Whatever It Takes: Mutations

Chapter Ten

Amelia's Visit

Unknown Date (right before the bombs), 7:29 pm

Current Location: Memphis, TN

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Bryan sighed deeply. The sleepiness was trying its best to take over his body, but he refused to let it happen. He knew that if he fell asleep now, there'd be no way that he would get any good sleep during the night hours. 

The trio arrived at the camp not too long ago. Bethany was giving him a tour of the place while Joshua had to go report what had happened to his boss, or whatever it was called around here. 

Bethany suddenly shook him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Bryan. Are you okay? You were totally spaced out there." 

"Huh?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm okay. Why?" 

"I was talking about what all we had at the camp, but you didn't seem to listen. Is something wrong?" 

Bryan sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just really tired." 

"I can tell, but that's not all," she said, giving him a worried look. 

The truth was, Bethany was right. There were so many things that were surrounding his head. After his brother disappeared, Bryan felt like he had absolutely nobody to talk to. Sure, Joshua and Bethany have been helping him since he met them, but he didn't want to weigh them down more than he already has. It just didn't feel right to do so. 

"Let me show you to your cabin, okay?" Bethany suggested, nudging him playfully. 

"Okay." 

They walked a little towards the east end of the camp, and Bryan had to admit that the camp was really nice and relaxing. They had a dining hall that was huge, basketball courts, a baseball field, a pool that even had a diving board, a workout facility, and more. The impression that Bryan noticed the most was the fact that there weren't very many people there at all.

"Why aren't there very many people here?" he asked. 

"Well, we started this organization fairly recently," Bethany said. "Once the radiation from the bombs vanishes, I hope that we'll go into full swing. I just wish that we started a few weeks earlier, but it's too late to worry about that now." 

"I do too," he replied. 

As they approached the cabin, which was larger than Bryan anticipated, Bethany turned to him with a sincere smile. "Well, here's your cabin, Bryan. I'll let you explore the inside by yourself. You gonna be okay?" 

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Don't worry about me," he said with a small smile. 

"Okay then. We missed dinner, but I called ahead and there should be some chicken tenders with rice and gravy in the fridge for you to heat up when you feel like eating." 

Bryan nodded and looked at the ground, suddenly fighting back tears. He wanted to scream at Bethany to leave him alone, to let him figure this out by himself. He wanted to hate her for being so kind to him. But still, Bethany wrapped his arms around him, embracing Bryan with nothing but love and compassion. Bryan sobbed so hard that he expected her to shove him away and leave him by his lonesome. Instead, the grip on him only increased. She never even said a word. Bethany just stayed quiet and let him soak her jacket with hot tears. 

A minute later, Bryan calmed down and found the urge to speak. "Why, Beth?" 

She also had tear lines running down her cheeks too. "Because I care about you, Bryan. So does Joshua. Ever since I found you on the streets, I knew that you needed help. And when I got to know you more, I knew that you needed someone's shoulder to lean on. I wanted to be that person."