Morph: Book One

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"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Yes Ryn, dear?" I say, kneeling and looking down at my daughter, wrapped tightly in a blanket. Nothing but her nose and sparkling blue eyes could be seen. I dropped my gear to the floor behind me and met her excited eyes.

"You aren't going to leave us again are you?" I could feel tears prick my eyes as I reared back in surprise at her question.

"No, not ever again sweet heart." I said reassuringly. Guilt gnawed at me, knowing that what I had said had been a lie. I felt a presence appear behind me, and I turned my head slightly to see my husband staring down at the two of us, a happy glint in his eye.

"Promise!?" Ryn hollered loudly.

"I promise." I say half-heartedly while turning back around to face her. I swept the little bundle up into my arms and stood up. Little arms sprouted from the nest and encircled my neck, holding onto me tightly as I walked us both back toward her room.

"Tell me a story! A scarry story!" Ryn asked excitedly while bouncing in my arms. I felt a prick of worry consume me then. Ryn was far too young to be interested in such morbid things, yet as I thought about it, she had always been this way. Ryn would always ask about my expeditions and the monsters that lurked outside the city's walls. Her curiosity sometimes scared me, and I often worried that she would go outside the perimeter to see it for herself. Curiosity killed, and I couldn't stop imagining her little body being torn apart by those hideous beasts. It was because of this fear that I chose to tell her all the horrendous things that I encountered outside the perimeter walls. All in the hope that it might discourage her from ever wandering outside.

I pushed the door to Ryn's room open and entered. I walked over to the unmade bed off to the side of the room and plopped the little bundle into its center, causing the nest to bounce slightly. Giggles erupted from the pile as it sprung open, and Ryn appeared fully. She hastily threw the blanket over herself and nestled into the sheets of her bed, waiting. I sighed and grabbed the chair from her desk, and dragged it over to the edge of the bed, where Ryn lay in excitement.

"What do you want the story to be about you little hoolagan?" I asked. I plopped myself into the chair. I leaned my elbows on my knees and rested my head on my fists. I gazed down at her as she feigned contemplation.

"I know! Tell me about your work! Did you see any monsters? Were they scary?" I watched as her eyes shined bright with curiosity. It wasn't until this moment that I realized Ryn wasn't scared of the stories I told her. Instead, they fueled her imagination even more!

"Well..." I had to prevent my face from contorting into one of horror at my previous thought. "I lost good friends of mine." I lied, somewhat but only to make it scarier in hopes that it would genuinely scare her.

Monstrous beings overran us on our most recent expedition. Although these beings were once human, they no longer resembled anything close to one. Instead, they looked like things that would crawl out of the depths of hell itself. Their bodies were varied, but the most hideous of them all were called Scrapers. They are often found on the outskirts of decrepit towns and lurk in ditches near roads. They were named Scrapers because if you are unfortunate enough to encounter one, you would find your vehicle swiped off of the road and into a ditch where the creature waited to devour you whole. Scraper's bodies were malformed to the point that they walked tall on all four of their limbs. Some stood taller than some military vehicles.

They were truly monstrous.

During my latest expedition, my team was unfortunate enough to encounter not one but three. We lost three lives to the jaws of the mutants, and I was almost among the casualties. It didn't matter. I had been bitten. My family didn't know it now, but I would never be permitted to return to the city after the next expedition. This was my final goodbye and the last time I would ever see my family again.

I felt tears prick my eyes, and I couldn't find it in me to stop them from rolling down my face. I went to wipe at them, but little hands gripped my wrists, shaking me out of the haze.

"Mommy? I'm sorry dont cry, you can tell me a happy story!" I looked down at Ryn, who was kneeling on the bed in front of me. I looked at her with wide eyes as I studied her innocent features. I couldn't stop the visions of her becoming one of those things from appearing in my mind. Finally, I broke her hold on me and gripped her shoulders tightly, shaking her. I needed her to understand that what was outside the walls was dangerous.

"Ryn, promise me you won't ever leave the city!" I cry loudly. I watched as her face scrunched up into one of fear at my current state. "Promise me!" I demand, shaking her violently. Tears erupted from her eyes, but I couldn't find it in me to feel sorry.

"I promise." Ryn whispered, barely audible. I threw my arms around her and felt her tiny arms do the same.

"Mommy loves you." I say gently, tears still falling from my eyes, but I refuse to release my hold on her. In part, I hadn't wanted her to see me like this, but I also didn't want to let her go. I knew that her last memory of me would have been a traumatic one if I stayed.

"Go to bed now honey." I whisper. I feel her squeeze me one last time before letting go. I looked down at her tear-streaked face and her big blue eyes. "Be a good girl and go to bed now." I say while leaning in and kissing her on the forehead. She didn't utter a word as she laid down and pulled the covers over herself. Ryn's eyes never left me as I tucked her in and turned off the lights. As I exited the room, I heard her little voice call out to me in panic.

"Please leave the lights on...I'm scared." I felt more tears prick in my eyes. A small smile painted my lips. I flipped the switch back on and slowly closed the door behind me.