The first book in the Morph series.
Ryn's story.
- "Don't you know I can't die!?" -
After being confined for years, Ryn has an opportunity to escape her prison. She's not looking only to free herself but also the rest of the test subjects. As secret...
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It's been five excruciatingly long days, and I'd been through every test imaginable in hopes of finding something that might diagnose what was happening to me.
"We still don't understand what is wrong with you."
—comforting. I thought to myself. But I knew all too well what might be happening to me.
Although I knew my cells rapidly reproduced at rates that surpassed even a regular Zorr, the quality behind it was significantly lacking. From my father's research, I knew that mutations often occurred—and with the past test subjects, they had all proven deadly.
I folded my hands nervously in my lap and slumped. The paper-thin hospital gown irritated my raw skin constantly, causing me to sit awkwardly to relieve some of the overwhelming sensations. Not only did my hair fall out, but my skin had become noticeably darker and far more sensitive.
"H-Z is a virus that attacks dying cells." I mutter out loud. Both Ezic and the doctor snap their attention over to me. Ezic frowned.
"Okay?" Ezic said, insinuating for me to continue.
"Cells are constantly dying and replacing themselves." I say hesitantly.
"What are you trying to tell us?" Ezic asked, uncertainty lacing his voice. "What do you know that we don't?"
"H-Z wasn't pure and it never was. The virus wasn't made to act like normal cells, instead they weaponize them. H-Z can't split and replicate themselves—instead they use existing dying cells as hosts to infiltrate, copy and replicate at a drastically faster rate than they are dying."
"What do you think happens after that?" I ask solemnly. I looked up from my hands and met Ezic's eyes. "Since H-Z is infiltrating faulty cells, it would make sense that mutations would occur."
"I don't understand." Ezic shook his head while slowly walking up to the bed where I lay. I fidgeted nervously. My latest injury would explain the dramatic transformation I was experiencing.
"There's one place we haven't looked." I whispered. I felt tears sting at the corner of my eye. I took a deep breath and blinked rapidly before continuing. "My first transformation only occurred after I experienced extensive injuries to my brain...that's where we will find the answer." I watched as Ezic's features turned calculated before his eyes widened in realization.
"You think The Atmospheric Sickness caused your...condition?" Ezic asked, and I nodded. Ezic and the other doctor shared a look before nodding.
~*~
I watched as Ezic's features contorted into an expression of horror. Clearly, whatever the results the device in his hand showed hadn't been good. But I had already expected that much. I knew what they found, and I didn't need any confirmation.
It hadn't made any sense at first, considering that I had nearly healed and my condition had improved, but it didn't last long. Over the past few weeks, my vision had worsened, and debilitating migraines had often plagued me.
