The Hatching Potion (0)

Only A Witness

It was finally about to start. It was finally about to be unveiled. H.I.V.E's little project. I sneaked a peek at it of course. Being a blob does have its uses. It was a machine deep in the sewers. It's structure similar to the vents. A filter? Something to clean the waters? That would be nice.. Mom and dad would love it! Sump water wasn't always sanitary. Weird stuff is always in there. Dead rats. Weird chemicals. Heck I was born from the things found in there..

A small group of people came to sit in front of a stage with a large projector at the front. Mainly financiers and reporters and the like with their fancy augmentations and notepads. I sit in the crack behind them, witnessing what could be an important change to the structure of Zaun. The atmosphere is filled with chatter and anticipation. Curiosity with a hint of pessimism.

"What could it be?" they asked.

"Probably some failed experiment."

"Maybe they'll surprise us. Who knows."

Suddenly the small crowd gather in silence as the person finally comes out of the stage, smiling at the joy of finally releasing his new plans.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he shouts enthusiastically. "Welcome to H.I.V.E. Where we always try to enforce progress for all in the city of Zaun. Where we try to better the world we live in one innovation at a time! And today will be no different! Observe!" He presses the button as he waves his hand dramatically at the screen, revealing what seems to be a large gray machine in the shape of a tube. Above it was its name. "I present to you.. the Bioengineered Sump Filter! We here at H.I.V.E. have found ways to create organisms that would clean our water through eating the chemicals that contaminate it. Through it, we can provide the poor and the poverty stricken the water they need and so much more."

As the man continues to speak, I hear nothing from the audience. Just silence. No hint of fanfare. As if the new machine that was heard was only a fad. How could it be? The speaker is right! This could help everyone. I should know. I've seen it myself. I try to scan the audience for instances of my enthusiasm, but all I hear was small whispers of disappointment or suspicions about what really is going on. The whole convention is filled with doubt. Doubt for a simple sewage filtering machine.

As I focus all of my attention to the reaction of the audience, doubtful mumbles turn to screams and running. CRACK! The sound of glass shattering as a dreadful fog begins to encompass the area. People run for what seems like the door in the mist. And then arrows fire. One by one, the thumping of bodies begin to occur. Thump. Thump. Thump. Their fear and desire to live begging me to help. Their screams of anguish crying out loud. I can't let those go unnoticed.

" Time to go big," I mumble. I leap out of the crack and into the fog, making out lost shadows lying on the floor. "No.. No.. I can't be too late!" I kneel down before a one. A black haired man with an augmented arm and lungs. I checked his pulse. Still breathing. Slow breathing, but alive. I check the man next to him. A reporter creeping his hand to a gun. I immediately pin him down. A gunshot would give us away.

"Hey. I'm not the bad guy here. I'm just here to get you out," I said calmly and quietly to the shivering man. More arrow shots occur. More screaming. "Let's get out of here!" I grab both bodies and leap out the door. A whizzing comes by at me. I duck. A volley of arrows piercing through the door. A scream masks my identity of being alive. I look upon the victims. Their gasping for air, coughing up blood. Sensitive to my touch. "Wait here," I said to the 2 as I made my way back in. Time to put an end to all of this. I'm not letting them get away.. No one's murdering on my watch..

I open the door quickly , the noise apparent, but no reaction. I went in the mist, scanning for the shadow that caused it all. I look and look, but no one was there. Everyone was crouching, playing dead if they weren't already. But no killer. "Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?" I mumble angrily as I witness yet another corpse. "Can't let him get away.. I can't.. No.. No.." I run up the stage, and I see the speaker, his eyes replaced with arrows and his body giving out a tingling sense. The blood that spews from his mouth and eyes mix disgustingly with the ooze below him, creating a red-black pool below him. Parts of his arm and leg began to melt in contact with the chemical. I was too late. Not just for him, but for all of them.

Suddenly sirens are heard from outside. It's time for me to leave this wasteland. I quickly grab a stray arrow sticking on the ground and made my way back to my parent's house through the pipe. If this continues... it won't. I know it won't.