Electronic lights flickered and computer fans whirred quietly in the dimly lit room while a flurry of clicking permeated the oppressive silence. A man hunched over a computer keyboard, his eyebrows furrowing as he furiously typed away. A loud creaking sound echoed around the room as a door opened, interrupting the rhythmic clicking of the mechanical keys.

“Do you think yourself a mad scientist? Or do you just enjoy ignoring the benefits that I’m providing you with?"

“O- oh sorry Firdaus, I didn’t-” The man flinched as light flooded the room with a loud click of a switch. A slow but steady rhythm of clacking of boots resounded as the intruder walked towards the man.

“What’s the problem?”

“I found another transmitter. It’s on the move from Sector 161’s naval base.”

“Where is it now?”

“It appears to be on the water. Maybe the sector official is still carrying it…?”

Firdaus stared at the man with cold, unblinking eyes. “Tell me, Zacharias. Do you think a zombie can swim? Or would you like to find out for yourself?”

Zacharias reeled back in fear. “N- no! Silly me. Somebody must have taken it! It must have been Dietrich. Or maybe it’s the Red Clover! Or… or-”

“Keep tracking the device and set up a comms link with Alexei in five minutes,” Firdaus interrupted him coldly. “Intercept it as soon as possible. We already lost one in that asylum; this is our chance to continue our research on its amplification capabilities.” He turned swiftly on his heel and walked out of the room.

“Oh, and unless you want to spend the rest of your life in darkness, I suggest you appreciate the light I am providing you with.”

Zacharias gulped and nodded his head meekly. He turned back to the digital map on his computer screen and looked at the blinking red dot, tracing its projected trajectory leading to a large body of land. His eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on its name.

Sector 162.

----------------------------------------

Calm waves lapped against the boat, rocking it gently like a caring mother lulling her baby to sleep. The pale moonlight bounced off the turquoise sea, dimly reflecting the contorted face of a man.

“Blargh! Oof…” William opened his mouth, but he had nothing left to throw up. He pushed himself away from the side of the yacht and slumped down on the deck. He raised his hand weakly and blobs of water started to condense out of the air. They floated down towards his pale lips, joining the multiple streams of water into one as William slowly lapped up the water. He closed his eyes, clutching his stomach and breathing heavily.

“Sucks to be seasick, huh.” Marianne looked through the window from the comfort of the rest area as she slowly sorted out the contents of her bag. Masako lazed on the sofa, munching on a packet of army rations gifted to them by the soldiers.

“The waves are pretty calm though,” she laughed. “Ironic how badly affected he is, considering his power.”

“Hey, what’s that?” Masako pointed at a small cylindrical object that slightly resembled a speaker.

“Dunno. Probably just some junk I swept in my bag while packing-”

“That looks like some sort of communication device.” William staggered down the steps into the room, his legs trembling as he held onto the railings for support.

“I can feel electromagnetic waves transmitting from it,” Masako whispered.

“Transmitting to where?” Marianne examined the object.

“Strange, I can’t find the frequency…” Masako cocked her head. “But it does feel like an electric signal to me.” She raised her hand and closed her eyes in concentration. “Unngh... I can’t manipulate the electrical signal either. It feels like it’s connected to something else. Something big.”

“Well, if you can’t do anything about it, there’s no point pondering eh? Let’s just forget it,” William said, stealing a can of luncheon meat from Marianne’s opened bag.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, William. How did you learn to control your ability like that?” Marianne asked.

“Hmm? Control how?”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“You can create both a tidal wave and a small pressurised jet of water. I can only generate large amounts of heat and Masako can only control small amounts of electricity.”

William devoured the luncheon meat and set the empty can down. “I didn’t create that wave; I borrowed it from the ocean. And besides, I could always do that ever since I got mutated. It takes a lot more effort to pull water from the air or change its state, but having a water source nearby makes it a lot easier to focus. It never occurred to me that the scale of your powers could be limited like that.”

“Maybe it has something to do with our genetics.” Masako thought out loud. “Science says that there’s still a lot we don’t know about the human body. Why do we even have these powers in the first place?”

“I dunno, magic? Who cares? What matters now is how we can use our abilities. Speaking of which, do you think an EMP will be able to blot out the zombies’ senses?” William asked. “It would be pretty handy if you can generate one before we enter a zombie infested area.”

Masako shook her head. “Even if we could block the electrical senses of the zombies, they can still see and hear you. Not exactly an efficient camouflage.”

William sighed and immediately felt his stomach lurch again. He dashed out of the door, covering his mouth with his hand.

“I’m going to find a nice cosy place to sleep. Goodnight, y’all.” Masako stretched and let out a loud yawn. Marianne packed the device back in her bag and walked out of the rest area onto the deck.

“Hey, try looking out at the horizon. I heard it helps with seasickness.”

“I’d rather get off the boat,” William mumbled and shifted his legs to let Marianne sit.

Marianne leaned back, supporting herself with her palms. “We should get some sleep.” She yawned.

“There’s no point,” William replied. “I can already see Sector 162 from here. I’ll sleep after we get off.”

Marianne looked up at the night sky. “The sky’s so clear. It’s actually kinda nice how far away we are from air pollution.”

“I wonder how she’s doing right now,” William muttered.

“You mean your wife?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sure she’s safe on the cruise now. It’s funded by the government after all. Just give it a few more months and she’ll be living in paradise city.” Marianne chuckled slightly. “I heard that the artificial island is already almost complete and fitted to the brim with the latest technology.”

“I hope so too; she’s the only family member I have left. No one else survived the mutation wave.” William flashed a small smile back at her. “How about you? You got any family left?”

“My parents are high ranking government officials, so I’m pretty sure they’ve got seats on the cruise.”

“Huh? But what about you?” William looked at her in surprise.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t get one for me,” Marianne said bitterly, casting her eyes downward. “They… they don’t like me.”

William frowned.

“I had a sister. She was everything they wanted; obedient, talented, feminine. So she got everything, and more. I had my own talents too, but apparently it wasn’t to my parents’ liking. They would take the things that I got by myself and give it to her because ‘she deserved it more’. Not like I minded though; she was the best sister one could ever have. I loved martial arts and kick-boxing, so she would secretly help me pay for lessons and tournament fees. And then one day she died.”

Marianne closed her eyes. “It was a flash flood, and her body was never retrieved. My parents were heartbroken, of course. Every moment spent with me was a moment reminding them of their loss. We already barely talked when she was alive and now… It’s as though I was never their daughter. That didn’t stop them from taking my stuff away though, saying that she would’ve wanted it. And so I kinda developed a habit of collecting more than necessary. In a way, I’m glad they left on the cruise without me. At least what’s mine is truly mine now.”

“That’s messed up…” William sucked in a deep breath, but could think of nothing else to say.

“Sometimes I envy Masako,” Marianne continued. “Better to have no parents at all than toxic ones. She’s an orphan. Or at least she was living in an orphanage when I met her.”

“How did you two meet?” William asked, breathing an internal sigh of relief for the change of topic.

“We met on the day of the mutation wave. I was running from the zombies and stumbled into her orphanage. I was still getting the hang of my powers and trying to fight off everyone in the orphanage. And honestly, I would’ve been overwhelmed if Masako didn’t pull me into her hiding corner in time. We stuck with each other ever since, trying to look for my parents. It was only then I found out that my parents had already abandoned me on their ‘business trip’ days ago.”

“Days ago?” William raised his eyebrow. “How would they have known the mutation wave was going to happen?”

A loud crack followed by the sound of the engine stopping broke his train of thought. Seawater flooded the deck as the yacht jerked to an abrupt stop.

“Did we hit a rock? Whoa!” Marianne stood up quickly but immediately fell down again as the boat turned ninety degrees sharply.

“Hold on to something!” William yelled as it moved towards the shore at an alarming speed, pulled by an unknown force.

“Whoaaa!” Marianne and William screamed as the boat crashed hard into the pier, throwing them onto it. William scrambled to his feet but froze as his gaze met the tip of a crossbow. He slowly stood up, finding himself having to show his empty palms again.