The Mutation Breakdown

by E S Richards

  Cain trailed off from his sentence, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Zahyra reached across the table and took one of his hands in hers while looking deeply into his eyes.

  “It was the first time I’d completely lost control,” Cain continued, “I couldn’t see straight and I just started killing.” Full sobs now shook through Cain’s body as he spoke, tears running down his face and splashing onto the table.

  “I managed to break out of the camp while I was in a rage. Then when I came to I was hiding out in the forest, covered in blood. My brothers’ blood. In my rage I’d killed both of them. My little brothers, dead by my hand. I wandered around on my own for years after that. I thought about going back to my parents but I couldn’t face telling them what I’d done. That’s when I seriously started to train myself to be able to control my mutation. I vowed I would never let anything like that happen again. I didn’t talk to anyone for years but then eventually I found my hut and I found work and a way to occupy myself. And then several years later you turned up… I’ve never told anyone that story. Ever. I hate myself so much I can’t stand it. I’m a murderer.”

  Cain ended his story there, his body shaking like a leaf. He had turned white and his face was wet with his tears. Zahyra didn’t know what to say, her mouth hanging open from the story she’d just heard. Slowly she got up from her seat and moved around the table until she was on the same side as Cain. Then she sat down and put her arms around him, holding him closely while he cried.

  Minutes passed with just the sound of Cain’s cries echoing around the scout hut. Zahyra kept a firm grip on him, letting her know with her presence that she was there for him. That it was okay.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said quietly, “you can’t blame yourself for your mutation. You didn’t choose it.”

  Cain didn’t say anything but held onto her tighter, his head buried in her hair. Eventually he stopped crying and began to untangle his limbs from around her, his whole upper body pressed in close to hers for their hug. Zahyra let her arms slide backwards from his body until her hands were resting on his sides rather than around his back.

  Looking up into his eyes she saw a man who had been forced to commit a horrible atrocity at such a young age. A man who had had no control over his actions, but had spent every day of his life since then trying to make up for it. Cain looked down at her with equal admiration then leaned closer to Zahyra’s face. She could feel his breath on her cheek. Then Cain closed his eyes and took Zahyra’s mouth in his, kissing her firmly and passionately on the lips.

  Chapter 15

  Zahyra gasped as Cain’s mouth met hers, her lips parting instinctively. A shiver ran down her spine creating a tingle all the way down to her toes and her body temperature rose, filling her with a burning desire. She moaned softly to herself as Cain’s tongue broke through the gap between her lips and playfully entered her mouth, searching around for her own. A hunger swept through her as she began to kiss back, tightening her grip around Cain’s body as she did so. Then, as soon as she started to reciprocate the kiss Cain pulled away from her, however never breaking eye contact as the two of them remained half entangled in each other where they sat.

  A long minute passed where neither of them spoke. Zahyra was overcome with emotions as she sat and stared at Cain. Her mouth was still hanging open from the kiss, her lips feeling wet with saliva. His actions had taken her completely by surprise, but it had undoubtedly been a welcome surprise. She now felt such a longing to kiss Cain again, but the way he had pulled away when she started to kiss him back stopped her from leaning in. She had never kissed anyone before: what if she had done it wrong? What if Cain had changed his mind when she had started kissing him and decided he didn’t want to do it anymore? Confusion swirled around inside of Zahyra, each of her senses battling out to achieve a different response.

  Eventually Cain spoke in front of her, “I’m sorry,” he whispered softly, “I didn’t mean to…”

  Zahyra stared at Cain as he spoke, not fully understanding what he meant. Had he not wanted to kiss her or did he just feel bad about it happening?

  “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you,” he continued, “I guess we’re both in a pretty vulnerable place.”

  With that he rose from the bench on which they both sat and looked around the small hut they inhabited. There was only one armchair set up in the corner, which looked to be the makeshift sleeping quarters.

  “You can sleep there,” he pointed to the chair, “I’m just gunna check something outside.”

  And with that he vacated the scout hut, pulling the door closed behind him. Zahyra sat stunned on the bench, staring at the back of the door Cain had just exited through. As if her feelings towards Cain hadn’t been complicated enough before; now he had just kissed her. And not only kissed her but then stopped kissing her. She didn’t know how to feel.

  Perplexed she made her way over to the chair in the corner, walking in an almost dazed fashion after what had just happened. Sitting down she pulled her legs up to her chest and draped a blanket around herself. The look on her face was one of utter bewilderment. Tired and confused she closed her eyes and thought about Cain.

  She had never even considered him in a romantic sense until that kiss. But now something seemed to have awoken inside of her yearning to kiss him again, combined with an insatiable craving for something more. She could still taste him on her lips and in her mouth and still feel the pressure of his body pressing up against hers. Her breathing was ragged and laden with anticipation at just the thought of the kiss. It had been one of the single most exhilarating experiences of her life and she could still feel her heart pumping wildly inside her chest.

  But what Cain had said afterwards about taking advantage of her and being in a vulnerable place tarnished her memories. She had not been aware she wanted to kiss him beforehand but during and certainly now afterwards Zahyra was positive she had not been taken advantage of. In fact she felt like she almost wanted it more than Cain did now. Although, it was true what he’d said about his vulnerability.

  She had seen how much telling that story about his younger brothers had affected him. So much raw emotion was visible in both the words he spoke and the look on his face when he was speaking them. Zahyra couldn’t imagine how horrible it must feel to be the reason for the death of a loved one. She thought of Asher and knew she couldn’t bare it if she was the reason for him being in pain; him being in this camp was already almost too much for her to handle.

  Maybe talking about his brothers had been too much for Cain and he had kissed her in an attempt to try and rebuff his emotional breakdown. Zahyra desperately wanted to run out of the scout hut and find Cain, ask him what had just happened and why he had left. But she couldn’t begin to think about what she would say to him. The awkwardness of the situation caused her cheeks to flush red and she honestly couldn’t predict how she should act when she next saw Cain. Should she even mention the kiss at all?

  Puzzled and overwhelmed with emotions Zahyra struggled to get comfortable in the chair she had curled up in. She wanted to wait for Cain to return so she could see how he would act but the minutes drew out longer in front of her and there was still no sign of him. Eventually sleep consumed her and she dreamt of kissing him over and over again. She re-lived the smell of his skin pressed against her face and the feel of his body beneath her fingertips. She replayed every moment and when she eventually awoke her breathing was hitched and her palms sweaty.

  She had no idea how long she’d slept for but figured it must be morning soon – and today was the day they would find the camp, she gasped. She would finally be able to see her brother again. Looking around the hut she couldn’t see Cain and her heart sank a little bit. She still hadn’t decided what she was going to say to him about last night, or if anything should be said at all.

  Her head now overflowed with thoughts both about Cain and her feelings towards him and her anticipation to see Asher again. Her heartbeat rose as she cons
idered the two men in her life: how important one of them already was and how important the other one felt like he’d become to her. Then, with his timing as exquisite as ever, Cain walked in through the door.

  “Hey,” he said sheepishly, not quite meeting her gaze. Zahyra smiled and retuned his greeting, climbing up from the chair where she’d slept. Her neck was stiff from the position in which she’d sat and she closed her eyes and rocked her head from side to side in an attempt to loosen it up a bit. Feeling a crack she gasped and opened her eyes, finding Cain watching her intently from where he stood. Blood instantly rushed to Zahyra’s cheeks and she felt herself blushing as she averted her gaze to the floor.

  “I was just coming to wake you,” Cain said, his eyes darting around the hut but not once looking at her directly again. “I’ve got a rabbit cooking outside.”

  Zahyra smiled in response, her stomach growling in anticipation. Pulling her boots on she followed Cain outside where the meal was waiting for her, fully cooked and cut into portions. There was also a mug of water for her set to the side of a large rock. She sat down and took a sip, smiling at Cain again in appreciation.

  They ate their breakfast all but silently, with only a few pleasantries about the taste of the rabbit being exchanged. Zahyra wanted desperately to speak to Cain about the kiss they had shared but didn’t know how to bring it up and felt an air of awkwardness between them, deterring her from doing so.

  Once the food was finished – with half of the rabbit wrapped in some leaves and packed away for their journey in a bag Cain had salvaged from the scout hut – Zahyra excused herself and went to wash in the bowl of water inside. It had been many days since she’d had a proper wash and her clothes were beginning to smell on her body. She found herself longing for them to wander across a stream of some sort so she could properly clean herself. Then a shiver ran down her spine again at the thought of undressing and washing in front of Cain. These new feelings baffled her so much and she nearly knocked the bowl of water over in shock when Cain loudly entered the hut behind her.

  “We should get going,” he said, again avoiding eye contact with Zahyra. “Will hopefully make it by midday, providing the sun isn’t too hot through the trees.”

  Zahyra nodded, her experience in the woods surrounding her old camp telling her they wouldn’t have to stop during the hours of sunlight. Knowing they were just a few hours walk from reaching the camp she was filled with hopefulness regarding seeing her brother again. She didn’t really understand what the camp would be like, or how they would get in. But just knowing she would be near to Asher was enough to spur her on for the time being. She quickly finished washing and the two of them were on their way within five minutes, extinguishing the fire outside as they left.

  As they walked Zahyra marvelled at how Cain knew the route exactly. Everything looked the same to her and even when she’d navigated through the woods surrounding her old camp she’d often got lost. Cain seemed so direct in his movements, making sharp turns when they reached certain trees or altering their path to avoid others. She wondered whether he had truly only been to this camp once before, or whether he’d returned after his escape. She kept these thoughts to herself of course, not wanting to cause Cain anymore upset than what he must already be feeling. Zahyra deeply admired him for having the confidence to return to a place carrying such dark memories for him, all to help her save her little brother.

  Thinking on this Zahyra’s admiration of Cain continued to grow. Everything he’d done for her had been in her best interests since the day he’d met her. Nor had he ever expected anything in return. Zahyra wondered whether that was why he had stopped kissing her the night before and his words take advantage of you rung out in her mind.

  She shook her head at the thought of this, perturbed by the sense that Cain had received the wrong impression from her. She was just still so confused by his timing of stopping the kiss. In her heart she longed to be back in the little scout hut, back in Cain’s arms with his mouth pressed up to hers.

  Zahyra was so lost in her thoughts about the kiss with Cain that she didn’t notice he had veered off to the left and changed their direction slightly. A branch caught underneath her foot and she came crashing down to the ground, her arms flailing out in front of her in an attempt to grab onto something to steady her. The forest ground beneath her was hard and unyielding and Zahyra yelped out in pain as a twinge ran through her ribs.

  In an instant Cain was beside her, pulling her to her feet. He watched as she brushed leaves and twigs off her clothing, wincing at the pain it caused her ribs.

  “Are you okay?” Cain asked, concern lacing his tone. Zahyra nodded but winced again as she put a hand to her chest. Her ribs were far from healed, the bruising still painting a picture of bright blues and purples. She blushed as Cain watched her closely, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with his eyes boring into her chest.

  “Sorry,” Zahyra muttered, “wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m fine though.”

  Cain looked at her with a disbelieving stare and held out his hand to her. Zahyra cautiously put hers in his and let him lead her over to the correct path.

  “Shouldn’t be that much longer now,” Cain said letting go of her hand, “couple more hours maybe.”

  Zahyra smiled at Cain in response, too embarrassed by her fall and the sudden rush of feelings holding hands with him had caused to say anything more. They continued to walk in silence, Zahyra being more careful now to watch where Cain stood and not wander off by accident.

  As they walked the blanket of trees above them reduced the heat of the sun drastically, but it still bore down with a relentless smoulder. After an hour of walking Cain slowed to a halt in a shaded area and drew out his bottle of water.

  “Shall we rest for a second?” He asked Zahyra, taking a long drink.

  She nodded in agreement. Despite wanting to reach Asher as quickly as possible, she knew there was no point getting dehydrated along the way. Spotting an old tree trunk she sat down and sipped from her water bottle, wondering if this was finally a good time to speak to Cain about the night before. Before she had a chance to however he finished his drink and turned to look at Zahyra.

  “’Bout another hour now I reckon,” he contemplated, “we’ve made pretty good time.”

  Zahyra didn’t say anything, unsure of how to respond to that and not wanting to open her mouth in case she blurted out any of the many awkward questions encircling her thoughts.

  “When we get there,” Cain continued and Zahyra perked up and listened to what he had to say closely. “You need to do exactly what I say.” There was a stern look on Cain’s face that told Zahyra this wasn’t going to be an easy expedition. She swallowed nervously and nodded in understanding.

  “How are you at climbing trees?”

  Cain’s question took her by surprise. What did her ability to climb trees have to do with anything? She was pretty good, which she told Cain – in fact she was better than pretty good. Climbing trees had been something she and Asher had done for fun in their old camp, seeing who could make it the furthest without getting scared or giving up. She always made it the furthest she recalled with a smile, but kept these more intricate details to herself.

  “Okay good. There’s a wall running around most of the camp,” Cain explained, “so in order to see what’s happening on the other side, we’ll need to climb up to get a better vantage point. It won’t be easy. I would think they’ll have a fair few guards around the perimeter, so do exactly what I say and if I say run, or hide, or anything… just do it, okay?”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Zahyra replied with a smile, poking a bit of fun at how serious Cain had become. She knew it was a serious matter, but his attempt at stern leadership had amused her and she wanted to maintain a breezy atmosphere between the two of them.

  Cain smirked at her joke, shaking his head a little as he did so. After another ten minutes of rest and a few bites on some of the rabbit they’d brought with them, the two were rea
dy to head off again. Cain swept the area they’d been sat in before they moved on; double-checking they’d left no obvious signs behind and once satisfied he continued to lead Zahyra in the direction of the camp.

  The next hour passed without incident but Zahyra became increasingly nervous as they drew closer to the mutant camp. The state she would find her brother in was what concerned her the most. She hadn’t asked Cain what kind of living conditions he’d be in but she didn’t imagine they’d be overly enjoyable. So long as he was alive though, she kept telling herself, then he was okay. In the short term that’s all that really mattered. And they would get to him before his Turning Age Ceremony now, which filled her with a huge amount of relief. There were four days left until he was ten, plenty of time to get him out.

  As they continued to walk Zahyra figured they must be almost there now. It had been over an hour since they’d stopped for a rest and midday dusk wasn’t far away. Finally, as the sun was slowly hidden away behind the clouds the sight of a tall wall in the distance crept into view and Zahyra stopped in her tracks to look at it.

  They were still probably about a mile away and yet even from where she stood Zahyra could tell it was huge. She tried to estimate its height but couldn’t work it out from her position and instead scurried forward to catch up with Cain.

  “That’s it?” She asked in a low voice when she was just a foot behind him, falling into the pattern of his footsteps exactly.