L E A N D E R
The sound of my own ragged breathing filled my ears. Mom had bitten me—a ragged wound on the back of my shoulder—but then she had simply let go. She wandered the room now, eyes glazed, ignoring my existence entirely.
It had been five minutes. Beyond a feverish heat simmering beneath my skin, I felt... fine.
Do mutation times vary? I stood and pushed into the hallway. A guard was waiting. Ironic—they hadn't bothered to lock the door, relying instead on a single man. He raised his rifle, but adrenaline made me faster. I shoved the barrel aside a split second before the muzzle flashed.
Bang.
I drove my knee into his groin. He doubled over with a wheeze, just as a guttural growl vibrated from the room behind me. I grabbed the guard by his vest, spinning him around as a meat
