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

died. Most of the plants that have not been uprooted have not been affected as well with the rare few of animals that live down in the sea or fly high in the air. The laboratory is now but of a crater of what it was before with no sign of survivors, with the only thing standing still was the foundation. Despite the large amounts of burnt bodies cooking around the area and multiple horrendous bodies disemboweled beheaded or purely just a mere splotch of blood and organs two figures were lying down that were not dead.

Both Sam and Dr. Roberts are cradled up in a fetal position as if they are waiting to be born. Born once more of a primitive and more zoological form that the Mother Earth is soon to be birthed from her womb. Will Sam and Roberts with 99% of the Earth’s population ever wake up from a sudden nightmare that shall change their entire lives forever both physically and mentally. Now let the true adventure start of what is not of Homo Sapiens but the animal kingdom from birds, to mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, from arachnids, insects, and fish. This is Animalia the new dawn of man has ended and the evolution with the rise of animals continues to take the place that has happened millions of years ago.

 

Chapter 2: Expergiscimini

It has been 200 years since the explosion at the research laboratory. The world has been changing, humankind has been changing too. Whether Sam or Dr. Roberts still lives is still a mystery. It is now 2250, and the AZ Gas has served its purpose in transforming humans into animals. Our story takes place in New York where animals now rule it along with other types of creatures. What adventures are to be told in this distant planet, find out now as you jump right into the wildlife.

 

As the sun rises over New York City, the light trickles down on the abandoned buildings everywhere. This is not the New York we all know, after so many years it has been changing too. No longer the tall magnificent building structures can bully the smaller buildings. They are now broken down, fallen, and beaten from the years passing on. Windows are shattered all over, and nature has taken over them. Ivies have grown and climbed all over the buildings like cancer on a body. The roots of trees have crumbled the sidewalks and continue to grow all over the city. From a distance the straight lines that made those buildings are gone, plants now have merged with them making then both one. This great city no longer houses humans but now seems to be a great ecosystem for all types of animals. Different types of greenery and fungal life can be seen all over the city. Just like its former human diversity, this New York has different sections of diverse ecosystems of its own, from the jungles of Africa to the tundras of the Arctic; it's a whole new place.

Our story of legend and survival begins now in a broken-down apartment building down by Wall Street. Sunlight shines through a dark room of an apartment, the glass has been broken and it is tainted with dust. In the room, the clutter of various objects has been laying in ruin for so long dust and debris has covered them completely. The room is small, there is a small desk, a bed, and a closet to one side. The light beams down on a large creature on the mattress, it is fully covered by sheets. Nearby are multiple posters along the walls that are torn down. A long thin tail slips out and it slowly moves back and forth, then it seems to adjust its body on the bed and reveals its leg. Its a large muscular leg, with three clawed digits with one of the claws having a long sickled shape toe. Black scales cover the majority of the body, but they seem to be iridescent changing color as the creature moves. Smaller grey scales cover the underbelly, which looks very smooth. The creature begins to wake up opening its eyes slowly. It yawns and opens its long jaw showing off the sharp shiny silver teeth inside. It then closes its eyes again and then rolls over on the bed. No longer the human size the bed was made for, the creature falls to the ground.

“What the….” the creature speaks in a human voice and not it's animalistic sound. It tries to stand up but has trouble standing on its oddly shaped feet and now you can see they are short, just like a dinosaur has. “Jeez.. that was some big nap I had. I wonder what time it is...Funny it is that I never had a problem with my legs slipping all the time.” Looking at his arms as he gazes in shock of his short three-fingered limbs. “OH GOD WHAT JUST HAPPENED.” He then stumbles back and looks at his feet noticing the large talons at the end of his toes. “OH HELL NO… I’m totally not a stupid dinosaur, am I?” His tail begins to swing violently knocking over a vase nearby. “Oh, I have to be dreaming right?” The creature trudges trying to balance itself and finds a mirror shattered into many pieces. “Oh...Oh no… this….this...is not right...? I can’t just turn into a velociraptor or some crap from a movie. There has to be an explanation for all of this. I need to find my mom, or Luke, or anyone.”

He begins to pace looking over the room noticing now all the torn down furniture coated in dust. For every step he walks around his home, glass shards being blown all over. Most of the windows are beyond repairable with the vast holes in the open air. Leaves have made their home drifting in from outside lying in small piles. He decides he can’t stay in his room, and ventures out to see what is leftover of his home. Walking around he hears birds chirping and walks towards the balcony. He hears the tremors of the building beneath him as he gazes over the horizon viewing the vegetation all over the city. “Holy crap how long was I out for. I’m not in New York now that’s for sure.

A crow speaks to him while resting on a loose beam watching him. “You sure got that right scaley head. I’ve been looking at you for a while now and you decide to wake up….. and not die. What a shame. I thought I was going to eat good...really good!”

The dinosaur with a startled look blinks at the crow shaking his head “Wait...you can talk? I can understand you...how can I hear you, you are an animal. You are a crow!”

“Don’t look at me like I’m some nerd here, all I want is some fresh meat and it looks like I won’t be getting that now so piss off scaley head.” The crow replies as he continues to preen his wings. The crow flies off crowing into the grey sky as the reptile looks in awe.

“Well, that just happened.” The dinosaur looks out into the city. “I better find a way out of this dump and find someone normal ...someone, human.” He seems to be getting better moving in two legs and balancing his long tail. He then hears a loud thud hit the main door in the apartment. It makes the dust in the room float all over the air, like snowflakes floating down from the sky. He cautiously walks to the door and leans in some. The loud crunching of the door startles him and he stumbles back on the floor. Two horns are now sticking out from the door.

The dinosaur manages to stand back up “Move back...I’m warning you… I got a big tail and I’m not afraid to use it.” The large brute is nervously tapping his large sickle claw on the floor rhythmically.

The monster with the horns continues to stab the door repeatedly breaking through the poor wood. The horns come back and then suddenly a loud thud and a crash through the door and break it down. Finally, the two creatures face-off, a broad bipedal dinosaur and a type of horned quadruped resembling an elk.

The large horned animal stares at the dinosaur and begins to nod its head and then blurts out “Chris... Chris is that you?”

Looking at the eyes of the horned animal the dinosaur realizes something. “Luke! Is that you? Are you there, since all I see are animals, animals talking to me. Is it real or am I dreaming now?

“Yeah it’s me, Chris, look at you though, you’re a spooky dinosaur looking thing. I was trying to find you but it took me a long time.” He tilts his head side to side, the antlers swaying right and left awkwardly. “I have antlers now, these things make it very difficult to maneuver between hallways and doors and well everywhere indoors.”

Chris snickers. “You know you could’ve yelled and I probably would have opened the door for you.”

Luke shakes his head showing off those giant antlers again as if he is checking they are on his head for real. “Nah Chris I like smashing things more than yelling, plus I wouldn't have known if you were still here.”

“Speaking of which…how long was I out for, the entire city of New York seems to turn into a greenhouse. It seems like I was sleeping for months...but you know plants do not grow this way in just months. It takes years… you know.” Chris says.

“Yeah I was kinda curious too when I found out that the city went to crap, but I found you so that matters more than being alone in this broken-down building,” Luke says.

Chris stared deep into Luke as he notices now the real image of his long time friend Luke. He is an elk, thick chestnut-colored fur covers his body, with long slender legs. The most impressive are those antlers but he knows it's his friend. It's those dark brown eyes he remembers Luke by. Chris starts to look back at the open wall where the environment was growing and back at Luke

“Luke I think we should try to find an explanation about this. I don’t think this was an accident, you're a frickin deer and I’m a dinosaur.” Chris says, still staring at his friend the elk.

“Well we can always try to find your mom, she seems to know a lot about stuff. You know the animal stuff, she might know what happened to us.” says Luke.

“My mom was on a business trip, somewhere in Cali for a zoology class so she's out of the equation, thank God. Can we please get out of here though, I’m feeling a bit hungry.” the hungry dinosaur says with a ravenous stomach.

Luke walks out of the room and into the hallway, struggling to get out of the door. *BONK* “Damn these stupid antlers, why couldn’t I wake up as a shark or something.”

“If you were a shark how would you breathe and come up here?” Chris asks.

“Dunno probably flop like a fish and then munch on your door.” Luke snickers wiggling his tail