Scorch
“Snow’s thick today.” Kirai said, battered rifle slung over her shoulder. Snow drifted down from the sky in big fluffy flakes, only to vanish from existence right before they landed on her exposed arms. Long scars traced across her well-toned muscles, some still pink from being freshly healed. One scar stood out: a five fingered claw, scorched onto her skin, on her right shoulder.
Otto grunted. He wore the standard Reclaimer uniform: beige fatigues from head-to-toe, with a series of patches along the left arm, the most prominent featuring a city with giant palm trees set in front of a mountain, “Eugene Autonomous Region” stitched around the border.
They sat together, along with a young man, gripping himself tightly around a small campfire. His olive-green jacket and torn jeans the only protection from the elements, though at the height of summer the temperature was still fairly warm. The landscape around them was desolate, nothing but short brown grass and destroyed buildings off in the distance. The clouds above ever-present and oppressive. The snow fell all around them, and yet it never accumulated on the ground.
“You always this quiet?”
“Yup.”
“Think you could be a bit more gregarious? You’re making Jeff here more nervous than he oughta be.”
“That’s a big word. You been going to Mitten’s English classes?”
“Mittens?” Jeff chimed in.
“Yeah. Sapient cat. Nice gal. Always got her nose in a book.” Kirai replied.
Jeff tilted his head and then lurched forward suddenly, muscles spasming. His breathing grew faster.
Otto calmly reached for the briefcase next to him and popped open the two clasps. Jeff stopped twitching and his breathing slowed.
“Not long now.” Otto said.
“Almost a week exactly!” Kirai added. “You’re perfectly average, kid. I wonder what your first mutation’s going to be?”
Jeff looked up at her, holding pulling his arms around himself in a tight hug. “I sure hope it isn’t a tail. I really do not want a tail.”
“Aw, tail’s not so bad. I know a guy who just oozes foul-smellin’ goop. He’s had a lot of snow exposure, though. Pushed himself real hard on a mission and ‘bam!’ ooze.”
Jeff yelped and fell to the ground. His fingers gripped the dirt. Started elongating, forming into claws.
“Ooh! Claws! Useful.” Kirai exclaimed.
Otto said nothing, but slowly opened the case and extracted a syringe with a glowing blue liquid suspended in it. He looked at Kirai and motioned towards Jeff with a quick jerk of his head.
Kirai nodded and disappeared, quickly reappearing behind Jeff. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pinning him to the ground. Otto moved over and pulled down Jeff’s collar, exposing a five-fingered claw scar on his neck. He jammed the needle right into his jugular and injected the liquid.
After a few moments, Jeff stopped thrashing and collapsed. Kirai let him go.
“And with that another one joins the ranks.” She said, her smile now faded.
Otto closed the case and sat back down next to the fire.
“Yup.”
“It ever bother you that we’re destined to be killed by one of those monsters, or turn into one?”
“Nope.”
“Could you please answer with more than a single word?”
Otto considered for a long moment.
“Doesn’t bother me. Normal people can’t last more than a day out here. We don’t come out here, they die. We stop fighting, they die. We stop training the few folks who’re compatible, they die.”
Kirai held her head in her hands. “Jeff here didn’t ask to be different. You didn’t either.”
“Nope. But it falls on those who can help, to help. Just be glad that you were born in a city that allows Clawmarked to volunteer for Reclaimer duty, rather than forcing it. The boy chose us. As did you. If it’s wearing on you, go join the Engineers, if you’ve got the head for it.”
“Nah. There’s a warped out here, somewhere, that I gotta put down. Just… forget I asked, okay? Just feeling a little guilty is all.”
Otto grunted.
Soon Jeff would wake up a new Reclaimer and their mission could actually begin.