Dont Fear....

The Evolution of Language

Communication is probably the single most valuable characteristic we have that separates us from animals. The complexity and speed at which our brains can process speech and signals sets us apart from any other species on Earth. That is why it was so damaging when we began to lose this ability.

At first we thought it was an epidemic, and it was in some sense of the word. People began to stutter at first, the fluidity of speech was disrupted. Then they could only speak in short, broken sentences. Doctors decided there was an infectious disease causing Aphasia in the brain. The rich fled, taking refuge in the four large space stations that were orbiting the planet.

Those that were left behind were only humans by the definition of the word. Many lost the ability to speak whatsoever, others picked one word and recycled it over and over and over to try to withhold their insanity. Without communication, civilization broke down. People who could still speak voiced only their instinct to survive. Words such as hunger, eat, sleep, and survive became prevalent in the dwindling vocabulary of the inferior human race. Insanity took over and people became aggressive, angry, animals.

The rich had been holed up in Aphelion 1-4, spinning around their previous home, for around a decade. They had succeeded in preserving the human language, and with it also retained their culture and intelligence. However, as much as a success as the Great Evacuation had been, their supplies were now squandered, having been unable to rid themselves of their selfishness and greed during times of scarcity and ration.

Upon re-entry, they waited with bated breath to see what they would find on the surface. Days passed without any contact from The Inferiors, and the humans now believed they had all been wiped out. That is, until, a lone scout ran into their camp panting and out of breath. He relayed his information to the leaders of the survivors and each one grew deathly pale. A huge horde of creatures were heading towards the camp at alarming pace. Their language, like their appetite, had been reduced to one efficient, definitive word.

The scout looked up at the large group and whimpered: "I-I heard it, what they said."

"What was it boy?" an elderly man barked, "Speak up!"

"Brains."