"So Few of Us Left" by Stephany S

     As much as humanity has been the poster child of on being intolerant to those of all
backgrounds despite the countless civil rights movements and protests that called for an end to
injustice, it has found a new group to hate and blame for all the world’s problems. This time, the
argument was targeted towards a generation of genetic abnormalities that granted random
people abilities beyond the human spectrum, ranging from the control of various elemental
forms to telepathy. When news spread of my minority’s existence, we were not seen for our
potential to contribute to mankind’s progress, but as freaks of nature and God’s mistakes.
Despite most of the superhuman community aspiring to coexist with humans and trying to play
“normal”, humanity just didn’t want anything to do with us out of fear that they can be
overpowered. The government didn’t help either, subtly promoting the unity of all humans to
combat this genetic anomaly as a silent but imminent threat, referring to us as something other
than human. Suddenly, social divides such as sexism, racism, and homophobia to fight the
nonexistent threat that is the superhuman minority. The military obtained new orders to combat
any and all superhumans regardless of intentions, and corral them into institutions they claimed
would teach them to use their powers safely, but in reality had a questionable agenda.
Once my telepathic powers manifested at age 12, my parents urged me to never use my
ability in public and keep my genetic status secret. In a way, it hurt to have to hide who I was,
and despite there existing a radical group of superhumans who prided themselves on being
superhuman, their methods were inhumane. So, day by day I lived my life, lying to everyone I
knew and fearing the practically inevitable day that I would be exposed for what I am. I
remember one night seeing on the news, two young siblings were hanged on a swing set, with
signs reading “demon” around their necks. It made me realize that some higher power in the
universe allowed crimes like that to happen, constantly punishing us for ever being born.
Eventually, such acts of local terrorism became a normal occurrence, and my fear grew numb.
That fear was awoken on one night in June, when all of a sudden a religious group called the
Crusaders executed their plan to damage mutantkind. Famously superhuman-majority cities
were leveled in the matter of minutes, and all at the exact same time at midnight, to prevent any
first-responder help aiding those who managed to survive. They even went so far as to target
someone with the power to create nuclear explosions, forcing him to detonate himself one last
time. It’s now 2 days later, and Crusader rallies have not stopped, as they march on the ruins of
cities worldwide to desecrate the memory of those murdered. I can’t help but feel useless,
because being a survivor means someone out there has something in store for me, but the way
I survived was like a coward does. I was never in any risk in the first place. Being a telepath
places even more responsibility on my shoulders, because ever since 2 days ago I haven’t
stopped hearing cries for help, others suicidal thoughts, from those I never would’ve guessed
were like me. There are rumors of a facility in the northeast where survivors are urged to go, to
be accounted for and protected by the few normal people who wish to see the conflict end.
Maybe I’ll go. Maybe I won’t. But either way there’s so few of us left to spend our energy and
security seeking revenge, because at this point in my life revenge means extinction.