Underwater Revenge

I was bored the other day, and wanted to make another blog - then I realised that I had a story that I wrote two years ago, and I guess I'll edit it and publish it here for you guys to read! (It was meant to be published as an e-book in the school library but they discontinued it I think).

Also it's probably better than what I wrote it originally because my teacher edited it (at that time I didn't know what to call it, so I think she named it what the blog is named now. I think now, I'd name it 'Dawn of The Firefoxes' or something), and she's the head of the English department at my school (and teaches most of the Year 12s and stuff).

I only just realised, but this story is actually what led me to realise how much I like dystopian novels :)

As I ran through the seabed in my few hours of freedom, I reflected on all that had had happened to Earth. I relished the cold sea currents swirling in front of my visor. My breathing unit converted water into cold, fresh air for me.

For years monsters have ravaged the Earth, burning everything that global warming had not claimed yet. Infrastructure, landmasses and even the continent of Antarctica had disappeared. Drastic changes to our environment left holes in the ecosystem from animal and plant extinction. For decades, scientists have developed artificial animals - denying that they were mutants, calling them controlimals. But as environmental threats increased, more and more were made, some to control animal species, some to reduce air pollution and many more to fill the spots of all the extinct animals, from frogs to lions to beetles.

It had started when the scientists were testing animals that help aid the water cycle and preserve water balance by burning through excess water. Everyone back then could remember the day when the ‘Firefoxes’ escaped the laboratories in a terrifying explosion.

Now we live in the sea.

I close my eyes, breathing deeply into the air that smells of salt, fresh from the sea and kelp, roasted on a fire, seasoned with sesame seeds and paprika. As I exhale, relaxing in the calming ocean flow when a sound fills my visor. I see the mouth of an anglerfish, wide open with rows of now-toxic knife-sharp teeth welcoming me as its breakfast.

I run, intaking whole lungfuls of air at a time, trying not to panic as I followed the safety tether back to New Atlantis, and my living quarters, Pod 254. As I travel closer, I can see the lights of thousands of pods turn on, shining in the darkness and gloom of the Midnight Zone. I see feel the warm, saline water flowing from the exits of the desalination plants, running at my feet. I see bubbles from the exhaust pipe of numerous transport devices. I see home.

The only time residents of New Atlantis get free time is in the early morning, where the council of scientists deem a ‘healthier time’ for us to not do work. I don’t really care, as it is better than a whole day strapped in the chair, listening to boring lectures from scientists that seem like they have obtained a PHD in sleep therapy, and are seemingly at least a hundred years old. They are wasting my time, and I am determined to make the most of the little free-time I get to pursue the hopes and dreams that had survived the time when the Firefoxes came.

I half-walk-half-swim to my locker, and as I deposit my weekly cafeteria ration card into a ration slot and stuff my bag into the locker, I overhear some scientist talking in the office near me. I hear them talking about who is the most troublesome student at our school, and then what will they do once they retire.

A classroom burst open, the explosion reaching me within seconds, the heat slicing though the seawater. A putrid smell can through the breathing unit, and a soaking, orange animal swims through the water, its mouth spewing bubbles that boil the surrounding water. Muffled screams rang through the water, books and other items fell as panic entered the atmosphere. The Firefoxes have found us.

People ran towards the emergency exit, as emergency protocol FF154 is broadcasted to all of our hearing units. I looked up and saw hundreds upon hundreds of Firefoxes, swimming, terrorising, destroying. A herd of dumbo octopuses swam past, dragging another octopus behind them, travelling through the water faster than what they would be able to without the genetic modifications they had obtained. The air converted via my breathing unit smelt of barbequed squid. I turned my head, trying to avoid the nausea that came from the rancid smell of dead controlimals, scorched flesh, burnt skin.

A rescue submarine raced through the water, its robotic arms snatching people from the water and plonking them into an airlocked cabin. I turn away as a herd of panicky controlimals crash into a home pod, unfortunately crushing the whole pod, knocking it off the edge of the cliff. Cheap rent does have a price. People were desperately trying to escape, fending the Firefoxes off with makeshift weapons - A spatula, one-metre rulers, pencils and elastic bands.

I joined a group of people - or what the Firefoxes might think, an all-you-can-eat buffet. We swim through the water at a lightning speed, equipped with retractable jet propulsion packs and flippers to aid speedy swimming. As I looked down on what used to be called home, I saw explosions from fuel tanks. I saw unconscious people floating upwards. I saw death, destruction, disaster. All from the world that we wasted, what our precious home has become.

It was only until the afternoon that day that the Firefoxes seemed pleased with their destruction and left, swimming away, using their fire to create ocean currents that bring them up to the surface faster. I shudder and think of how devilish the creations of scientists have become, how seemingly civilised, how cunning. They must have searched the world for ages to find us here.

But they had still found us. Now, no one, no place is safe. They are hunting us down at a rapid rate, as if it were an Olympic sport. The world is turning onto us, the tables have turned. Three hundred years ago, humans were hunting animals for sport. Now they have turned onto us.

The survivors regrouped, a rag-tag group of civilians, all of them shaken from the traumatic experiences of the past day. With a meagre supply of food, they ate a small yet hearty meal and went to search for food, weapons and most importantly - survivors. A friend of mine’s pod was incinerated, boiled to the point of being structurally unsound, collapsing on anyone who had happened to be in it. My teacher at school, Mr. Smith had been trapped in a transport pod that had fallen from the tall school building. No one I knew had escaped. My friends. My parents, my grampa Bernie. All gone, lives extinguished by the evil Firefoxes. My broken heart broke even more, each piece shattering into a million pieces yet again.

The scientists must pay. I swim past what used to be the school building, and see files, notices and book-pages float past. Reaching out my hand, I grasp a paper and start to read.

“Rules list of New Atlantis Secondary School:

·       No stealing

·       You shall not accuse anyone without solid evidence

·       You shall not litter, or destroy the fragile remains of our natural/unnatural environment

·       No destroying school property, or the property of anyone else

·       You shall not harm another person, student, teacher, parent/guardian or scientist.

Any breach of these rules will result in detention, suspension or immediate expulsion.”

The rest of the page was burned to cinders, black scorch marks crumbling upon contact, wispy ash floating in the water. I stare at the waterproof paper, stare at the rules which I had been forced to memorise every single year of my life. I thought about all of the unposted posters and notices. I thought of all those unaccomplished dreams of retirement, dreams of fun, lost forever. I thought of myself breaking the rules, bashing a scientist, making him plead for mercy. I turn around and went on to hunt for possible weapons and shelter, frightened of the dark throughs I just conjured.

Tension filled the water at our make-shift camp from the ruins of the town square. The water felt hotter, warmer than it has ever been. An explosion of heat that was mixing with the cold, unfriendly water of the trench blasted everyone off their feet. A feeling of terror washed over everyone, from the memories of what had happened the earlier today, the horror, the destruction. Gripping a bag of marbles, one of the remaining possessions I have left, I rushed to the top of the clocktower of the square. I toss them as fast as I can at the Firefoxes, hoping to distract them, maybe trip them. A lone Firefox clambered onto the tower, and in hope for escape, I jump onto the hands of the ancient clock, snapping it off. Plummeting to the ground, I tossed more things, whatever I could find. Paper, bricks, water, anything I could get my hands on. I wince as I accidentally hit an innocent fish, but I still run on. The lone fox keeps chasing me, and in a frantic scramble, I dismantle rocks from the cliff, and crumbing down, the precious remains of the cliff, the natural environment buries my pursuer.

I run into the laboratories, hoping to find refuge and weapons. As I run, I skid to a halt, shocked at the sight in front of me.

The scientist. The one that led to the demise of most of the world. The one that had caused all our trouble. The one that had killed millions of innocents, lying on the floor as yet more innocent humans die. Bubbling with rage, I storm up to him.

“Why did you destroy the world?” I question him, angrily shaking my fist in the water. “Billions died, and yet you still hide yourself, unwilling to face the consequences.”

“I make a mistake… It was experiment… I…” his voice stopped. “I’m sorry.”

According to him, ‘life is an experiment’, and ‘humans are expendable’. That was what he told the world, and he should pay. How could someone still be ‘sorry’ after murdering? How can someone forgive another that had led to the inexistence of everyone they knew?

“Psychopath” I mutter underneath my breath, thinking of all the ways to rid the world of one scientist. I wanted him to burn, to suffer for all he had done. I wanted to let them have a taste of their own medicine, for all of the world he had had burned, destroyed. Gripping a shard of glass. I advanced him, ready to…

No. I had broken all the rules in the book already. I stole, I destroyed, I accused. I will not let myself be like the scientist. I will not let myself be as evil as the Firefoxes, as evil as the mad-man that liberated them. I may break some of the rules in the book, but not the final rule. I will not harm another person, let alone kill.

The glass shard dropped, shattering into a million pieces. My world had shattered, when the Firefoxes came. My heart had, when I recalled all that had perished, when I failed to find a single survivor. But I will not let me soul shatter like that too. I will not shatter what’s left of my humanity or let the remains of the character I once was fade away.

I swim towards the cupboards, scooping up all the items I could, and exited the laboratory, searching for more potential weapons, leaving the culprit behind, handcuffed to a retort stand. Then it dawned onto me.

Violence should not be solved with violence. Two wrongs don’t make a right, as simply as one plus one isn’t five. Fighting back will only lead to more death, more destruction, more war. Picking up a learning-pad and logging in, I began to swim towards the chaos outside, preparing myself to a final showdown, a bridge to peace and a unified future.

After my teacher edited it a lot of it is unfamiliar to me, but the start and last few paragraphs are almost untouched - just some of the things in the middle are different.

Also when I wrote it I don't think I used consistent past tense.
And many words have been made to be more technical (I don't remember typing 'visor' or stuff like that)
Also I have no idea why I added a Learning-pad at the end D:

Now the most important part of this - some good dystopian (or just generally science fiction) books/series:

Four Dead Queens - Astrid Schotle (some questionable scenes) (Mystery, Dystopian?)

Divergant - Veronica Roth (Action, Dystopian) (Hunger-game style, somewhat, violent)

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (Action, Dystopian) (Violent but moderately I think)

Anomaly - Krista McGee (Dystopian, Sci-fi, Christian) (Christian book, not the most action-y but good nonetheless)

Ursa - Tina Shaw (Dystopian, Action)

I am Number Four (the whole series) - Picattus Lore (Science fiction, action) (One of the best series I've read!!!)

Michael Vey series - Richard Paul Evans (Science fiction) (Fun, engaging, not the most violent!)

Arc of the Scythe - Neil Shusterman (Science-fiction, dystopian?) (Violent ideas D:)

Zero; Swarm; Nexus - Deborah Biancotti (Dystopian, Science fiction, action) (Violent as well. Big theme within Dystopian novels)

Maze Runner (whole series) - James Dashner (Dystopian, action) (Brutally violent a bit too much for my liking D: but interesting)

The Giver - Lois Lowry (Dystopian) (I had to read this for school aparently it's a good book but it wasn't bad, yet not the most interesting in my opinion. I tried (and failed) to read the other books in the series)

Kill Factor - Ben Oliver (Dystopian, action (aka violence)) (One of the most violent books I've read probably won't recommend but it's impossible to stop reading once you start argh and it's interesting but much more violent (like unnecessarily violent) compared to the Hunger Games somehow. Would recommend but won't because of the violence (but it isn't gruesome))

Thanks for reading!

-MeMeMe333