Survival instinct exploded inside me, screaming for me to turn around and run.
But my legs, still unsteady and slow to obey, didn't respond in time. I staggered only a few steps before giving out completely. I crashed onto the asphalt, my knees and elbows scraping raw against the ground. A sharp, burning pain shot through me, forcing tears to well up at the corners of my eyes.
Seizing the moment, the grotesque man lunged at me.
He slammed both hands onto my shoulders, pinning me down. He growled right next to my ear, his breath rancid, as if he hadn't brushed his teeth in years. A heavy, rotten stench mixed with something metallic and foul hit my nose, making my stomach churn.
He crawled between my legs, grinding that disgusting thing against my hips as if searching for a way in. Luckily, I was still wearing my lab suit, and it seemed he didn't even know how to take it off.
I struggled desperately, trying to shove him away, but he was a grown man and far stronger than me. Worse, I'd only just woken up. My body didn't have the strength to fight back.
My eyes darted around wildly, searching for anything I could use as a weapon.
A stone lay within reach.
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed it and smashed it hard against his temple.
He let out a shrill, inhuman scream, the sound sharp and hollow, stripped of any trace of humanity. His body jerked back as he clutched his head, blood spilling through his fingers.
I scrambled up, forcing my weak legs to hold as I staggered backward. He hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at me with naked killing intent. I gripped the stone with both hands and raised it defensively.
"Back off!" I shouted.
I didn't know if he understood my words, but his neck shrank back slightly, a flicker of fear flashing through him. Then his eyes flared again, savage and feral, and he dropped back onto all fours, creeping toward me once more.
At this point, the fact that he was human no longer mattered.
I tightened my grip and brought the stone down on his head again.
But this time, he was ready. He sprang sharply to the left, dodging the blow. I hadn't even fully turned around when he lunged again, letting out a terrifying roar that echoed through the dead silence.
The stone was knocked violently from my hand. The impact sent me crashing to the ground. Fresh wounds tore open over old ones, the pain so intense it stole the air from my lungs.
His eyes were bloodshot now, veins bulging, red streaks flooding his gaze as if he wanted to tear me apart and devour me alive.
Those were the eyes of a wild beast.
A chill ran straight down my spine.
How could a human become like this?
Had some kind of plague spread across the world while I slept?
I didn't have time to think.
Gasping for breath, I crawled forward desperately, reaching for a metal rod I spotted nearby. Seeing that I was still resisting, he lunged again, jaws wide open, aiming straight for my throat.
He'd bite me to death.
The moment my fingers closed around the rod, I yanked with all the strength I had.
And that was when my heart stopped again.
The rod was embedded deep in concrete. It wouldn't budge.
Horror flooded me as I twisted my head back, staring at the man's body flying down toward me from above. My face drained of all color. My lips trembled uncontrollably.
Am I going to die here?
I hadn't fulfilled my ambitions yet. There were still so many unfinished scientific projects. A vast world I hadn't had the chance to explore. That was why I agreed to cryosleep, why I fought back against that vicious disease.
And now, after waking up to a ruined world, I was about to die at the hands of my own kind.
I squeezed my eyes shut in despair, bracing myself for the pain of being torn apart.
Bang!
A deafening gunshot ripped through the air, shattering the silence.
It was followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground and the man's agonized groan. And just like that, the pain I'd been waiting for never came.
My body still trembling violently, I let out the breath I'd been holding and slowly opened my eyes.
The man lay collapsed among dirt and rubble. Blood poured from a wound in his abdomen, spreading dark and wet across the ground. His groans faded into weak, broken sounds as his body twitched, desperately clinging to life. After a few final spasms, he went completely still, his eyes wide open, staring straight at me.
I froze where I sat. My blood turned cold. Colder than when nitrogen had frozen me from the inside out.
The stench of blood reached my nose, mixing with dust and gunpowder. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I bent over and dry-heaved. My stomach was empty, so nothing came up.
This was the first time I'd ever watched someone die right in front of me.
But who fired that shot?
I looked around frantically. If someone could use a gun, then at least they still had awareness and understanding. If this was some kind of disease that turned humans into beasts, then there had to be survivors.
"Nice shot."
At that moment, laughter drifted over from a distance.
It was my language.
Relief crashed over me like salvation. Swallowing down my nausea, I forced myself to stand. But the terror from moments ago made me hesitate this time. I didn't act rashly. Instead, I carefully retreated and hid behind a collapsed wall to observe first.
Once concealed, I peeked out.
From afar, I saw a group approaching the corpse. Their voices grew clearer with every step. I could hear them. I could understand them.
But the closer they got, the more wrong everything felt.
They'd human limbs. They walked upright.
Then why did they've ears on their heads?
And what was that swaying behind them? Tails? Cosplay?
"That's weird. Didn't we see two of them just now?" Said the one with rabbit ears on his head. They twitched slightly, far too lifelike.
Too real.
My god. What happened to humanity while I was asleep? Did they evolve? Or did they crossbreed with animals?
I'd no idea.
My brain, dormant for far too long, couldn't keep up with the flood of information crashing into it.
"Probably ran off," another one said. He had dog ears, his voice tinged with regret. "What a waste. Looked like a female."
The way he said it made my brow furrow.
That wasn't how someone talked about their own kind.
Another one, with antlers branching from his head, walked over and nudged the dead man's body with his heel. He clicked his tongue. "Too skinny. Hardly any meat on this one."
The more I heard, the worse my stomach churned.
Unease sharpened into something undeniable.
This world was completely foreign to me. Humans behaved like beasts, while those who looked like beasts spoke and acted like humans.
What kind of twisted situation was this?
But one thing my reason screamed at me was clear.
These people were not my kind.
And they were not allies.
I couldn't stay here.
I had to run.
Still crouched low, I slowly edged backward, careful not to make a single sound. If I was discovered, my fate would probably be the same as that man's. Or worse.
"Got you now, little mouse."
A deep, mocking voice spoke right behind me.
Every hair on my body stood on end. Cold flooded through me, as if all the blood had been drained from my veins.
I spun around in panic, the sudden movement throwing off my balance. I dropped hard onto the ground, staring up in shock at the stranger behind me.
He was crouched atop a slab of concrete, lips curled into a lazy half-smile as he looked down at me. His amber eyes gleamed with interest. On his head were sharp black ears that matched his hair, and behind him, a long, fluffy tail swayed slowly with his mood.
There was something proud and untamed about him.
Like a stray cat.
But more than anything else, one thought froze me in place.
How long had he been there?
***