Mutation (Twenty-Five Percent Book 1) by Nerys Wheatley Read Free Book Online Page A

virus? 
    Was he still immune?  
    His eyes snapped open at the distant sound of moaning.  A shudder ran through him.
    Eaters.
    The rumbling moans became louder as he approached the holding cells and he suddenly remembered all the eaters that were brought to the station when disposal closed.  Hopefully, those he could hear were all locked up.  He drew his pistol again, just in case, and checked the magazine.  Four rounds left.  He thought of going to the armoury first, but he didn’t want to have eaters he didn’t know about roaming around behind him.  Putting his trust in his marksmanship skills and the hope that these new breed of eaters would have no more interest in him than the old ones did, he carried on towards the cells.
    The smell hit him as soon as he stepped through the door leading to the cell block.  The scent was undoubtedly eater, but slightly different to what he was used to.  He hoped that didn’t mean bad news for him.  The moaning seemed to come from everywhere, but there were none loose.  He looked through the small Perspex windows of the first couple of cell doors he came to and saw eaters crammed together in the small spaces, jostling against each other.  One saw his face peering through the glass and lunged towards the door.  Others joined it, pressing against each other, crowding to get to him. 
    Alex backed away, wondering how strong the doors were. 
    “You wouldn’t want me anyway,” he muttered.  I hope.
    Turning away, he grasped the handle of the door leading back out of the block of cells.
    “Hey!”
    Alex spun around at the sound of the voice, instinctively raising his gun.  A banging sounded from further along the row of cells.  The volume of the eaters’ mindless groans increased at the sound of the shouting and banging.  En masse, bodies slammed against doors not designed to withstand so much pressure. 
    “Hey!  Is someone there?”
    “Shut up,” Alex hissed.
    He made his way slowly along the corridor, passing a few more cells filled with eaters, until he came to a door with a familiar face peering through the tiny window. 
    Of all the people he didn’t want to see...  “Micah Clarke.”
    Micah stared at him for a moment then threw his hands into the air in exasperation.  “Of course it would be you.  The universe hates me.”
    “Will you keep your voice down?  The other cells are stuffed with eaters and I don’t know if the doors can hold them.”
    “What the hell...” Micah began, his voice even louder.
    “ Shhh! ”  The man was an idiot.
    Irritation flashed across Micah’s face, but when he spoke again his voice had lowered.  “What the hell is going on?  First I saw eaters being brought in, then about fifteen minutes ago there were gunshots, then silence.”
    “Eaters are everywhere.  They’re turning really fast.  It’s chaos out there.”
    Disbelief clouded Micah’s features.  “O...kay.  Then just let me out and I’ll get out of here.”
    Alex regarded him cautiously.  Was it safe to release the man who only last night was leading an angry mob and attacking him with a steel rod?  Eaters were one thing, but militant anti-Survivor bigots were another.  The ingrate would probably turn around and try to kill him just because he thought he could get away with it.
    “Come on,” Micah said, “you can’t just leave me here.  I’m starving to death.  They haven’t fed me since breakfast.”
    Alex sighed.  Much as he wanted to, the man was right.  Leaving would probably mean sentencing him to death, or worse, and Alex wasn’t a killer.  Well, not of normals anyway.
    He turned and jogged back past the cells towards the guard station.
    “Hey!”  Micah shouted.  “Hey, you can’t leave me!”
    The thudding against the cell doors became louder.  Alex heard the metal groaning under the pressure.  Grabbing the key to Micah’s cell, he ran back and pushed it into the lock.
    “If you try anything, I will snap you in