Animalia by Cristian Johnson (free novels to read txt) 📕

Principium (Beginning)

Expergiscimini (Awake)

Felidae (Feline)

Aranea (Spider)

Insanis (Insanity)

Pater (Father)

Amicitia (Friendship)

Pardus (Panther)

Exercitationes (Exercise)

Leo (Lion)

Vinculum (Bonding)

Langourem (Sickness)

Electiones (Choices)

Mortem (Death)

Proelium (Battle)

Finis (End)

It’s 2050 and humankind has reached the top, technology has skyrocketed and the sciences have expanded tremendously. Like always many things come with a price, problems like hunger continue to plague the earth with no solutions at hand. Our story unfolds in the isolated research facility of Dr. Darwin. It is in this lab that his research of evolution changes the human race forever, rewriting the history of humankind for all.

Two figures stand in the middle of a large laboratory, open tables with microscopes are to one side while the other side has multiple screens on the wall. Human images can be seen in some, or what appears to be humans while others have animals. The men are wearing simple white coats and seem to be talking to each other. The older man is Dr. Roberts, a tall chestnut bearded man with a quiff, the one in charge of the research facility. The other person, a skinny frizzy-haired, young adult wearing glasses that are barely held up with tape, holding a clipboard is his assistant, Sam.

Dr. Roberts looks at Sam, wondering why he is even here. Everything should be going as planned, he should not be waiting and hunting down his assistants for answers. Especially Sam, his least experienced one. “Sam, what is the status of the AZ Gas on the newest batch of human trials…. I needed this information this morning.”

Looking over his clipboard at the notes he has written down Sam nods. He is sweating more than usual; he always gets frustrated when talking to Dr. Roberts. “Yes..yes...well..no sir I mean yes, the AZ Gas is being administered to all the ...patient’s sir.” He flips the clipboard back and forth looking for more notes he wrote down. “I… I left all the results on your desk this morning. “Sam adds quickly.

“Never mind…. alright then back to business.” Dr. Roberts takes the clipboard and looks at the notes. He chuckles, pleased with some of the results he reads. “Let us hope this time we can wipe any humanity left in these...humans and still have their animal form fully intact.”

Sam just nods, he is the assistant after all. He knows bits and pieces of the ‘research’ he has been working on but not the overall picture. It's a job, a good-paying job, and knows when not to meddle but still has questions about the experiments. “But, sir, what will happen if you do wipe their human drive in the subjects? If we do... most of them won’t even function as normal humans ...they will be more animals than humans.”

Dr. Roberts peers at Sam, “There are times where humanity as a whole can be desperate for anything, and at this point, we are at war. This war will never end, it will just grow until the literal animals we have been testing on take over this earth once more. This is because we can’t defend ourselves from it, it does not seek revenge, or even want territory. It is a famine; we are at war with ...” He raises his head and seems to get lost in his thoughts then looks back at Sam. “I won’t let this setback disappoint the doctor again. Not after we are so close to achieving perfection, in turning the human race into any animal we choose.”

“Wait… so you’re saying you're capable of turning any human into anything that Mother Nature has created?” Sam is puzzled as if this is the first time, he has heard this even though he knows the nature of the study he has been working in, the outcome is revealed to him. He saw humans and animals being experimented in the lab, but he never connected that they were one of the same.

Dr. Roberts shook his head. “Don’t be such an ignorant child... We can’t just take every animal in the world and duplicate it throughout everyone… it's a process of elimination in the person’s blood. Their blood is the key, if it isn't capable of linking to their human counterpart, they will not evolve into a much stronger animal form. The goal is to introduce the gas into a particular human population and hope to see that they form the physical traits of what is said to be a….. Bos Taurus perhaps”.

Sam looked at Roberts with a confused expression, “Um... Dr. Roberts, what is a Bos Taurus?”

Dr. Roberts with a smug look on his face responds. “If only your mind was as intellectual as mine, my child. Let me simplify it for you. A cow can be milked up to a certain point then becomes meat… food to be consumed. Then we have to wait for another cow to be born and start the process all over again. The AZ gas will make it possible to turn any human population into any type of animal the world needs. We will have an instantaneous supply of nourishment for all to feed on.”

“What if they don’t want to be part of the process of elimination...of hmm helping humankind? Who will decide this? ” Sam asks puzzled again. Maybe he’s just in denial about the lab he works in but continues to ask questions that he should have known the answers by now.

“We terminate them of course. If anything, we need to speed up the process to make the bond between animals and humans stronger. Enough of that now...the AZ Gas will work; it has to work. Let me show you know up close some of the test subjects. To see if the AZ Gas is working. Let us go, now. ” Dr. Roberts tells Sam and makes his way toward the exit.

Dr. Roberts and Sam stepped out of the lab and headed down the hall toward the elevators. They both ride on an elevator silently to the basement. The ‘Pit’ as some of the staff call it, it's actually the holding cells for all the subjects. The elevator dings and the doors open up. It's an open space with only one large see-through window on the wall and a computer screen counsel on the side. Both head directly toward the screen, it reads:

AZ gas Testing Trials

Date: June 2050

Day: 1 week after exposure

Subjects: male 50 and male 51

Animal: Animalia Sus scrofa (wild boar)

Notes: subjects have accepted the AZ gas and

show great promise in bonding - Sam

After looking at the screen both Dr. Roberts and Sam looked down through the containment chamber. Dr. Roberts gestures to the other staff across the room to open the metal screen that covers the viewing glass. The gates rumbled with a metallic moan revealing two small, pale, fleshy humanoid forms curled up on the floor motionless. They resemble more monsters than men. Sam looks at the horrendous creature with disgust and Roberts looks at them questionably, wondering if the tests will finally work. Then one of the forms starts to move away from the other, leaving a trail of reddish slime on the floor. Then it begins to abnormally twitch and tremble, suddenly it starts to grow and resemble a human form. You can see the obvious human form characteristics, arms, and legs but it's not detailed just flesh all over. It stands up motionless, its body twitching back and forth. It raises its head; all you see is flesh all over and two very human eyes. A mouth forms and a frightful scream escapes its lips.

It immediately falls to the ground wriggling in pain, screaming, “AAAARGH THE PAIN, I CAN FEEL IT, I CAN FEEL IT, WHAT IS AROUND ME THE FEAR WITHIN, AAAAAAHHHH WHY CAN I FEEL IT, I CAN FEEL IT ALL AROUND ME.” Then it falls back to the floor.

Sam quickly turns toward the glass looking at the subject, his eyes wide open in shock. He looks down nervously not knowing what kind of emotion he should be feeling. He had read notes and emails about the effects of the AZ Gas on the subjects but he never realized that they screamed...that they screamed from the pain. This is the first time he has been down here, usually, he is upstairs working with the data, not with the subjects personally. Dr. Roberts knew this, he wanted him to see this. To see what was happening, to see the overall picture. He glances at him staring at the subject, to him it seems all normal. The screams do not seem to bother him, it's like he enjoys them and could care less what is happening.

Dr. Roberts leans in closer to the viewing window, looking at the form on the floor. “We must continue to move forward; we need quicker results. The human population needs help, we can't afford to waste time and spoil our newfound assets. Although this is quite an enigma...in the past the patients would either pass out or fully form...but it’s best if we continue observing them and hope they can live… they can thrive.”

Sam looks back at the test subjects and nods. He should have known what the scientific name for a cow was, if only he had then Dr. Roberts would have not brought him here to the ‘Pit’ to see the subjects. “Alright, sir I trust you know what you are doing,” he replies softly.

In the chamber, the other shapeless humanoid form begins to move, and quickly fur starts covering it all over. Suddenly it started to convulse and have seizures, flailing and banging on the metal floor as its body started to grow in size and fuse into an unnatural shape. A boar-like appearance starts to be seen as it gets up, two large tusks can be seen from what its head is at. It is a boar, larger than the usual but the blob once on the ground now is a living, breathing creature. The boar looks up and it's dark eyes fixate on the viewing glass, up at Dr. Roberts and Sam.

“Interesting….this had boar DNA yet it decides to have a primal effect of transforming into a Daeodon. This is quite a wonder to see. I do fear the other one has gone limp and died already. Oh well they are just sacks of flesh in the end..” Dr. Roberts says to himself.

Its eyes are filled with rage, and it begins to breathe heavily. It raises its head and turns its body with a spine cracking sound coming from its hump toward the other formless life form on the floor. All of a sudden it charges at it full-on at the defenseless test subject. An echo of the loud crunch of broken bones can be heard on the formless humanoid ribcage. The shapeless form lays still as it’s mercilessly gored and trampled on. The boar squeals with anger and punctures its heart, blood gushes all over its snout. Sam looks at the boar with terror and starts to feel nauseous from all the blood and bits of flesh spread out in the pen. The boar breathes heavily again staring at