HUMAN - Christopher D. Hanna

Hello everyone. I have been waiting for my winning story from the Thousand Island Writing Festival Storefront Writing Contest to show up on their website. I got tired of waiting and have decided to publish the story myself for you to read.

Human

By:
Christopher D. Hanna

Sylvia gripped the butt of the small pistol hidden within her purse. Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the acrid sterility of the air-conditioned hospital room. Her partner lay prone in bed, lost in a squid-like mass of tubes, wires and probes. Thick layers of pale yellow paint robbed the room of any trace of humanity. Her stomach rumbled, and she resisted the urge to vomit.

An orderly leaned over the bed, adjusted a strap, then left the
room. Sylvia pretended not to notice the guard patrolling the hallway as the door clicked shut. Once alone she expelled the breath burning in her lungs. She shuddered and let go of the gun.

Machines pumped, beeped and ticked away at the side of the bed. Sylvia looked down at her partner, Sean Lawrence. Dark hair, wet with perspiration, lay pasted against his forehead. Florescent track lighting made his skin glow ash-white. Looking at her from under heavy eyelids, Sean attempted to speak, but merely croaked.

“Sean. I'm sorry.” Sylvia said, placing her hand on his. “If I had the faintest idea of the consequences of my actions, I would have written 'Return to sender' across that envelope and dropped it in the nearest mailbox.”

Sean motioned for water. Sylvia took some ice chips from a nearby green pitcher and placed one against his lips. A moment later he swallowed, and tried again to speak.

“No way you could have known.” He said.

“Sean. I lied and cheated. When I got pregnant, I was scared. I had to be sure it was yours. That's why I got the order for the paternity test. It's inexcusable, but I am sorry!” Sylvia said, wiping tears from her cheeks.

“It is not your fault. There is no way you could have known my secret, or what would happen to me once it was discovered that I am not one of you. That I am not a human.”

“What does that mean? You're not a freak. Are you from space? I can't believe that. I don't know what to believe or to think.” She said.

Sylvia looked at the man laying on the bed in front of her. They had met and fell in love in high school. She had never intended to betray him. After she had sent in the sample she had secretly taken from him, things happened too quickly for her to understand.

They had been sleeping soundly when a squad of agents broke down their door. Sean jumped out of bed, ready to defend Sylvia and himself from attack. They burst into the bedroom with guns drawn, screaming for them to get on the floor. Sean was handcuffed and immediately taken away. Sylvia was questioned. The agents would not tell her what was happening; what, if any, charges were being brought against them and what was being done with Sean.

“What did they do to you?” She asked.

“Tests. They did everything imaginable and a few things not. I tried explaining to them, but they would not listen.” Sean said.

“Can you explain it to me? Sean, I don't understand. How can you not be human?” She averted her eyes as she spoke trying to hide her tears.

Sean struggled to sit up in the bed, despite being shackled and tangled up in diagnostic equipment.

“Do you know the difference between human and chimpanzee DNA is less than two percent? However, the differences are obvious. Chimps are not human despite being so closely related. Not even all of you are entirely homo-sapien. A long time ago, some of you bred with the neanderthal, although the difference between most humans and human-neanderthal hybrids is negligible and not obvious.”

“Some time ago, it is believed, a super-volcano killed off most of the human population. Those that lived were the smartest, most fit. They were capable of surviving the harsh conditions after the eruption decimated food supplies. That is what human scientists think anyway. The nearest those like me can figure, is that something similar is happening now. Except that instead of a super-volcano creating homo-sapiens, socioeconomic conditions are creating my kind. We look like you and live among you. However, we are no longer human.”

Sylvia stopped listening. She put her hand to her face and broke into heaving sobs. She pulled at her sweater, revealing the slight swell in her stomach, then wrapped her arms around herself, lost in grief.

“They discovered me because of the paternity test. That is one of the differences between our kinds Sylvia. Humans fear the unknown, then destroy it.”

“I.. I'm going to get us out of here.” Sylvia said, reaching into her purse and taking out the gun.

“The things they did to me. I can't leave. You have to get out, get somewhere safe. They let you in here to visit me because of the baby. They want the baby!” Sean said, then he groaned and fell back onto the bed, exhausted.

A knock came from the door and it swung open. Sylvia shoved the weapon back into her purse as a doctor walked into the small room followed by the guard from the hallway.

“Well, hello.” The doctor said, betraying the seriousness of the situation. “We noticed a change in our friend's stats in the last few minutes, and we felt that we should come and check up on him.”

“Please, let him go.” Sylvia pleaded.

“Now, my dear, I'm afraid that is not up to me. If it were, I'd let you both go about your lives. Those above me seem to think your hubby here is not only a threat to national security, but humanity as a whole.” The doctor moved closer to the bed and looked at readings from the monitors.

Sylvia glanced at the guard who stood in the corner looking bored, but deadly.

“So, if you're not going to let him go, what about me and my baby?” Sylvia asked, repressing hysteria.

“Well, I'm afraid we must insist you remain a guest in our facility until the child is born.” The doctor said.

“Then what? You take my child and experiment on it like you have Sean? What about me? Will you keep me locked away, unable to tell anyone what is going on here?” Sylvia fumed.

Sean caught the corner of the doctor's lab coat. The guard immediately rushed to the side of the bed, ready to subdue him. The doctor, though, waved him away.

“You're a doctor, a scientist. You took an oath to protect life. You can't let them hurt her or my child.” Sean reasoned.

The doctor smiled smugly, and with disdain, slapped Sean's hand away.

“The Hippocratic oath applies to humans my friend. You and your bastard are not human. Your woman, however, will be charged with criminal conspiracy and handled accordingly. She won't be harmed.”

With their backs turned, Sylvia slipped between the men and the door while drawing her gun, which she pointed two inches from the middle of the guard's back.

“Drop it.” Sylvia commanded.

The guard sensed the seriousness in her voice. He moved slowly, lowering his semi-automatic rifle to the floor. The doctor's expression changed to fear and horror as he looked at the pistol in her hands. She grabbed a plastic restraint from the guard's belt and handed it to the doctor.

“Take him into the bathroom and cuff him to the sink.” Sylvia waved the gun towards the restroom. The doctor and guard shuffled in with their shoulders slumped. A moment later, the doctor re-emerged. She looked into the bathroom and saw the guard on the floor in a rather uncomfortable position, with his hands around the pipes of the sink.

“Now, help him out of that mess.” She demanded, pointing at the bed. Sean shook his head slightly and whispered 'No'. “Yes, Sean. I can't leave you here to die. This baby needs a father. I can't do this alone!” She shoved the barrel of the gun in the doctor's face. “Get him out of that bed!”

The doctor paled. He began removing probes and needles from Sean's skin. When the last one was removed, the doctor placed his arm under him. With one pull, Sean was upright with his legs over the side of the bed.

Sylvia, grabbing the doctor by the shoulder, stuck the gun in his back and led him into the bathroom to be tied up with the guard.

Sean tried to stand. He was wobbly on his feet but managed to hold himself upright.

After cuffing the doctor, Sylvia rushed to the bed and took one of Sean's arms over her shoulder. They made their way to the door which she opened a crack. There was nobody there.

They slipped out of the room and made their way down the hall.

“They brought me up from the underground garage. The only security was at the entrance of the lot. We can do this!” Sylvia said.

They staggered past unmarked doors with small windows. She dared not look inside, either fearing more doctors or seeing other atrocities they may have performed on more of Sean's kind.

Sylvia slapped the elevator button, breathing heavily under mental and physical exertion. When the elevator bell dinged, she swung her weapon up to cover the opening doors. It was empty. Sean slumped against the hand-rail while she selected the basement floor.

As the doors closed, an alarm sounded. The klaxon rang painfully in their ears.

“They found the doctor.” Sylvia shouted. Sean nodded. Her stomach fluttered as the elevator made its descent.

They rushed into the parking garage as the doors opened.

“My car is in the next lot.” Sylvia said.

A female doctor was just getting out of a tan S.U.V. Sylvia leaned Sean against a parked car and ran towards her, gun drawn.

“Give me your keys. Give me your keys! NOW!” Sylvia shouted, then took the keys the frightened woman offered. Sean hobbled slowly around the vehicle and climbed into the passenger side.

The terrified doctor backed away. Sylvia got in and started the engine. The alarm turned into a deafening warble with flashing amber lights.

Sylvia gunned the engine, and the S.U.V sped off towards the exit just as guards poured out of the elevator.

The exit was only a hundred yards away, but was blocked by a reinforced striped arm. Two guards came out of the security booth with guns drawn. Sylvia was forced to slam on the brakes.

“What are we going to do?” Sylvia cried, pounding the steering wheel. Sean's pained look turned placid. He reached over, cupped her chin, and kissed her hard. Grabbing her gun, he jumped out of the S.U.V and began firing at the guards.

“Go. GO!” He yelled to Sylvia.

“No. Sean. I can't!” Sylvia moaned. One of the guards returned fire. Crimson spurted from Sean's chest. She screamed and kicked the gas pedal to the floor.

The S.U.V lunged forward, ramming the arm and shattering it. The guards jumped out of the way.

Sylvia drove until she ran out of gas, then stole another vehicle and drove it until it died. She got as far away from where she had been as possible. She would have Sean's child. She would find others of his kind and join them; having no more any affinity for the race that called itself, Human.

The End