Evolution

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The first bite was mental. Pure and simple. The sheer thought of the heinous act reflected on his taste buds and his stomach held picket signs. Jedd swallowed hard and doubled over fighting his gag reflex. The meat slid down his throat and splashed in his empty stomach. After two more bites, he greedily worked the arm into slender portions, grinding it with his teeth and swallowing with ease.

The instinct to fulfill his basic needs took over. A calm satisfaction washed over him as the pings of hunger subsided. After twenty grueling minutes, Jedd felt something he hasn’t felt in a very long time. He was full. His stomach was extended and his hunger gone, life was almost worth living once again. He flung the casserole dish across the room and paused long enough to breathe.

His eyes darted towards the door instinctively and he postured himself defensively ready for a battle. To no avail. Silence. Feeling brave, he slowly stepped around the bodies and listened to the nasty crunch from day old blood as he crept toward the doorway. His shoulder touched the frame and he leaned his weight against it.  A ninja. A robber. A cowboy dodging bullets from the fifth sheriff attempting to take down his posse.

Inhaling deeply, Jedd slowly peeked out, lingering long enough to glimpse the edge of the hallway. Motionless corpses and bloodstained walls were all that lay down the path of wreckage. He replayed the events from the past week in his mind, from his exile in the sleeping quarters to the poor soul he just consumed. He had survived. Him and only him.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity and inhaled and exhaled, feeling his lungs strain to accommodate the intrusion of air. Once again he poked his head around the corner. He casually glanced down both sides of the doorway, allowing his head to fall in full view of any living creature in the vicinity. He closed his eyes and stepped out in the hallway, his knees weak and his chest pounding he stood in pure shock as he seen the extent of bloodshed caused by the invasion.

Cautiously, Jedd slowly slide his hand back to his boot, unsheathing his blade. His fingers curled around the handle and his knuckles whitened as he clung to it for dear life.

“HELLO?”

He waited with fear breathing softly on the back of his neck. What if I’m wrong and they are simply unaware? What if I just woke them? He felt his throat go dry at the thought. He closed his eyes and tested the waters of uncertainty once more.

“H-HELLO! HELLO CREATURES?”  he stammered.

Jedd felt the blood drain from his face as his voice echoed through the hallway and complete silence followed. He felt lost in a sea of nothingness, his life and his cause stripped from him in a single moment. What do you do when you actually win? When you stand the victor and the only soul left in a hellish environment?

His knife still at his side, he strolled down the corridor, making his way through the vast tunnels and gathering what he can from the bodies. He noticed many dead pod creatures laying next to the soldiers in battle. The red and green backsplash of carnage mixed perfectly and the horror of reality was written on the expressions of the damned.

For the first time, he allowed himself a lingering gaze upon the faces of the horrid creatures. Sympathy tried to rise, but was soon crushed by the image of his own suffering. War. The word no one chose to describe the worldwide phenomenon. The arrogance of the human race was infinite.

He looks at the casualties and purpose of both sides. He sees creatures and humans alike both fighting for the exact same thing. A right to live. He let his thoughts take over as he worked his way towards the exit of the caverns. A new understanding of the situation preserved forever in his memory.

We assumed they attacked us. Did they assume we did the same? Did they take it as an act of genocide when we starting cutting down trees, paving the ground, and selling land? Can plants have thoughts and feelings? Of course they can! they can obviously feel pain and hunger, they can adapt to survive and hunt for food.

The sunlight greeted him with a warm embrace, licking his cheek and blinding his eyes. As Jedd strolled out of his prison to embrace freedom, his celebration was cut short by a new found realization. One that sucks the very hope and purpose out of a mans soul. We are the enemy.

He slides the knife back into his boot and leans against the entrance of his prior prison. A small giggle of madness escapes his lips. In the distance he can hear the many distinct sounds of natures fury waiting patiently to release its wrath on the first human it can. Baboons, Podradiles, and what sounds to be a bigger and meaner unknown foe pollutes the air with sounds of anger and chaos. Jedd answers with three little words, made big enough and loud enough for mother nature to hear.

“WE DESERVE THIS!”