Hybrid

Attack

"Isabel, look! They're back!"

I turned towards where Gladys was pointing. Two of our community members, Ferdinand and Louis, had gone on a journey all over the country to search for surviving mortals. They had left two years ago, and now they were back.

I'd almost forgotten about them, to be honest.

"We're back!" Louis called, to cheers from the rest of the community. "What did we miss?"

That evening, at dinner, our entire community sat around the huge fire as Ferdinand and Louis spoke.

"Our first month, we had no idea where we wanted to go," Ferdinand began. "Somehow, we found ourselves in a community not very far from here, and we took it from there."

"It's true," Louis added. "All the cities and towns have been taken over by the Hybrids. Many of them have killed all the humans in their vicinity. We saw a purge ourselves...or atleast what was left of it."

I clenched my fists. Ferdinand and I had been good friends growing up. To think he had to see a purge, which even our community had barely avoided...

"Most of the mortals we met just want to live in peace. We asked them if it was possible for all of us to band together and overthrow the Hybrids, but we now know that there aren't enough of us."

"In the last thirteen years since the massacre, the Hybrids have populated well enough to keep the cities going. Their numbers practically compensate the numbers of the mortals killed in the massacre."

* * * *

Sasha was fast asleep in my lap when Ferdinand sat down next to me. "Hey," he said.

"Hey, F. Glad to see you made it back in one piece."

"Likewise. To be honest, sometimes I wish I hadn't volunteered. But ever since I was a little boy, I've always wanted to travel. So I figured, why not?"

Ferdinand is a year older than I am. He and his aunt escaped the massacre only because of their poverty.

In fact, many of the survivors were those from the shelters. The hybrids somehow overlooked them, perhaps thinking they were harmless. Of course, a group did notice them a few hours after the main massacre began, and chased after them too, but many had escaped by then.

Ferdinand looked at me and said, "How have you been?"

"I'm just moving from day to day. My hunting skills have improved a lot."

"Isabel, I was wondering...why did you choose to become a hunter? It's not really about getting food for the community, is it?"

It's not. It's really not.

* * * *

A few days passed, and I was on break from hunting duty. Strolling through the forest, I sat down on the banks of the lake.

Through the tall trees I saw New York City, and for some reason, I longed to go back. To hell with the Hybrids, I thought. I want to see my old home. What did they do with the bodies of my family? What did they do to the bodies of my fellow humans? Mortals, as they now call us.

I sighed, and continued to stare at the tall glass buildings...until I heard a shrill scream.

I gasped, and leapt to my feet as a cold fist closed over my heart. They were here.

I couldn't decide whether to stay where I was, which was what we had been advised to do if we were away from the settlement, or run back to see if Sasha and Gladys were okay.

Just then, I heard the stomping of little feet, and Sasha ran into my arms. "Isabel!" She sobbed.

"It's okay, Sasha," I cooed in her ear. "I'm here for you. We'll be safe."

I wanted to go back, I really did. I wanted to slaughter those Hybrids till they were tiny little pieces. But I couldn't. I had to protect my sister.

The screaming and slashing was taking place hardly a few hundred metres away from the lake. I covered Sasha's ears with my hands and made sure we were well hidden.

Sasha may not have heard everything, but I did. Those were the dying voices of people I knew, people I had grown up and lived with, people who were almost my family.

* * * *

I held my breath as I heard footsteps. Sasha was frightened, but even she knew to keep quiet.

"D'you think anyone's here?" A rough, male voice asked.

"No, it's not possible," a female voice answered. "It's mid-afternoon, right after lunch. Practically everyone was taking a nap. And anyway, who would come to the lake at this time of the day? Our spy told us that the clothes are washed in the morning, as is the mortal body."

A spy? In our camp? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Who would dare side with them??

The man and woman moved around for a while before they left. Guess they didn't feel like searching the area properly.

I waited until I was sure they had gone. I knelt down to face Sasha, who was trembling. "Sasha," I said in a low voice, "we have to go back. Will you be a good girl and keep quiet until I tell you it's safe?"

She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. I held her hand, and we slowly walked back to our settlement.. or what was left of it.

The first thing my brain registered was the smell of blood. The rest came later.