Mutagen

Day 3 – 11:09 AM – Bacoor City Hall Rooftop, Molino Boulevard, Bayanan, Bacoor City, Cavite

Mark kept holding the golden fruit over the edge while sighing in relief. What he just did was a risky gamble. A very huge and risky gamble. However, there nothing else for them to lose by counting on this gamble since they were already at risk. If did not work, then he would just find another way. There was no need to find another way though. Mark won the gamble.

There were several reasons why he ended in taking up this gamble. First, he noticed that the tree was angry but had no killing intent at all. All it wanted was to take back the fruit and they would just be collateral damage. Another was because every single time that the fruit was flung into the air or falling down, Mark could feel anxiousness coming from the tree. It was as if the tree was worried about the fruit getting severely damaged or even destroyed when it falls down.

Since that was the case, what if he threatened this tree? What if he showed it that he would throw the fruit away if it did not stop? Since it had sentience, it would realize his intention right?

He was right and he succeeded.

The tree stopped moving and it was now exuding the feelings of fear. Mark could feel its emotions. It was faint but he was sure of it. The huge tree was afraid that he would throw the fruit off the edge.

Mark looked at the huge tree. He now realized. It was not that the sentience of the tree was faint because it was not human nor animal. The emotional fluctuations were similar to what he felt from other children. The sentience was weak maybe because it was newly born.

Looking towards the tree, Mark shouted.

"Can you hear me?! Can you understand me?! Shake your roots if you do."

Abbygale looked at her Papa? Who was he talking to?

The people at the rooftop of the Command Center were also baffled by Mark's actions. Was he talking to the tree? Did he also hit his head?

But to everyone's surprise, the roots that covered almost the whole of the rooftop started shaking as if it was responding to what Mark said.

No…

The tree was really responding to him! The roots of the tree shook for several seconds before stopping.

"Do you want this back?"

Mark shouted once more while waving the fruit on his hand. The roots shook once more in response. Mark could feel the emotion from the tree. It was pleading.

The emotions the tree was showing were too pure and innocent. Mark sighed. It felt like he was bullying a child. He then looked at Abbygale.

"Gale, sorry but we need to return it."

Abbygale shook her head. It was not right for her Papa to apologize for this.

Looking back at the tree, Mark shouted again.

"Help us return back there first and you can have this fruit."

Mark pointed at the suspended pathway.

At that moment, as if taken from a scene in a fantasy movie, the wave of roots receded and slowly intertwined together creating a wooden bridge. The bridge connected the collapsed parts of the rooftop and continued towards the suspended pathway.

Seeing that, everyone was amazed. It looked like a scene from a fairytale and it only lacked the vines and flowers to look perfect.

Since Mark did not feel any ill intent from the tree. He directly led Abbygale through the wooden bridge towards the suspended pathway. Doing this, Mark felt like he was transported to another world. He was walking on a fantasy like bridge with the huge tree to his left and he was leading a cat-eared girl on his side.

The father and daughter soon reached the safety of the suspended pathway. Mark turned back. It was to fulfill his end of the deal. He felt that it was a pity that he would not be able to get the fruit for Abbygale and Odelina but it was better to return it unless they did not want to keep their lives anymore.

Cheating the tree? That was more impossible. Even if he could escape with Abbygale right away, he would not be able to bring Charmaine.

Mark stretched his left arm that was holding the fruit towards the tree. Soon, a smaller root approached Mark's hand and coiled onto the fruit. It then took the fruit towards its trunk. As the root holding the fruit approached near its body, a small hole opened up on the trunk. The fruit was put inside the hole before it closed.

Seeing that, Mark shrugged his shoulders. He just wasted his time and even got injured for nothing. Well, he was not worried about his injury since he was more worried on where to find a change of clothes now. His right sleeve was torn and his blood stained almost the entire right half of his clothes.

He was about to turn around to return when something tapped on his shoulder. When he looked, it was another small root. Realizing the intention of the tree, Mark did not leave immediately. Soon enough, two roots, one coming from below the suspended pathway and other coming from below the trunk approached him. Both roots were coiled into something.

The root that tapped his shoulder pulled his uninjured arm up and placed the two items being coiled by the two other roots on his hand.

The two items looked extraordinary. One was a shard shaped purple crystal. It looked beautiful but it was rough and unpolished. The crystal was about the size of his index finger. The other item was an odd looking seed. It was shaped like a watermelon seed but was red in color and was about the size of his thumb.

"What are these?"

Mark did not hesitate to ask even if he looked like someone crazy while talking to a tree.

The root in front of Mark then pointed at the crystal and then below the suspended pathway. Mark followed what it was pointing at below and saw the body of the dead mutated cat being eaten by the infected.

"This crystal is from that huge cat?"

The root shook in confirmation.

"Then this seed, is it yours?"

Mark was confused with the seed. He did not think that the huge tree would give him something like its seed since it did not even want to let go of the fruit. And as if to confirm his thoughts, the root shook sideways.

"This seed is not yours? Then what seed is this?"

There was no response from the tree. It seemed that it also did not know.

Mark's face turned black and decided to let his feelings go. If the tree did not know about it, then, there was nothing they could do about it. At least, it gave him something in return. Also since it was from that mysterious tree, it should be something rare.

Since he was given something, Mark decided to say his gratitude. After all, even though the tree was threatening, it was like his initial thoughts before. It was not hostile to people. It just behaved dangerously due to the fruit suddenly being stolen.

It was confusing though. What would this huge tree want to do with its own fruit? Well, it was not of his concern anymore.

"Thanks for these."

Mark said and shook the root with his hand like he was shaking another person's. Mark stored the two items in one of the pockets on his jacket and left with Abbygale. After the two started walking away, the roots started to recede and the huge tree became dormant once more. However, the City Hall was left almost crumbling.

When Mark and Abbygale returned, the very first person to approach them was Charmaine who was being assisted by the nurse.

"Big Brother, are you ok?"

Charmaine worriedly asked as she stared at Mark's blood covered arm.

"It's a little painful but I'm fine. It's just a scratch you see."

"Big Bro. That pun is lame."

"It's not a pun though. It's really just a scratch."

Mark then wiped the blood using the sleeve of his other arm. With Charmaine's gasp, the wounds that had already started to heal were revealed. The wounds were not bleeding anymore as the wounds had already closed up.

"See? It'll be fine in a few hours."

Not only Charmaine but the other people who were nearby were shocked. They saw how much blood was gushing out of his wounds and it was healing already?

"Bro… Really, what is happening? The zombies and those creatures. Then, you and Gale…"

When Charmaine said that, she looked at the white haired girl with cat ears who was holding Mark's hand.

"You know something right?"

Most of the people around also had the same question. However, unlike Charmaine, no one dared voice out their questions in fear of offending the mysterious father and daughter.

The Congresswoman and the Police Chief also approached at this moment.

"I also think the same. I had been suspecting that you knew something. Could you please make it clear to us? What is really happening?"

Madam Lanie asked with an inquisitive but humble tone. She really wanted to know what she needed to know but she also wanted to maintain a good relationship with these people.

On the other hand, Mark's face was turning dark. However, it was not Mark but the little girl who spoke.

"Muu. Annoying people."

Abbygale was also dissatisfied. Except for Charmaine and the nurse, the little girl started glaring at everyone. Her red eyes really looked terrifying at this moment.

Mark patted the little girl's head and looked at the congresswoman.

"Can we talk about it later? We're tired you see?"

Madam Lanie scratched her subconsciously. It was an act unbefitting her status.

"Sorry about that, I got carried away because of everything we just saw."

Mark then nodded. He looked at Charmaine and signaled her with his chin to follow. He then walked towards the door with Abbygale with Charmaine and the nurse behind. All the people in front of them hurriedly moved to the side to make way for their group.

After entering, Mark glanced behind and asked.

"Charm, where are our things?"

"It's the room beside the Chief's office I think?"

"Why there?"

"I don't know? Madam Lanie brought me to that room."

Walking down the stairs and out of the hallway, they immediately found the room.

When they entered, Mark realized how much effort the Congresswoman's group gave in order to make the room as comfortable as possible. It was an office room but there was a bunker bed moved here. The cluttered mess left by the outbreak was also cleaned up and all the unnecessary things inside the room were removed.

Mark plopped his body on one of the office chairs and yawned. He then reached out for the bag he brought and took one of the insulated bottles that contained soda. Flipping the bag on his belt, he took out two medicines, a capsule and a tablet. It immediately consumed the medicine as he was already feeling the effects of excessive use of adrenaline.

The nurse helped Charmaine unto the bed and went out of the room hurriedly. Mark noticed it.

"Is she afraid of us?"

"I don't think so?"

Charmaine replied.

"Why did she hurry out then?"

Charmaine did not answer anymore. She was also confused.

Abbygale approached her Papa while staring at his wounds.

"Papa. Does it hurt?"

"Just a little."

Mark patted the little girl's head. In this form of hers, the texture of her hair was really comfortable to touch. He then lifted the concerned girl up and made her sit on his lap. He then stared at the cat ears on her head then looked for her human ears.

"It's really not there huh?"

"What is it Papa?"

Abbygale was curious.

"Your human ears, it's not there anymore. Can you still turn back to normal?"

"Ummm…"

The little girl was seriously thinking.

"I can? But don't know how."

She found her answer in her mind and was crestfallen.

"Is that so? Then let me try."

Mark then hugged Abbygale tightly. After about a minute or two, he features started going back to normal. The change was visible to his eyes. To describe her transformation, it was like her cat ears and tail was being absorbed by her body while her human ears sprouted like how her cat ears appeared before.

"So, it was really the case."

Mark murmured. Abbygale on the other hand touched her head checking if her cat ears were still there or not.

"Papa… how?"

"You're just too agitated."

Mark smiled. The cause to Abbygale's transformation seemed to be her emotions. Her calm emotion that Mark always felt from her was being shared with agitation while she was in that form. It also seemed to be the case why the shy girl managed to voice out her dissatisfaction towards the people earlier.