MORTEM

The chamber was as if it was under a constant shadow, as if it had never been touched by light. It was as quite and cold as a morgue. There was an eerie atmosphere, and the scientists laid motionless on the ground, with ichor all over them. There were huge scratch marks on the floor, and the condition of the scientists indicated that there was a lot of struggle, before they were slaughtered. Their faces were charred, their eyeballs plucked out, intestines ripped out, and limbs separated from their bodies.

But the sight didn't scare him away. On the contrary, he looked immensely pleased. The men around him were trembling with fear by looking at the massacre.

"Reports?", he ordered with a hoarse voice.

"They are growing savage with time. At this rate, they are capable of causing a large-scale destruction. In my opinion, if we release them now, they can annihilate them with ease", explained the man beside him.

His wicked smile gave the men beside him a cold chill. Some had shut their eyes, unable to look at the bloodshed. He approached the scientist who suggested the idea, and smiled. The scientist smiled back nervously. Suddenly, he thrust his hand into the scientist's chest in force, and pulled it out, with his heart in hand. The other men beside him were petrified. "Do you think that these creatures are able to annihilate them completely just because they are savage? If that was the case, they would have been wiped off long ago", he said in a cold voice.

Another man stepped into the room and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't we implement the plan, Viktor? Isn't it about time? I can't wait to watch all of them slaughtered", he said, giving a heinous smile.

"Patience, my brother. Once we create sufficient number of these savage creatures, we can carry out the plan. But, I don't believe that we are prepared yet. For thousands of years, they have dominated this world, foiled all our plans. This time, I will bring on a revolution, a revolution which this world will soon witness, a revolution which will reform this world and make me the supreme power, whom no one will dare to oppose." He looked at Alexander, patted his shoulder and continued, "Do not worry, my brother. Once I rule this world, you will be free to do anything you wish. For now, let's ensure no one wreaks havoc on our plan."

Alexander looked up at his brother, his expression worried, "Don't be so calm, brother. We shouldn't belittle their power. Remember, they have been dominant all these centuries, and no force managed to defeat them. We have been in hiding all these years, therefore we need to be careful. If they come to know about our whereabouts, we will be captured again, and it will be extremely difficult to escape."

Seeing his brother's worried face amused him. "You miscalculate our power, brother. Nothing can kill us. We have destroyed all the means that were capable of assassinating us. The entire race, which could do so, was completely destroyed by us, and there is no descendant left."

"Are you sure that there is none?", asked Alexander, still worried.

"I'm sure, brother. The only ones who can hinder our plan are those pathetic group of people, who will soon die horrifying deaths. We shouldn't let them stand in our way", roared Viktor, furious at his brother for not being cheerful. He couldn't understand why Alexander always felt uneasy.

He marched his way to the laboratory, along with his brother, to check the progress of the creatures. "Give me a detailed analysis of the subject", he said looking at the cryogenic chamber, which contained a body. The scientist reported, "Though we are able to alter the genes of the subject and turn it into a cannibal, it lacks human intelligence. Therefore, at present it is only a savage monster, feeding on flesh. Once we are successful in transforming it into a creature with intelligence, it can be considered a great threat to them, and can eventually destroy them."

Viktor clutched his neck and raised him in the air. "Why is it still lacking intelligence? How much more time do you need? If you fail to complete the experiment by the end of this week, I will feed you to those beasts", he barked, pointing his finger at the other cryogenic chambers. He put the scientist down and stormed off with his brother. The scientist, choking on his breath, continued to work in fear.

"Why do you insist that the creature should have intelligence? Isn't the current state quite enough?", Alexander asked , confused. "The creature now is quite powerful, but without the ability to think, it cannot be fully able to defeat them. We must ensure that their race is wiped off completely. Remember that they are highly skilled and smart, and have killed and defeated numerous creatures of the dark world. If we go against them, we need to be highly prepared ", he replied with a bitter smile.

Suddenly, a scientist barged into their room in a hurry."What's the matter?" Viktor growled, his fangs coming out and eyes turning scarlet. " It it's not something important, be ready to face the consequence." The scientist struggled to speak seeing his enraged face.

"I have a theory which may probably work in developing intelligence in the creature we are planning to create", he replied panting.

"Go on", Viktor said, grabbing a glass of blood, sounding interested. After hearing the theory, his face broke into an evil grin. He climbed up the stairs along with his brother Alexander, looked below at his people gathered in the hall of the building and raised his glass of blood.

"Ave Mortem", he said to them. The people raised their glasses too and cried in unison, "AVE MORTEM".

Viktor smirked and said to himself, "Be prepared to meet your end."