Kaiju Paradise Shorts + Headcanons (DISCONTINUED)

A New Pair of Shades

The door slid open.

"Oz?" I called to the figure in the back of the room, "Is that you?"

Oz didn't respond, but I could tell that it was him. Something was incredibly off, though.

I took a step forward. He still didn't respond.

"Oz, it's me." I said.

I heard his breathing as I drew closer to him. He sounded like a dying animal. The music coming from the radio might have drowned it out completely if he were just a little quieter. On a better day, the music might have been soothing, but I could feel my heartbeat in my ears as fear and concern coursed through me.

"Oz, are you okay? It's just me. You know you shouldn't leave the group like that..."

Before I could make another move, he fell to his knees, now gasping loudly in pain. I rushed to my friend's side, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Hey, buddy, talk to me! What's going on?"

He wouldn't respond, but just as I was about to kneel down next to him, he turned his head.

What I saw made me jump back and let out a scream.

His entire face was dripping with a dark gray substance. Most of it had blossomed into fur, forming a dog-like snout over his face. Its lips were drawn back in a pained snarl as Oz's cries became more... animalistic.

A pair of sunglasses sat on its snout, and they slid down as he turned to look at me. I couldn't rip my eyes away from the sight. Oz... dear God. The look in his now green eyes sat somewhere between terror and... rage?

I wanted to run, to escape from the horrifying creature he was becoming, but I wanted to be there while I could still tell there was some of Oz left inside of that thing.

Shaking, I kneeled down next to the creature, but stayed a few feet away. I wasn't sure if it would attack me or just collapse like most gootraxians did after transforming. I was painfully unarmed, and I wasn't going to take the risk, but I knew I had to be there.

"Oz... what the hell happened?" My voice shook and I stared into his eyes.

The goo continued to drip down his face, slowly spreading. A pair of pointy ears sprouted from his head, and fur covered most of his face now. Still, that thin look of recognition stayed in his eyes. I knew there was still a man inside of this beast, pleading for help.

What help could I have given, other than to be there for him? I couldn't even put him down, as I said, I didn't have any weapons.

Tears clouded my vision as I watched his nails dig into the floor. He must've been in so much pain.

"I won't leave you, buddy. I can't..." I mumbled to him.

Did he even understand me anymore?

The look that crept onto his face told me that, just maybe, he could. That, or he at least recognized my voice.

When he whimpered in pain, I felt a chill run down my spine. No man could make that sound, but still, he gave me that look, and I knew he was in there.

I did something that, looking back, was incredibly stupid, but I don't regret it.

I reached over to his furred head, moving a little closer, and placed my hand between his ears. I almost expected the goo to cling onto my hand and pull me into a similar fate, but it didn't. It stuck to Oz's body, and Oz's body alone.

He was starting to look more wolf-like, but he still didn't move. He looked at me, and he looked almost content. Sure, he was still shaking from the unbearable pain I imagine he was in, but I knew he was comforted by my efforts.

A lighter gray mane grew around his neck, and the goo still dripped down. How the hell was he still conscious? I hadn't seen many transformations in person, but I knew that they were painful. After all, the goo would practically eat your body alive as it spread over your skin. Most people would've collapsed by now. Was it because I was there? Was he fighting to stay so that he could see me for a little longer?

I slowly pet him between the ears. A bit of a strange gesture, but, hey, what else would you do if your friend was turning into a giant, anthropomorphic dog?

His ears pressed against his head as he whined, still expressing his pain. I desperately wished I could have done something then to end it.

It seemed like an eternity, but the next thing I knew, he was barely holding himself up off the floor. His arms were now transformed, fluffy, with light gray markings on his paws, and faded green stripes on his shoulders. He didn't look away from me, and I didn't look away from him.

Every few moments, he would whimper softly, sending a little bit of pained sadness through me. It was weirdly reminiscent of putting one's dog down.

The pair of sunglasses that I had assumed started the whole transformation were lying on the ground next to him now. I didn't dare touch them, but when I saw them slide off and clatter to the floor, part of me was hoping that the goo would recede and turn him back into Oz. Of course, that's not how gootraxia works, but one could hope, no?

The goo had spread to his lower back, and part of a tail was forming when, with a thud, Oz finally collapsed. His eyes were still open, though, and they stared at me for another minute before they lifelessly closed.

I rose to my feet, knowing that when they opened, he would be gone. Maybe I should've rushed to get a weapon, then, and put him out of his misery, but... I couldn't. Humans are sentimental like that, aren't they? A vicious animal has taken over your friend's body, but because it used to be someone you knew, you just can't kill them yourself.

Instead, I kneeled down one last time, gave the fluff on his neck a pat, and left. I got back to the base safely, despite still being unarmed, and told everyone what had happened, leaving out a few details.

Now, I write my story, including all the details I left out. I wasn't heavily armed, I wasn't ready to kill him as soon as he turned, and I didn't put him out of commission as soon as he collapsed.

Though, maybe that was for the best. Because now, looking out over the crowd that just emerged from the laboratory's elevators, I think I see a familiar face. A furry, gray one, wearing a pair of sunglasses.

I always hoped Oz would turn into one of the friendly ones...