Empathy Found
a futuristic story by Tom Koperwas
It’s been since Christmas, so thank you all for hanging in there! A week ago, we finally adopted our baby girl, who came to us September 2023. It was a long process, but she is well worth it.
As for the story, we welcome back Tom Koperwas, who previously showed us another story about dogs in the future:
In “Empathy Found,” Koperwas reveals a world overrun by giant creatures, with only the “monsters”—a dog, a robot, and an alien, all equally gigantic—standing between a boy and death. Will Uncle Jack return in time?
Find out after the jump!
Empathy Found
by Tom Koperwas
Uncle Jack stood at the door of the semi-transparent dome with his two android guards, Jermall and Jermell, by his side, brandishing the revolutionary Empathy Collar in his hand. The 60-year-old scientist, slim and vigorous, looked down at his eight-year-old nephew, Bobby Lee.
“I’m sorry, Bobby, but I have no choice,” he said. “I know it’s been tough for you ever since you took shelter here after your mother died, having no kids to play with and me being busy doing my research. But this is where I came after the war to survive. I figured the bog was the best place to hide. Now I have to go back to the city to sell my new invention in order to raise enough money to replace the power cube. I know you had your heart set on coming with me, but it’s too risky. You’ll be safer here till I get back.”
Bobby sniffed and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He would be all alone in the big dome, except for his monster guards: the 200-pound Super Max Breed Bulldog, John Bull; the six-legged dog-like robot called Fritz; and Ezra, the silent, 1,600-pound alien creature resembling a cross between an enormous mastiff and a bear. Bobby knew he could depend on his three friends, but he was deathly afraid of the dark, and the lights in the combination lab/home were dimming thanks to the failing power cube. Worst of all, the electrical perimeter fence that kept the savage creatures outside at bay was under-powered, almost dead to the touch.
“You must promise me this,” his uncle continued, bending down to look deeply into Bobby’s big blue eyes. “One, don’t go outside. Two, if anything nasty gets into the dome, run to the Safe Room. Three, once you’re inside the Safe Room, never open the door to the outside. Promise?”
“I promise,” said the little boy, his voice quavering.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of if you follow these rules carefully,” concluded his uncle. “And remember, you can depend on your monster guards to fight to the death for you. I’ll leave Fritz outside to guard the dome until I return tomorrow.”
Uncle Jack stood up straight and smiled, confident the boy would follow his instructions to the letter. The scientist opened the door to release the robot, then exited the dome with his two heavily armed androids, and headed down the twisting boardwalk toward the lagg* on the perimeter of the bog. Passing a large patch of skunk cabbage, Jermall froze and pointed his laser at a deer standing close by.
The scientist laughed. “Leave it be, Jermall. It’s only a harmless mammal. But look at that!” he cried, pointing at the six-foot rattlesnake slithering rapidly towards him from the patch of skunk cabbage. Jermall kneeled and fired his laser, slicing the reptile in two.
“Well done!” cheered the scientist. Turning on his heels, he looked up at the roof of the dome and watched as the owl-shaped drone launched from its roost.
“Bobby Lee can see us now,” he said, noting the power light on in the camera mounted on the avian-like machine. “Let’s move,” he urged. “The snakes weren’t the only dangerous animals to grow exponentially after the end of the war 40 years ago. The enemy hit us with a double whammy, nuking the city and seeding the wilderness with super-growth enhancers. Now look what we have. God, how they must have hated us.”
The trio hurried on past a dense stand of dead trees, pausing momentarily to observe a large group of feral dogs gathering at a rendezvous site in the distance. Soon, they came out onto the lagg, where the terminus station stood on its raised rail bed above the waterlogged ground.
“It’s been years since I’ve been to the city,” chuckled Uncle Jack to his guards. “I understand the core has been restored. Still, you never know what could be roaming the streets downtown, animal or otherwise. The two of you had best come along with me, just in case.”
The scientist waved at the owl before entering the station. Bobby Lee had the drone circle the dark building, noting a pack of dogs in the far distance. He shivered and waited until the maglev train arrived, then sent the drone back through the bog to its roost on the dome.
****
It was dark outside when the barking began. The pack of feral dogs Bobby Lee had seen earlier in the drone’s camera, far beyond the lagg, had crossed the bog, passing through the electric fence to approach the dome. Fritz charged the nearest canine intruder, ripping a piece of flesh from its side with a powerful bite of his metallic jaws. The pack, seeing an ideal opportunity to assuage its terrible hunger, attacked and killed the wounded animal, tearing its limbs off, then gutting its bloody remains.
Bobby Lee sat quietly in his uncle’s big wing chair, gripping its soft arms, listening apprehensively to the violent sounds outside. “I’m scared,” he confessed to the big bulldog sitting on the floor, looking at him with his dark, sympathetic eyes. J.B. rose to his feet with a grunt and waddled over to the chair to lick the boy’s hand. Then he dropped his sizable bottom onto the floor and wiggled his tiny tail affectionately.
“What do they want?” asked Bobby anxiously.
The Ez, as Bobby Lee called the alien beast, lay on the far side of the room, his eyes closed, listening to the boy as he savored the smell of meat wafting in from the stove in the kitchen. A translation of his thoughts appeared on the bright screen of the Empathy Collar wrapped about his enormous neck. Big beautiful sausages, it read. Tasty, delicious...
The massive creature, which Uncle Jack had saved from starvation in the abandoned Zoo of Off-World Wonders outside the war-torn city, relished the meat generated from the DNA of prey from his homeworld. And Uncle Jack made it a point to always keep Ezra well fed. The scientist had once told Bobby Lee that Ezra had no feelings of affection or love for them. He claimed to have discovered this lack of “empathy” after creating the collar and reading the alien’s thoughts. Still, he was convinced that the powerful creature would remain loyal if he was fed regularly with his favourite meat.
Bobby Lee believed the Ez had no feelings because he had been locked in a cage and starved. Deep down inside, he was certain the creature was capable of friendship and love. The frightened boy rose from his chair and patted J.B. on the head, then walked over to the alien. “I love you, Ez,” he said, hugging the inert beast, all the while keeping an eye on the Empathy Collar's screen.
A new sentence formed on it. The dogs can smell the sausages cooking.
Bobby’s eyes opened wide. Uncle Jack had told him that the intelligence of the alien was unknown, that the creature had never communicated with him before. Now he was answering Bobby's question!
“The fumes from the kitchen exhaust on the roof!” he exclaimed. “You’re right! The dogs outside can smell the sausages cooking! That’s what they want!”
The sound of barking grew louder and more strident. Bobby grabbed the remote for the drone and launched it from the roost on the roof. Through the camera, he could see the pack of feral dogs swarming Fritz, piling onto him, disabling his limbs, ripping out his components. Somehow, the robot managed to rise up onto its three remaining limbs. Running about erratically, it slammed into the dome, kicking open the front door.
Bobby dropped the remote and stared at the disabled robot lying on the floor. Then he gasped as the ugly head of the pack’s alpha male peered cautiously inside the dome.
Ezra opened his eyes. J.B. was barking wildly as the massive, mixed-breed intruder edged inward, sniffing the tantalizing meat, growling ominously. Ezra turned his head toward the frantic bulldog, and made eye contact with him. J.B. stiffened and listened to the alien's voice in his head. Now he knew what to do. He had to save the boy, who was kind to Ezra. Taking hold of Bobby Lee’s collar, the bulldog dragged the terrified boy toward the door of the Safe Room.
Ezra stood up abruptly. Several other members of the feral pack had squeezed in behind the lead dog. Emitting an ear-splitting roar, the alien charged. Crushing the alpha male in his terrible jaws, he tossed the lifeless body through the air onto the floor. Realizing the sudden danger they were in, the other dogs ran pell-mell for the door, too terrified to look back at the enormous alien in pursuit.
Ezra ran out the entrance and tore into the pack, scattering the fleeing dogs, killing and maiming any that fell within his reach. Then he paused to listen to the fierce howling emanating from the bog. Another large party of feral dogs had arrived in time to join the fray. Reinforced and strengthened, the pack of canines turned on their tormentor, driving him back, nipping him, tearing off pieces of his flesh. Reeling with pain, the alien retreated before the relentless power of the pack, circling around the dome to the Safe Room in the rear. Howling desperately, he let the boy know he needed shelter.
But Bobby Lee had promised his uncle he would never open the Safe Room’s door to the bog. He would be letting the nasties in from outside if he did…
Ezra opened his mouth and howled for help one final time.
Suddenly, the external door to the Safe Room dilated open. As the pack moved in for the kill, the alien leapt in, collapsing onto the floor, a lone feral dog clinging to him with bloodstained teeth.
The door dilated shut, and J.B. leapt at the feral dog, clamping his jaw onto its shoulder. The feral released its grip on the alien and raced about the room, desperately trying to dislodge the bulldog, slamming him violently against the floor and the wall. But J.B. refused to let go. Relentlessly, he pulled himself up the dog’s shoulder, to its neck, with his sharp teeth. Reaching the animal's windpipe, he squeezed.
Bobby Lee heard a faint choking sound, and the Safe Room fell silent.
****
Uncle Jack hurried down the boardwalk with the new power cube in his hand. He had great news for Bobby Lee. Not only had he sold the rights to his Empathy Collar, he had secured a research position in a big city lab. They didn't have to shelter in the dome any longer. Now they could move to the restored city centre, where everything was safe and orderly.
Nearing the dome, he froze in his tracks. All about him lay the signs of conflict: the bloody remains of canine bodies and bones scattered among the bog laurel and mosses, and pieces of fur floating next to his feet in the stagnant pools of water. Staring at the dome with disbelief, he saw the front door hanging open.
“Come on!” he shouted to his android guards.
Inside the door, he found the shattered metallic body of Fritz and several dead feral dogs. Rushing over to the Safe Room, he saw the green occupancy light on over its door and breathed a sigh of relief. Bobby Lee had escaped the unexpected onslaught, but he still could be injured. Perhaps he needed medical help? The scientist’s hands shook as he unlocked the Safe Room door.
Peering inside, he was greeted by a comforting sight. Ezra lay spread out on the floor with his eyes closed, with Bobby Lee on top of his back, sleeping. Next to him sat J.B., affectionately licking the alien’s wounds. A string of words ran across the screen of Ezra's Empathy Collar. It said, I have friends...
“That's right,” said Uncle Jack, his voice trembling with emotion. “You do have friends, and you're never going back to a cage in a zoo. You'll always be with us.”
The scientist smiled as the string of words on the screen blurred.
It said, Cages and hunger no more... True friends are worth dying for.
“And you almost did, my friend,” whispered the scientist, patting Ezra affectionately on the head.
*Lagg: The very wet area around the perimeter of a raised bog where water collects. —Wiktionary
Meet the Author:
Thomas Koperwas is a retired teacher living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada who writes short stories of horror, crime, fantasy, and science fiction. His story Vacation won a Freedom Fiction Journal Top Crime Editor's Choice Award 2024. His work has appeared, or is forthcoming in: Anotherealm; Jakob’s Horror Box; Literally Stories; The Literary Hatchet; Literary Veganism; Bombfire; Pulp Modern Flash; Savage Planets; Dark Fire Fiction; The Sirens Call; Yellow Mama Webzine; 96th of October; Underside Stories; Danse Macabre; A Thin Slice Of Anxiety; Androids and Dragons; Chewers & Masticadores Canada; The Piker Press; Stupefying Stories Showcase; Metastellar; etc.
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Nice story. I was afraid there'd be dark ending at first - nope. Maybe need more stories with the alien?