CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16

Weeks later. . ..

Maxwell's eyelids slowly opened and his blurred vision gradually cleared. With a grunt he raised himself into a sitting position while looking at his unfamiliar surrounding. Different medical equipments surrounde him and were connected to his body to keep track of his vitals. For some reasons, his hearing seemed to have heightened and he could hear a bunch of

activities going on elsewhere. The last thing he remembered before this was waking up with a crazy headache, terrifyingly high fever and terrible body pain, before passing out. Taking a deep breath, he brushed his hair with his hands as he tried to think.

Taking another look at the needles and tubes connected to him, he decided that he didn't like them and began to remove them as fast as his still weak body could allow him. After getting rid of the needles and tubes, he tried to stand but his vision suddenly turned black and he felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit causing him to fall back. As he was about to try again, the door suddenly opened and a young man came in. Seeing Maxwell awake and trying to get away, he froze for a second before hurrying out. Within minutes, the door opened and some people came in, dressed in doctor's coats.

"Ah!. . . Sanctuary head, it's a great relieve to see that you're awake". A man in the lead wearing glasses said which clearly indicated his position as the leader of the group that just arrived.

"Who are you?" Maxwell asked.

The man smiled softly and took a moment pause from what he was doing to look at Maxwell before returning his attention to his meditation file tablet.

"I'm the leader of the medical-research department. My name is James and I've been in charge of the other like you who suddenly fell ill in the past few weeks". He said with his nose buried in the files data.

Hearing such a reply, Maxwell heart jumped, mass illness?. 'Did something happen to the sanctuary?', he thought.

"What happened. . ."Maxwell asked. "What happened to me?".

"Well we're in an era that would have sounded all fantastical decades ago, what clan possibly happen?" James replied. "The research departments of the bigger and more advanced sanctuaries discovered that a certain mutation has began among humans. Perhaps it is because of the era we now exist in but some people have being discovered to have a kind of genetic mutation, these people are the ones like you who have fallen sick. Nobody is sure of how the mutation is going to affect humans yet, but thankfully it doesn't seem to be in a zombie way.

Actually the discovery of this mutation led to the understanding of the reasons the zombies seem to have evolved further. The mutation actually began as a result of a variant virus that invades the system and disrupts the genetic makeup, replacing some parts of it. The virus naturally began to invade the zombies and humans at the same time, but the zombies actually have nothing to stop or fight the virus causing their mutations to be faster, resulting in noticeable changes in their nature and physiques. As for we humans though, the immune system isn't just for show. The immune system fights the virus and tries to stop it from invading, resulting in unbearable pain, headaches, fever and some other symptoms. For the past few weeks you have being zoning in and out, besides it's a surprise that you are awake. Most people weren't so luck to hold on and died in the process, infact the success rate is only five percent.

A good thing about successfully going through the mutation process though are the benefits that come with it, especially the elemental powers that some people have unlocked in the last few weeks".

Maxwell stared dumbly at James, everything he just heard seemed to him like a fictional novel was being read to him.

"Woah!. . . that's alot". He finally exclaimed after recovering himself. Everything he just heard was too overwhelming to digest casually. "But what's all these stuff about departments and all that?, when did they come into existence in the sanctuary?".

"Hmmm. . . About that, you were unconscious for weeks, did you expect the sanctuary to remain the same?. Besides with all these strange illnesses and awakening of powers, we had to form partnerships with quite a few surrounding sanctuaries and borrowed some equipments for research". James said, "People have joined the sanctuaries during these weeks and. . .". At that point, a voice interrupted. "Welcome back Maxwell".

*******

"Is she going to be okay?" A voice asked in the mist of a group of people, worry could be detected in the voice."Don't worry Mercy, not only she will be. Everyone of them will be okay" Another voice replied.

Naturally, mercy was none other than a member of the mysteries. Mingling with the other members of the sanctuary, she decided to visit the special infirmary for the mutant victims. Seeing how shaky she and some of her other friends were just from seeing the shivering, groaning, unconscious and screaming patients, the attendant in charge could only smile and respond. To the other members of the sanctuary they were just random kids, nobody would ever imagine that the mysteries they so much worshiped were a bunch of kids that passed by them daily, that acted mischievously or were even their acquaintances, at times they even got picked upon because some of them acted shy and weak. But who would blame those ignorant people, seeing how they were behaving over random patients, who would even imagine that they were people who slaughtered their way through hoards of zombies countless times? or the only reason why their sanctuary was still standing?.

Of course, the teens had returned. Ever since they returned, they decided to stop living in solitude and instead mingle with the other members other sanctuary. Following the emergence of the superhumans, the food production of the sanctuary had increased and the teens no longer had need to go out often. Of course Roosevelt was still affected by the turning of Marvellous, the suspicions of the other teens had been proven after a few days when she would hallucinate about him. But gradually, she got better and better until she arrived at her current stage. She could finally talk, fight, train and so on but occasionally, she would still have bits of hallucinations and it would take the help of the others to calm her.

Suddenly a furious wind blew across the sanctuary followed by a loud *Clang!*, drawing Mercy's as well as other members of the sanctuary's attention to a particular direction at the far corner of the sanctuary.

"Are the mysterious ones fighting again?", a young boy asked his mother who was also staring in the direction.

"No!. . . How many times do I have to tell you that they are not fighting but training?" she scolded, pulling the boy towards her.

It was not that she was actually angry but it was a necessity, if not there was a high chance that some random individual would take it into his or her hands to scold him or else the unwise words of the her son would not only cause trouble for himself but for her and he entire family. Such was the attitude of humans, they would not tolerate their heroes being tainted and

would rather take out their frustration on anybody they happened to fall in their hands like at that moment when they were hit by the shockwave of the mysteries training. Just as they thought it was getting worse, a figure flashed past them.

Mercy had been watching the reactions of people the moment the shock waves from the training ground began to spread, from the moment the first shock wave was released she found an high building and flew to the top. Seeing the effects of the shock waves on the common members of the sanctuary, finally she had had enough.

Using her elemental glove, she manipulated the air around her and. . . *BOOM!*, she shot off the roof towards the training ground. She had no need to cover or hide her face, her speed was just too fast for anyone to recognise her.

Within seconds, she arrived at the training ground to find those sparing, and with an angry voice she shouted.

"ARE YOU ALL ALRIGHT?"