Humanity: Project X - 160

Epilogue

Skye was carrying a bottle of alcohol, currently in an open field. She had built a memorial sight for all the people she had met, whether she had known them or not. She had made sure to emphasize her friends:

Joseph, Kaya, Gabriel, and Gloria.

She had even made a memorial for Tom, because even though he was a bad person, she wanted everyone on that plane to be remembered. Who knows? Maybe he was a good person, but the aliens had just messed with his head. She would never really know for certain, however. That didn't really bother her, though. All she was thinking about was the fact that she no longer had her friends by her side.

Walking over to Gloria's sight first, she began with her "Eulogy" that she had prepared for each of them.

She cleared her throat and began, "Gloria... you were... an interesting character. I never really liked you until I lost you. I'm sorry I didn't treat you with respect, as I should have. And... I can't say much more, but I hope you're in a better place."

After finishing with Gloria, she walked over to Gabriel's memorial stone.

"Hey, Gabriel... my man. You were truly so captivating, and always kept me on my toes. I loved your jokes and humor, although I only got to experience it for a little while. I'm glad I got the pleasure of seeing that side of you, instead of only seeing the grumpy side of you that always complained about almost everything that went wrong."

Walking over to Joseph's side, she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Joseph... you were like a brother to me. You always watched my back, protected me, and did what was best for me until the very end. Even though you got my best friend killed... I truly love you. You were the only family I ever had back in my old life, so I thank you for watching out for me like you did. Oh, and thanks for the journal. I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for you."

Finally, she walked over to her friend's side... Kaya.

"Hey, Kaya. You... Hey, you know something? You made that wretched place feel so much better... with your humor and your smile, even your positivity. I don't think I would have gone as far as I had without you. The way you jokingly complained about your room, how your rebellious attitude spread like wildfire. The way you named yourself despite being told otherwise. You are an inspiration to all, Kaya. You died a horrible death, one that you didn't deserve. Backstabbed by someone you chose to accept. So when I say thank you, I saw it with all my heart."

She let all her tears fall down her cheeks. She was so sad that it had to end like this. However, the past was in the past, and she could not change what had happened. The best she could do was follow Kaya's wish.

"Oh, and I got us both a drink, just like I promised," Skye said, shaking the bottle. After uncapping the bottle, she poured it on the gravesite, or more like a memorial site, and chugged the rest. After doing so, she could no longer hold in her sadness. She burst into tears, bawling and sobbing into her hands, not caring even if someone noticed her.

She was all alone, once again.

And she couldn't change that.

***

"Sir, the students are here for their final evaluation," a soldier said, holding his head high and making sure his posture was perfect.

"Let them in," the professor said, sitting on his desk.

So far, experiment X was the only one to have succeeded. Now he could finally teach his students properly, and see what they had analyzed after putting the humans through what they did. Humans were complete animals, who did anything for survival. It was quite interesting the way they changed in a matter of seconds, if you told them something was wrong.

In came several students, boys and girls alike. They all looked as if they had been up for hours, terrified for the final examination. Oh, they still didn't get it. If they had different opinions than him, so be it. He didn't care if they did. He wanted to know that they worked hard on their work, that was all.

After a couple minutes of waiting for all his students to enter, he ordered the soldier to close the door.

"Alright, class, I would like you all to answer the following question: What can we learn from this experiment? What caused the destruction of humanity?" he asked, and one by one, each student slowly warmed up to the professor once more and explained their points of view. All of them were the same exact thing, saying that they thought that humans were so unique, the way they faced challenges.

Finally, the last student came up. Her hair was curly blond, long and neatly in place. Her eyes were a startling gold. Of all the students, she was the only one that didn't seem exhausted from studying for this final examination.

"Thank you for your time, professor," she began, her voice crisp and precise, as if everything she said was calculated. "And I will begin: Human beings are... such a complex race. What caused their destruction? You may think it was feeling, but think otherwise. It was caused by one thing, of which put their race to an end, made them go extinct. It caused war, hunger, famine; all of which could've been prevented if they hadn't done what they did. They say most of their murders are done out of revenge for their loved ones. Think otherwise. This is not true. All of their actions have a purpose, each one calculated for a certain motive. They all know the result of their recklessness, and yet they still persist. It is said they do this with caution, but they do not."

"What are you implying, if I may ask?" the professor asked, a sly smile slowly creeping up his face. "What caused the destruction of humanity?"

The young girl's mouth slowly formed a small smile, as if she were enjoying the suspense she was giving her peers. Slowly, she made sure to stress the words that she spoke:

"The instinct to survive."