Mutation Abyss-Chapter 48: Like A Blooming Flower

Everyone inside the room fell silent.

The teacher stepped forward slowly. "Are you sure it was the same person?"

The girl who had just run up from the lower floor was shaking, her breath coming in quick gasps. She held onto the doorframe for support.

"I-It’s the s-same voice..." she stammered, her eyes darting to the others in the room. "S-She-she’s not h-human..."

Her voice cracked. "I-I saw her. H-Her face... it-twisted. And her b-body... it moved w-wrong. Like-like her bones were b-breaking and-and fixing again..."

A tense silence followed. Some students exchanged nervous glances.

Then a girl near the back of the room crossed her arms and scoffed. "Oh, please. You’re always making stuff up. You said you saw a flying Infectee two days ago, remember? And that turned out to be a trash bag in the wind."

"I’m not l-lying!" the stuttering girl shouted, tears forming in her eyes. "I-I saw it! She l-looked normal, b-but she smiled-and her mouth s-split open!"

"She’s scared," a boy near the window muttered. "Maybe we should just listen to her." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

The teacher looked torn. Her gaze shifted between the terrified girl and the locked door.

"But... what if she really needs help?" someone asked.

"She could be dying!" another said.

Mr. Kellan looked torn. He glanced at the door, then back at the girl.

"Infectees don’t ask for help," he said. "They scream or break things."

"She’s one of those who pretend to be still human," the girl insisted. "I saw it happen."

The voice behind the door came again, more desperate this time.

"Please... open the door... I’m begging you..."

The survivors started to argue, some wanted to help, others were afraid. The knocking didn’t stop.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

But after a few seconds of silence, one of the older boys moved toward the door and cracked it open. "If we don’t help her, who will?"

He pulled the door wider, letting the woman stumble in. She looked exhausted, hair messy, eyes wide with what seemed like fear. Her hands trembled.

"Thank you... I thought I’d die out there."

They helped her sit down, offered her water. She smiled weakly at them, mumbling something about "just trying to find anyone alive."

Then, something changed. Her breathing slowed. Her eyes lost focus.... just for a moment.

Then snapped back.

And then-

The smile twisted. It stretched too wide. Her teeth clenched, and her head tilted at an unnatural angle. The students backed away as she let out a low, strange chuckle.

Suddenly, the woman’s body began to twitch violently. Her neck jerked at a wrong angle, bones cracking beneath the skin. Her eyes rolled back, and her face-

It split.

From her chin to the bridge of her nose, flesh peeled open like a blooming flower, revealing a mass of sinew and needle-thin tendrils, twitching and slick with black fluid.

The students screamed.

One boy tried to run, but she was faster. Her hand shot forward... no, not a hand anymore. It had elongated into something clawed and bone-plated. She grabbed his throat and slammed him to the floor.

Then came the horror. A long, whip-like appendage burst from her open jaw and stabbed into his neck.

The others watched in frozen terror as the fluid drained from his body in seconds. He spasmed once... then stilled.

But that wasn’t the end.

The boy’s eyes snapped open, clouded, empty.

He twitched, coughed and then let out a sick, gurgling moan.

One of the girls screamed. "He’s... he’s changing!"

The woman staggered, briefly clutching her head, like some part of her knew what she’d done. Her breathing hitched.

"I... I didn’t mean to..."

Then the face twisted again, flesh folding back into place like a zipper pulling shut.

She turned to the next student.

And lunged.

*****

At AMSO Headquarters

The training grounds buzzed with energy as both recruits and veteran AMS members pushed through their evening drills. Drones hovered above the field, capturing footage, while instructors barked orders across the compound.

Most MB Infectees and Meteorborns were more active and aggressive during the day and weaker at night. The Mutation Surge they underwent was photosensitive, triggered by light exposure. But for some, it’s more than that. They slow down. As if some part of them is still... human. Still remembering the rest. Sleep. Peace.

So at night, they became slower, less aware, easier to eliminate. That’s why AMS conducted most of their missions under the cover of darkness. It gave them the advantage.

Night training wasn’t just routine. It was survival preparation.

All eyes were drawn to the center of the grounds as Lexa Spears stood alone on the sparring mat with her stance firm and eyes focused. She had just disarmed her opponent, a Class 2 AMS, with a precise burst of telekinetic force that sent his weapon skidding across the concrete.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, she immobilized him mid-lunge. A breath later, he was on the ground, groaning in defeat.

Applause broke out around the field.

"She’s something else," one of the younger trainees whispered.

"Class 1 now. She deserves it," another said.

Up on the viewing platform, Supreme Commander Hayden Carlton folded his arms, watching the display with satisfaction.

"She’s fast, focused, and she’s got presence," he said.

Beside him, Supreme Commander Marlon Pitt nodded. "Her telekinetic control is getting more refined every month. It’s not just power anymore, it’s discipline. We may have our next squad leader."

Hayden glanced over. "Do you think she’s ready?"

"She will be. Let’s give her a few more advanced field runs. She’s got the mind of a soldier and the instincts of a survivor. She’ll do well."

Back on the field, Lexa helped her sparring partner to his feet. She gave him a respectful nod before stepping aside, unfazed by the attention.

Class 1. The rank meant more than prestige... it meant responsibility. Leadership. Field command. And everyone watching knew Lexa Spears was no longer just a powerful AMS... she was becoming one of AMSO’s best.

Suddenly, a beep echoed from the wrist comm on Marlon and Hayden’s arms. A voice came through, tense and clipped.

"Commanders, we have a situation. Breach alert from Argo Province, Zone B1."