The Fate of Human flesh

Humanity never noticed the moment it bagan to fall. 

Even, in 2025, life was never truly easy-but people smiled anyway. They chased money, cars and dreams, blind to the damage they were causing. Pollution rose silently, while the invisible ozone layer slowly tore apart, opening a part for ultra violet rays to pierce the Earth.

Those rays did not stop at the surface. The reached the oceans- deep, dark, untouched stones... later named dark oxygen. For ages they remained dormant. But under constant UV exposure, they began to react, releasing something unnatural into the water.

Something alive.

Time passed.

Antarctica began to collapse. Ice melted into endless waves, swallowing coastlines whole. Cities drowned. Crops failed under harsh radiation. Poverty spread. Cancer cases surged across the world.

Yet humanity endured.They adapted. They found cures. They survived.

For a moment… it felt like victory.

But nature was only waiting.Beneath the oceans, life had already begun to change. Creatures absorbed the dark oxygen, their bodies evolving—slowly at first, then violently. Muscles strengthened. instincts sharpened. Forms twisted into something no longer natural.

And then—

they came to land.

Not one. Not a few.

But Thousands.

Humanity tried to fight back, but it was meaningless. Their numbers were overwhelming. Weapons failed. Defenses collapsed.

And as the world burned in silence…

nature made its decision.

Humans were no longer meant to survive easily.

Some were identified. Named.

Sharkazard. Draguana. Crabopus…

Each one… a result of evolution gone wrong—yet perfected for survival.

Each one… a step closer to humanity’s end.

In the future,

TRRING! TRRING! TRRING!

The alarm tore through the silence.

Billy Patt’s eyes opened instantly.

Not from rest.

From tension.

At seventeen, this was his final day at the training camp—his last step before joining the Coastal Forces.

He sat up slowly, staring at nothing for a moment.

Water existed everywhere now.

But not for them.

Access was rationed.

Carefully, he wiped his body with a dry towel, removing the night’s sweat. He applied a thin layer of ointment across his skin—protection against the harsh, damaged atmosphere. A small tablet followed.

Vitamin D.

Sunlight no longer gave what it once did.

Beside him, his OP—oxygen producer—released a steady, artificial breath into the room. A machine that had replaced something as natural as air.

Billy stared at it for a second… then switched it off.

Silence returned.

Breakfast was already set.

His father, Mr. Rooney Patt, sat still. His mother, Emma, held her hands together. Freddie, his elder brother, avoided eye contact.

No one spoke.

They didn’t need to.

Everyone knew what this day meant.

Not just his last day of training.

A possible last day of life.

Billy sat down, the sound of the chair echoing louder than it should.

A moment passed.

Then—

“Stay alert out there, son.”

His father’s voice was steady.

But his grip on the table tightened.

“I’m always with you,” his mother said softly, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Billy nodded.

No words came out.

Outside…

sirens wailed.

Not loud.

Not urgent.

Just constant.

“Do your best.”

His father’s voice followed him.

Billy didn’t turn back.

There was an oxygen mask near the door. He picked it up, securing it over his face out of habit. The air outside wasn’t always safe anymore.

He stepped out.

The road stretched ahead—quiet, but not peaceful.

Within minutes, he reached the training camp.

The gates stood tall.

At the entrance, a guard stood beside a speaker, calling out all participants to gather at Gate 11-A. As Billy stepped through, another speaker crackled to life, playing a recorded announcement.

“As per the rules of the territorial constitution, every boy at the end of this camp must join and fight for the Coastal Forces.”

The voice continued, cold and mechanical.

“All participants’ stats have already been recorded—including height, weight, speed, strength, and eyesight. Based on these, a ranking table has been created.”

Billy’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“The total number of students in Squad MSD—Main Squad Delta—is fifty-five.”

A pause.

“The first-ranked participant is automatically qualified.”

Billy listened carefully.

“The twenty-seventh-ranked participant—Billy Patt.”

“The second-ranked participant will fight the last. The third will fight the one before last, and so on.”

A heavier silence filled the arena.

“The winner will be qualified to join.”

A slight distortion in the speaker.

“The loser… will be removed from the territory.”

The words echoed.

“But survival is still possible—either by getting selected into the Coastal Forces of other territories, though highly risky… or—”

A brief static interruption.

“—by becoming prey for the ones lurking out there.”

Silence.

The rules were simple.

And that was what made them terrifying.

Billy quietly took his seat, waiting for his turn.

Meanwhile, Freddie sat in the audience gallery, watching from above.

Billy observed everything.

The pain in the eyes of the losers… and the silent grief of their parents.

No one cried loudly.

No one protested.

They were simply taken away.

One by one… placed inside a tank.

No explanations.

No return.

The arena moved on as if nothing had happened.

Then—

finally—

it was Billy’s turn.

He stood up slowly and stepped forward into the arena.

He waited for his opponent to arrive.

And then—

he saw him.

Ben.

His friend.

The digital ring echoed across the arena.

At the same time, the black flag rose once again, signaling to the outside world that a battle was in progress.

But Billy didn’t move.

For a moment—

his mind went blank.

Then it stopped him.

His body refused to fight.

His thoughts drifted.

To Ben.

To his family.

Ben’s father had died fighting in the Coastal Forces.

His mother was paralyzed.

And Ben…

was the only one left.

The only one who could take care of his two brothers and his little sister.

Billy clenched his fists.

But his heart… wouldn’t let him move.

Then Billy thought about his own family.

They could survive… even without him.

Freddie had already been scouted into the Coastal Forces two years earlier. He could take care of them.

Billy still had a chance—he could try again in other trials.

And somewhere deep inside, he believed… that the heavenly forces would guide him for choosing kindness.

Slowly—

he stepped forward.

Then, in front of everyone—

he sat down on the battleground.

“I surrender.”

Silence.

The entire arena froze.

A wave of shock spread through the crowd.

Ben stood still, unable to process what had just happened.

Moments later—

“Ben is declared the winner.”

The announcement echoed.

Ben looked at Billy, confused.

“Why…?”

Billy simply smiled.

“Take care of your family.”

Before anything more could be said, guards rushed in.

But instead of being taken to the tank…

Billy was dragged toward a small, armed carrier.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

A voice rang out through the speakers—

“Participant Billy Patt will be executed at the Red Cliff.”

Murmurs spread across the arena.

“He will be thrown into the Black Sea—where parasites thrive more than water.”

Billy’s expression didn’t change.

“As per the territorial constitution, anyone who disobeys the orders of the Coastal Forces will be executed alongside criminals at the Red Cliff.”

Billy spoke calmly.

“I didn’t refuse to fight.”

One of the guards looked at him coldly.

“Surrendering…”

A pause.

“…is also a form of disobedience.”

Hearing this, Freddie was shocked.

He staggered back and collapsed into his chair, unable to process what he had just heard.

Meanwhile, Billy’s father overheard the announcement. As the ETP—Elected Territorial President—his expression hardened, but he said nothing.

At the same time, Billy’s mother learned the news from the neighbors. Panic struck instantly.

She rushed toward the arena.

But when she arrived—

it was too late.

The mini carrier had already left to carry out the execution.

Her legs gave way.

She broke down, crying in Freddie’s arms—knowing that in just a short time, he would become her only son.

Inside the carrier, Billy sat in silence.

Regret slowly crept in.

I could have at least faked the fight…

Taken the hits… fallen down…

He leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

Memories flooded in.

Happy moments.

Painful ones.

Everything.

Softly, he began humming his favorite song—the same tune once used as a ringtone by the Coastal Forces.

Far above, from a tall tower, Mr. Ferguson watched everything.

A faint, cold smile formed on his face.

He turned to his personal assistant.

“Announce a party for all the staff.”

The assistant hesitated. “For what reason, sir?”

Mr. Ferguson’s smile widened.

“Say it’s to celebrate..."

The assistant nodded slightly.

“Okay, sir. I will cover things up as you wish.”

Meanwhile, the mini carrier sped forward.

After a rough, bumpy ride, it finally arrived at the Red Cliff.

The doors opened.

“Get down.”

Billy stepped out.

The air felt heavier here.

Before he could react, one of the guards grabbed him and pulled off his oxygen mask.

Billy’s eyes widened.

“Wait—!”

Before he could even demand an explanation—

a sharp kick.

His body was thrown forward.

The ground disappeared beneath him.

He fell.

Instinctively, his hands reached out—trying to grab something.

Anything.

But there was nothing.

Only empty air.

His body stiffened.

His chest tightened.

His heart pounded violently, faster and faster, as the wind roared past him.

Below—

the Black Sea waited.

Endless.

Dark.

Alive.

And just before he disappeared into it—

a faint glow appeared.

On the digital screens of the guards standing above, a notification popped up.

+500 G (Growths) received.

A message followed.

“You are invited by Mr. Ferguson.”

None of them reacted.

They simply watched—

as Billy fell into the darkness.