THE SCIENTIST II

WARREN’S POV

Intelligence isn’t always a blessing. Sometimes it causes destruction, death, jeopardy. Sometimes intelligence is a curse. The only thing my intelligence caused is a war. A war that took many lives, including my parents’. Everything started with me. Everything is my fault.

God, I was such an idiot. But I did it for family, I did it for love. I just wanted to be free from the hold the vampires had on us. I wanted to save my parents. My parents and I were used as blood banks under the rule of those blood suckers.

It was three years ago. I try to tell myself that I was only seventeen, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

When I think about my escape from the vampire nation that day, it still baffles me.

“You are not going to spend the rest of your life in this hell hole.” My mother said to me once. Her and father promised they were going to get me out of there. They said I was too smart and gifted to waste away, being used as a blood bank.

And so they did.

I remember being scared out of my pants that night. I still don’t know how father managed to steal me a horse, or how I managed to get out of the vampire fortress undetected by all those guards. I guess they didn’t really feel the need to be extra cautious. No human had ever escaped that place. But if God exists, I like to think he was with me that night.

The night I escaped from the vampire nation. Once I got out, it was easy to find my way to the werewolves. Every inch of my bone was telling me to head into the forbidden forests, to find the witches instead and convince them to fight for the humans once more. But no one actually knows if there are witches in there or just wild animals. People say the witches abandoned us in fear of being killed by the vampires.

The werewolves were more numerous and they had strength and an army. Even though they weren’t as strong as the vampires. I was hoping presenting them with my idea would get them interested. And it did. Except, things didn’t turn out as planned. They were supposed to help the humans escape the vampires, that was the deal I signed up for when I told them I could make them stronger.

They didn’t believe me at first. They wanted to hand me back to the vampires in fear of them being attacked. The werewolves had always lived peacefully away from the vampires. The vampires never bothered them because of some agreement between an alpha and a vampire lord years ago.

The alpha was the only one determined enough to try it out. And once I got him convinced, finding a vampire wasn’t hard. In no time he got me a vampire so I could start carrying out my experiments.

He gave me two months to come up with something before he either killed me or sent me back to the vampires.

I delivered in two weeks. Three teaspoons of serum I made for the alpha, gamma and beta. 

I still have no idea where the alpha got a vampire to be used for the experiment. It was convenient. Once I presented him with the serum, I had hope. I for sure was certain that my parents were finally going to be saved, that humans would finally be freed from the tyranny of the vampires.

Boy, was I wrong.

“Is this all you were able to make?” The alpha asked me after he took his share of the serum.

“Just enough for you and your brothers to defeat the vampires sir.” I answered with all the joy in the world at the weapon I had created.

He assured me he would save my people and exterminate all the vampires. I later found out that his plan all along was to become the supreme ruler. He wasn’t any better than the vampires. If anything, he was worse. I created a monster.

He captured us, humans and vampires alike and forced me to make him more serum. I refused but he threatened to kill my parents. The serum I made for him and his brothers was wearing off already in the middle of the war. I didn’t want to help him but I was scared of what he might do to my parents.

He slaughtered vampires right in front of me and delivered me their blood and in two weeks he had more serum than he did the first time. He was power hungry, the serum was like a drug for him and his brothers.

The alpha and beta fought together as brothers with their army. In no time, they took over the vampires but they killed my parents anyways and held me captive.

“He’s valuable. We might still need his skills in the future.” The beta said then, convincing the alpha to keep me locked up.  

I knew I was the only one who knew the formula to my serum, I knew they would never risk killing me. I thought I could escape but the werewolf nation is just as difficult to escape as the vampire nation.

I hated them so much. I still hate all of them. But recently all I’ve felt is hopelessness. I’ve served them for so long that it has become a norm to me. I gave up, not wanting to fight anymore. Once I thought of killing myself, but i'm too much of a coward to pull that off. 

My parents would be disappointed at the person I’ve become. The determination I escaped with from the vampire nation has been diluted by fear and cowardice. I was supposed to save my people but I failed. Instead I created monsters.

I thought of poisoning the serum once. To kill the lot of them, but that would get me killed. I twist my face in annoyance at my cowardice as tears start pooling in my eyes. I hate myself for being so weak, for not being able to fight. But there’s nothing I can do, they are stronger than me. They have the upper hand.

I just wonder why they need more serum, they won the war. They killed the vampire lord apparently and they have nothing to fear so why do they need more serum. It’s either they are afraid of something or they are just power hungry monsters.

As I sob and fall to my knees, I say a silent prayer to anyone listening. The same force that helped me escape the vampires that night, I pray to that same force to send us a savior. Someone to get us out of this hell hole.