by Olivia Myers
Goatee spoke again. This time his voice sounded more polished and clinical.
“Everyone in here in the cells is here for the same reason you are, dear. You survived the injection, which means you’re a shape-shifter. Everyone in this hallway turns into an animal. We aren’t sure why some survive and some don’t. We also aren’t sure why everyone seems to turn into different animals. We gave you all the same dose of the injection. Drink the water and you’ll change. Drink the water again and you’ll change back. Water affects the changes, at least when you first get your abilities. We can’t really explain that part, but by the time we’re through with all of you, we’ll understand it perfectly.”
Emily was both angered and confused. Why would someone want to do such a thing? Why did they pick her small town? More importantly, where was Josh? Hopefully he could follow her scent if he turned back into his canine form.
Then again, what could he do here? Maybe it was better for him to stay away and get help from beyond the wall. Surely he could find a way through it.
“Why should I want to change?” she asked, trying to keep Goatee distracted. The longer he was here with her, the less effort everyone else was spending looking for Josh. “I’m not drinking from some damn bowl and I’m not some damn science experiment. You killed my family, friends, and the town. You can just go to hell with your bowls of water!”
The scientists in the hallway stopped their chatter and stared at Emily. She stared back at them. They looked stupefied. Maybe the other new shape-shifters had been easier to manipulate.
Emily said nothing and remembered a very important fact. She turned into a cat, a small cat, but a cat indeed. She would be able to get in and out of tight spaces if needed. As soon as they weren’t watching, as soon as people were stupid enough to walk away or turn their backs, she would transform and slip through the bars of her cell. The large metal doors lay propped open by the top bar clamp.
The man spoke again but this time he was much colder. “You will get thirsty in time. You will change. And we will see what animal you turn into. You either drink or you die of thirst in this cell. It’s all the same to us.”
Emily watched the man walk out of the room and through the large doors, his back and shoulder stiff with anger. She smiled to herself. He wasn’t as in much control as he liked to think. Emily would decide where and when she turned into a cat.
Once again she reviewed the surroundings and got a better picture of the hall. It was wide in the center, opening up into a larger room which housed the computers. She counted the cell doors along the hallway, and realized there were more than she’d originally thought. Through the bars of each cell, she could see that people of all ages. Some of them were shifting back and forth into animals, and some were not.
Emily sighed and looked down at the puddle of water on the floor. She would wait just a little longer to ensure her getaway was clear. The remaining scientists moved about and eventually left the larger room. The door remained open.
Once the coast was clear, Emily leaned down and began to lap from the small puddle on the floor. Not quite sure how long it would take, she continued to drink until the change took place. She shifted once again into a felis domesticus. She had learned those words in Biology but never really had a reason to use them. Now she stood draped under her clothes.
With her sleeker body, Emily the cat was able to slide through the bar openings and dash for the doorway. She stopped short as she got a closer look of those who were not as fortunate as she. She really wanted to help them, but there was nothing she could do. She had to get out and find Josh. Maybe together they could come up with a plan and help the captives.
She raced up and down the hall until she spied an open window in one of the cells. She squeezed through the bars of the empty cell and stared up at the window. How was she going to….? Oh right. She was a cat. She inched back and prepared for the leap before jumping up and using her paws to grab the window and pull herself up.
Just as she got to the top, she looked outside. It was a long drop. She looked along the wall, but there was no way to climb down.
A figure at the edge of the wall caught her attention—it was Josh, still in his dog form. He was at the front door, pacing back and forth as if trying to find a way in. She began to yell to get his attention, but all she could do was make a meowing sound. Josh was too far down to hear her. She looked at the ground again and thought of the jump. It scared her, but cats usually landed on their feet, right? Bunching her muscles, she went for it.
The feeling was exhilarating. It was like flying. The wind through her fur and the airy lightness of her body made for a heck of an adrenaline rush. She landed with a strong thud. It stung a little, but it worked. She kept moving and soon was near Josh. He noticed her instantly and ran towards her.
***
“Emily? Is that you?” His voice came through clearly in her head.
He sniffed her furry little body, and Emily twined around him, so grateful to be close again. He jumped around in joy. He jerked his head to one side, motioning for her to follow him. Soon the two ran toward the fence in the direction of the house they’d called home for a short time.
Josh’s voice was in her head. “We can’t stay there anymore.”
“I know.”
“You can hear me?”
“Yes,” Emily said. “This is so weird.”
They ran across streets and through back yards. “I know a place we can stay. Squeeze through here.”
“We should gather the supplies you found.”
“Probably,” he said. “Let’s hurry.”
Sirens blared behind them.
They ran faster, their bodies able to get them through tight places. Soon the sound of the sirens faded behind them. Once they reached the house, Emily led him to the kitchen. “We need water,” she said with her mind.
He cocked his head, puzzled, but drank from the faucet. After a few sips, they both changed back into their human shapes.
This time Emily didn’t care that she was naked. She embraced Josh and held him close, her breasts pressed against his chest. “Thank you for coming for me. I didn’t know if I would see you again.”
Josh held her tight. Emily tried to ignore his obvious male response.
“I can’t do this without you, Em.”
They kissed, lips together, hands clasped. Emily could have kissed him for longer, but they couldn’t stay here. They had to dress and escape quickly. Josh grabbed up as many of the provisions as he could into two backpacks. Emily barely had time to enjoy the fact that something was happening between them.
“I know a new place where we can go,” Josh said. “I’m sure they’ve already searched through that section of town. Let’s go.”
The two raced through a fenced area and through some woods. Sure enough, Josh caught the scent of the van that had kidnapped Emily as they left. They were ahead of them and out of sight. The new place was on the other side of downtown. It was where the more well-to-do families used to call home. Josh explained that he had spent some time there when things started to go bad with the illness. He and a good friend started out there together until the friend died. Josh buried him in a shallow plot and moved back toward the school.
“Just over this road and through that brick fence,” he said. “That’s where we’re going.”
With the crazy kidnappers well behind them, the two reached a gated community that was once known as “The Rivers.” They moved through the bricked fencing and noticed one other important development. The edge of the town was just a few miles away. The large stone wall, erected to keep others out and them in, was visible from where they now planned to live.
“Follow me through here.”
Emily followed Josh down a stone path and into the back door of an old child care center. Josh rigged the door to lock and quickly checked all the windows. The dark blinds kept out the sun and kept the place private. With a full kitchen and bath area, this place was perfect.
Josh appeared from his scavenge around the place with an old radio. With some batteries he’d found earlier, he turned on the device. At first there was no sound, just static.
“Just turn it off,” Emily said. “It’s hopeless.”
Josh turned the dial, though, and a fuzzy broadcast flared to life.
“If anyone is listening be aware that they caused this, all of this. They are called ASIS and they are not our friends, I repeat they are not our friends. I can only broadcast on this low frequency so they can’t find me. But if you are still in the city, don’t lose hope. We will succeed and we will survive. I can’t give my position just yet but stay on this station. And stay hidden. The lab will study and destroy you, if you’re caught. That is all for now.”
The station went quiet.
“Maybe there’s hope, then,” Emily said. “Maybe we can find this person and figure things out.”
Josh nodded, grinning. “Here, let’s prepare for the night. I turned the water on. We can use it really quick to get baths. I don’t know about you, but this changing from animal to human has me feeling kinda sticky.”
Emily laughed and agreed. Feeling shy, she said, “Maybe we should shower together, conserve water.”
Josh coughed and choked. “Seriously?”
“Well, not if it’s such a horrible idea to you. It doesn’t have to be—I mean, it doesn’t—I mean, we’ve already seen each other naked so…”
“No, we can’t,” he said. “It’s too risky.”
Rejected. He’d rejected her. Emily blinked, and tried to keep her face straight. She didn’t want to look pathetic. He sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “I like you, I really do. I want you. But it wouldn’t be smart. Not right now.”
“I’m so sorry,” Emily said. “I shouldn’t have even suggested it.”
“No, please don’t feel that way. I’m glad you don’t see me as such an asshole anymore. I redeemed myself. So thank you for teaching me.”
They both smiled and he pulled her into a hug. Emily took a fast shower as Josh prepped a couple of mattresses in the back room into comfy beds. Emily emerged from the shower refreshed and covered in a pair of Hello Kitty pajamas.
“Hello Kitty is my favorite,” Josh said in a girly voice and batted his eyelashes.
Emily rolled her eyes, but laughed. “Good job back here.”
He’d put some blankets over two mattresses in the back room, and it looked cozy.
Josh took the shower next and when he was done, he flipped the water off. They discovered they didn’t need candles, their eyesight evolved with their abilities.
“What else do you think we’ll be able to do?” Emily stared into the dark with her cat eyes.
Josh shared his list of changes. “I don’t know. I can pick up scents from far away. I can hear the different engines of cars and hear things that I couldn’t before. How about you?”
“I think I can pick up your scent, I can definitely squeeze through tight spots and jump high. I’m really flexible too. It’s like my bones are so light that they bend in crazy ways when I land. My hearing is pretty good, too.” She paused for a moment. “Josh, why do you think they did this?”
The room was quiet. Maybe he was asleep.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t know. I’ve heard of alien conspiracies and cover-ups. I used to think that people were just crazy. Now, I don’t know what to think. This crazy group is out there and they’re making shifters on purpose. What did they tell you when you were in that building?”
“Well, they just kind of studied me at first. They wanted me to drink the water so I would change. That’s what does it. One drink to change, and drink again and you change back.”
She stopped for a moment as she remembered the one man’s face, the guy with the goatee.
“There were cages, cells, whatever you want to call it lined against the walls and there were people inside. They changed into bigger animals so they couldn’t escape like I did. I feel bad because I couldn’t help them. I wanted to, but I was too small.”
“You did what you had to,” Josh said. “You had to save yourself. We can work on a plan to go back and get the others. I just don’t know right now how we would.”
“Let’s rest for now. It’s just the two of us and that place is guarded. It will take one heck of a plan to get in there, rescue them, and get out. All we can do now is keep ourselves alive and try to figure out what this is.”
Night creatures stirred about in the full moon, every noise sharp to their sensitive hearing. It was a strange thing being able to hear crickets and frogs creep about in the night as they searched for food and water. There were also other beings in the night sky. Owls flitting about in the night wind, and bats. It was an orchestra of the night that lulled them both to sleep.
By morning, a storm rolled through and heavy rains filled the city. Fresh water filled the jugs that Josh had put out the night before, preparing for the day that water would be scarce. Thunder rolled in the sky and dark clouds covered the sun. The winds whipped about at a fierce pace. They feared possible twisters since the weather itself was so warm. Their new animal senses kept them at ease. Somehow they would know if things got worse.
After a groggy start to the morning, the pair moved about and searched for food. There were fruit cups in the cupboards. Someone didn’t like pudding and had left that behind as well. They munched and swirled the sweet concoctions and contemplated their day.
“What should we do today?” Emily spooned down the fruit and watched as Josh answered.
“Honestly, I think we need to figure out how this works. We know the trigger is water, but what if we get thirsty, we can’t just be changing when we’re thirsty. I think we need to do some practice and learn how we can get the upper hand in this.”
Emily nodded in agreement.
“Well, after breakfast we can practice. We have lots of water.”
Thunder continued to roll outside and soon streaks of lightening filled the sky. The storm moved in heavily and stalled over the tiny town. Josh and Emily began their practice session and embraced their new gifts. The water transformation was just the beginning. Josh figured out how to switch on certain aspects of the change like speed, eyesight, smell, and aggression.
Emily worked on her new abilities as well. She wasn’t as successful as Josh, and it frustrated her. Josh reassured her that things would be fine and that she would get the hang of it.
“Don’t stress. In the worst case scenario, I’ll carry you. I’ll carry you until I can’t.”
“I really appreciate that, Josh, but I need to be able to stand on my own four paws. I’m going to get this right.”
That afternoon, the two settled down to a quiet dinner of noodles and fruit for dessert. The rains let up but it still showered.
“Let’s go for a run in the rain,” Josh said.
“What, you mean in our other forms?” Emily looked puzzled.
“Yeah, why not.” Josh smiled and transformed without the aid of water.
Emily joined in and the two frolicked in the fresh grass of the play area. It was new and exhilarating. The pair were like old friends reuniting for a play date. They raced across the grounds and explored a few of the other buildings.
Fine houses aligned the well-paved streets of The Rivers, but thanks to the ASIS group or whatever they were called, things had changed in this neighborhood just like everywhere else. The stench of death filled some of the streets heavily as the dead rotted in their beds. While scavenging, Emily and Josh made a few good scores. Socks, toothpaste, fresh toothbrushes, crackers, and chips were some of the items that made their romp worthwhile. Although they started as animals, they ended up in human form so they could carry the goodies back to their hideout.
Once they were back at the daycare, they put away their goods and celebrated the find. They were about to settle down to eat some chips when they heard a noise in the back of the building. Someone—or something—
was definitely in the building with them.
***
Josh changed into a dog immediately, but Emily opted to stay human. It could be a bigger animal than her and a cat wouldn’t have a better chance than she would standing up. He moved down the hall and she didn’t hear anything for a long while.
“Josh,” she whispered down the hall. A loud bark was what she got in response and then a loud commotion which sounded like he was taking the room down. The noises stopped for a minute, but he started to bark again and she was unnerved and unsure of what to do. She didn’t have to wait long because a white fox came rushing down the hall towards her and climbed up on her shoulders. It was such a bizarre thing, she froze and then panicked when she saw Josh running full speed at her, barking.
“Josh, stop.” She held her hand out. He stopped but it took some sliding across the floor because he had been coming so fast. The fox made its way onto her head and stood with two legs on her shoulders and two on top of her hair.
Josh continued to bark like he couldn’t help it. Finally he shifted back into his human form and slowly stood up, eyeing the fox.
“You think that’s just a fox?” he asked.
“Not really,” Emily said. “Let’s give it some water.”
The fox didn’t move from the top of Emily’s head and Josh didn’t take his eyes off of it as he went to get a bowl so he could get the animal some water. He moved over and set it on the floor in front of her so the fox would jump down. Slowly Emily knelt so it would jump down. It lapped up the water and then looked at them curiously.
Nothing happened.
“Maybe it really is a fox.”
The fox tilted his head at her as if to say she couldn’t be serious. Just when she was about to bend down and take the bowl, the fox shifted into a young man who kneeled naked before her.
“Oh my,” she said taken by surprise and Josh immediately pushed his way between them.
The boy couldn’t have been that much older than them and he was attractive. “Of course I’m not just a fox. Call off your dog!” He stood and Emily had to look away to keep from seeing everything. “What were you doing in here?” Emily asked.