"There are things that live in the woods. Mutants. They trespass. They steal. But worst of all, they killed my mother."

When Bryony is abducted by mutants, she is certain that she will follow the same fate as her mother. However, she soon discovers that this wasn't a random attack after all; the mutants have been watching her for years.

Bryony's relief that the mutants aren't going to kill her is soon replaced with dread when she realises the mutants have a plan… and the key to enacting it is Bryony herself.

Her only hope is that her father will rescue her soon. But the mutants know something about her father that threatens to shatter Bryony's resolve.

Contagion is a gripping post-apocalyptic tale of murder and family secrets, where a young girl's life is torn apart. This short read is part of the series The Mutation Chronicles. These stories, while set in the same world, can be read in any order.