"Adrian! Adrian! Adrian Wake up!!!"
"I- I am Alive?!" I said suddenly as I just straightened up.
The last thing I remember was dying... Or more like falling unconscious since I was very much alive right now.
I was sure this isn't heaven or hell since the one calling me was Sarah, I was sure of it from just the voice alone but I was not so sure about it when I saw her face.
"What the- A MONSTER!!" I screamed, looking at her face.
IfIf not for her clothes… and those familiar eyes… I would have never recognized her and there was that too... I was sure this was Sarah, that voice is definitely hers.
"THAT'S RUDE!!" Sarah said and then sighed, "I was so worried about to you, you are the last one to wake up, you know." She said as I blinked.
Her face... No, not her face, it was her beak that caught my eye. A sharp, smooth beak where her mouth used to be.
White feathers covered her arms... No, they were wings. She had wings instead of hands. Feathered, large, folded slightly at her sides.
"What's... happening?" I asked, confused about her looks, "I will tell you everything but first," she said and looked at me with a pause, "Let's go somewhere safe, Mike and others are already there." She said as I nods.
Slowly, I stood up and immediately felt a difference in my body, I felt lighter, faster, and stronger than before. Like gravity had loosened its grip on me.
My senses felt sharper. I could hear distant movements clearly. My muscles felt tighter, stronger.
"No way," I thought, asI looked at at Sarah, "Do I... Also look like that?" I asked myself and hurriedly took out my phone to see my face.
With panic clearly written on my face, I quickly switched to the front camera of my phone to see my face as the screen slowly lit up.
Suddenly, I froze before I let out a long breath. "I look normal…" I said to myself, closing my eyes for a second and looking at my face again.
Relief flooded me when I realised I haven't turned to any kind of monster yet.
I have the same face and same features. There were no feathers where my arms should be and no beak instead of mouth as well.
I was still human... Still me but the, I leaned closer to the screen as I noticed something amiss.
My skin looked clearer than it used to... Too clear infact, and my jawline was sharper.
My eyes, there were brighter and more darker than before with my black hair smoother than ever. Even my posture looked… refined.
I just blinked looking at all these changes and... "Why do I look… beautiful?" I muttered unconsciously.
Not handsome. Not good-looking. I was just beautiful. Like everything about my face had been adjusted slightly to perfection.
It was still me but… enhanced. Perfected to the very best of me possible.
Sarah crossed her wings. "Oh yeah that... I'll explain. But can we move first?" She said and I looked at her again, properly this time.
Up close, the feathers weren't scary, different yes but not scary. They were whitish and some what brown in colour, layered neatly over her arms.
The wings were shaped like a chicken's but larger and more structured, almost too elegant if I have to say but still, I don't think she can fly with them just yet.
And yes... She had a full beak just like that of birds and yet somehow… it suited her, like they were meant to be hers.
Looking at her like that, I swallowed lightly and nods, "O-Okay." I said as she stepped closer and grabbed my hand.
Or rather, she held it with her wing. The feathers brushed against my skin as I felt them for the first time, they were soft... Unexpectedly soft if I have to say.
Warm too, like the kind of warmth you might expect from using a hot blanket on the most cold days.
They were not rough like I imagined them to be and it kind of felt nice when she held me like that,
"Let's go," she said and started pulling me lightly as we began walking. She walked ahead of me as I followed slightly behind her, still staring.
Her steps were lighter than before. The wings folded neatly at her sides, feathers shifting naturally with movement. The sunlight from the cafeteria windows reflected faintly off them.
It was surreal, My coworker, Sarah.
Walking ahead of me with chicken wings instead of hands and a beak instead of a mouth.
And yet... It felt normal. Too normal.
Like my brain had already accepted it. Soon, we reached our office space.
The hallway was quieter than usual and different... Very different because from inside, I could hear voices. Some of them… not entirely human.
.
.
.
"Are you serious?! You want us to go out and get food?! We should wait for the government first!!" One guy said, his face and body that of a normal human, except he looked unrealistic beautiful.
"Do you really think the government will come for our rescue?! Even if they do come, will they care for us? Who ain't even human anymore?!" Another said, he was a guy who look half human and half pig.
"He is right! We all need to look out for ourselves. Haven't you guys seen the news? The world outside is in chaos!!"
"Yea, and these screens... ITS SO SCARY!"
Everyone was fighting, giving their opinion one after another as I just looked at them, questioning life itself.
"What... Are... They?" I asked myself, unconsciously as Sarah decided to answer it, as we sit by her desk.
"Mutated ones. Those who mutated while evolution into... This. Things were good for a while but outside chaos is causing both humans and half humans to fall out."
"Outside?" I asked and looked at her as she nods, "Humans are not the only mutated ones, animals have too and their mutation is far more dangerous."
She said as I nods, thinking physically dominant species like lion and elephants being mutated, physical strength certainly wasn't the reason human dominated.
Relentless group attack is what helped humanity reach top of the food chain.
"I"If not for the possibility of being able to turn back into human again, a riot would've broken out already."
A familiar voice said from behind as I turned slowly... And froze, "Mike…?" I said as he raised one claw... yes, claw and waved at me awkwardly.
He was half crab, not small crab cute or even cartoo -crab funny. He was just that... A Half Crab.
His lower body had a hard reddish shell, segmented and armored. Two massive claws replaced his hands, clicking slightly when he moved.
His eyes were still human, thankfully, but positioned slightly wider than before and when I stared too long, he just sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. I know," he said dryly. "I do love seafood, that what I got cuz of that."
"You- what?" I asked as he rolled his eyes.
"I shouldn't have eaten crab curry the day before yesterday. Of all things. Could've tried lion or something cool at least."
Sarah facepalmed with her wing as my brain stopped functioning for a second. "What… are you even talking about?" I asked.
Mike lifted one claw dramatically at my query and finally said, "It's simple. Your last eaten meat decides your mutation." he said, looking at his claws.
As I looks at him in silence, he continued... "Everyone who ate meat recently mutated into some half-human version of that animal. Pig guy over there? Pork barbecue. The wolf-looking intern? Mutton. That guy who looks like a walking fish? You don't wanna know. He has been dying for water right now."
My stomach dropped as I looked at my hands. "And vegetarians?" I asked slowly, as if trying to confirm something as Mike pointed at me.
"High Humans." he said as the room suddenly felt quieter. I kept looking down at my hands.
They were just normal. A perfect human skin. There were no claws, no fur and no feathers either. They are just as they previously were but… better.
Sarah nodded beside us and continued, "Those who didn't consume meat recently didn't mutate. They evolved differently. Stronger bodies. Sharper senses. Enhanced features. Like you."
"So my diet… saved me?"
"More like upgraded you," Mike muttered, clicking his claw against the floor. "I don't know if you are lucky or unlucky, you might just be a bit better physically than before but hey, you do have a useful ability."
I blinked, before I could question them what they meant though... Outside, something roared.
It was not a car nor a machine. It was definitely something alive and omething dangerous, my instincts told me that.
Everyone went quiet for a moment, not just us but everyone. Sarah's feathers stiffened and Mike's claws clicked once.
I too swallowed, not darinv to look outside.
"So… animals mutated too?" I asked, making a wild guess... That's not a voice even half human can make.
Sarah nodded slowly at my question and said in a solemn tone... "And they don't hesitate like humans do."