Mutant

Seven

Arch woke with a start. His room was dark and his mouth was as dry and sappy as it could be. So wanting to get some orange juice to refresh his mouth, Arch dragged himself out of bed and went downstairs. For some weird reason, the whole house had been dark and silent. Too silent.

Arch blindly searched for a light switch but found himself bumping into something soft.
"Sorry," Arch muttered, but then he felt some skin.
He quickly fell back in disgust and shock. He hit into a wall, accidentally flipping a light switch on.

"Aaaah!!" Arch shouted.

The light flickered on to give a spotlight to two hanging figures. The first hung figure had been Mabel, and beside her was Lizzie.

Arch felt his heart drop like an anvil. And at the moment he couldn't tell if he was either sad or afraid.

Arch stood and stumbled upon the dead bodies with pleading hands.
"No, no, no! This can't be happening to me! Mom, Lizzie, please don't do this! Please,"

Arch quickly found himself sobbing and his throat becoming more dry than it was before. And then the dream. The dream he had been trying so hard to forget, was now flowing back to him. It was becoming a reality. A daunting reality.

Arch wiped the tears and calmly examined the bodies. Apparently, Mabel and Lizzie were hung on a linen rope that was tied down near the heavy chandelier that hung in the dining room. Arch never suspected that this would be the cause of their deaths. But then he noticed the green goo dripping down from their mouths.

The disease, Arch thought. Could it really have been the disease?
He believed it at first, but then he saw blood drenched on Lizzie's head. The blood streamed along her face and dripped down along with the goo.

Whoever or whatever caused this, it must've used cruel force. Violence.

Arch discovered something on Lizzie's blood drenched hands. It was a yellow Post It note with dots of red glimmering blood on it. Arch cautiously grabbed the note and scanned it in anticipation.

This is what it red in bold Sharpie ink:
Save Them.

Arch instantly knew what this meant. Autumn and Annie. They had been captured and Lizzie couldn't save them, so she wrote a note that she knew Arch would be able to find. And luckily, he did.

This was all new to him. This new world with death and mystery. Arch didn't want it, he didn't want any part of it at all. It just scared him and made him want to hide. It made him want to hide and transport himself to a happy, dreamier place. Some place like California, or Florida, or maybe even Paris. But no, he had to live in this dark shitty world instead.

Arch gazed at the note and held it with determination. He was given a responsibility. A mission. And that was to save his sisters.

But then, out of nowhere, the door banged open.