World's Last Hope

They were magnificent. Smooth, streamlined bodies, with no legs, only a long, reptilian tail, tapering to a point. On the more developed, a pair of arms, with hands that resembled those of humans. A set of feathery wings sprouted from their back. On their heads, a long, razor-sharp beak was attached. Two beady eyes stared out from the front of their skulls. They were all decorated with a variety of elegant patterns, jet black standing out against their tan skin. The patterns were nature based – ferns, leaves, flowers – and each pattern was unique to the creature that wore it, as unique as a human fingerprint. They used their powerful wings to help them hover above the treetops; slight beats all that was needed. They were beautiful, wondrous creatures, and I was their creator.

            I was working in a laboratory three years ago, in the last peaceful country in this world. My co-workers were six other scientists and each of sought to use our knowledge of genetic modifications to create a new creature. We were all given the same instructions; create a creature strong enough to eliminate any opponent. The ultimate weapon.

            At the time, our world was in the grip of a war. Many nations had depleted their resources so severely that they were in a state of economic disrepair. The mistake was irreversible. Other countries had been reduced to piles of rubble, destroyed by the armies that had passed through. The rulers of the surviving nations were desperate. So desperate that they were forced to call upon us, the most proficient genetic engineers this world had ever known. We saw this as a simple task, so we accepted, glad to help.

            Months passed, and we were nearing the halfway mark for our creations. I was overjoyed at the state of mine; it resembled exactly what I had intended to create. From that point on, I began to work more diligently that the other scientists, wanting this project finished before the country our lab was situated in became war-torn like the others. If that moment came, then it was too late, and all hope was lost. I could not afford to let that happen.

            Before a year had passed, four of my co-workers gave up. They left without a trace, departing early in the morning. After a week, one man died from a rare disease, contracted by prolonged exposure to the chemicals we were working with. The other remaining scientist and I soon realized that we were running out of time. We worked faster and harder, and it soon became a race between us.

            I woke one morning to a scream of agony, followed by a faint, strangled roar. Upon entering my co-worker’s laboratory, I discovered him sprawled on the floor, his throat torn out. Lying beside him was his creature. It resembled a tiger, but larger, deep blue instead of fiery orange, and lacking stripes. Blood stained the thick fur around its jaws. The sight made me feel ill, so I retreated to my own lab, where I considered the causes of his creature’s death. Most likely a fatal error – the death of the creator causes the death of the creature and its kin. I quickly checked my designs, searching for any incorrect formulae, relieved when I discovered that every equation was correct, without risk of failure.

            As time went on, I tried to absorb myself in my experiments, but it was to no avail. I still felt the ache of loneliness, and began to work without stopping, desperate to have someone to talk to, even if I had to create that someone. My creature became distorted in my haste, taking on a more humanoid shape, reflecting my desire for company.

            Due to my diligence and the speed at which I was working, it was only days before my creation was finally complete. Standing ten feet tall, its beak gleamed deadly in the light, and I knew that I had followed the instructions perfectly, almost subconsciously. I had created the ultimate killing machine. I surveyed it for three days, keeping it in captivity, watching its movements and behaviour. Finally, it was ready to release into the real world, and I announced its completion to the surviving nations. The response was overwhelming; I watched, streaming live to within my laboratory, the leaders of the remaining countries telling the public the good news, and laughed at the wild cheers.

            With the first one of its kind completed, I created more, the process shortened considerably as I was not required to start from scratch. I sent them to the countries that had asked for aid, and they were just as deadly as I had hoped. But as time passed, I began to see that they were working too well. They were not just killing the soldiers, but civilians as well, eliminating the population without sufficient reasons. The various rulers turned on me, asking in anger why this was happening, but I did not respond. I had no response. There was no plausible reason for this to be happening.

            Becoming desperate, I tried to locate each of the creatures and bring them back here, to my laboratory. But my attempts were in vain; they had stopped responding to my commands. They saw me only as another human, not as their creator. I shut myself off from the world, trying to ignore the mess I had created. Trying to ignore the now rapidly decreasing population, and the panicked pleas for help that were flung my way from all corners of the globe. Unfortunately, the creatures themselves were not as easy to ignore, and I watched in horror as they decimated the other countries and began to head my way.

            I fled the laboratory, which I no longer saw as a safe haven, and sought refuge in the wilderness of the country I currently lived in. As I had watched the destruction of this world, I had noticed that the creatures tended to keep to the urbanized areas, so my choice of location was carefully reasoned. Little did I know that during the weeks before they arrived, while I was residing in the depths of the jungle, they had begun to experiment, venturing into the wilderness near the cities and towns. Becoming braver. So I was shocked, and terrified, when I explored the dense jungle near my makeshift hut and discovered a community of the creatures.

            They were everywhere, at least a hundred of them, all gathered in the one spot of the jungle that I had never explored. It was thoughtless of me to have not searched everywhere, but I could not reverse what I had done. I considered running away from here, seeking sanctuary in any of the other countries, even the ones that had been annihilated previously. Anywhere could be safer than here. It seemed like a good plan, but then I recalled that I had given the creatures an extraordinary sense of sight and smell. They had probably already noticed I was here, and would give chase if I fled. Unfortunately, there was no other option, or at least none with even a slight chance of staying alive.

            Instead, I walked deeper into their community, attracting no attention, which surprised me. I was a human, and their prey. It would make sense for them to at least notice me, but they showed no sign of recognition. Feeling braver, I turned, and began to head back to my place of entry, but was stopped in my tracks by a low hiss. I looked back, and almost cried out with the shock. Floating behind me was one of them, the tip of its beak glistening red and mere inches from my face. I could smell the blood, and I felt sick to my stomach. It hissed again, and I shuddered, paralyzed by fear.

            The creature drew back, and I saw that it had been in a hunting crouch, ready to attack. It moved out of striking range, and I fell to my knees. The slight movement caused it to emit a faint growl, its black eyes glinting warily. This was not the thing I had created. This was a savage monster, and I realized that this was going to happen no matter what I did. It had developed its own instincts, instincts intended to keep it alive, just like any other natural predator.

            I tried to remember how I had socialized with the first of its kind, and reached out a tentative hand. If it had any remnants of the creature I had first created, then it would know how to respond, but instead it snapped its beak together, so close to my hand that I could feel the flow of air. I withdrew my hand, but the creature advanced, eyeing me with a merciless expression, and I knew then that this was the end.

Author's Note

Anything needs to be changed?