Chapter 6: Mouse and Flashbacks

Eve followed Aswynn down the hallway. Her clothes had started to air dry, but the smell of improperly dried clothes started to aggravate her. She no longer left a trail of water either.

They arrived at the door which Aswynn pushed open. The moment she entered the room, her face turned upwards in a forced smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Disgust filled Eve as she followed her inside.

“Hello, Mouse,” Aswynn nodded at the small, petite girl sitting in a chair. Her name fit her perfectly. She was small, with a rounded face and pink cheeks. She had extremely blonde hair, almost white and a permanent curl in her hair from where she’d obviously tucked it behind her ears too many times. “This is your instructor, Eve.”

Eve nodded. “Nice to meet you, Mouse.”

She stepped forward to shake her hand. Mouse stood up, not coming up farther then Eve’s shoulder.

“Nice to meet you,” she shook her hand, smiling a sincere smile.

“Mouse may seem small, but she has a big brain,” Aswynn assured Eve. “She’s very good with technology and computers.”

“Well, you get one down you get ’em both down, ya know?” Mouse laughed shyly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

It’s her nervous tick, Eve thought.

She thought about what hers was and then realized she was cracking her fingers. She instantly stopped and folded her hands behind her back.

“Eve, will you please show her your room? She’ll be staying with you till we get the dormitories set up,” Aswynn turned away and sat down at her desk. She immediately started typing but stopped when she remembered something. “And please introduce her to Brodie.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she rolled her eyes and motioned for Mouse to follow her.

Once they were outside the office, Mouse came out of her shell a little. “You don’t seem to like Aswynn.”

“Wow, I should start calling you Sherlock!” Eve snapped. “I’m sorry. It’s just been one of those days.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Mouse waved it off. “So why don’t you like her?”

“I have my reasons and chances are you’ll find out why soon,” she answered vaguely. Zion followed them down the hallway until they arrived at her room.

Opening the door, Mouse stepped inside. The white walls and bunk-bed lined were the first thing that caught her eye but then she saw a wooden dresser on the right to the door. Eve brushed by her and pulled the dresser away from the wall.

“That’s not okay,” she heard her mutter.

“What are you doing?” Mouse was confused.

“I have something on this wall that I want to see day in and day out to remind me of people I loved. They have absolutely no right to block it,” she growled.

As Eve moved the dresser to the other side of the room, Mouse walked up to the wall to see what she was talking about. She saw the names and her heart broke.

“There’s so many names,” she said quietly. “Who are these people?”

Eve stiffened. “They had been my friends. They still would be except that they’re dead.”

“Oh,” Mouse ran her hand over the names. She felt the torn-up drywall, the tears that probably fell from Eve’s eyes as she carved away. She looked down and saw that the names went all the way to the bottom.

“What happened to them?” she asked. She didn’t want to ask how they died straight out. It seemed too heartless.

“They were murdered.” Eve refused to give her any clear answers.

“Eve, please,” Mouse turned away from the wall and turned her to face her. “Something tells me that we are going to have to open up a bit to each other just because of the future ahead and something tells me that you need someone to talk to.”

Eve jammed the dresser up against the wall and Mouse was almost certain that the corners had punctured the wall. “They stood by me for a long time and then one day they—were just gone. I don’t know what happened to the bottom ones; how they died that is. I know what happened to Dee and Drew.”

“Tell me,” she pressed. She sat down on the lower bunk.

“Drew has the Xetylígo Virus, the one that started this apocalypse.

We thought he’d be okay, but we were obviously wrong. Dee went to check on him and, he….” she choked back a sob. “Dee died.”

Mouse didn’t say anything. She got what Eve was trying to say.

Through her rough answers and the look in her eyes she knew she was in pain and she didn’t want anyone to put her in any more. She decided to change the subject.

“Aswynn said to introduce me to Brodie, who is he?” she stood up and pulled the dresser back and out of the broken wall.

“He’s second in command,” Eve answered as she wiped her eyes. “He might still be at the pool. Do you want to meet him?”

“Sure,” she nodded. Anything to get you out of this room that is practically drowning you in sorrow.

Eve didn’t say anything but rather walked to the door, pulled it open, and walked down the hall. Zion went to follow her, but she put a hand up, stopping him.

“Zion,” she said. Her voice was quiet but firm. “I’m not going anywhere. This building is on lock down anyway.”

“It’s my job,” he went to say but she cut him off.

“I don’t care.” The quiet voice was gone, and it was replaced with a firm, loud one. “I’m getting sick of this whole ‘You’re a prisoner here’ thing. If I wanted to leave this place I would have a long time ago and you know that.”

Zion didn’t argue. He only handed her a square metal box. “Keep this with you.”

“Why? What is it?” she turned it over in her hand a few times, feeling the surface of it. It was smooth and cold despite the fact that he had it in his pocket.

“It’s so we can find you easier inside the compound,” he answered. Eve nodded and took it, tucking it into her back pocket.

Mouse cautiously looked back at Zion as she walked by. He stood back at his post, gun positioned up against his shoulder. She smiled. He was a good guy. She quickly caught up with Eve and matched her steps.

Since she was so small, she had to practically run to keep up with her fast strides.

“Tell me about Brodie,” she said, trying to make conversation. Eve jabbed the floor button and stood back as the doors shut.

“There’s not much to say,” she shrugged. “I only just met him a day or two ago.”

“I thought you’ve been here longer!” she was a little confused.

“No.” she shook her head. “I sorta got—pressed into this job.”

“By who?”

“Aswynn, who else?” Eve answered

The elevator doors slid open and they stepped out, Eve leading the way. They walked down the long corridors until they arrived at the pool.

Eve sat down on the edge of the pool and Mouse joined her. Brodie surfaced a few feet away but swam over and pulled himself up next to Eve.

“Who’s this?” he asked, nodding at Mouse.

“First convert,” she said. “Her name is Mouse.”

“Mouse?” he looked at her face and then saw how small she actually was. “I can see it now.”

Mouse smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear. Again.

“When do we get the others?” he questioned Eve.

“I don’t know. Aswynn tends to keep necessary information from me,” she shrugged.

“But, since she has this all planned out and it’s a worldwide crisis, I’m gonna say very soon.”

“How ’bout you go find out and I’ll show Mouse around,” he offered.

Eve looked at him, a smile playing over her lips, and then at Mouse. She looked unsure of herself.

“He’s my cousin,” Eve mouthed to her and Mouse smiled back.

She stood up and left, walking down the empty corridors by herself for the first time in forever. She sighed. Instead of letting her mind linger on the thoughts that filled her head, she ran down the halls that were virtually empty and to the elevator. She slapped the down button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

The doors opened, and she stepped inside. Her hand reached forward to push one of the buttons when she saw her reflection in the closed glass doors. Her thumb continued forward, pushing the button, but her eyes stayed glue to her reflection.

She knew who Brodie looked like and she knew that person like the back of her hand.

The elevator continued its downward journey and it seemed like her life was following the same direction—down.

******

Peter doubled over in pain, his lungs trying to pull in air but to no avail. Sparrow rushed forward from their hiding spot and punched the Subject in the face. He heard bones snap, but his head was spinning. He wasn’t sure who’s bones had snapped, the Subjects face or his ribs. He toppled backwards onto the hard cement as Sparrow continued to knock the crud out the attacker.

He could breathe again. His lung still hurt like they were getting stabbed every time he took in air, but he was alive. For now anyways. He propped himself up on his elbow, other hand grabbing at his chest. He saw blood.

Not good. He thought. He winced as he sat up farther.

“Lay down,” it was Raven. He refused to obey even though she tried to push him down. “The stupid thing tried to stab you. It didn’t go in far enough to cause any serious damage that’s if you call getting halfway stabbed not serious. Peter, stay down!”

Sparrow was still punching away. Peter watched her hands, fueled by anger, hate, and adrenaline, as they hit home every time. Her muscles were defined, each arm let loose with such precision. She knew what she was doing.

I’m glad she’s on my side. He thought. He saw the blood that was flying every time she hit. A small laugh built up inside of him. Blood is funny. Why isn’t it blue? Or yellow? Why do we bleed when we’re hurt?

The pain had caused his stomach to go numb. He was getting lightheaded. Maybe it was the sight of blood everywhere or maybe it was the thought of almost dying. He didn’t know. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto his back.

Sparrow climbed off the bruised and bloodied monster and reached for the knife she’d knocked from its hand. Wrapping her fingers around the handle she brought it up above her head and, with a scream, brought it down with all her might. She didn’t feel bad about it. The monster underneath her wasn’t even human anymore.

“That’s what you get for messing with us, you.” She was cut off by Raven yelling for help.

She saw the blood on Peter, on the ground, and on her. None of it was new to her. She rushed to Peter’s side, squeezing his bloodied hand.

“He isn’t….” she didn’t finish.

“No, he’s not dead, just unconscious,” Raven snapped. “Now you’re the one with the healing power, do your thing.”

She hesitated for some reason she didn’t know.

“Look, Sparrow, this isn’t like last time. He’s not our despised enemy that’s bleeding out because you pummeled the life out of him,” Raven was starting to panic. “We need him. And now!”

Sparrow grabbed a handful of Peter’s hair to lift his head onto her lap.

She leaned forward, hand on his bleeding abdomen, and concentrated. She felt the sticky blood on her hands. She smelled iron and tasted the acrid air around them.

You’re wrong, Raven. She thought bitterly. It’s exactly like last time ’cause I’m still the same monster now as I was then.

Peter flinched under her hand. She could feel his body spasming. She flexed her hand, a blue-green light emanating from it. Tears blurred her vision and for a moment, she had a flashback.

People all around her cheered. She stood, finger clinging to the chain link fence, chest rising and falling. She looked behind her to see the disfigured face of her opponent.

I will never go back to that life. She thought as tears dropped into the blood beneath her. I will never fight in a cage like that again.