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Among Us
February 18, 2020
Nostalgia, a word that describes how I have felt for five years. Five years since the end of humanity, not in the sense that humans are extinct, but in the sense that mankind lost its human nature. No one cares for another, no one trusts another, and no one will die for another. We are all enemies to each other.
I am the last of my kind, the last of the hybrids. I live with the fear that one day I will be found and killed on the spot. Running is my only option; I have been to over fifty different cities in the past five years, running from normal humans that have been destroying the hybrids. Humans and their humanly instinct of attacking everything that seems like a threat to them, is the reason why I am running and the reason many others and I were turned to hybrids.
It all started six years ago. It was New Year’s Eve, a few minutes from midnight, a few minutes from the start of a new year, a new beginning, for everyone.
December 31 2014
11:53 p.m.
I was home alone listening to my IPod, everyone else had gone out to New Year’s parties. Being bored out of my mind I turned on the TV and started flipping through channels; there was a show on aliens and I left it on there. Half an hour passed and my boredom was not going anywhere until I read the words on the bottom of the screen, BROADCASTING LIVE in Dawny City. Aliens? Real? Here? I went outside and looked up at the dark, moon lit sky. There was nothing in the sky but the lights of stars. I went back inside and watched more of the broadcast. It was true, there was nothing in the sky now, the government had shot it down.
11:57 p.m.
I watched as three people dressed in white suits made their way towards the huge spacecraft. Before they could touch it, the spacecraft door opened, four silhouettes appeared and immediately shots filled the air and the silhouettes fell to the floor. Chills ran through my back and I hugged my knees. I knew what the government had just done was a wrong move.
January 1, 2015
12:00 a.m.
Happy New Year. My eyes were still glued to the television screen. More space crafts had appeared and were hovering around the government’s camp. It seemed like the aliens were debating whether they should kill the humans or not, and they did. We had declared war on them and they responded.
There was rapid knocking at the door.
“Analy, open the door,” someone yelled from outside. I looked through the door hole and was surprised to see a young man with black hair, light skin, and blue eyes outside. It was my friend Peter. He ran inside the second I opened the door.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Are you okay?”
After a few seconds of catching his breath he finally answered.
“Did you see what just happened? On the TV, on Channel 23?”
“Yes, stupid thing the government did huh?”
“I guess you can say that, can I stay over? I am way too freaked out to stay alone at my house and you’re alone too and you seemed a little frightened so can I?”
“I’m not scared; we all know what’s next. War and the end of the human race, but sure make yourself comfortable. Sleep here in the living room, if you need anything I’ll be in my room. If anyone knocks on the door get me first, don’t answer it.”
He nodded. I headed to my room and got comfortable in my bed but couldn’t get the images out of my head.
3:32 a.m.
Still awake, still tossing and turning in my bed. I got up and went to the living room to check up on Peter. He was still awake. He had the same problem, overthinking and freaking himself out more than he already was. I sat down a few seats away from him. He looked at me with worrisome eyes; I could tell what he was thinking. We both sat in silence and eventually, I have not the slightest idea when, I fell asleep.
June 16, 2015
Every day for the past six months all Peter and I talked about in class were aliens, if they would come back after getting their revenge on the government. Everyone seemed to be at peace with themselves and worry free, but not Peter and I. Aliens had to be smarter than this.
11:03 p.m.
The aliens were back. The government had hired new people and had not thought of a new strategy. Their tactic was the same, kill them all, the invaders. Again, my family had been away from home, they had left two weeks ago and left me behind. This time I was not alone, I had Peter. We were playing a video game, ironically about aliens. Maybe we were obsessed with the thought of aliens, maybe we were trying to figure them out by fake ideas of them, who knows?
Then came a storm. A storm not of rain, thunder and lightning, but a storm of space ships, bright lights, and shooting everywhere. This was the third time this year, who knows how many others there would be. The government had set up a routine we had to follow, lock our doors, windows, and lock ourselves in our newly constructed by the government basements and wait for one of their representatives to open it and that meant we were safe. I hated the wait and the idea that only the government could see what was really out there. Peter and I made our way to the basement and sat down in the cold bitter darkness.
June 17, 2015
1:03 a.m.
“The noise outside this time is really louder isn’t it?” Peter asked. I couldn’t even see his face but his voice was very comforting.
“Yeah, I’m tired of being in here, waiting for a representative to come for us and act like nothing had happened, I’m tired of living a mystery.”
There was a knock, the same knock pattern of safety the representatives did when all was clear. There was something different about it, the person knocking must have been different this time because the knock sounded heavier and louder. I heard Peter get up and head towards the door, and I quickly followed. Ever since the incident on New Year’s, I didn’t really like being alone.
The basement’s door opened and the night sky appeared, full of ashes, dust, and darkness. I could feel the dust make its way inside my lungs causing me to cough and felt Peters hand hold my arm. We stepped outside and saw the disaster the aliens had left. Everything on my street was destroyed except five houses including mine.
“Is your house bullet proof,” Peter asked jokingly. I looked around trying to embrace the idea that everything was gone except people. I saw a dark figure with the corner of my eye. He was crouched down and seemed to be crying. I looked at Peter who had already noticed the man and was moving toward him.
“What’s wrong sir, do you need help?” Peter asked crouching down next to the man. The man looked up at Peter and me and smiled the most devilish smile I had ever seen. He stood up and his eyes glistened with darkness, he stood tall, taller than Peter, taller than any man I had ever seen before. Peter motioned me to keep my distance but the man’s next action made me do the opposite.
The man held Peter from the neck holding him a few inches above the ground. I ran towards the man and started punching and kicking him with all my strength but nothing, he didn’t even flinch. Peter was trying to get away from his grip but still nothing. The man took his empty hand and took something out of his pocket. It looked like a vaccine. He injected a yellow substance into Peter.
“Don’t struggle against it, go with it,” the man said. His voice was deep and death like with no emotion. I stood back and felt my eyes fill with tears. Peter looked at me one last time then closed his eyes. Dead. The man made his way towards me and injected me with the same thing. I fell unconscious.
July 12, 2015
I woke up to the sound of voices, many voices. None as ugly or deathly as the man’s of that night but just normal voices. I saw Peter’s face come clear, he was alive! He embraced me as I started to become aware of my surroundings.
“Good morning sleeping beauty, took you forever to wake up,” he said and smiled.
“Where are we and why do I feel funny,” I asked.
“We are in a head quarter not too far away from your house,” he paused, “the man of that night was an alien, he injected his blood into us and now we, and everyone else in here are hybrids.”
I looked around looking at the people; there were so many faces, so many hybrids at least 5000.
“Now what?” I asked, “We stay in here forever?” The same man from that night appeared and gave me a quick glance and then moved on. Worrisome faces everywhere, not knowing what to do.
“Time to leave,” said the man in a language I would have never understood if I was not part alien. We all left and the world was still a disaster.
November 16 2015
I figured the difference between humans and hybrids, we all had yellow blood, a hint of yellow around our pupils and no matter the weather; we were always cold. My parents had found out what I was and threw me out of the house; I lived with Peter and his parents. His parents were also hybrids so we all understood each other perfectly. My parents had blabbered out the hybrid secret to the government. It was kind of like a witch hunt now, everyone seemed the same but those who were accused of being hybrids were killed. Luckily for me, my parents didn’t blurt out what I was or I would have been hunted and killed.
I learned the reason why some of us were turned to hybrids. The aliens wanted to teach humans a lesson, to never underestimate the people they’re attacking. It was revenge for attacking them, for being different and coming to make peace and instead attacking with no knowledge. I understood the aliens; we really were dumb for attacking them.
In a way, I was happier being a hybrid. Aliens have a nice way of thinking, almost like my own which is why I was third in command. Sixteen years old and already in charge, in charge of something different, of special beings.
December 24 2015
All humans started to leave each other out in the dark. No one cared for each other. I started to think that hybrids and aliens have more humanity than humans. Humans no longer celebrated Christmas or any holiday just because they thought the person they would be spending their money on might be a hybrid.
11:45
Almost Christmas Day. Peter and I were up waiting for Christmas and his parents had gone to bed. For once I felt happy. My Christmas normally consisted of staying up alone with no exciting urge to open gifts and now I was excited to open the present Peter had got for me. Feelings had grown over time and I knew I liked him and he liked me too. We could never be together because it was too suspicious to humans so we kept quiet.
The hybrids were all happy or sad on this day. Humans had killed many of our family from 5000 living in the city the number dropped to 500. The government had a reward for everyone who killed a hybrid would get a reward. Again, humans acting dumb and attacking their own family. Just because we were hybrids we were all still part human, part of their families.
12:53 a.m.
He got me a necklace, a beautiful odd looking necklace. He said it belonged to his grandmother who had passed away, but before she died she told him to give it to someone special. Immediately I had put it on, I loved it!
3:04 a.m.
We stayed up talking about the future, how we would have to run and hide if one day we were the last hybrids in the city.
“That won’t ever happen,” I assured him with a smile on my face.
5:29 a.m.
There was noise everywhere. Alarms were going off, shots were in the sky and houses were on fire. We were in danger, someone had blown our cover. Peter’s parents were dead on now Peter and I were next. We had our backs to the wall and two police officers pointed their guns at us. Sweat ran down Peter’s forehead and he moved me behind him, protecting me.
Someone burst through the door and saved our lives. The two police men were dead with blood running out of their mouths. It was the man that had turned us to hybrids only in his real alien form. He had completely yellow eyes, even his pupil was yellow, a nose that looked like an apple, spikey dark green skin, large upper body to support his four arms and two long legs to balance his weight on.
“Run, run,” he said in alien language, “you two are the last of the hybrids, all the rest are dead.”
Peter held my hand and we headed toward the car leaving behind the city and all the humans hoping we would not be chased again.
Three years later
February 13, 2018
Peter and I had finally found the perfect place to settle down. We lived in Bouf Town, Conez. Everyone had forgotten about the hybrids and we all lived at peace with the humans. No one seemed to notice us, we blended right in.
There was one man, Nick Bouval, who suspected we were hybrids. Everyone thought he was crazy and didn’t care about him (new humanity) since everyone thought the hybrid race was killed off so no one paid attention to him, but he kept his belief that we were.
February 14, 2018
3:07 p.m.
Nick killed Peter. His last words were, “Happy Valentine’s Day, I love you.”
3:08 p.m.
I killed Nick. He deserved it for killing Peter.
“I knew it, you are one,” were Nick’s last words. I’m glad he knew what I was before I took his life from him; he must have died happily knowing he was right and not crazy. That triggered the search for me. His death and Peter’s made people think I was a hybrid and from then on I was hunted.
February 19, 2020
12:00 a.m.
Happy Birthday to me. Just another year of running from humans. What’s new? My face is all over the news and everyone seems to know me as the monster that killed Nick and her boyfriend. Life is great now. Not! I live in a cave, somewhere I won’t say or they’ll catch me. I wish things could be different and I wish Peter was with me.
4:37 p.m.
They found out where I was located, I’m on the run again. This time in pursuit, three men are right behind me, luckily for me I have alien super speed and it will be hard to catch me.
8:47 p.m.
I’ve been running for five years and four hours now and my legs are getting tired. I decided to sit down, next to a garbage can. It reeks but it’s the best hiding place for now. The sun has set and darkness is consuming the sky.
9:01 p.m.
I hear panting and footsteps. Footsteps of my faith. I’m not giving up, I just have nowhere to run, no time to run. Time is something I always had too much of and now it’s ending. The clock is ticking and my heart is still beating. The steps come closer, closer, and closer.
9:09 p.m.
Here I am, staring my killers in the eyes. Eyes I recognized, eyes I had seen since I was born, eyes like mine. My parents’ eyes. My senses go away, I can no longer feel anything, my thoughts start to blur, and I close my eyes.
09:12 p.m.
…
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