Exiles

Mutations. We call them mutts—humans born with genetic deviations that make them strange and dangerous.

Some say they are a punishment from God; others believe they are the result of nuclear fallout from the last war. Either way, the wall encircling our village keeps them out. Most of the time.

Sixteen-year-old Kirra helps her mother inspect the newborn babies, checking carefully for any mutations. Those identified as mutts are dealt with swiftly—sentenced to death or cast outside the wall to prevent them from contaminating the village. Worse than animals, everyone knows that a single mutt could spread its poison throughout the community.

Most mutts are identified at birth, but every so often one slips through the cracks. And when it’s someone that Kirra knows, doing the right thing is harder than ever.

Exiles is a post-apocalyptic short read in the Mutation Chronicles. These stories, while set in the same world, can be read in any order.