thankful it was there and it was still as active as when he’d first heard rumours about it.
“Let’s go,” Mace suddenly said to Cain, reacting to a signal that Cain himself had missed.
The two started moving forward in a crouched jog, still not ready to give away their position. When a barrage of gunfire sounded off towards the rear of the camp Mace looked over to Cain, shrugged and started running at full height. There was no point trying to remain hidden any longer.
Cain followed Mace’s route into the camp, taking in as he ran just how dilapidated it truly was. It could barely be called a camp really, just a few tents rigged up against trees and three buildings that looked like they would fall down if anyone stepped foot in them pressed against the treeline.