Effects of a story

Chapter 8

The light shined through my thin and delicate eyelids. I felt lighter and numb lying on a bed of grass. I knew I was dead, he had stabbed me, but my perception of death was nothing like this. I opened my eyes and saw the last thing I saw before I died. The wounds were all gone but I didn't believe I was dead. Yet if I didn't die how did all of the lacerations disappear.

All of my confusion caused a massive ache to occur in my head. All of a sudden, I heard leaves rustling again their will.

Something was there.

I attempted to get up but my balance was off and I felt blind. I pushed myself with my hands, scraping my stomach across the ground towards the sound. I looked up and found the boy that had killed me pinned dead against a tree.

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I let out a gasp as he couldn't do that to himself. His neck was in an odd angle, obviously broken. I chronically turned my head left to right, scared The Thing will kill me too. Through the condensed trees, I could see two blue, glowing eyes intensely staring at me. Soon I made out the shape of the head, it seemed innocent and non-threatening but it had blood red hair that couldn't be natural. Its body was hidden by a thick tree. I looked at the ground were a foot might stick out but instead there was a purple, forked tail.

"Mutant" I cried and I heard it gasp in surprise or it was taking its last breath. "Stop, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I could never take a word from a human" a females voice trembled. "You're a murderer, a cold hearted...monster"

The amount of confidence that filled its voice drowned out all the purpose of its words. It was shaking yet believed everything it said. In a way, it was right Humans are known for killing. I had killed myself.

"You're right" I agreed showing a look of sorrow. I could tell the mutant was shocked that I agreed. I remembered how Cliff mentioned Mutants had special powers. "Why did you save me then?".

The Mutant continued to hide itself in the trees but its voice was still audible. "Because I'm not like the Humans" its response was quite but powerful. I watched as it walked out of the forest to face me. It was tall for its age which was around thirteen. Its hair had a bit of wave to it and was even brighter in the sun. It looked female and human in the face with pink, rosy cheeks and bright red lips. Though her body wasn't Human like at all. She had scales that shined from green to purple to blue that started on her neck and ended at her thighs. Her shins looked like they were covered in silver sparkles yet she didn't have feet. She had hooves like a deer. She came across as fragile and sweet but something inside told me that she was just the opposite.

"Did you kill that boy?" I said softly and pointed at the boy with a broken neck.

"It wasn't my fault, he was gonna kill me... I am too strong". She cried and tears started to run down her face. "Kill me Human, I deserve it".

"Can't you kill yourself?" I laugh and start to walk away yet I heard her run after me.

"I don't deserve to die at my own will besides it's painless" she said and nodded her head like it would get me to agree.

"No, I'm not gonna kill you, your logic makes no sense". I refused.

"Fine" she groaned. "Well then, you and I have not been properly introduced....I'm Altheda" she extends her scaly hand.

I hesitate to grab it but I do. "Starlit" I said as I let go of her hand. "I've never met a Mutant before".

She gives a short laugh "And I've never met a Human before".

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Altheda decided to join me on my walk back to the town. I told her about different towns and almost everything that happened to me before I met her, leaving out Vie and the people I killed. She told me that Mutants start out like regular Humans but when you're eleven you go through this radioactive surgery to make you Mutant like. Everyone is different because the Mutants believe that no one can be the same. She doesn't know the purpose of the operation, the mutant leaders refuses to tell the citizens. They are also really secretive, she said she could die by giving this much info out but, she didn't care.

"To a Mutant, the definition of beautiful is the more you look like a Human, the more gorgeous you are" Altheda said with her head down. "I have a friend who looks exactly like a human except she has powers..."

We are both sitting on the lush green grass, looking up at the clear blue sky above us. "What power do you have?" I questioned.

"I have the ability to heal Humans from anything...but just Humans, Mutants have no use for my ability" She answered with a sad look on her face. "Altheda means heal".

I got up and brushed myself off. "We should get going before it gets dark" I said and Altheda agreed.

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The sky was a deep pink with a hint of orange. The trees looked frightening when the evening wind started to blow the branches back and forth.

"The sky is beautiful" I could hear Altheda awe. I also heard many sticks snap due to animals.

"When I found you, what were you doing in the forest?" I asked, my question seemed to stun her.

"I....I...I" she stuttered. "Well you see....I ran away from my town....I've had enough" she gave me a weak answer.

"You're like me, I ran away too" I told her. "I didn't believe in all of the killing..."

"I didn't believe in the operation" she said and then we both got silent. "What was that?"

I couldn't hear anything but I decided to listen to Altheda because she probably had super hearing. "Is it an animal?"

"Maybe but it could also be a Human or a Mutant that's after me" she explained.

Suddenly I heard it. It sounded like a herd of animals galloping towards us but there was gunshots along with it. "Get down" I whispered to Altheda.

We squatted behind a bunch of leaves that we thought could conceal us. Yet we could see through the branches and leaves a bit. Abruptly, a tall creature with hooves that held a fierce kick, it almost looked like a more tremendous version of a deer came trotting through the trees. On top of the deer-like creature there was a man that stared in our direction. A large gun was hanging from his neck but he used his left hand to support it. I took a long look at the man and realized he was a Death Hunter.