Fruit of Knowledge
Suspense, the equation of fear and anticipation, of what you hope will happen and what you desperately wish won't happen. It's hard to imagine a human life without ever knowing this gnawing, this vile eating away at one's stomach. One...I...would rather have someone overtly hate me without this...this hanging on the edges waiting for a single crumb to fall from the table of hope. I don't like being in a position of weakness. Weakness is all mankind has left, after so long.
Remember those legends of back when humanity held the strings of existence? A time when man was safe and snug in their beds, sleeping restfully and foolishly thinking the day would never come when it was our turn to suffer. That smugness, well I bet my life that those generals would have killed to have it gone, whereas I would kill to have it back.
I remember hearing of an ancient book that foretold the signs of the end...one was the wild beasts of the forests and deserts, of the sea and sky. Of course it foretold famine and disease, well we all know that was a crock of shit, eh? I could ask for better health, here. I have food, but it sickens me in ways that come from the visceral core, ways I do not fully understand. I am kept healthy, but in this godforsaken box I have nothing but the wait...the wait until my fate is sealed.
Maybe I am to become a pet. My, I've heard tale of days when it was man who held the leash of dog...I believe that was just a simple fantasy. We fostered them, you know. The accelerated evolution. It came from the hands of man, to make better servants. Manlike beasts, with only intelligence enough to lead the blind and protect the weak, who walked on their hind legs and spoke as we did.
Genetics, they called it. Pure foolishness. Of course if we imbue the beasts with the fruit of sin they will move on before us. Man, we evolved a mistake. A freakish defenseless ape with a freakish brain making up for the claws and fangs we did not have with fake claws and fangs, spears, the axe, fuck, eventually we made ourselves nuclear claws!
Our ancestors should have seen. It's all so painfully obvious to me, but then again here I am after the uprisings. Why on this forsaken planet we decided to give the beasts with natural weapons and killer instincts our weapons and lives, I will never know. But now even the rabbit lords over us, and I'll be damned if you wouldn't cower in the face of a six foot tall walking rabbit with bone-crunching teeth and a weapon. Oh, the genius of our ancestor! Take a small meek animal and give it weapons!
I tell you, these rabbits are the worst. They have legends in their tribes of the days humans dripped chemicals into their eyes in the name of science, the days they were poisoned in gardens ripe with food they could not have, the days they were shot mercilessly and made into Sunday dinner. The prey animals are all like that. Their hatred of humans is deeper than that of the cat or dog, companions of our forefathers.
The ruler of the place I'm being kept isn't a prey-beast, but I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse. He is said to be one of the most vicious of rulers, and one of the first animals to be born with human will and DNA. He saw these labs of myth and rallied the rabbits and the rats into their warlike hatred. He, well, he is canine, bred of a family pet for loyalty and trust.
This trust he was bred for, well, there are the black sheep of every family, you know? He watched his masters with growing resentment, and with that anger grew his knowledge. Dogs, they were smart beasts, trained to help man. He was no different...as he mocked a vapid expression and eagerness to help around the labs, he gained knowledge of genetics and used his hereditary charisma against the owners. He sought help first amongst the rodents and rabbits, who daily saw their bare genetic ancestor experimented on and fought the nausea that came with it.
Have you ever seen the damage those cute lil' buggers do to cabinets and chairs when in their natural state? Imagine that jaw power with bigger muscles to work it, and sharper, larger teeth to fight with. Imagine the disemboweling kicks of an angry, normal rabbit on an unsuspecting housecat and quadruple that into a high-powered, man-hating superbeast. We stood no chance.
How do I know this? Well, I was raised by one of the scientists who saw it all and managed to escape this bloodshed. He raised me to fight. Well, long story short, I was headstrong and testosterone driven and really with all I knew was not prepared for the snakes.
Yes, they put human DNA in them, too. Black Mambas, the deadliest snake alive. They reached twelve feet with the human DNA, and slithered at insane speeds with one third of that length raised above the ground with striking power in every tense muscle. They had me surrounded, and let me tell you the mere sight of a massive snake grinning hungrily at you, foot long fangs at the ready, is enough to make a grown man cry. Damn, I did.
For some reason, they kept me alive. I heard the orders shouted by someone they all answered to, their lord and savior...that god damned Dog. I've been waiting here in this filthy room for so long, I have no idea what will become of me anymore. But wait...I hear the heavy tread of...a rabbit. Damn it, I could recognize that light jump in their step anywhere. Of all the animals to send after me, it had to be a rabbit.
She flings open the door and hauls me rudely to my feet, and as I pass through the decimated corridors of the old governor's mansion I hear a soft, mewling voice ask: "Master, what shall we do with this one? You know he is the son of one of your original, er, creators..."
I wait eagerly for the reply, craning my neck towards the hall.
"Well, I once heard that man say his son was useless enough to be a good candidate for dog chow."
Oh. Oh, shit.