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Pain. That was the first sensation. It flashed for but a moment but it was certainly memorable. Next came nausea, hot flashes, then cold flashes. Finally awareness came to him as the beep of a heart monitor came through the haze. The weight of an elephant was keeping his eyes shut. The haze was starting to lift, though, and with it his eyelids slowly rose. Darkness veiled the room but the outlines were still visible. The dim screen of the monitor was reading out boring information and he could just make out an automatic drip machine. Suddenly it cycled and darkness claimed him once again.He didn't know how long he was out but the sun was starting to peek in through the window. The haze was lighter this time and dissipating quickly. A glance around told him he was alone and the room was silent aside from the heart monitor's steady beep. Strange cloth covered half of his face and draped over parts of his limbs. It was easier to move now and he pulled off the strange cloth.Moving around made a certain body part of his pull. A quick glance confirmed that they had catheterized him. That was not something he wanted to deal with at the moment. A pull, tug, and a cringe later and the dreaded device was free. With the tube gone, a sudden and fierce urge struck him and his priority changed to number one. Sitting up was an aggravating strain but his bladder was yelling at him to hurry. One foot in front of the other, the gap to the bathroom closed slowly. Weakness enveloped his muscles as the struggle to reach the bathroom continued. The minutes struggling to the toilet seemed to stretch infinitely until he finally achieved his goal. Sitting on the toilet, he panted, exhausted beyond anything he ever experienced. The heart monitor was beeping fast enough to reflect the effort the short trek required and the bags of fluids hanging from their rack swayed in front of him, taunting him.As his bladder drained, strength returned as well as memories of why he was in the hospital. He had been driving home after visiting friends in the next town over. An ominous fog had settled over the road, forcing his speed down below the speed limit. It was some time after 1 AM and he had been up for 36 hours. Out of the fog, a truck plowed through his car from behind at almost 100 miles per hour. The little Honda civic lost control, spinning out into the shoulder while the truck jackknifed to the other side. He had avoided injury and hopped out to help the trucker whose cab was laying on its side. Three steps from his own vehicle, the truck cab and cargo exploded brilliantly. The last thing he remembered was bouncing off his vehicle and landing on the road embankment before blacking out from shock, pain searing much of his body.A nurse stepped into the room as he was finishing his business. The nurse
had the most bewildered expression he had ever seen and her voice wavered badly, "Sam? Sam Pederson?""Yes?" Sam could think of nothing else to say to the poor girl. She looked like she had just seen a ghost."How... how are you out of bed? You shouldn't even be conscious! You didn't rip any stitches getting there, did you? What happened to your catheter? I--""Relax! I pulled out the catheter. I hate those things. No I did not pull any stitches."She didn't want to relax. What she wanted to do was call a code to get assistance but she had none while her patient was coherent. Then she noticed something, "your burns are gone!"Sam was just a little confused by this, but considering what he had just been through it did make sense, "you know, I have an idea. Why don't you go over and check all of my 'wounds' and maybe you will relax."The nurse gave it some thought, wanting with all of her being to object, but conceded in the end, "alright. Let's get you to the gurney and have a look." She certainly was not expecting Sam to stand and walk back to the gurney with as much ease as he did. What surprised her more was how Sam nonchalantly removed the gown and tossed it to the foot of the bed before climbing on. Sam lay there wearing nothing but a few sensor probes and an IV. She couldn't help but rub the bridge of her nose but at least she didn't have to fight with a gown tied behind a large man tonight. There were stitches and white patches spread over Sam's body. According to the emergency admission records and photos, Sam's entire front had been severely injured. Every white patch had been third degree burns; every stitched area had been a laceration from projectiles; every bruise still visible had been a broken bone. Sam was thinking it was all a hoax until the stitches would not pull off of his skin. The only thing that was uncomfortable at this point, however, was the remaining bruises. Sam was insistent on leaving, however uncomfortable that made the nurse."Samuel, we can't just let you leave! There is discharge paperwork, officers who want to interview you, and some lady in a red dress who had a very sadistic interest in your wounds." "And you know what? I don't care. Anyone who wants to talk to me can give me a call. I am leaving and going on my vacation; not sitting in a hospital. Now where is my stuff so I can get dressed and leave?""All of your clothes had to be sent to the incinerator because of chemical contamination. Your phone and wallet are in a bag in that cabinet." She paused for a bit but couldn't just let Sam leave, "you really can't just leave! We don't know what is wrong with you! Your injuries are still worrisome, we need new
X-rays, and the attending needs to clear you!""Don't care! Leaving anyways!" Sam wrapped a sheet from the bed around his body and walked out the door, the IVs pulling out as he rounded the corner. A woman in a form fitting red dress and stiletto heels to match was coming up the hallway. The Devil Wears Prada came to mind as she bore down on him. As he tried to brush past her, she grabbed hold of his wrist, "where do you think you're going? Hmm?""Home. I have things to do.""Last I checked, you were unconscious with near life threatening injuries. And you're leaving?""Shove off, or better yet, go choke on a dick." Her grip was a lot stronger on Sam's wrist than it should have been but it wasn't strong enough to hold him in place. Sam spun his wrist to dislodge it from the woman's grip before continuing down the hall.It was still too early for the hospital to be truly busy, thankfully. The sun was halfway over the horizon and shedding an eerie red glow to everything. Sam's father had always warned of the red sun. Sam could hear his father's voice while he recounted the saying: "a blood sunrise means there is danger approaching. Always beware the blood sun and moon." Sam scoffed at the thought of weather patterns affecting the day but he could not shake the sensation that someone was watching or following him. No person stopped Sam as he walked out of the hospital even though several people had looked his way confused. No one gave a second thought to some guy walking out of a hospital in a toga in the early hours of the morning with the few colleges nearby.Sam stopped in the atrium, realizing where he was, and smiled to himself since this hospital was only a couple miles from his apartment. His first step towards the main doors got the attention of the security guard in the atrium and he took too much interest in Sam, heading in his direction. Panic welled in Sam's chest, seizing his heart for a moment. There was no way he was getting detained by anyone with the morning he'd had. Sam took off away from the guard, towards the doors at the other end of the atrium. The sound of the guard's boots echoed in the empty atrium as Sam ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. For being as heavy as he was, Sam was surprised at how fast he was able to run. He was actually outpacing the guard and the man was very fit and buff. The door in the atrium opened outwards and Sam slammed into it as he kept running through the parking lot. The guard slowed to a stop. Chasing a heavy man off of the hospital property was way above his pay grade. Sam turned to follow the sidewalk towards his home once the guard turned to head back inside away from the cold. Sam surprised himself by jogging
all of the way home. He had a brown belt in karate but there is a distinct difference between being able to balance, kick, and strike an opponent and jogging down the street, barefoot, and being 150 pounds overweight. The complex Sam lived in came into view as he rounded a corner. He slowed to a walk to avoid more attention than he was willing to deal with. As a he stepped up to his door an idea from his ex girlfriend of putting a spare key under the potted plant on the windowsill suddenly became a godsend as he realized his keys were still in his car. The thought of the tow yard having his key chain and car left him a little wary but he would deal with that later.The sweet scent of sandalwood hit his nose the moment the door opened. Sam breathed it in deeply as the scent permeated his body, relaxing him to his core. It had always been his favorite scent since he'd discovered it as a teenager. His stock of cones and sticks of the incense sat where he'd left them on the entertainment center and he took two of each to light. Sam stopped at each incense burner to set down the piece and light them with the lighters beside them. Cones for the front room and bedroom, then sticks for kitchen and bathroom. He lit the stick in the bathroom last and caught something in his flame-illuminated reflection. He kept the lighter lit while he examined his reflection. There was a big white patch across the side of his face and around his right eye which seemed to be discolored. The light blazed to life as he flicked the switch and there was a change he was not ready for. The eye surrounded by white was no longer the normal chocolate brown. The iris was the most vibrant violet color he had ever seen edged with a shade of jade around the pupil and at the sclera. Sam had an urge to touch it to see if it was even real. He shook the sensation away and pulled out his cell phone. The poor device had cracked in several places, but it still worked and that was all that mattered for this moment. What surprised him the most was that it was still the same day. He could not ignore the strange happenings of the past 8 hours any more. First the truck running at highly illegal speeds, without headlights, and in the fog. Then the stitches and discolored skin. He had always healed fast but normally a cut would become a scar within a couple days and fade by the end of the week. Anything requiring stitches usually took weeks to heal, not hours. Not to mention, experiencing an explosion first hand at ten feet usually scatters a person in multiple directions. Sam not only survived the blast but apparently walked out of the hospital just seven hours later. Maybe there was something strange about what chemical the truck was carrying. It was the only explanation. Some kind of experimental healing goop? Maybe...A loud knock at the door broke Sam's
reverie. Nobody, Sam knew, would be there that early on a Friday. Everyone he knew was aware of his night shift hours and most knew he was on vacation for the next week. Whoever they were, Sam didn't want them staring at the white patches or his discolored eye. His clean clothes were still folded on his bed from laundry the previous night and he tossed the toga aside for some actual clothing. The knock came again, louder this time as Sam was buttoning his pants. For some reason they felt more loose than usual. A pair of sunglasses followed a long sleeved shirt and he stepped up to the front door. He checked through the peephole before opening the door to make sure it was not someone he should be wary of. A woman in a red business suit was on the other side of the peephole and she certainly did not look happy. She was also smoking hot. This just might be worth opening the door.Sam pulled open the door right as the woman was pulling back to slam on it. The woman paused with her arm pulled back and stared right at the white patch on Sam's face. She stared shamelessly without looking away for a full minute. She did not even look like she was breathing so Sam stepped back to close the door instead of waiting for a response. With reflexes not befitting of the secretary she looked like, she reached out and stopped the door with the arm that had been cocked back. With a scowl, Sam pulled the door back open. Hot or not, staring was extremely rude."Sam Pederson?""Yeah. What's it to you?""I am Agent Woodrow with the FBI. It was brought to my attention that you were caught in an accident with one of our trucks last night."Sam had been wary before but now he was suspicious, "badge or I'm shutting this door much harder this time."Agent Woodrow huffed and pulled out her badge. It was authentic as far as Sam could tell, "alright. What can I do for you?""As I said, you were in an accident with one of our vehicles last night. I went to the hospital not too long ago and to my surprise, they couldn't find you. Security footage had you running out of the building at a surprising speed for one of your size."Sam had to chuckle to mask the nervousness he was building, "hey, surprised me as well. I'm fat. I never run.""Yes, well... That brings up a lot of questions. First and foremost is in relation to the ET act of '97. You are familiar with this?""Who isn't? Aliens discovered living amongst us? What does that have to do with me? I'm human. I have my baby pictures, a social security number, birth certificate. So do both of my parents!""That all becomes rather moot right now. Particularly because of the
nature of the chemical you were exposed to.""What, the super healing goop that caught fire and left burns before healing me?"Agent Woodrow sighed. This was about to get frustrating, "if that is what you want to believe, fine. The true nature of the chemical is classified, but I guarantee you healing is not its intended purpose. So, again, this leaves you as the loose end."Panic welled up in Sam's chest. This lady wanted to cart him off for government experiments based on a law to protect humanity from alien influence. Maybe he can dissuade her from trying to use it on him, "look, why don't you come in. I can show you my baby pictures. That and five pictures minimum per year until I left for college at 18. Hell, my parents are rednecks! I'm only a little smarter than them! I'm struggling with my bachelors in computer engineering. I'm thinking I'll only ever be a tech guy for best buy. No alien powers or intelligence here!"Agent Woodrow sighed again. This sort of thing was far below her pay grade, but she was the only agent in the area. She also knew she could not force Sam into anything. Not only was she only five foot flat and 100 pounds, she wasn't any higher of a karate belt than Sam. It served her well against normal targets but this guy was actually dangerous for her with his high weight. That was why she was told observe only. "Look, I am not authorized to bring you in," she pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "I just wanted to talk to you about this whole situation. We know that by some power, you are not human. That is obvious by you being alive in front of me. We also know you are not lying though, which leaves us at an impasse. You are born human. Born a citizen. You have rights, no matter what law was brought forth. However, we cannot have a known non-human wandering around unchecked. Keep yourself hidden. Buy some concealing makeup to cover that patch. Just try to avoid getting attention. Alright? You have lived as a human for the past 23 years, I think a few more weeks while we figure this out will not change anything."Sam was so relieved that he slumped against the door frame. The breath he had been holding came whooshing out as he nodded."And one last thing." With one finger up she looked Sam dead in the eye, "if you see anyone who looks like me approach you; run. Do not hesitate, just run. My sister works against the government and you do not want to be caught by her. You will not see me again until you are brought in for questioning, which I guarantee you will happen eventually. Do not worry about us, the government does not want to hurt you. HS-Purity is the name of the organization you do not want to encounter. The group my sister works for."That was a sobering thought.
Here he thought the government was the one to be wary of, instead there was another group that he didn't know of that was actually dangerous. Stranger still, this agent's sister was one of them. That must be awkward at family reunions. Without so much as a nod or handshake, Woodrow turned and walked off. The clack of her heels echoed off the stairs while Sam struggled to process this new information. With Agent Woodrow gone, the gears ground to a halt in his mind. There was too much Sam needed to know about what was happening. Too much that could alter the route of his life. Sam eyed the suitcase sitting on his couch. He originally planned a vacation. Questions or not, a vacation would help clear his mind and he was going to take it. Maybe talking with his friends about this new problem would help get it sorted.Sam hated asking his mom for help. The old lady always made him feel like the cost would be his first born son as repayment for her troubles. All he wanted was a lift from his home to the train station,. It was a measly eight miles,. bBut, of course, she had to hassle him the whole way and complain about how it was screwing up her daily schedule. Sure, she was going to miss half of her Llifetime movie; but they are always the same damn thing. Poor girl beaten and abused forced into a bad marriage, o. Or psycho ex boyfriend kidnaps the woman or her daughter, o. Or any other scheme that made it sound like all women were brutalized. Sam couldn't stand it. At least once he got out of the car it was easier to avoid her constant complaining.Sam silently thanked Agent Woodrow's advice every few minutes while on the train. Every person who walked by was only curious about the sunglasses and didn't notice the makeup on his face. To his benefit, he made sure to apply the foundation to his whole face so no one who got close enough to see anything would think twice about it. Someone wants to wear makeup? Who cares?! Makeup only on half of the face? Very strange and requires investigation. As a benefit, It did make his skin look very smooth and soft.Everything was going smoothly until the train was a few hours away from Sam's stop. He was trying to con the stewardess into giving him two "meals" since they were unsubstantial and he had missed the first round of meals hours ago. Sam almost had the stewardess convinced when the emergency brakes were pulled on the train. Sam's heart fell at the sight of his meal as well as several others falling into the aisle along with the stewardess. That Salisbury steak had his name on it, too. The cart with all of the entrees and drinks went barreling down the aisle straight into a stewardess that was clinging to a couple chairs to remain upright. The heavy cart tackled the poor woman to the ground but thankfully her body stopped it from smashing
into the young kid and elderly woman who had just stepped out of the restrooms. Sure, she was going to have a multitude of bruises and maybe a broken wrist, but the other two would have fared much worse than the young stewardess.With a final jerk, the train stopped. Most everyone was busy looking around confused but Sam had other ideas. He got up and walked towards the back of the train where the lounge was. Since Sam's dinner plans were suddenly halted, he figured his best bet for staving off weight loss was the vending machines on the lower floor of the lounge car. All of the passengers on the train seemed to be freaking out because the train stopped. Sam could care less. Let the masses of sheep worry about something that is most likely just something stuck on the tracks. It happeneds quite frequently. Sam contemplated his attitude while he examined the vending machines. This air of superiority wais new for him. Sure, he wais rather coarse at times but he knew his position in life was not a leader. It was not in his genes. And yet he stood there, feeling stronger and even smarter. Somewhere along the lines he hadwas changed. Maybe it was the chemical, maybe it was before then. Whatever it was, his Twinkie, honey roll, and pretzels were not going to eat themselves.Sam loved Twinkies and he made sure to save it for last. The sweet cream and slightly moist cake melted in his mouth in an explosion of flavor and clogged arteries. Sam knew he shouldn't eat them, knew that he should lose weight, knew he should exercise outside of his martial arts training, but he just didn't care. Life was short and he had no reason to try extending it a few years when he could have more fun without the years it would take to correct his indulgences. Shouting? Well that is not particularly normal for a blocked track. Sam started thinking he should have been more worried about the emergency brakes than he was. Oh well, if he was going to die, he was going to do it with a Twinkie in his hands.The shouts got louder and Sam could hear faint crying. The rapid crack of an unsilenced machine gun gave Sam a mild panic attack. Definitely not something normal. Sam trudged up the steps to where the rest of the train passengers were gathering. He leaned against the railing and watched as the last few filtered in. Armed guards shut the doors and locked them from outside; standing there to make sure no one tried to break out. A few passengers screamed and dove away from the wall as a six foot wide section was ripped away. In its place stood a platform with several men in militia gear. From behind them stepped the one person Sam had been warned away from. Agent Woodrow's sister. They may well have been twins but the difference was still clear. The expression she had made
Sam's blood run cold rather than hot. This one was sadistic. A few people stepped closer to this woman when she stopped at the end of the platform. Idiots, every one of them.The woman clapped her hands together and smiled a wicked grin., "I'm sure most of you are on your way to visit friends and family. I will make this brief so that the delay is minimal. We are performing an experiment." One militia man stepped up holding a glass of green sludge., "Wwe are looking, specifically, for aliens. Yes, I know the ET act is meant to find and extradite those very beings but we are going one-step further: we are weeding out the ones that are good at hiding. They like it here, but we do not want them here. You all get one of two options. You either drink this glass, or you can get hosed down by this stuff. It is up to you. Do I have any volunteers?" No one stepped forward and Sam did not blame them. "Anyone? Come on now, we are on a tight schedule."Nobody stepped forward still. The woman frowned and snapped her finger. A pair of men in hazmat suits stepped forward with a large black hose. Before they could open it, Sam spoke up, "Wwait! Fine, I'll drink your damn sludge."The woman frowned but conceded, "Vvery well. I am a woman of my word. Hand him the glass, Charles."The glass was heavy, feeling more like it was filled with lead rather than some liquid. Sam sloshed it around a little, watching it spin as the fluid distorted like a liquid crystal display being pressed on. Finally he took a sniff and almost dropped it at the pungent odor., "Ddear lord that is nasty! How can yYou expect anyone to drink something so foul?" The woman only tapped her shoe and Sam noticed it was a stiletto heel just like what the person from the hospital wore. He could certainly see it now. "Alright. Let's see if I can handle this." Sam brought the glass close to his lips a few times but heaved and held the glass out every time. He was actually stalling. He never planned to drink the foul fluid. His hope was that someone would arrive soon to help. He could stall no more, though. The man who handed him the glass was approaching. Whether to take it or force it down his throat he was unsure. Sam did not want to find out.When the man was three feet away, Sam sealed his own death by splashing the foul liquid into the militia man's face. The man immediately screamed and scrambled backwards while Sam walked back to where he was standing against the railing., "if you want to kill us all, just get it over with! I'd rather take a bullet than suffer like that!"The man's violent screams only lasted half a minute
before he lay still in death. All of the passengers rioted and ran for the exits. Some even ran towards the militia men but the hose was opened and those wanting revenge were washed away in liquid and screams of torture. Sam could see the woman's frustration at both being delayed and losing a man. She turned and walked off the platform while the hose men worked in a sweep to douse all of the passengers. A pass went over the people in front of Sam and in their panic, most of the 15 or so there fell down the stairs, taking Sam with them. Unfortunate for Sam, he was pushed down the stairs ahead of everyone, hitting the stairs and the eventual floor below hard. His consciousness did not survive the fall and in the process, ten squirming human bodies that were slowly dissolving from the sludge stacked on top of him. Sam would thank his luck later for being unconscious for this part. Unfortunately, with everyone now covered in the chemical, help was too late to save anyone. At least help did arrive. A couple of assault helicopters followed by a medivac raced in from the horizon. The assault helicopters swooped in and attacked the vehicles from the militia and forced them to leave in a hurry while the medivac lowered a hazmat team in a basket. All of them would need therapy after this evening.Pain. Again. This time it was not fading. Sam felt like a FreightLiner played chicken with his body. At least this time he was not waking up fuzzy. The small blessings, right? Sam slowly opened his eyes to bright lights hovering over him. Pain blazed through his left eye, forcing them shut again. He held his left eye closed as he tried to sit up and look around. It was definitely a hospital room again. At least there was no catheter or IVs hanging off his appendages. As he got up, the urge to shake his body pricked at the back of his mind for some odd reason. It was one of the weirdest sensations he had experienced yet.Lacy, one of Sam's best friends, was sitting in a chair across the room resting. The poor girl looked like she had had a rough night. Sam remembered that she was staying up late to pick him up from the train station, which made a lot of sense for her to look so tired. No one made it to that train station. An image of the guard's half dissolved face popped into his memory and a shudder crept up his spine. There was still no evidence pointing at him being alien. He just didn't turn into a puddle of organic goo when exposed to this gunk. A lot of his body felt like pins and needles so he pulled off the sheets covering him to a frightening sight. All of his skin was completely white. He also noticed he was completely naked with no gown. He was interrupted from his thoughts by Lacy waking up."Sam? You're
alright!" Lacy promptly jumped onto the bed to hug Sam, ignoring the state of undress he was in. "We were all so worried about you! First the accident now an attack on the train. When will you catch a break?""I don't know but this is getting ridiculous. So what have the doctors said? Any ideas about the white skin?""Nothing yet. The FBI guy was more surprised you were alive than anything. So how does it feel?""More FBI? And how does what feel?""You know, the fur and feathers. There's not much but it's been growing in"Sam took a closer look at his skin and noticed the white had fur growing on it. As if the white skin had not been troubling enough, now there was something else to worry about. Something moved low in his vision and his eyes focused in on it. 'Growing in' had been an understatement! He could visibly watch it growing! This couldn't be good at all, "growing in? This is spreading faster than a wild fire! There is nothing they can do about it?""Well... we could always shave it? Your skin will still be white though. The agent said this happ--"The door opened a bit rougher than it should have and in stepped a man who looked like he had been dressed as an agent at one point. Currently his white hair was a mess and his clothing was untucked, wrinkled, and disheveled. He looked like hell."Ahh, Samuel. Good to see you awake. You seem to be surprising me around every turn.""Surprising you? You scared the shit out of me! Why the hell would you barge through the door so roughly!?""You should be glad you are not dead like everyone else on that train was. That leaves the biggest issue, however. You can not survive exposure to that chemical, and certainly not in the doses you received twice, and be human. It is impossible.""Yeah well it looks like there is a .1 percent deal with survivability because I assure you I am human.""And I am telling you. You are not human. There is a 100% fatality rate at only one ounce. You drank down more than that when you were hosed. You should be dead, but since you are not, we must assume you are not, or are no longer human. Agent Woodrow could not explain because it was above her pay grade, but this chemical destroys human DNA. Only human DNA and it is viciously effective at it. People dissolve as their cells burst just from contact. You, instead, are changing. From what I can see, you are almost done though. Most of your skin is white and the fur is catching up. Once that is done, we just need to figure out what you are and send you on your way." This agent brushed his hair back with a hand like
this was another day in the office.Sam and Lacy just looked at each other, more out of fear than anything, as the fur advanced on the last place of Sam's body to change. His right eye had thus far avoided changing to look like his left, which was a deep violet rimmed with jade. Lacy had the misfortune of being able to watch the fur advance around the eye and the iris change colors. Time seemed to slow down as the last of Sam's brown coloring disappeared into the violet abyss. The agent was about to make a comment about his transformation being complete before Sam's eyes bulged in their sockets and shattered the bone around them. At the same time the iris grew in size and the pupil become a long slit, giving the eyes a primal, animalistic quality. Sam wanted to scream from the pain but the suddenness shocked him to the core. He settled for rolling onto his side and shivering from the pain. Lacy even turned pale as a ghost from the sight and sounds, having to step into the bathroom to avoid the sights as she dry heaved into the toilet. More cracks and pops followed as a very uneven mutation overtook Sam's body. Oddly enough, his body was not getting larger or taller, but rather it was shrinking as the energy to swiftly convert his body over was pulled from his fat storage. Bones resized, muscles tightened and moved, and organs rearranged themselves within his body. Outwardly it just looked like he was shrinking, but the burning and sharp pain of bones and muscles breaking and reforming was something Sam would never forget. The agent watched as Sam's black nails elongated and sharpened, making deadly claws. His toes reshaped and thickened, making large cat shaped paws, complete with two inch long sickle claws. The change that confused the agent the most, however, was the small mounds that formed on Sam's chest after he lost all of his weight, and the recession of his penis and scrotum. Fluid was leaking from all of his pores, leaving a steady stream of liquid running off the side of the table.Suddenly everything stopped. Sam stopped shivering, the liquid stopped running, and Lacy stopped getting sick. The agent waited for a full minute of silence before making a comment, "well that had to be the strangest thing I've ever seen."Sam sat bolt upright, bared his new feline teeth, and growled a deep warning to the agent. Any other comments he might have had instantly vanished at seeing two inch long incisors. Human, Sam was certainly not anymore. The agent cleared his throat, "perhaps now is a bad time to introduce myself. My name is Terry. I am the head of the ET division of the FBI."He held out his hand but Sam was wary of shaking it at this point. Sam was still numb and tingling from the pain he just endured. An odd rumbling sound caught his ear, though, and he
moved to the doorway to take a look out to see what it was. To his left, Sam saw militia running his way carrying large assault weapons. They were a long ways down the hall but Sam could still see all of the details on their suits as well as the HSP on the arm bands. Things were getting very bad now. New instincts Sam didn't know he had were telling him to run up though. Sam turned the corner, scared the hell out of a bunch of nursing staff, and ran for the end of the hall. Thankfully this hospital was large and had elevators and stairs on both sides of the hall, giving Sam the option to run up the stairs. Sam could hear the militia calling his position with their radios even as he ascended the stairs three steps at a time. The last thing he heard before bursting through the door to the roof was a call for reinforcements.Sam took a moment to catch his breath and figure out why he had just run to the top of a 30 story building. Now he was standing on the asphalt roof with no clothes on and a new suit of fur. It was dark out but the sky was cloudy, the city lights illuminating the bottom of the clouds. A few drops of water started falling as Sam looked up, making him realize he needed to get somewhere safe soon. He could see a fire escape on the side of the building and started walking that way. He felt so worn down that it was hard enough to just walk without stumbling. Everything felt awkward. Everything hurt. This night couldn't get any worse.Suddenly the door he had come onto the roof from burst open with militiamen. Each one was leveling their assault rifles on Sam as soon as they were out the door. Sam didn't wait; he didn't even think. With a speed no human could match, Sam ran to the edge of the roof, his new claws digging deep into the asphalt, and leapt into the night air.Sam suddenly felt very confused, something was off. He should not have jumped off that roof but his instincts told him to. New instincts that he had no understanding of yet. In hindsight, jumping off of a 30 story building was at the top of his dumbest things ever done. It took him a few seconds, but he also realized the next building over was quickly coming under his feet and he was still soaring superman style towards it. The only thing he could think to do was tuck his shoulder and try to roll into the landing. Easier said than done at over 40 miles per hour. Sam hit hard, tumbling and sliding to the opposite side of the roof, garnering a few new bruises and scrapes along the way.Sam realized his night could get a lot worse and steadily was. He picked himself up and looked towards the hospital. It stood ten stories up from where he was and easily 50 feet away from the building. The militiamen were leaning on the edge of the hospital, one was calling orders while the others were working with equipment Sam had never
seen before. The moment one pulled out his gun, Sam ran towards the fire escape on this roof, opting for the stairs rather than jumping off again. Sam marveled at how quietly he could run down the metal stairs. Rain probably made more noise hitting them than he was.Once in the alley between the buildings, Sam jogged off to find shelter, trying to ignore his weariness. A stray radio going off told Sam it was 12:30 in the morning and that heavy downpours should be starting soon. Sam was about to start looking for a semi-clean dumpster to spend the night in when the aroma of Taco Bell reached his nose. Instantly his stomach cramped in hunger as his nose twitched, following the trail of fatty goodness to the source. A few turns through the alleys and swiftly across one street and Sam found the source of his salvation. With one last burst of energy, he ran across the street and knocked on the drive thru window. He was starting to feel wobbly when someone answered the window."Whoa. I - I'm sorry, we can't take people at the window. Company policy and such, ma'am. If you come back tomorrow...""Wait... ma'am? I'm not... But I just... So tired." Sam's body could finally take nothing more as he collapsed onto the concrete under the window. With a curse, the clerk went around to bring the poor thing in.Some time later, Sam slowly came back to reality. As he opened his hazy eyes, the first thing that came into focus was a large cup with brown liquid. His nose told him it was Pepsi. Good idea to give sugar to someone who just passed out. Sam licked his lips but felt a large tooth in the way of his tongue. The kid holding the cup came into focus finally and Sam couldn't help but think he looked nerdy. Oddly enough he was grinning like a maniac as well. "Oh good, you're awake."Sam's body still ached from the changes, of which he still has not seen the extent. He tried to sit up but was held back down by the kid, "not a good idea yet. Why don't you relax while I finish closing up, then we can talk. Maybe get some food in you. Your ribs tell me you need a few burritos."Sam looked down at himself and realized he wasn't in his own body at all. He was now thin as a rail with ribs showing through the fur over his body as well as his pelvis giving him the "hip gap" that he despised for years. On that same note, he may not have been able to see his penis for the past 15 years due to his fat, but even this thin he still couldn't see it. That couldn't be a good thing. The kid came back with a small platter of food and interrupted his thoughts."I didn't think to ask what you liked or if you even could eat this stuff, but I made some food. My name is Kyle." He set the tray down on the table and extended his hand
to shake. Sam accepted his shake with a smile, "Sam. Thanks for bringing me in. There's some people out there looking for me.""Any chance to help a damsel in distress! So what are you anyways? I haven't seen anyone with a costume like yours. Ever. Not even art!""Ugh, please don't call me a damsel. As for what I am, well I don't know. I've only looked like this for a few hours."Kyle's face lit up like a spot light, "REALLY!? How did you do it? Is it permanent? How does it make you feel?""Dude, chill. I don't know if it is permanent, it made me feel like I was dying, and what did this to me would kill someone with full human blood.""Awww man. Wait, what do you mean full human blood? You weren't human when this happened?""Ehhh, well... depending on who you ask. I was born human and lived a normal life, if not boring. The theory is someone messed with my DNA somewhere along the lines and now I'm not human any more."Kyle opened his mouth to ask more questions but Sam's stomach stopped him with a deep growl, "ah. Forgot about that. Eat up, I'm just about done here." He watched with interest as Sam opened the wrapper on a bean burrito but shuddered when he got a good look at Sam's set of teeth. They were most definitely not human. Not even close. They closely resembled a cat's set, however. More specifically, a large cat like a tiger or jaguar.Sam took a few bites to get used to the new incisors in his mouth. They were large and long but he could open his mouth wide enough to get around them. Burritos were perfect for this. Thankfully there were no hard tacos. Those would not have fit between his teeth. Before he knew it, the three soft tacos and two burritos had become one with his stomach. Sadly, he did not feel full. He would not have been able to eat that much and not feel full a day ago! That goop was doing some strange things to his body. Kyle came walking back over now with a bag of more burritos and a big smile."Well those didn't last long. I'm glad I made more! Are you ready to go? It's closing time and the place needs to be locked up.""Oh. Well alright. I might be able to figure out where my friend lives. Do you have a map of the city or a GPS I can borrow for a few minutes?""Err. Not with me. I only live a block away so I walk all of the time. It is pretty late, though. You can crash on my couch tonight if you want? I have plenty of room."Sam's prospects for the night lit up considerably and so did his face, "really? You would do that for me? You've already done so
much.""Yeah! No problem at all. Come on, let's start walking." Kyle locked the doors behind them and started walking up the street. Sam was wobbling still but it was more about not being used to his feet than anything. True to his word, Kyle's home was just around the corner. Sam's mood was slowly declining the whole way as he took stock of himself. Breasts, no penis or at least it was hidden, thin as a rail, and several body parts that looked more animal than human, namely his feet and face. Kyle was trying to cheer him up more the worse it got. Eventually it had to come to a head."Come on, Sam! What's so bad about it? You're a little skinny but a few more burritos will put some meat on your bones. Besides, you're still a good lookin gal and your eyes are one of the coolest things I've ever seen! What's so bad about being a skinny chick?""STOP! Just stop. Jesus, Kyle. Enough is enough. Calling me attractive is not winning you any points. A day ago I had a penis and moobs, not a slit and IBT's. I'm short now, my weight is all gone, I feel awkward in my own skin, and I'll never be able to go back to my own home again. I'm depressed for a reason. Let me mope for a bit.""Only for a little bit. It's not healthy. We're at my place now anyways. Come on in, I'll give you the grand tour."They walked in and Sam's jaw dropped. The place looked like a bachelor pad with inheritance rather than a kid who worked at Taco Bell. Plush leather couch, Samsung big screen, he glimpsed a few kitchen gadgets around the corner, and shelves and walls decorated in furry paraphernalia. Everything was high quality and expensive. Sam was impressed and shocked."...and here's my room. Shower is through that door and what not. Anyways... what? Is there something on my face?""How... how do you afford all of this!? You work at taco bell!""Is it that shocking? Well I spent a couple years in community college taking every arts and photography class they had. On top of getting an inheritance from my grandparents, who are still alive, I became a professional photographer." Sam followed him into the next room, Kyle's bedroom, where he showed Sam the fancy camera he worked with. "That is where I make my money, Taco Bell is just my weekday job to keep me occupied. Speaking of, I am doing photography at the convention for the next two days. I need to get some sleep. Seven o'clock comes quickly!""You're going to the convention tomorrow!? Oh that's awesome! I was headed there before all of this happened. Can I hitch a ride? I should find my friend there. She'll probably have all of my stuff and I can repay you for everything you've
done.""No need for repayment. I have more than I know what to do with. I live comfortable though. Besides, you can tell me how comfortable the couch is to sleep on. I've heard these are heavenly, but I prefer my bed. It's a little firmer.""Alright. See you in the morning?" Kyle just smiled, sending Sam off with a plush comforter and pillow. Sam settled into the couch but didn't feel like he needed the comforter. It was a comfortable temperature in the room. He lay there briefly contemplating everything that had just happened over 48 hours and is glad he got through it alive. He frowned down on his body he could still see in the dark and tried to get some sleep. Maybe there would be a way to reverse this.