Mutation

Chapter 3: Dr. Baker

Hazel

"Are you kids okay?" yelled a familiar voice. Leo and I jumped at the loudness of the voice, and looked at each other nervously. We weren't prepared for another fight.

But it wasn't a soldier armed with a gun who emerged from a rather tacky green van. It was Dr. Baker.

My eyes widened as I replied, "Dr. Baker?" I felt like I was talking to a ghost. She WAS shot to death, after all.

Dr. Baker laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's me. Now aren't you two cold? It's 40 degrees out here and you're wet and wearing barely anything!"

I forgot I was wearing nothing but a hospital gown, thin underclothes, and I was barefoot. Leo was wearing green hospital pants, socks, and a white, long-sleeved V-neck. Plus, we were soaking wet from icy water.

"It's a long story," Leo replied, looking at me accusingly.

Dr. Baker laughed. "I understand. And I'm glad you two are okay. Now we need to get out of here or we'll get caught. Those men will be here again to look for you two. You need to come with me."

Leo and I were hesitant, but since we were freezing and dripping wet, we wanted to get in the warm van. We agreed to go with Dr. Baker. Maybe this won't be a mistake. She let us use some towels and cover up with and cranked up the heat. Her van was pretty ugly on the outside, but on the inside it was full of futuristic technology. I wondered what she was up to.

"Hey, Dr. Baker. Um, don't take this the wrong way, but how are you alive?" Leo asked her, not knowing how offensive that sounded. I slapped his arm and scowled at him. We wanted to be on Dr. Baker's good side.

"Oh you guys thought I was dead? No I wasn't actually shot. That was just my clone I created to help you escape," Dr. Baker explained, like it was no big deal. I completely zoned out when she said she had a clone. My mind must not be completely functional after waking up from the coma.

"Wait, clone?" Leo asked her, exaggerating on the word "clone." He sounded like he was asking her if she was an alien. Dr. Baker simply answered him by nodding. Again, she was acting like she was just a normal person talking to normal people.

I couldn't help but blurt out my question to her. But a light bulb went off in my head and I knew what Dr. Baker was.

"Dr. Baker, are you one of us? Like me and Leo?" I asked, gesturing to me and Leo. All of a sudden, an exact copy of Dr. Baker popped up beside me. I was amazed. She really was one of us. She had the ability to clone exact copies of herself. Were there more of us? How many? I had so many questions for her.

The whole ride was an opportunity for answers. Dr. Baker explained that about a year ago, (right after Leo and I went into comas) the country went into chaos. Apparently, there were multiple bombings at various schools and other place, which released dangerous amounts of chemical radiation. Most people who were exposed to it developed cancer, and died. The rest of the population either stayed normal, or developed something else that was far more strange than cancer and diseases. About a fourth of America's population, and most other countries, developed powerful mutations that are still unexplained to most scientists.

Those who didn't get cancer or developed mutations were asked to leave the continent. (Since America was the most effected by the outbreak.) These were mainly people high in the government, the president, vice president, and other political people. What they didn't know was that some people who left the country still had radiation exposure. It spread to the rest of the world in a heartbeat.

"So the human race has decreased tremenously in the past year. And most of the population is gone. Now, a couple of thousand people live in the United States. This eventually caused a dictatorship to form," Dr. Baker explained, her voice filled with sorrow.

Leo and I were silent. We honestly didn't know what to say. While we were in comas for several months, our world was falling apart outside of the hospital walls. We've developed into something mankind can't possibly comprehend at this point in time. Most humans have died off from cancerous diseases, while the rest had developed super-human abilities. And people want all people with mutations to be killed. This was our world now. We've woken up to World War III.

"Dr. Baker, why are people so strict on mutants? Why exactly do people want us dead?" I asked, my voice angrier than I meant it to be. I saw the sleep deprived doctor's eyes in the mirror, which were extremely exhausted and even worried. You could tell she didn't want to answer me.

"Like I said, things have changed. Us mutants are considered illegal to be out anywhere in public. Either a mutant stays inside forever where no one can see them, or they get shot. That's how it works, sadly," Dr. Baker choked on her last words, trying to hold back tears.

Leo laughed, not believing what he was hearing. I could practically feel his body warming up from anger surging throughout him. "This is insane. We must be dreaming, guys. People can't treat us like this!"

I put my hand on Leo's knee, telling him to calm hisself. "Leo, shhh." He immediately went to ease, knowing that I was not in the mood to argue with him.

"Leo, I know it's not right. But I can't help it. Things happen in this world that just aren't fair." I nodded in understanding of Dr. Baker's statement. She was right. Life is no carnival ride. I found examples of this when my eyes glanced out the window to see dead and decayed bodies on the side of the road.

I gulped, fearing the answer to my next question. "So where are we going to stay?"

"Don't worry, Hazel. I have a safe place for us to go. I know because I've been staying there for a year now," Dr. Baker assured us. I put my full trust in her, which is something I rarely do for people with the exception of Leo. Sometimes not even that.

For the next hour or so, the ride was silent again. I assumed we were going north because it was getting colder. A van that looked like it was from the 80's can only warm us up so much. I just hoped I would get to change out of my wet hospital gown.

"Hazel, look." Leo pointed ahead of us. My heart sunk. I didn't think we would have to leave the United States to get to safety.