by E S Richards
Zahyra said nothing in reply. She knew Zac was right but hated having to admit to any further delays between herself and Asher. Getting into the safe haven was only the first part of their plan. She still had to find Asher, determine whether he was okay, assess the other boys that were with him and then find a way to get them all out of the facility. When she thought about it step by step a part of her began to doubt whether it was even possible. But they were at the safe haven now; the time for hesitancy was long behind them.
Steeling herself for what she knew had to be done Zahyra offered Zac as confident a nod as she could muster and removed her rifle from the sling over her shoulder. Steadying herself against the side of the rock she saw Zac was doing the same and then, with a deep breath she raised the sights of the rifle to her eye and looked down the scope towards the safe haven’s red band.
As she breathed steadily everything seemed to move in slow motion. The area in front of her eyes was alive and electric. Gunfire was popping off from all angles and various mutations were being fired into the vehicle bay as well. Prior to their attack the commander had warned his men to use their mutations sparingly, not wanting to give the safe haven any obvious targets to attack with their Tocsix.
However, for some of the older advanced mutants a warning like that was difficult to stick to, battling with their mutations being an all too natural thing. Thankfully though, as far as Zahyra was aware no one had been hit with the familiar beam of light yet. It appeared the soldiers within the vehicle bay were at a slight disadvantage, their line of sight out to the mutants not as clear as it was the other way around. That meant that while Zahyra could still see the bodies of the first four mutants to enter the vehicle bay, she couldn’t see anymore that had fallen.
On the other hand the red band appeared to be losing men at a much faster rate, meaning their passage into the safe haven would likely be opening up soon. Knowing she had to play her part Zahyra locked her sights onto one of the safe haven’s men, took a few deep breaths and squeezed the trigger, inhaling sharply as her targets’ body hit the ground.
Taking a life had never been easy for Zahyra, but even she knew she had come a long way since the first death she had witnessed. Her dreams were often still inflicted by the bodies of the young girls she had awoken to see after the bus crash that started off her entire journey. It was strange to think that was the moment she had set off on her mission to save Asher, one that still hadn’t completely ended but had taken many unexpected turns.
From that moment onwards she had witnessed death in many ways. Firstly in the mutant Cain had killed in order to save her, when she found herself lost in the desert and trying to fend off his blows. Then there had been the countless more Cain had killed in the city, although that was during one of his breakdowns – the first time Zahyra had witnessed who he truly was.
Her first kills came after that. After she had finally been reunited with her little brother. Zahyra still remembered that moment clearly, how she was willing to do anything to ensure that Asher was safe: a feeling that from that moment onwards had never gone away.
Her thoughts were often haunted by the three mutants she had killed in the forest that day, but when the nightmares came she reminded herself that her little brother was safe because of it and that was an acceptable price to pay. Now as she faced up to the safe haven that same thought ran through her head. If she could save Asher – and the other innocent boys taken alongside him – then any death she caused would not be a life lost without purpose.
With her new resolve Zahyra noticed another spot of cover had freed up ahead of them, bringing them closer to finally getting into the vehicle bay. She tucked back in behind the rock and reached out to tap Zac on the shoulder, drawing his body fully into cover as well.
“I think we can move forward again,” she called over to him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah!” Zac shouted back. “Let’s do this, we’ve nearly managed to get through.”
Zahyra signalled to Zac to move on her mark with her hand and waited until there was a small pause in the gunshots around them. Then with one last look over her shoulder at her companion she tore forward into the midst of the battle, keeping low and shouldering her rifle so she could focus instead on reaching the cover as quickly as possible. Crouching underneath the shadow of a new rock she pulled out her pistol and turned back to look at Zac, providing him with covering fire as he sprinted towards her seconds later.
The boy’s run was not as direct as her own had been and Zahyra flinched as more bullets pinged off the rocks around Zac. She fired her gun wildly, although unsure of where Zac’s attacker was hidden. He was just a few meters away from her now; surely he was going to make it.
Of course, then the inevitable happened. A bullet flew through the air towards Zac; coursing straight through the thin fabric he wore on his chest and completing its journey out through his back. Zac stumbled forward a few more steps, his pace slowed as he lilted to one side. Zahyra cried out for her friend, urging him to at least reach the cover she was still safely hidden beneath. At the sound of his name being called out Zac raised his eyes to Zahyra, fixing his stare upon her own. Then his legs gave out beneath him and he tumbled to the ground, his gun flying free from his shoulder and clattering along the dirty ground towards Zahyra.
She could do nothing but watch. Zac was still breathing, he was still conscious for the time being but he was too far away from her to reach. Quickly sticking her head out around the side of the rock she was greeted with a fresh barrage of gunfire. Whoever had taken down Zac was clearly waiting for her to run out to him.
Defeated Zahyra sank back against the rock, her eyes never leaving Zac as his breathing became more ragged and more blood pooled out from the wound in his chest. Even in the dim light she could see her friend was shaking, his teeth chattering together as the life slowly faded from his body. She wouldn’t let him spend his last few minutes alone. She had to get to him somehow.
Picking up Zac’s rifle from where it had come to rest beside her Zahyra quickly spun out from her cover and fired a full round of bullets in the direction of Zac’s attacker. She didn’t wait to see whether she had hit her mark, instantly then throwing down the gun and moving forward a couple of paces to reach Zac. Shouting at apology at the now pale boy she grabbed his arms and dragged him as quickly as she could back to her cover, gritting her teeth and wincing as he let out an excruciating cry.
“Zac, hold on!” Zahyra breathed frantically as she pressed her hands over the gaping hole in his chest, the blood still flowing out in a steady stream. A large puddle of it remained where she had just moved him from and Zahyra couldn’t help but worry about how much blood he had already lost.
“You’re going to be okay Zac,” she repeated to her friend. “Stay with me okay, stay with me?”
Zac’s coughing and spluttering in response only made Zahyra panic more, pressing harder into the hole in his chest. Watching Zac wince under her pressure she apologised to him again, still trying to instil some hope into the dying boy.
“Zahyra,” Zac’s words came out at little above a whisper, all the colour having drained from his face and his eyes fluttering between open and closed.
“Zac you’ll be okay, just stay with me. Come on, you have to hold on.”
“Zahyra,” Zac repeated her name even quieter the second time and now instead of arguing Zahyra leaned closer and listened.
“You need to let me go,” Zac whispered through the pain in his voice. “You need to save the boys. Save Asher. Save Jonny and Dylan. But you need to let me go.”
“Zac, no!” Zahyra fought back against his words, removing one of her hands from his chest and taking a hold of one of Zac’s. “You need to help me save them, you need to stay alive!”
Tears started to form in Zahyra’s eyes as she looked down at her friend. Their relationship had been difficult, but he had been the first person to be there for her at the safe haven and had only returned because of her. She cou
ldn’t let him die; he couldn’t be another face to haunt her nightmares.
“Save them,” Zac spoke barely above a whisper. “Save the boys Zahyra.”
Zahyra couldn’t stop the tears from falling now as she felt the last shred of life evaporate from Zac’s body. The tiniest amount of grip he had held on her hand dropped off although she refused to move her hand from his own. The flow of blood from his chest had finally stilled, but her other hand remained there too, begging internally for some sign of life to start up again within Zac.
Slowly leaning forward Zahyra kissed his forehead, only moving her hands to allow his eyes to close. As the sounds of battle still echoed around her Zahyra was overcome by numbness as she stared at Zac’s still form.
He was another life lost in her quest to stop the safe haven. He was a young boy who should have had so much more ahead of him, so much more life left to live. Remembering Zac’s final words Zahyra knew that was true of the boys as well. They deserved a chance at a real life, not one trapped inside a mountain where their bodies are modified and engineered to meet someone else’s approval.
Giving one last look towards Zac, now lying so peacefully on the ground before her Zahyra wiped the blood from her hands and the tears from her eyes. She picked up her weapon and slowly calmed her breathing, turning slightly from her cover to assess the vehicle bay before her. So many more bodies now littered the ground, but for once she wasn’t focused on them. She had to reach the boys; she had to save her brother. Then, with fresh bullets in her gun and a battle cry in her lungs she revealed herself from her hiding position and began to charge towards the opening of the safe haven.
Chapter 21 – Asher
“Where’s Gen?” Asher asked Sam as they finished their breakfast, both ready to start another day of training. The General normally came to collect them early in the morning and Asher had noticed his tardiness that particular morning.
“Unsure,” Sam replied snatching the last bread roll from the centre of the group of boys with a grin. “I think there’s something going on outside though, I heard a lot of noises just before our lights came up this morning.”
“Yeah I think there’s been a breach,” Hayden cut in as he finished his brightly coloured pink beverage.
“How would you know?”
“Because I’ve been here when we’ve had breaches before,” Hayden sighed, shutting down Dylan’s argument.
“I hope it is a breach,” Jonny – the other twin – piped up. “Maybe we’ll get to go out.”
“I doubt it,” Hayden laughed. “You’re certainly not ready yet!”
“Am too!” Jonny bit at the bait Hayden was throwing out and leapt forward, engaging the boy in a wrestling match.
Asher leaned back where he sat on the floor and watched the two of them with a smile on his face. He loved spending time with his brothers, the unique bond he felt for his five companions unlike anything he had experienced before. Sometimes he sensed he had felt something similar, but could never place his finger on it, unsure what kind of feeling could rival how he felt for his brothers.
While Jonny and Hayden fought with Dylan and Sam egging them on Asher turned slightly and spoke to Adryan. He was his only younger brother in the facility and because of that Asher always felt he had to watch out for him in some way. Adryan didn’t engage as much in the wrestling contests they often had and Asher saw it as his own objective to make sure he joined in eventually. He couldn’t remember how long Adyran had been with them, but he knew it was a shorter length of time. Although, when Asher really thought about it he realised he couldn’t remember how long he had been in the facility either, he just knew it felt right being there with his brothers.
“You alright?”
“Yeah,” Adryan smiled. “My bet is on Hayden for this one.”
Asher laughed. “My bet is always on Hayden.”
“Hey!” Jonny cried out at their remarks and Asher laughed again as he saw that was the undoing of Jonny. Hayden sprung into action at his slight lapse in concentration and had the boy pinned down beneath him in under a second.
“Not fair,” Jonny whined, “they distracted me.”
“And you’d be dead in a real battle,” Hayden smirked, moving off Jonny’s body and helping his brother to his feet. “Better luck next time.”
Jonny glowered at Hayden but accepted his assistance, knowing that Hayden was right. During their time in the facility they had been taught not only how to strengthen and use their Gen 6 mutations properly, but also what tactics to use in battle and how best to overcome difficult situations.
Asher enjoyed the training, very proud of the progress he had made both in terms of physical strength and his mutation training. He could now easily borrow two mutations at once, providing the pair worked well together and he could maintain it over a substantial period of time. The only one who was better than him with their mutation was Sam, but he had always shone out ahead of the pack.
Adryan was probably the weakest; another reason why Asher felt compelled to watch out for him. He knew Adryan was strong enough to defend himself but he also knew everyone was stronger in a team and the six of them were the strongest team anyone could ever come across. They were a band of brothers.
Thinking about his brothers a strange feeling slowly started to wash over Asher. He felt like he was needed somewhere, like there was suddenly a bigger fight he needed to be a part of. Looking towards his brothers he could tell they were experiencing the same feeling too, the playful attitude the six of them had shared just moments ago fading to an air of seriousness.
Asher let the feeling flood through his body, his mind working frantically to figure out what its purpose was. His fingers itched to curl up into fists and his body slowly started to grow more alert to his surroundings, his hairs standing up on end. Looking once more at his brothers his other thoughts slowly started to fade into darkness at the back of his head. It was time for them to fight. All six of them had the same thought at the exact same time, turning in unison to face the exit of their dormitory. Normally it was always locked and they had to wait to be released but this time they all knew it would be open, their minds joining together like a hive and each sharing the same common goal.
Dylan was closest to the door when they all reached it, walking side by side in pairs. He reached forward and tugged at the handle in a robotic fashion, none of the boys reacting when the door opened – just as they had expected. Dylan and Jonny then walked through the door together, followed by Sam and Hayden with Asher and Adryan bringing up the rear. Asher didn’t turn to close the door behind him, something told him he would not be returning for a while.
As they marched down the corridor Asher’s mind remained clear and focused. He was being called upon to fight; it was time for him to serve his duty. They walked silently, navigating the twists and turns of the facility with ease, even though none of them had ever walked their path before. Instead something was guiding them, something was subconsciously telling Asher that he was going the right way and he was about to do what was needed from him.
As they walked the distant sound of gunfire began to creep down the corridor from ahead of them. None of the boys stopped to listen or ask each other about it, none of them even reacted, simply registering the new sound in their minds and continuing forward. If anything their pace quickened, something telling them that the source of that gunfire was their destination. And then in a perfectly controlled motion they all drew to a halt outside one of the doors to the vehicle bay, the sound of gunfire much louder albeit less frequent than it had been.
Asher looked to Adryan stood beside him and smiled. He was going into battle with his brother and he couldn’t think of anything he would rather do. Ahead of him in the line the two other pairs of boys did the same, each one looking into the eyes of his companion. A part of Asher knew he was looking at Adryan because it could be the last time he saw him, but a bigger part of him knew that was okay – that they were about to do what they were desi
gned for; what they had been created for.
A few more minutes passed in silence as the boys waited. Instructions and reminders ran through Asher’s head. He had been taught how to sense what other mutations were nearby so he could choose himself which to borrow. He had even learned how to borrow a mutation that wasn’t currently active, so he could gain the upper hand against any type of advanced mutant. Moreso he could utilise two mutations at once, allowing him to engage in two very different types of battle at the same time.
As he waited for the instruction to move forward through the door everything he had been taught within the facility was brought to the forefront of his mind. He knew he had been perfectly trained for this moment and he was ready. Directly on cue Dylan reached forward and began to open the vehicle bay door.
Immediately Dylan and Jonny rushed forward into the room, leaving the other four boys standing by the door. Asher didn’t need to look or ask where they were going; he knew they would be moving to the furthest piece of cover and in thirty seconds Sam and Hayden would move towards the next. Sixty seconds after Dylan and Jonny had entered the room it was Asher’s turn. Accompanied by Adryan they moved with symmetry towards one of the SUVs, pulling open the rear doors when they arrived and positioning themselves behind them on either side. Only then did Asher get a chance to look out into the vehicle bay and assess what he had been sent forward to fight.
The room was mostly filled with bodies in grey uniforms, their red armbands identifying them as the soldiers of the safe haven. Casting his vision further afield Asher saw the attackers who were threatening his home. There were much more of them than there were left of the red band, only four soldiers remained battling to protect the facility. But that didn’t matter: Asher and his brothers had arrived now and the attackers were going to get what was coming to them.
Asher could already sense the familiar tingle of nearby mutations as he stood and analysed the scene. He looked to the four members of the red band first, using his new skills and training to assess which of them carried a mutation and what in particular it was. Although the attackers certainly carried more advanced mutations Asher could tell they were too far away at that moment for him to borrow their mutations effectively. To begin with he would have to utilise the red band once more.
