I fought against my captors, but it was no use. One of them, a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and cold, calculating eyes, pinned me down with ease. “Hold still,” he ordered, his voice smooth but empty.
“What do you want from me?” I spat, my voice trembling with fear and anger.
He leaned closer, his breath hot against my ear. “My name is Dr. Marcus Gray. You don’t know me, but I know all about you, Lily.”
My mind raced, panic clawing at my insides. “Why are you doing this?”
He sighed, almost wistful. “You remind me of someone. My daughter. She was about your age when she was killed by a homeless man. A drug addict. He robbed her, stabbed her, and left her to die in the street.”
A shiver ran down my spine at the dark, twisted pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, unsure of what else to say.
“Sorry won’t bring her back,” he replied coldly. “But it has given me purpose. I realized that the homeless, the addicts, they’re a blight on society. They took my daughter from me, so now I’m going to rid the world of them.”
I stared at him, horrified. “You’re insane.”
“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “But I’m also thorough. The homeless people in this city? They’re going to disappear. One by one. And I’m going to transform them. Turn them into stray dogs. Some might survive, find a new life. Most will end up put down. Either way, they won’t be human anymore.”
Bile rose in my throat. “Why me?”
“Why not you?” he countered. “You’re a homeless orphan, living off the scraps of society. Just another statistic waiting to happen. But now, you’ll serve a greater purpose.”
I could barely process what he was saying. “You can’t do this. People will notice. They’ll stop you.”
Dr. Gray smiled, a chilling, empty smile. “People like you don’t get noticed, Lily. That’s the sad truth. But don’t worry. Your suffering will end soon enough.”
He pulled out a syringe filled with a strange, luminescent serum. Before I could react, he plunged it into my arm. A fiery pain shot through my veins, far worse than anything I’d ever felt before. I screamed, my vision blurring with tears.
Dr. Gray watched me dispassionately. “This serum will change you. Soon, you’ll be just another stray, wandering the streets. No one will recognize you. No one will care.”
My eyes darted around the van, and I noticed photos on the walls. Pictures of homeless people, some of whom I recognized from the shelter, next to photos of dogs. Some of the pictures had red X’s through them, a chilling indication that they were dead. The reality of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. I was going to be next.
With that, he opened the van door and, with a swift, brutal motion, shoved me out. I hit the pavement hard, pain exploding through my body. The van sped off, leaving me sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.
It was still daylight. The world around me felt surreal, the colors too bright, the sounds too sharp. I tried to stand, but my limbs felt heavy and uncooperative. My mind raced, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
“Lily!” I heard a familiar voice, panicked and breathless. I looked up to see Mia running toward me, her face etched with worry. She dropped to her knees beside me, her hands hovering uncertainly as if afraid to touch me.
“Lily, are you okay? What did they do to you?”
I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry, my mouth too numb. Instead, I reached out, gripping her hand with all the strength I could muster.
“We need to get you home,” Mia said, her voice trembling. “We need to call the cops. Come on, can you stand?”
With Mia’s help, I managed to get to my feet. My body felt strange, like it didn’t quite belong to me anymore. Leaning heavily on Mia, we started towards her house, my legs barely able to support my weight.
“Lily, what happened?” Mia asked, her voice tight with worry.
“It was some doctor,” I managed to croak, my throat dry and raw. “Dr. Gray. He said… he said he was going to turn homeless people into strays. To get rid of them.”
Mia’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s insane! How could he even—”
“I don’t know,” I interrupted, my head throbbing. “He injected me with something. Said I’d be a stray. But it’s impossible, right? It can’t actually—”
A sudden, searing pain ripped through my body, cutting me off. I doubled over, clutching my stomach. “Mia, something’s wrong.”
“Lily!” Mia cried, her arms around me, trying to keep me upright. “What’s happening?”
The pain intensified, radiating through every nerve, igniting my skin as if it were on fire. My bones twisted and contorted with a sickening crunch. I tried to scream, but it came out as a strangled howl.
“Oh my God, Lily!” Mia's voice was frantic, filled with helpless panic. “We need to get you inside. Hold on!”
We stumbled into her backyard, but I couldn’t take another step. I collapsed to the ground, my body convulsing in agony. My face felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside. I clawed at the earth, my fingers bending and shortening, turning into paws.
“It hurts!” I cried out, but my voice was already changing, morphing into desperate yelps.
Mia knelt beside me, tears streaming down her face. “Stay with me, Lily. Just stay with me.”
I could feel my skull reshaping, my nose and mouth elongating into a muzzle. My vision blurred, the colors around me shifting to a dull grayish-blue. My ears twitched and elongated, every sound suddenly amplified—the rustle of leaves, the distant hum of traffic, the pounding of my own heart—it was all overwhelming.
“Mia, what’s going on out here?” Mrs. Parker’s voice came from the back door, filled with concern.
“Mom, it’s Lily! Something’s happening to her!” Mia shouted, her voice cracking.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker rushed out, their eyes widening in horror as they saw me writhing on the ground. “What in the world…” Mr. Parker muttered, his face pale.
I forced myself to look at a nearby puddle, dragging my twisted body over to it. The reflection staring back at me was unrecognizable. My face had become that of a Siberian husky, fur-covered and alien. Panic surged through me. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening.
The transformation continued, my body shrinking and reshaping. My spine arched painfully, forcing me onto all fours. My clothes hung loosely before falling away entirely, leaving my new fur exposed to the air. My hands and feet had fully turned into paws, my fingers and toes merging into pads and claws.
The pain was excruciating, like my entire body was being ripped apart and reassembled. I felt my organs shifting, my heartbeat quickening to a frantic pace. My tailbone extended, forming a bushy tail that wagged involuntarily.
“Lily, please, say something!” Mia begged, but all I could do was whimper in response. The last remnants of my humanity were slipping away, leaving me trapped in this new, alien form.
Finally, the pain subsided, leaving me panting on the ground. I looked up at Mia, my vision now sharp and clear in the twilight, but everything tinged with a blue-gray hue. Her face was a mix of horror and heartbreak.
“Lily… is that really you?” she whispered, reaching out a trembling hand to touch my head.
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a soft whine. I was completely and unmistakably a Siberian husky puppy.
My hearing picked up every tiny sound—the rustle of grass, Mia’s shaky breaths, a distant dog barking. My nose twitched, overwhelmed by a flood of scents: the damp earth, the faint smell of dinner from a neighboring house, Mia’s familiar fragrance mixed with fear.
“Mom, Dad, what are we going to do?” Mia’s voice was desperate.
Mrs. Parker knelt beside Mia, her eyes filled with determination. “We’ll figure this out. Let’s get her inside.”
With Mia’s help, I managed to stumble into the house. The warmth and familiarity of the Parker home washed over me, but it only made my situation feel more surreal. I could hear the TV playing in the background, the soft murmur of family life continuing as if everything were normal.
“Mia, what’s going on?” Jason, Mia’s younger brother, walked in, his expression curious until he saw me. His eyes widened. “Whoa! Where did that dog come from?”
“It’s Lily,” Mia said, her voice trembling. “She was abducted by this crazy doctor who turned her into a dog. We need to call the police.”
Jason stared at me, then at Mia, his confusion turning into disbelief. “That’s insane. How can she be Lily?”
“Look at her eyes, Jason,” Mr. Parker said quietly, as he picked up the phone. “It’s really her.”
Jason leaned closer, squinting at me. Recognition slowly dawned on his face. “Oh my God, it is Lily…”
As Mr. Parker began making calls, the front door opened, and Jason’s older brother, Tim, walked in with their dog, Rosco, trailing behind. Rosco was a rescue dog, a mix of breeds with a grumpy disposition and a history of not getting along well with other dogs.
“Hey, who’s the new dog?” Tim asked, his eyebrows raising.
Rosco’s ears perked up, and he immediately noticed me. He growled softly, his body tense and wary. I stared back at him, my own hackles rising instinctively. The room felt charged, as if a single move could set off a confrontation.
“Easy, Rosco,” Jason said, gently tugging at the leash. “This is Lily. She’s… she’s a friend.”
Rosco’s eyes narrowed, his growl deepening. We stood there, two dogs sizing each other up, each wary of the other. The tension was palpable, a silent understanding passing between us. Rosco was used to being the only dog in the house, and he didn’t trust newcomers easily.
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