Strange Happenings
Midnight. They always came at midnight. The chimes from the old grandfather clock in the den jolted Daniel out of his restless dreams. It wasn't the chimes that woke him so much as the knowledge that They were coming. It was the same horrifying ritual, every single night.
The room was illuminated by an eerie pale green glow. Three figures in haz-mat suits stood around his bed. One of them held a large briefcase, another held a gun, and the third--the apparent leader, from the way he acted--was making entries into a large handheld computer. Daniel tried to escape, to run, to even move, but some unseen force held him in place, as immobile as the bed itself. The leader looked up from his computer and signaled to the one holding the briefcase, who set the case down and began to open it. Daniel strained to see its contents, but couldn't from his position. If only he could move...
The leader reached forward, grabbed the bedcovers and--
The shrill blast of Daniel's alarm clock filled the room. He'd had that dream again, the same one he'd been having every night for nearly a month. Except that it didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt more like a memory, but one that had been partially forgotten. Anyway, Dan had more important things to worry about, so he pushed whatever it was aside for the moment. Today was the last day of school, finally. All he had to do was survive his last few final exams, and he'd be home free. He wasn't about to let a creepy dream get him down.
***
Dr. DiCaoz glanced over his biology classroom. "Is anybody still working on the final?" he asked tiredly. He paused for a moment, then said, "If everybody is finished, you may talk quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of the period." As the class erupted in chatter, he went back to nursing his hangover.
Daniel loved his biology class. It wasn't just that he was good at it, or that it was the last class of the day. By some bit of luck or fate, he happened to be in the same class as his four closest friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake. Gassan, David, and Pammy had become absurdly popular since coming to high school. Gassan was Lebanese and therefore "exotic," David was a star swimmer, and Pammy was a cheerleader. In retrospect, popularity was an inevitability. To the other popular kids, Jake an avid follower of the Furry subculture (he called it a craze, but nobody else did) and Daniel, the introspective writer, were social liabilities. Still, Gassan, David, and Pam never let their newfound "friends" keep them away from Jake and Dan. Privately, Daniel was grateful that he had managed to befriend the four people who appeared to be immune to high school drama.
"So, what'd you guys think?" Pammy whispered.
"I'm pretty sure Dr. Di is a nutcase," Gassan answered quickly. He was met with a chorus of approval from his companions.
"Anyway," Pam continued, "are we having our annual Thank-God-The-Schoolyear's-Over party tonight?"
"I can't go," Jake said, "I've got a convention."
"I can't go either," said David, "My dad's taking me camping. He's on a back-to-nature kick."
"I'm visiting my grandma," Gassan said. Pammy rolled her eyes.
"Alright," she sighed, "when do you guys get back?"
"Sunday"
"Sunday evening"
"Sunday, but it'll be late."
"So," Pammy continued, "is Monday night alright with everyone?"
***
The days passed quickly. By the time Monday arrived, he had gone an entire weekend without his mysterious dreams. He was mostly relieved, but part of him wished the visitors would come back so he could find out what they were up to.
The streets were charged with an eerie calm. A summer storm was coming. As Daniel reached Pam's door, he couldn't help but feel a strange foreboding. Something was decidedly wrong. He rang the bell.
"Come in," called Pammy. Dan opened the door and found friend sitting on the floor in a tidy circle. They were all staring at him, an unsettling hunger in their eyes. "We are playing Truth or Dare," Pammy intoned mechanically. "Please, join us. Truth or Dare?"
"Please choose Dare," Gassan said, in the same unearthly voice.
"The Truth is never any fun," agreed David, still in the same tone. Throughout the exchange, none of the four took their eyes off of Daniel.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You all seem...different."
Pammy answered in the same monotone as before: "We are collectively unnerved at a series of recurring dreams we have been having. Perhaps you too are experiencing these visions?"
"Yeah," Dan said, "but I'm not acting that weird about it."
"Perhaps," Pammy said, "All will be made more clear if you answer this simple question: Truth...or Dare?"
Written by Zodiac on 31 May 2008
Truth:
What are you?” Pammy asked calmly
Dan was a little taken aback, this had happened so fast that he was already having trouble processing things and this strange question had only made it worse.
“What…what are you talking about?” he furrowed his brow slightly, there was a strange pressure in his chest, as if he wanted to release a deep breath he did not realise he was holding.
Pammy smoothed her skirt slightly and stared directly into his eyes, well, perhaps it might be more accurate to say she looked through him, at the wall behind. Those eyes were blank and he was starting to feel a little like a cornered animal.
“What are you?” came David’s voice. It almost made him jump. When had David moved behind him?
That pressure in his lungs was more intense; it was sort of like when you had something you really wanted to say but had to politely wait your turn. Daniel was starting to get really quite scared now and he shook his head violently to no one in particular.
“What are you?” asked Gassan and Jake almost in unison. It would seem he was surrounded.
Written by foxyscribe on 11 April 2017
Truth or dare
“You guys are being weird, plain and simple.” Dan could feel his skin crawl with forming goosebumps. These three were his friends for longer than forever. Even their worst pranks didn't give off the energy they were giving off right now. “Like children of the corn weird, it's down right creepy!” Dan rubbed his arms, he wasn't cold but it was funny how the creeps could make you feel cold.
“You have to pick.” Pammy, cute, charming cheerleader Pammy; said with a face colder than Dan's creepy feeling.
“You have to.” Gassen, the usual calm charmer kept up with the eerier unearthly voice.
“Have too,” Jake repeated the sentiment. Dan went from being creeped out, to feeling his stomach twist in the birth of fear.
“You must or this won't end!” David stood up, staring cold unreadable eyes right into his school star swimmer. Meaning he had more muscle in his pinky finger then Dan had in his whole body.
“Now David, this isn't like you buddy.” Dan backed into the door, the handle buried itself into the small of his back. David didn't hear him, maybe even couldn't! “David!” Dan yelled as David came at him with strong, unwavering steps.
“Say it.” David pinned Dan's shoulders to the door. He felt exposed and naked under his domineering gaze.
“Choose.” Pammy came in behind David. Dan tried pushing at David's arms, they wouldn't budge.
“Choose Dan.” Jake repeated in an inhuman chant, taking up a position on the left of David.
“Yes, choose.” Gassen came in on the right. Dan hit David's arm, not caring if he hurt his arms. He wouldn't let go, no matter how hard Dan striked at his arms or elbow joint.
“Choose,” they said together. Chanting it, pounding it into his ears. Dan couldn't take it anymore. His ears were ringing. His heart felt like it could explode at any moment. The crawling sensitization on his skin was only getting worse. Frankly, he was going to throw up any moment.
“Fine!” Dan shouted, making the chant stop almost the moment the word left his lips. The room was swirling and his friends were becoming nothing more than a swirl of colour. He felt more than saw David releasing his shoulder, giving him room to move. If Dan was going to do something – it was now.
Written by Psto1464 on 12 March 2022
Truth Revealed
“I'm...'' Dan stuttered, caught, and rather easily too. He really had no idea what he was going to say. His mouth was dry and his stomach was turning. Acids breaking down more than whatever he had left over from super. “I am...” Dan trailed off.
“Yes?” David tipped his face up, the roaming skin tone colours that were spinning in the room assured Dan he was most likely looking at David's face.
“A kangaroo.” Dan whispered, revealing the face of many sleepless nights, off nightmares, of insecurities; of himself. “Gah!” It felt like Dan's heart pulled him to the floor. It couldn't even tell if he hit David, or the rest of his friends, on the way down. He thought they were close, but he couldn't focus on them anymore. The ball breaking pain returned. In fact that statement became literal. Falling on his sides he didn't know what to reach for, what to comfort. Everything hurts, and the pain was all he could focus on.
“Ah!” Dan lips opened into a yelp of pain instead of the cry for help he intended. It felt like Pammy had struck him in the ball with the sharpest of her heels. His chest felt sore, reaching for both, he swore his chest was swelling. Was it an allergic reaction? Dan's hand that ducked down to his groin, found his balls not only hurt but were shrinking!!
“Dan?” David's voice, his real voice wobbled in like his head was underwater. Dan moaned, and curled up into a ball hoping to protect himself from this pain. It did nothing to stop it or the horror of his own balls, not his own cock disappearing under his hand! “Dan!” David's voice becomes louder but fainter to his ears. The room had stopped spinning, but Dan felt like his spine was being pulled out from his lower back. A rattling feeling, that let him know that the vibration of his spine was moving his very bones, relocating it. Not just his spine, but every bone in his body was rattling with this same experience.
“He-” Dan tried to speak again, but his tongue tumbled inside his mouth. His tongue had to reach out further and missed the mark. Was his face changing? Stranger than fiction was the hurt, Dan reached up, giving up on his groin and feeling – his furry face? “Wha-” Dan bit his tongue, whimpering at his stupidity that added to his injuries. Then as suddenly as it came it stopped.
“What happened?” His words were thick and swollen, he wasn't even sure if what he wanted to be said was really said. His vision grew clouded, and finally he sunk into the dark. He swore in those last few seconds or minutes that it took for the darkness to take him. That he heard his friends yelling his name.
“Mmm,” Dan's voice sounded sweeter to his years, less like a broken frog and more like a cuing of a dove. That couldn't be my voice, Dan forced his eyelids open, though a part of them wanted to remain closed. The thing was that he didn't trust the part of him that wanted to keep it close. It felt like he would never open them unless he forced himself to do it right then, right now. “Pammy?” She was the first thing he saw when he woke up. She looked normal, from the sparkle in her eye to the forced smile on her lips.
“Pammy!” Dan sat upright too fast making his head spin, he remembered how strange not only Pammy but everyone else was being. He wanted to get away and flailed about in the process.
“It's okay, we're all okay.” Pammy waved her hands in the hair in the sign of surrender. Dan noticed the rest of his friends gathered around him. Dan looked around, he was on the floor before. He went to look down when Pammy stopped him, grabbing him by his muzzle. Wait, she grabbed him by his what?! “Do you want to look? I just don't want you to panic.”
“We had enough of that from Jake.” David muttered, giving Jake a side wise dagger with his eyes.
“I didn't panic,” Jake said, his voice high and excited as his body moved while he talked. “I was just really happy?” Jake said, sounding unconvincing.
“You don't even believe in yourself.” Gassen said, shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest. Hearing his friends, who sounded like his friends normally did; brought tears to Dan's eyes.
“I'm I holding you too hard?” Pammy let go of Dan's... muzzle. He didn't care about that right yet, he was just happy they were normal again. “Sorry.”
“You guys are back to normal.” Dan wiped his eyes dry. “You guys were not funny. Was this some sort of prank Pammy?” Dan asked Pammy directly, pegging her for the ringleader if this was some sort of joke.
“No prank Dan.” David ran his hand through his short hair. “Even we felt weird.”
“Like we were being controlled.” Gassen turned his head away, face distorted in a look Dan couldn't pin down.
“It was not right,” Jake said, in a rare moment of seriousness. “It wasn't right,” he repeated before turning away from Dan.
“It's not as bad as what happened to you.” Pammy was the only one still looking at him. “Things have changed, you must have noticed.” Dan nodded at Pammy's words, he felt different. Good but different. “Do you want to look?”
“It changed for all of us.” David said looking paler all of the sudden, like he was going to be sick.
“Could we be next?” Gassen asked, looking green around the gills himself.
“I could make it work,” Jake muttered leaning against the bed's pine footboard.
Written by Psto1464 on 15 March 2022
You guys don't look so good
“You guys don't look so good.” Dan pointed out, they looked very much like how he felt just before this big change.
“Speak for yourself-” Jake said, slapping a hand over his mouth, his charge for Pammy's on-suite bathroom.
“Bucket,” Gassen begged while his tanned skin went to an impossible shade of white.
“Shit, not again!” Pammy ran out of the room, looking for a bucket Dan assumed; just as David hit the floor. His bones snapping with a spine chilling clarity. Dan shot out of bed, stumbling a bit while his unfamiliar tail got in the way of his newly formed feet. The kangaroo's feet are on the bottom of human shaped thighs. Had his tail swinging wildly behind him to catch him back in balance. Being a complete noob at his new form and being a natural klutz. Made for a bad combination.
“Ka!” Dan let out a feminine scream as he fell right into Gassen's arms. His face was splitting into two right in front of his eyes. “Oh my god!” Dan sounded a lot like Pammy right then. He held onto his friend's face trying to stop the river of blood that flowed from his words. Placing his palms on Gassen's skin, felt weird, his smooth skin felt like wet fur?
“Don't touch him!” Pammy came back into the room. Her scream made Dan jump back and stepped on his new, very tender tail.
“Ouch!” Dan's high pitch whimper had Gassen wrapping his arms around Dan's waist and tugging him close. It got Dan off his tail, but Gassen's grip hurt. Wincing he had to place his hands on Dan's shoulders for balance. He could feel the muscles rippling like waves in a pool under his hands. “Gassen?” Dan whispered to his friend, Gassen gave Dan a crooked smile. Eyes so dark, Dan doubted they were Gassen's, but he knew who was staring at them.
“Touching will only make it worse, Gassen, let Dan go!” Pammy's hair was a mess and she was sweating more than after cheer practice. Still, Dan saw that she was stronger than any of them. She had David pulled to the side with a bucket in his hands, by the time Dan had even bothered to check on him. “Remember when you tried to help Dan?” Pammy tried to talk Gassen from letting go, he only pulled Dan in tighter. His head falling into Dan's shoulder.
“I can hold him,” Dan knew Pammy just said touching only made it worse, but if Gassen needed touching then that was the least he could do. “Are they changing too?” Dan whispered to Pammy. Hoping they wouldn't hear. Dan didn't remember the pain of his transformation, it was like a bad dream, gone when he woke up. He can't believe he went through this! Now his friends Gassen, David and poor Jake who Dan almost forgot!
“Jake's alone in the bathroom!” Dan whispered in horror. Pammy growled to herself, saying something he couldn't hear. Dan ignored the crying that was making his ears ache from the bathroom. He focused on Gassen in his arms, whispering nonsense, while keeping eyes on David. Who seemed to have passed out after puking. “This was going to be a long night.” Dan said, and he didn't know how long he held Gassen for, before he passed out; pure exhaustion taking him away until dawn.
“Dan, wake up.” Gassen's familiar accent drifted into his sleep. Did they sleep over at Pammy's again? Dan didn’t like getting up early, but if he hadn't got up at the crack of dawn with the others. Pammy would have his hide. The only one who took his side was Jake, who hated early mourning as much as he did.
“Mmm,” Dan snuggled closer to the firm soft warmth that he had in his arms.
“Dan!” Pammy's voice came at him full throttle, along with a familiar hard hit of a pillow.
“Demon,” Dan whimpered, opening his eyes to her towering over him. She looked ragged, with deep bags under her eyes and her hair knotted and matted with sweat. “A sweet kind demon,” Pammy's eyes narrowed at Dan, she opened her mouth and closed it with a sigh.
“So what do we do?” David came in beside Pammy. He looked just as bad, but with that acid smell that you could only get from puking too much.
“Personally, I think this is awesome!” Jake came tumbling around the corner of the bed. He looked like he did. Dan's mouth dropped at Jake, who was a mixture of kangaroo and human. Flexing his forearms he looked smug? Could he look smug, he was also wearing an oversized black sweater. He stood about the same height as David.
“You would enjoy it.” David shook his head, “but we need a plan. Now that Dan is up, let's think of one.”
“Why are only Jake and I kangaroo's?” Dan asked, when his warm bed sat up beneath him.
“I think you mean Gassen, Jake and I?” Gassen's voice came out of the muzzle of the sharpest looking grey kangaroo that Dan had ever seen. Dan opened his mouth and closed it again. Too flustered to speak. Dan felt strange looking up at Gassen. His body felt strange too. It tingled where they touched, and Dan was touching Gassen all over, their bodies still pressed together. Dan didn't know when it happened, but he could feel Gassen's hand running up his back from under the blanket.
“You're much larger than I am.” Dan's mouth dropped the first thought that entered his mind.
“That's because I'm a male.” Gassen said, patting his head between the ears.
“Okay, break it up you two.” Pammy's arms grabbed Dan from under her arms. Dragging him off Gassen and the bed. “Clothes for you, and Gassen control those pheromones.” He was dragged into the bathroom by Pammy, who closed the door behind them.
“Okay, Dan.” Pammy put her hands on her hips. “Kangaroo or human, a girl is a girl.” Dan nodded, fearful to open his... her mouth? “Boobs,” Dan looked down and yes he had a large breast. A clear sign that he was now a she. “Clear reaction to the hot guy. Not how we cool girls roll.” Pammy tossed a shirt off her shower curtain at Dan's head. “Shirt on, hormones controlled.” Dan slipped on the shirt that was a bit snug around his, no her, bust.
“Okay, we're good.” Pammy slammed open the door. Dan walked out behind her. Shaking her head. Guy or girl he... she was no different. They were no different.
“Girl talk over so soon.” Jake said, bouncing on his new feet.
“Whatever this is, at least we haven't changed where it counts.” David said, his lips twisting into a toothy smile. “Cringe worthy as that statement was.”
“We have this,” Gassen said, lounging comfortably on the bed making Dan feel a little squirmy.
“Yeah, we do.” Dan said, feeling more confident about the future, Dan glanced at Gassen, before turning away with a hot unidentified feeling.
Written by Psto1464 on 19 March 2022
The end (for now)