I could hear the sound of footsteps above the hill I was laying beneath. I didn't care who it was, didn't care if it was Luke or not. The tears rushed down my face, and I realized I had been trying to be strong for too long. It had taken it's toll.
"I wish you were here." I whispered, and pulled an old photograph out of my pocket. A picture of my family. We all had our gas masks off, and I remember my dad driving hours to find a building that was safe from the radiation. My gaze swept over the picture, and a stray tear made it's way down my face. In the left, stood my beautiful mother. She was tall, with long brown locks, and vibrant purple eyes just like mine. My mother was wearing a lilac dress that reached her ankles. Beside my mother was my father, who was a handsome man with sandy blonde hair, and forest green eyes. My brother, who was getting his hair ruffled by dad was a mixture of my parents. His hair was like mom's, and his eyes were like Dad's. I frowned when I glanced over at me, and I realized how different from them I looked. With my long, electric green hair. I let out a sigh, and brought the photo close to my chest, before putting it back into my backpack. In the distance was the dark, abandoned city, and I rose onto my feet. I looked back at the camp, and then took off, ducking under the fence, and running into the unknown.
A mutant raised it's head when it heard me, and let out a deep snarl. I ignored it, and kept running. My body slowed to a stop when I saw the large park ahead of me. The iron gates stood above me, and I traced my hand down them. This was the park my parents always brought my brother and I to. I opened the gates, and heard a loud creaking sound. It seemed as if the park hadn't been used in years. I sighed in relief, upon realizing there were no mutants in sight, and I closed the gate behind me. As I wandered through the park, I looked at the old playground. It was old, and rusting, and the sound of children playing filled my ears. A distant memory. Then, my favourite place came into view, an old oak tree. I chuckled, and remembered this was the tree I always used to climb. Instead of climbing the tree, I took a spot below it, and laid on my back. My hair sprawled in a fan around me, and I grinned up at the sky. The wind sent a cool breeze, and I grinned even more. Is this what peace was like? Then I remembered this wasn't peace, I had to wear a horrible mask that concealed my face. "I don't care anymore." I growled, and loosened the straps of the mask, letting it fall beside me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and then opened them. My vision was incredible, everything seemed more clear, and real. I ran my hands through my hair, and laughed. It was a laugh filled with excitement. I pulled myself back onto my feet, and stretched, letting the wind toss back my hair. Then, a sudden craving for oxygen hit me like a kick to the chest. I gasped, but I didn't want the mask, and I resisted the urge to grab for it.
"Jaylynn?" A voice suddenly said, and after that I heard a loud gasp. Luke ran to my mask, and picked it up. He grabbed my shoulders, and pulled my around to face him. I couldn't see his expression through his gas mask, but I knew he was shocked.
"What are you thinking!?" He hissed, and fumbled with placing my mask back on my face. "Come on, we're getting you out of here." Luke grabbed my arm, and made me follow him. I looked at him and giggled,
"What did I look like?" He didn't respond,
"Pretty?" Luke turned to look at me,
"I didn't really see, okay?" He snarled.
"Okay." I put my hands up,
"Somebody's having a bad day." I whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing." I sighed, and fiddled with the necklace around my neck. The necklace my mom gave me. Luke jerked on my arm,
"We're back." He said, and led me towards the doctor's office. He waved to me, and I waved back, before entering the building. Dr. Lockwood was standing in the waiting room, talking to one of her patients when she saw me. Her jaw dropped, and I cocked my head in confusion.
"Beth! Come quickly!" Dr. Lockwood ran towards me, and pulled me into her office. I laid down on the bed, and Beth ran into the room, followed by another nurse.
"What's wrong Dr. Lockwood?" She asked,
"It's Jaylynn, something's very wrong." Dr. Lockwood growled, and walked towards me. The woman pulled the mask off my face, and at the moment I realized this was bad. She never took my gas mask off. Beth came up beside Dr. Lockwood, and cried out.
"Get me a mirror." Dr. Lockwood asked Beth, who ran to get one. The nurse came back, and handed me the mirror. I gazed into it, and my eyes went as large as saucers. My face was a horrible white, and I looked like I'd just seen a ghost. That wasn't as shocking as my eyes, which had turned golden. My eyes travelled to my arms and my legs, and I noticed how pale they had become too. Dr. Lockwood looked at Beth,
"This is a code orange." She said. I knew exactly what that meant. I was becoming a mutant. Dr. Lockwood looked at the other nurse,
"Go inform the camp. We're all in danger." the nurse nodded, and ran off. I hissed as a sudden pain swept over my body, and Dr. Lockwood looked at me with determination in her eyes. The woman told Beth to go get supplies, and when the nurse arrived, she was carrying straps. I breathed in and out while Beth strapped me down, but I couldn't control my mind. All I could think about was killing Dr. Lockwood and Beth, and I hissed. An inhuman hiss. Dr. Lockwood told Beth to be careful while she approached me.
"I have the cure." She spoke,
"But that's the only one left, isn't it?" Dr. Lockwood nodded. Beth said nothing while Dr. Lockwood loaded a needle. I shrieked, and struggled against the chains. Beth looked at me with sympathy in her eyes,
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. I screamed at her, and my eyes travelled towards the mirror that was now on the table beside me. My teeth were growing sharp, and my face was starting to look so in-human.
"Hold her down." Dr. Lockwood said, and Beth applied force with the chains. I screamed again and again, while Dr. Lockwood held the needle closer to me. My thoughts were becoming even darker as I glared at Dr. Lockwood. The woman sucked in a breath, and carefully injected the needle into my arm. I screamed at the top of my lungs, and once Dr. Lockwood had pulled the needle out of my arm, I fell unconscious.
