By: Dylan Lenz 

They built an empire. They bought our legs then sold them back to us. Before our eyes they took what thousands of years had given us – our right to stand and in their shadow, on our knees, we fell.

Nine years ago they called it the miracle protein; the discovery to save the world. Within five months they had run out. The protein H78-J was harvested from the muscle tissue of the legs of distance-runners; they called it Marathara. Micron Inc. a Russian based pharmaceutical had found out how to activate the protein and patented the concept giving them exclusive rights to distribution. Russia blossomed as they began to produce the only product that could rival the energy trade.

 They would remove the hamstrings and the quadriceps in surgery and then synthesized the proteins into a capsule that sold for $2500 a pill and gave those who could afford it perfection. After a week those who took the pill had white-blood cells with incomparable capacities. The cells battled cancer and eradicated tumors. Spinal cords and bones were healed. Joints and ligaments were strengthened. Skin was thicker and more illustrious. Cuts healed in hours. Cardiovascular health and circularly conditions were like that of young athletes. Joints, ligaments, muscle and organs, all cured.  As long as you took the pill each day.

When Micron ran out of flesh they sponsored races hoping for donors. They met with former athletes who had hit hard times. They convinced college athletes to trade it for full ride scholarships and cash. They offered $250,000 per kilo of lean muscle. They cured obesity in the mean time. Men and women from every country and every culture began to run to produce H78-J. The problem was that it took 10 years of cultivation before the protein was self synthesized enough for harvest, so in the mean time men began to hunt the old runners. Poachers, who would catch those they could and remove our legs in hotel rooms to be sold to Micron.

I don’t know how they found me.