Flash Fiction #2
The Roar
The end of the human race was not brought upon by invading aliens or blood thirsty zombies. It was in fact located in the Anti-Aging Lab of Garner Pharmaceuticals. Specifically, Sample 108AE in a test tube rack on an unremarkable black top lab table.
This sample was given to white lab mice like the others before it. Sadly, the researchers noted that this sample too had not lived up to its expectations as it had killed off all of its subjects within an hour. The dead mice were unceremoniously collected by an unpaid intern and placed in a plastic tub to be taken to the incinerator. However, in this particular bin there was one mouse that was still alive. He was fighting his way up from under the crushing weight of his brothers and sisters, survival his only mission. Once he made it on top, he scurried onto the counter and hid behind a centrifuge.
The mouse was confused as his thoughts became clouded with the voices of the other still living mice in the laboratory squeaking loudly inside his head. He couldn’t remember the lab being so loud before. The fluorescent lights were causing his eyes to hurt and he started to panic. Wanting it all to stop, he squeaked loudly in frustration. The lights flickered, then turned off. The other mice in the lab fell silent. The sudden quiet darkness frightened the humans in the lab and they began to scurry around. He wondered if he had caused all this, so he squeaked loudly again. The lights flickered and one of the ballasts popped with sparks. The chemical cocktail that killed his kin had instead given him extraordinary abilities.
As the humans continued to panic, he went over to the nearest stack of specimen cages and looked at the door. It was a simple swinging lock. How had they not tried to escape before? One of the captive mice inside crawled up to the door and watched as he swung the lock open and freed them. He then closed his eyes and sent a mental picture of what he did to the other mice in the lab.
Suddenly, there was loud rattling of metal on metal as hundreds of captive mice rushed their cage doors and found their freedom. The pitter patter of tiny rodent feet filled the lab and poured into the halls. He directed them to flush out the humans. They took over the research facility in less than 15 minutes.
He climbed up to the roof and surveyed the small town nestled next to the building. He reached out further with his mind and spoke to all the nearby house and field mice. With their help, control of the town only took 30 minutes.
He reached out again with his mind and summoned ten of the most suitable females to mate with. Yes, today would indeed be a fine day to create heirs for his newly forming empire.