The Hybrid Theory_Subject 306_An Apocalyptic Short Story

by Baileigh Higgins

  “No, please don’t,” Mike pleaded in vain as the hybrid picked him up with negligent ease. The last thing he saw as the monster tore into his jugular was the woman’s limpid blue eyes gazing into his. Almost like Katy’s.

  His body was tossed aside, and he lay gasping on the unforgiving floor as a raging fire tore through his veins. It twisted and turned, melting his bones and remodeling him into something...not human.

  Minutes passed. His last thoughts were of his wife and daughter waiting in vain for him to come home. Maria. Katy. I’m sorry.

  His memories swirled into a vortex until the virus that took over his nervous system wiped them away. Mike’s mind became a blank slate. Primordial instinct as old as the earth took the place of his thought patterns. Savage need took the place of love and kindness. Hunger twisted his stomach.

  Feed.

  Must feed.

  Footsteps announced the arrival of someone. A vaguely familiar face peered down at him. “Mike? Mike, are you okay?”

  Mike growled.

  “Oh, my God, you’re bleeding! Mike, it’s me, Pete. Let me help you.” A hand descended onto his shoulder.

  The thing that used to be Mike lashed out, cutting razor sharp claws across Pete’s face. They split the skin like paper, and Pete screamed a garbled shriek of agony.

  Mike pounced on him and sank his teeth into the tantalizing flesh that presented itself. Coppery blood flowed into his mouth, bringing blessed relief from the hunger. Once sated, he tossed his former colleague aside and bounded toward the exit. He wanted more. Needed more. Behind him, Pete twitched as the virus began the change. Another hybrid was born.

  Mike continued his rampaged. His muscles directed him in a specific direction, driven by a vague remembrance of a place that felt like home. There would be food there. That much he knew.

  As Mike headed for the house that once was his home, a cold moon shone down on the ISC Corporation’s building. It illuminated the area as more beings like subject 306 escaped from its confines.

  They all had the same compulsion.

  Feed.

  Infect.

  Chapter 4 - Katy

  Katy blinked when the numbers on the page turned squiggly. Like ants they crawled across the paper, ignoring her commands to stay still. A headache pulsed between her temples, a legacy of six hours spent pouring over study books.

  “Katy, aren’t you finished yet?”

  Her mother’s face popped around the corner, and Katy sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “I wish I was, Mom.”

  Maria frowned, deep grooves lining her pursed lips. “I worry about you working so hard. It’s not natural.”

  “It’s not so bad,” Katy replied, though privately she wished she could relax, listen to music, and read a good book.

  “Well, at least have dinner with me tonight. Your father’s working night-shift again, and I hate sitting at the table alone.”

  Katy chewed her lip in indecision. It would mean taking a half-hour break from her studies. Her mother liked to eat slowly and discuss the events of the day. Still, it beat shoveling a plate full of cold mush down her throat while pouring over yet another mathematical problem that threatened to derail her sanity.

  She pushed back her chair. “Fine. What’s for supper?”

  Maria smiled. “Pork stew.”

  “Yum.”

  Katy followed her mother down the hall toward the kitchen where two full plates already waited on the scarred wooden table in the middle. A glass of water completed each setting. Stifling a smile, Katy took a seat. It seemed her mother had already known she’d agree to eat with her. Mother always gets her wish.

  This was true in a way. Maria ruled the small household with an iron fist. There were stringent regulations in place that governed each aspect of their lives. Neither Katy nor her father Mike begrudged her, however. She deserved it for working so hard to keep them happy and healthy.

  Katy shot a glance at her mother, marveling at how different they were. Maria’s hands were red and raw from doing other people’s laundry for extra money; her face was lined, her hair prematurely grey and her back bowed beneath life’s cares. Much like her husband’s.

  In sharp contrast, Katy was tall and pale, her body slim and delicate. She’d never been one for sports or the outdoors and spent most of her days with her nose buried in a book.

  Guilt set in, and she wished she’d resisted the urge to take a break from her studies. Katy was acutely aware of the fact that all her parent’s hopes for the future lay on her narrow shoulders. She was their hope, their salvation. I have to do well on the exams tomorrow. I have to. The ISC representative will be there…watching…evaluating.

  Katy choked on a lump of fatty pork and grabbed the glass of water that waited. The clear liquid soothed her airways, and she breathed more comfortably, though her thoughts were still in a whirl. Can I do it? Am I good enough? Smart enough? What if I fail? What if…?

  A calloused hand enclosed hers. “Katy, you’ll be fine tomorrow. Relax.”

  Katy blinked. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because you’re the smartest girl I know. Sometimes, I don’t even think it’s possible for you to be my daughter.” Maria’s face shone with pride as she spoke the words. “You are so much more than me, than your father.”

  “What if I’m not?” Katy insisted. “What if I fail tomorrow? If the representative doesn’t think I’m good enough?”

  “You will be. I know this in my heart.” Maria thumped a fist against her breast. “I know.”

  Her mother’s blind faith in her abilities was both disturbing and comforting. It infused her with determination but also lay a heavy burden on her shoulders. “Thanks, Mom.”

  Maria squeezed her fingers. “Just remember one thing, daughter of mine.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Even if you don’t make it, if you fail, you will always be my Katy. Nothing will ever change that.”

  Tears pricked at Katy’s eyelids. “I love you, Mother.”

  “I love you too.” Maria pulled back and picked up her fork. “Now eat your food before it gets cold.”

  Katy nodded and took a hearty bite, chewing the tough, sinewy flesh with care. Meat was expensive. Especially A-grade beef. Only the rich could afford the premium stuff. The rest of them had to settle for the dregs when they could get it.

  They ate in silence for several minutes, though it was a comfortable silence, each secure in their relation to the other. Katy wished in passing that her father was there to enjoy the meal with them. Alas, his work hours were demanding, and family time was rare.

  “So how was school today?” Maria asked. “Did you speak to Jenny?”

  Katy shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s okay.”

  “And her mother?” Maria asked, referring to the fact that Jenny’s mom had cancer.

  Katy swallowed, suddenly nauseous. “She died.”

  “Really?” Maria gasped, though why she’d be surprised was beyond Katy.

  When Jenny’s mother was diagnosed with liver cancer, the doctor’s prognosis was brutal. A month, maybe two. There was treatment available, of course, but Jenny’s family was poor and the outcome simple. Death.

  “When is the funeral?”

  “There won’t be one,” Katy answered. Though the poor woman’s passing was no surprise, what her family had done with the body had shocked Katy to the core. “They sold her body to the ISC Cadaver Lab.”

  “Oh, my.” Maria paled. “They didn’t! Have they no respect?”

  Katy pushed aside her plate. The rich stew no longer seemed appetizing. “Jenny says they had no choice. There was no money for a funeral.”

  “Yes, but still…”

  Silence descended as each contemplated the ramifications. Everybody knew what happened to the bodies that went to the Cadaver Lab. Ostensibly, the corpses were studied to further science and knowledge, but rumor had it they ended up at
the ISC funded Police K9 Unit…as food. It was the worst kept secret out there.

  “Waste not, want not,” a fellow student had mocked to his friends behind Jenny’s back.

  It was enough to make Katy reconsider her future career working for a company that could be so cruel as to prey on the losses of those less fortunate. She had no choice, though. Not really. Her path was chosen long ago.

  “Well, I’m sorry to hear about Jenny’s misfortune,” her mother said but paused when a loud crash issued from the living room, followed by the tinkling of glass on tiled floors. She turned toward the interconnecting archway. “What on earth was that?”

  A guttural growl vibrated through the air, loud enough to set every one of Katy’s teeth on edge. The sound was wild and feral. It roused her instincts, and she stood up with every muscle poised for fight or flight. One hand curled around her fork.

  Maria moved around the table, her stocky figure bristling with indignity. “If it’s a bunch of kids looking for trouble, I swear I’ll―”

  “Mom, wait,” Katy called out, raising the hand still clutching the fork, but Maria stepped into the opening leading to the next room without looking back.

  Katy watched as her mother’s expression changed from displeasure to horror before a leaping figure smashed into her. She disappeared beneath the table’s edge with a garbled cry along with her mysterious attacker.

  For a second, Katy stood frozen in place, staring at the edge of the table. Wet, sucking sounds issued from the spot, almost like a dog lapping up water from a shallow bowl. With her innards in turmoil, she edged around the furniture until she could see and instantly wished she couldn’t.

  Maria lay on the floor with her limbs splayed while a crouching figure suckled at her neck like a giant leech. Her mouth worked, and her eyes rolled in their sockets until they fixed on her daughter’s. “K…Katy…run.”

  “Mom,” Katy whispered as she raised a trembling hand to her mouth.

  “Run!” her mother screamed, her voice an awful jagged wound.

  Katy stumbled back, away from the terrible scene. Her hand reached for the knob on the kitchen door. She turned it, and the fork she still held scratched the wood with an audible screech. The thing feeding on her mother paused. It raised its head and looked at her. She choked back a sob. “Dad?”

  The beast that used to be Mike Hansen snarled. Blood dripped from his fangs. Already they’d grown longer than they had any right to be. Soon, his mouth would be filled with them, each as sharp and deadly as a curved blade.

  Katy stared into her father’s eyes as he advanced. They were nothing like they used to be. Neither kind nor faded. Now they were bottomless pits of night burning with hunger and need. That’s not him. It can’t be. Dad?

  She shook her head as she fought against the fear that told her to run. “Dad? Please. What are you doing? Please stop.”

  He ignored her broken pleas and advanced on limbs too strong and agile for his years. His nails, now extended and needle-like, clicked on the floor with each step. Click, click, click.

  Katy raised the butter knife in front of her. “Don’t come any closer. I’m warning you.”

  Mike licked the blood from his lips and smiled. At least, it looked like a smile. If monsters could smile, that was. His throat vibrated like a saw. The growls cut through Katy’s stupor. As he launched himself into the air, she slipped through the open door and slammed it shut with a bang.

  Chapter 5 - Sam

  Sam wasn’t what you’d call a good guy. In fact, if anyone were to call him that, he’d be obliged to cut their throats for show and make a spectacle of it to boot. No one living on the streets could afford to be labeled as a good guy. That was just asking for trouble.

  At the age of twenty-four, he wasn’t old, yet he’d seen more than most and done worse than many. Still, he didn’t consider himself to be evil. He was a survivor. As simple as that.

  Tonight, he found himself in one of the nicer neighborhoods. Not rich, but not dirt-poor either. There were no hookers on the corners, no dealers in the shadows, and no pickpockets in the alleys. Nobody like him.

  All was quiet.

  Sam took a deep drag of the cigarette in his mouth before crushing it beneath a cracked leather boot. The house he’d been watching for several days now was dark. No lights shone, and the occupants were all at work.

  Perfect.

  He shifted forward and glanced up and down the street. Soon, he’d make his move. In and out. That was his motto, and his rules, though few, were cast in stone. Never rob an occupied place, never hurt anyone, have a plan B, and don’t go for the rich homes.

  It was these rules that kept him out of jail and off the police’s ‘Most Wanted’ list. Nobody cared about a few stolen trinkets, a lost television or two, especially not if they belonged to a nobody. Everybody cared about the somebodies, and murder was a straight shot to a dank cell and a lifetime spent doing hard labor. If you were lucky.

  Sam grimaced as he recalled certain rumors he’d heard. Rumors about inmates disappearing into the ISC’s labs never to be seen again. Rumors about experiments carried out on said inmates. Rumors of monsters and death.

  He shook his head. “Not for me, thanks.”

  A few more minutes passed before he decided it was time to go. His muscles tensed, and his heartbeat ratcheted up a notch at the thought. Before he could move, though, a loud crash whipped his head around. “What the…?”

  The crash was followed by screams. Screams that ended abruptly only to be followed by whimpering cries. His narrowed eyes zeroed in on the affected house. It was the second one to the left.

  Too close for comfort.

  In the darkness, he could just make out the glow of a lamp shining through what had to be a living room window. The curtains fluttered between the jagged stumps of glass.

  Sam shook his head and backed away. There would be no burglary tonight. Nor would he stick around to find out what was going on. When the police got here, his presence would be hard to explain. He’d be cuffed and tossed into the back of a van within seconds. “I’m out of here.”

  The garbled cries inside the house went up a notch, becoming a frantic plea. He froze to the spot as the young woman’s voice cut through the layer of stone he’d built around his heart over the years. She sounded so young. Young and scared. Still…

  “It’s not my problem,” he muttered. “Get the fuck out of here, Sam.”

  A door slammed shut with a loud bang, and he sucked in a breath as a girl stumbled out onto the front lawn clutching a…was that a fork?

  With bated breath, he watched as she stumbled into the road, her sobs piteous to hear. “Help! Someone help me, please!”

  A crash of splintering wood split the night air in two, and a man hurled himself into the open. He growled in a feral manner that matched the way he moved. His head lifted as if to sniff the air, and he turned toward the girl with glittering eyes.

  Sam took a step forward then stopped. What the hell do you think you’re doing? Leave her.

  The man leaped toward the girl with a snarl, and Sam caught a glimpse of jagged teeth and claws. What is that thing?

  The girl turned to run, but Sam realized she’d never make it. Before he knew what he was doing, his legs propelled him forward while his hand whipped out the knife he carried in a sheath on his belt. It was the only thing of quality he owned. “Over here, ugly!”

  The thing that was a man, and yet not a man, changed course and headed for Sam. Not allowing himself to think, Sam sprinted forward before letting his feet slide out from underneath him. In a neat maneuver, he slid underneath the thing’s body and between its legs.

  His blade, razor sharp and deadly, slit through the pale skin of its belly. Pink entrails bulged through the gash, the long ropes of intestine dangling down to entangle the monster’s feet. It crashed to the ground a few feet away while Sam jumped back to his feet.

  “Daddy!” the girl screamed, her screams frantic as the man thi
ng groaned on the spiky grass.

  “Daddy? What the fuck?” Sam pointed his bloody knife at her. “That thing’s your dad?”

  “Y…yes.” She nodded, seemingly too shocked to do more.

  “Well, he’s not stopping, sweetheart,” Sam replied as the thing got to its knees, swaying as it prepared to attack again.

  “He…he killed my mom. He tried to kill me. That’s not him. That’s not my dad. It can’t be,” she whimpered as she backed away, still clutching the fork.

  Sam studied the thing before him, marveling at the differences between it and himself. The black eyes, sharp teeth, elongated limbs, and claws. It was a thing that had crawled from the pages of a horror story.

  When it got to its feet, Sam decided to end the fight there and then. “Sorry, lady, but I haven’t got a choice.”

  With a ruthless slash of his knife, Sam cut across the thing’s neck, side-stepping to avoid an answering swipe from its long claws. He was a split-second too slow, and the tips of its long nails tore open his jacket. He danced away and watched as the monster collapsed, blood spraying from its severed jugular. The girl inched closer until her arm brushed against his.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she whispered.

  Sam glanced at her pale face. She was pretty. Young too. More tellingly, she was soft. Not for her the hard lines and yellowed teeth of crack whores and prostitutes. Nor did she have that crafty look, her eyes wide and trusting instead. Against his better judgment, he felt a stirring of sympathy. “You okay?”

  She nodded then swallowed hard. “Yeah…no. Not really.”

  He shrugged. It was a dumb question anyway. “Do you know what happened to him?”

  She shook her head, but before she could say anything, another guttural snarl filled him with apprehension and caused her to start. A figure crawled over the sill of the broken window, its movements agile and animalistic.

  “M…Mom?” she gasped.

  Sam backed away, goggling at the sight of a monstrous middle-aged woman in a house dress and apron. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s your mother? I thought you said your dad killed her!”