R-Day
"Oh my gosh, this is so darn boring." I hiss. Stupid school.
I wish something would happen. Sitting here in the library on a Friday night
was not how I planned my weekend.
"Could be worse. We could actually have homework on top of
this." Koyu explained. He was engrossed in our chemistry paper, doing most of
the work and only letting me do the minimal, even though I liked chemistry too."I still don't like projects." I pout. I placed my head on
the desk and stared at the clock. It's
only 7:30 PM. Are you kidding me?!Koyu closed a book hard enough to snap me out of my little
trance. "That didn't help." He commented. He set it aside."Don't you sometimes wish something awesome would happen?" I
asked the chemistry nerd."Like what?" Koyu countered."I dunno..." I mutter. The librarian sneaks up behind Koyu and
scares him out of his skin, causing me to laugh."The library is closing, you two." The librarian chuckles. I
continue to giggle as I put my books up and Koyu keeps up with our notes. We part
ways until the next day.I arrive home to my family who are preoccupied as usual. I
turn on the TV and see a Breaking News story taking up the screen. "The radioactivity that has been spreading
since the nuclear war in Australia has reached the USA, and at lethal levels." I
freak out at that sentence. This can't be happening. A radioactive apocalypse?
Well there's something to break the monotony. My family tries to calm me down,
being skeptic as ever. I try to hide my panic so they'll leave me alone and
head up to my room. Koyu calls soon after."Frost, have you seen the news?" He asked."Yeah, and my parents are being as unbelieving as they
usually are. Do you think my family's right?" I asked."I doubt it. This isn't something the news station should
joke about. Even if it's indeed April." Koyu explained.I sighed. "I suppose you have a point. How do you think
this'll work out?""My guess would be we all die of radioactive poisoning.
Either that or we'll mutate beyond recognition.""How long?""A day? A week? Maybe even months. This isn't a definite thing.""Tis true." I sighed. I hung up and lay on my bed. This is not going to be fun. I couldn't
help but think. I just sat there until I eventually fell asleep.Pound pound pound. I'm
awoken to violent rapping on the door. I put my ear to the door. "Hello?" I
say. My response is a hand breaking straight through the wooden door and trying
to grab me. I scream and back away. I look around for a weapon and find nothing
useful. I grab my pillow and open the door. A hideous monstrosity walks
through. My mother, decayed and possessed, walks at me, trying to rip me apart.
I shove the pillow in her face, effectively disorienting her as I run past her
into the kitchen to grab a knife. I take the largest knife I can and turn to
find my dad, equally zombified, about to swing at me. I chop his hand off a
little too easily. I then drive the knife through his head. I'm about to
withdraw the knife when I get a look at my hand. Well, actually it's a paw. I
stare at it in wonder, the sound of my brothers and mother fading into the
white noise as my brain tries to process what I'm looking at. My paw has black
pads where the skin would show and is covered in white fur. I flex my wrist and
claws shoot out of the tips of my fingers. I then notice I no longer have
normal finger nails. At least I don't
need that knife. I think.My undead brothers then burst into the kitchen, trying to
get a chunk of me for a midnight snack. An instinct that was never there before
kicks in. I bring out my claws, slicing my brothers to pieces. Sorry guys. I silently apologize. My mom
is the last one to take care of, then I'll be confident they won't hurt me
while I prep myself for whatever else might be out there. I turn the corner to
enter the living room, and my new reflexes save my life by forcing me to duck
as a chair- no a couch- flies over my
head. I look up to see my mom was the hurler. I stand, baffled, for a few
seconds. This isn't regular radiation. I
note. My mood worsens as my instincts once again use my body without
permission. I twist my wrist and a spike of ice shoots out of my palm and
impales my mother through the eye."Well that happened." I say aloud. I go upstairs and grab my
backpack, emptying the books and preparing to stuff it with whatever will serve
to help me survive. I find that the books fall out, but there's still something
in my pack. I look in and notice that not only is there something in my bag,
but there's an impossible amount of space in it. I pull out the item: a
baseball sized, shiny, iridescent teal pearl. "Whoa." I exhale. It emanates a
dull energy that I can't quite place, but I dismiss that and put it back in my book
bag.I grab more things, like food and water, and stuff them in
my pack. I then run out of my room to leave this dreadful house. I catch a
glimpse of myself in the mirror and do a double-take. My eyes confirm my
suspicions. I'm now an anthropomorphic Siberian white tiger. My stripes are
glowing an extremely faint cyan, but it's there. I take a deep breath. This body will take some getting used to.
I think. I turn to leave and acknowledge my new tail. Maybe it won't be that bad. I think as I realize how much my sense
of balance has increased.I run out of the house and sprint down the street. I
immediately feel the freedom of the increased speed and stamina this new body
has given me. I'm so caught up in the advantages of this new form that I see
the anthro husky headed for me a tenth of a second before we collide...