Wayne sat up in his bed, sweat dripping from his brow as his heart raced. He brought a hand to his chest as he felt the frenzied drumming beneath his skin. His skin? The man’s gaze traveled down as he beheld the sight of a perfectly normal human body. His body. His panic gave way to confusion as he flexed his digits, turning them over as if they were alien to him. He brought a hand to his face and felt the contour of his cheeks and jaw, the abrasion of his unshaven features nipping at his fingertips. He was human again…

…He was HUMAN AGAIN!

He threw the covers off of himself as he hopped to his feet clumsily, gripping the bed for support. Without a tail, even something as mundane as standing up felt so different! He stumbled his way to the full-body mirror hanging from his closet door, arms held out to maintain his balance. As he beheld his scrawny, pale self, he couldn’t help but smile. Wayne had issues with his image before, but he couldn’t bring himself to criticize what he felt was far superior to the brutish, green alternative.

His admiration of himself was interrupted by the sound of a voice calling through his door.

“Wayne! C’mon you deadbeat, breakfast is ready!”

That was Courtney alright. His grin widened as he remembered this meant he’d get to see his sisters again. “I’ll be right down!” He replied as he opened his closet to get dressed. The feeling of the jeans and t-shirt combo he picked out was bliss. The way they tugged and covered his form was like an embrace all its own, soothing the subconscious shame of being indecent he had to suppress when he had first changed.

As Wayne stepped out of his room, the smell of pancakes filled the halls. Monica must be cooking; she was obsessed with anything fluffy and covered in sugar. She always had to make them whenever it was her turn to make breakfast. Chocolate chip, blueberry, pecan, she’d make so many different varieties even if nobody asked for them. Most would settle for one flavor, while she’d have this mismatched stack that was as big as her head. He chuckled at the thought as he made his way down the stairs, hands stuffed into his jean’s pockets, another everyday comfort he had sorely missed.

“Morning everyone!” he chirped as he entered the kitchen.

The hardwood floors and granite countertops subtly diffused the light of the morning sun which filtered past the opened baby-blue curtains throughout the room. The kitchen’s centerpiece, an antique table and chairs his grandfather had carved, sat un-set with his sister looming over it, a contemplative gaze upon her face.

When she saw her brother enter, she came to attention. “Waaaayne!” Courtney called out, waving two fists which clenched a full set of forks and knives, “Help me set the table!”

“No prob, give me those,” he said as he approached his sister and gestured for her to hand over the silverware.

She pouted. “No. You do the plates.”

“C’mon, you never remember which side the knife is supposed to go on.”

“I so remember!”

Wayne crossed his arms, waiting for an answer as he scrutinized his sister.

Courtney’s eyes darted left and right. “Erhm. It’s… The left.”

“Errrp,” Monica’s voice interjected from across the room, miming the sound of a game-show buzzer as she flipped a pancake over, the uncooked side hitting the buttered griddle with a satisfying hiss. “Sorry Cici, the answer we were looking for was the right side. Thanks for playing!”

Courtney turned to her sister and puffed out her cheeks in a child-like display of anger.

Wayne would swipe the silverware from his otherwise occupied sister’s hand. “Thaaaank you~” he spoke in a sing-song voice as he took the forks and knives and walked to the table. He set them down on either side of where the plates were to go as Courtney followed suit with the dishes themselves.

Just as Wayne finished straightening the final knife to pe perfectly lined up next to its matching plate, Monica began scooping pancakes off of the griddle and onto a serving dish.

“So, what flavors have you decided to grace us with today?” Wayne asked.

“Hm? Oh, just classic buttermilk, mom asked if I could keep things simple today.”

Wayne chuckled. “About time someone reigned you in, just glad it didn’t have to be me for once.” He went and sat down at his spot at the table, and as the serving dish and syrup were put on the table, another woman entered.

Her hair was dirty blonde, cascading down her shoulders in a wavy and wild, yet intentional manner. Her fair complexion was adorned with subtle wrinkles, the faint curvature of crow's feet on each side of her face guiding one’s gaze to the bright brown eyes full of life she observed the room with.

“Good morning!” she spoke with a soft, yet enthused voice.

“Morning mom,” Courtney and Monica said in sync.

“Morning,” Wayne added.

“So, how did you all sleep last night?” Their mother inquired as she took her seat at the head of the table.

“Like a dream. Can’t say the same for Wayne though, he was tossing and turning so much last night that I could hear it through the walls!” Monica teased as she began to butter her pancakes.

Wayne shifted uncomfortably in his seat, doing his best to maintain his smile. “Was it really that bad? Guess that dream was more intense than I thought,” he said as he followed his sister’s example with his own stack.

“Oh? Was it a nightmare, sweetheart?” His mother inquired.

Wayne stopped his knife, gaze held on his plate in silence for some moments as he mulled it over. “In a lot of ways, yeah, it was one of the worst nightmares that I ever had. I died in it, and I was reborn as a kaiju.”

“A kaiju? Hah! Man, you really are obsessed with those things, huh?” Courtney quipped as she stuffed an oversized bite of food into her mouth.

“I’m not obsessed, I’m just scared of them. Who couldn’t be, with how much of a threat to humanity they are?”

Wayne’s mother reached over and reassuringly rubbed his shoulder. “I know honey, but the government has it completely handled. There’s nothing for us to worry about.”

Wayne met her gaze with a confused expression. “They… Don’t, though. Haven’t you guys been watching the news?”

The three women looked between each other in concern. It would be Monica who broke the silence.

“Wayne… Nobody even really talks about kaiju anymore. It’s just kind of a part of life. Y’know, like the common cold.”

“What? That’s… That’s literally impossible. Like- Watch, I’ll prove it.” He stands up and goes to the counter to collect the TV remote from a wicker basket full of various bits and bobs. He points it at the TV in the connecting living room and turns it on.

Immediately, a broadcast showing Apocalis tearing through New York city is displayed. The titanic monster swats at skyscrapers like they’re a minor annoyance, then continues stomping through the city streets with reckless abandon.

He lurched closer to the television with a gasp. “S-See!? Holy shit!” Wayne fumbled, gripping the back of the couch as he watched the carnage unfold. “How can you look at this and think it’s just ‘a part of life’!?”

Courtney sighs. “It’s really not a big deal though, yeah?”

Wayne looks to his sister in bewilderment.

Monica wiped her face with a napkin. “Yeah… I mean, what are the odds of a kaiju attacking here? I’ve got finals to worry about.”

His heart began to race.

“Wayne, sweetheart,” his mother said, “I know that these monsters are scary, but to the average person, it’s just a fact of life. What can people like us even do about something so big?”

“Are you serious!? We are LITERALLY watching one destroy one of the biggest cities in the U.S, and you think it’s just a fact of life!? Surely we can do SOMETHING about this! I don’t know, get educated, fucking prepare for the likelihood of one striking when we least expect it?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Wayne, calm down,” his mother urged.

“No mom, I’m NOT calming down! You guys are acting insane right now!” He turned back to the TV broadcast, and his heart stopped. Instead of Apocalis destroying the city streets, he saw himself. The kaiju version of himself. The tenth. It seemed to be taking great pleasure in every structure it toppled, every person crushed underfoot.

“No. No no no, that’s not…” He backpedaled into the kitchen, then turned back to his family, all of whom had their gazes on him like he had lost his mind.

“You’re crazy,” Courtney spoke coldly.

“No wonder you’re close to dropping out…” Monica said solemnly as she averted her gaze.

“I didn’t raise a maniac,” his mother hissed coldly.

Wayne’s mouth hung agape as he began to hyperventilate. “Shut up. Shut up.”

The three continued to chastise him and put him down with no sign of relenting. The world around him began to twist and curl in on itself, the air itself feeling like it was subject to distortion.

“Stop it..! Stop it! I’m not crazy! I’m NOT CRAZY!”

A surge of anger burned from within as his skin began to peel away, revealing sick, gore covered scales beneath. His fingernails fell from his hands as claws sprouted and took their place, bones cracking and crunching as his body changed.

“I’M NOT INSANE!” He roared as he lunged at his own mother, claws forward.

Even as his digits reached her, her expression remained unchanged. The eyes of disappointment. His vision went red. A sickening chorus of crunching bone and tearing flesh filled what little could be heard over the thrumming of his own heartbeat.

His breath caught as the red began to fade. He blinked as other colors and shapes gained definition and form from what was once formless. He was no longer in his home. He was in the ruins of the city he had been destroying on the news broadcast. He instinctively clenched his fists in response to the distress that shot through his body, but something in his hands caught his attention. He lifted them up to his eyes, looking at his open palms.

In the center of each sat something small and insignificant. Something that was akin to a smear that might have been left by crushing a small bug in one’s grasp. But this smear was bright red. Bits of clothing and crushed bone clung to the gore. Clothing which he recalled being worn by his family just moments before.

He had killed them.

In his blind fury, this rage which took hold over him, he had destroyed so very much.

He had become the thing he feared most. He had become a monster.

Wayne’s entire body shook as his mind was assaulted by waves of guilt and the sorrow of loss. With each haggard breath, his face tilted towards the sky until his gaze met the clouds. The kaiju bellowed to the soot-filled heavens above for an answer.

Why? Why was he made to suffer this fate? Why was he chosen to be reborn as a bringer of mankind’s demise? Was it just dumb luck, or was there a purpose to this torture? Before he could ponder any further, he finally awoke.

Wayne’s eyes shot open as he sat up from his rocky resting spot at the springs, kicking up stone and dirt from the speed at which he did so. A few Hexwolves who had been sleeping by the larger creature for warmth scurried away, chittering and yipping in fear of being crushed.

The kaiju quickly hauled himself to his feet and jogged a few steps forward, panting deeply. A nightmare. Much as he had hoped that this was the dream, the inverse was true. At least he could take some solace in knowing that he hadn’t actually killed his family in a blind rage.

He made his way to one of the nearby springs and dipped his face in for a moment, the size of his head causing the water to splash over the rim of the hole it occupied. The warm, salty liquid felt good on his scales and helped to bring him back down to reality. He blew a few bubbles from his nostrils before standing back up.

He gazed out over the wilderness beyond his territory as his thoughts drifted back to his dream. He saw the smiling visage of his mother in his mind's eye and hung his head. It had been a while since he had seen her in his dreams, which made her actions towards the end doubly upsetting. When she lived, she was a sweet woman, someone who believed in him. She never would have said those things, even if she disagreed with his handling of the situation.

Wayne flexed his scaly digits as he recalled the dream’s conclusion. The blood. There was something about it that disturbed him beyond the obvious. When he saw the gore and the destruction around him, he didn’t just feel mortified. Part of him felt… Satisfied. It had been drowned out in the moment, but deep down, he took great pleasure and pride in what he had accomplished in that moment. Even thinking about it now brought a slight flutter to his heart.

What in the hell was happening to him? Was this what he was supposed to feel as a kaiju, but being a human had helped him stave it off? Why were these feelings only coming to the surface now? He had so many questions, but no answers to be found. Dread crept in as his stomach churned. Was he going to lose himself eventually?

No. No! He had come too far already to succumb to some kind of sick primal urges. He would never delight in mankind’s misery like the other kaiju did! Out of everything that this body changed about him, he drew the line at that. Wayne stood up and balled his fists as he psyched himself up, tail thrashing about behind him. He was going to go for a hunt. Perhaps filling his belly would help to clear his mind.

***

As Wayne prowled across the sweeping green vistas which he and his pack frequented, he savored the quiet. Nothing caught his senses beyond the soft caress of the breeze over his scales, and the gentle embrace of the grass and dirt between his toes as his titanic steps slightly indented the ground below. It was a refreshing reprieve from the absolute chaos he had endured over the last couple of days. He could scarcely believe how much had transpired in such a short time.

He was pulled from his thoughts as his foot caught on something, bringing him crashing to the earth. He landed with a boom as car-sized chunks of once solid earth buckled and gave way beneath his weight. Wayne sat face-first in his monster-shaped crater for a moment in disbelief. First a nightmare that fueled his existential dread, and now this. Just when he was beginning to relax, too.

He rolled out of the rut and hauled himself to his feet. Clumps of dirt and stone rolled off his scales as he went to inspect the irregularity in the terrain that had caused him to fall. Brushing the topsoil aside, he’d be met with a rather large and deep tunnel. Not a hole, a tunnel. Well, that was different. He wasn’t aware of anything that would tunnel around here- let alone something that would make tunnels this big. He stuck his head down into the dark. It was hard to make out, but it was clear that it widened the deeper it went. He couldn’t fit down there, but he might’ve been able to before his first metamorphosis.

The silence he was once thankful for gave way to unease. Normally, he’d hear the cries of beasts in the distance, or perhaps see the odd flock of birds startled by clumsy hexwolves taking flight on the horizon. Only now that he was aware of this newfound oddity did the quiet take on a different meaning for him. He wasn’t a pushover anymore, though. What did he have to worry about? He just needed to mind his footing, and find something to eat.

Wayne continued forward, walking at a slower pace than before. Every minute or so of trudging along, he’d come face to face with another hole. Whatever had been here had no regard for the walk-ability of the area it was defiling, that was for certain.

Eventually, the kaiju’s persistence would be rewarded. He’d spot an ankon in the distance. It was strange to see them alone out in the open, but he was too hungry to question the decision making abilities of a prey animal. It was just him and his target, no distractions. He hunkered down, dug his claws in, and then bolted.

The ankon quickly noted Wayne’s approach and turned to bolt. Their strength came in numbers, and it was completely alone. His increased size worked to his benefit, the greater stride and muscle mass allowing him to traverse the open field faster than he had before. A sickening grin crept upon his reptilian maw. Did he even NEED the hexwolves anymore? Had he already evolved beyond their aid?

Of course, any thrill he felt was torn away as his foot caught on another hole. He stumbled, but didn’t fall like he did before. He grit his teeth and pushed forward fueled by equal parts determination and spite. With every thundering, earth shaking step, his meal got closer and closer. He opened his mouth, sharp teeth dripping with steaming saliva as he prepared to bite down!

With one final push he lunged forward as his jaw snapped shut like a bear trap, collapsing and holding tight as he slid over the dirt, eventually coming to a halt. He began chewing, expecting satisfaction, but quickly realized that he had missed his mark.

He scrambled onto his side and looked back, seeing… Nothing. No ankon, no sign of him having accidentally crushed it. It was gone. Wayne hissed as he put one and two together. The thing had probably fallen into a hole! Wayne crawled back to where he had gone from a sprint to a leap, and sure enough, there was a hole just below it. He snarled in frustration as he processed the circumstances.

“What are the odds,” Wayne cursed with a snarl.

Looked like he was going to have to find a meal elsewhere. Just as he turned to go on his way, a sound from below caught his ear. It was the sound of hooves on dirt accompanied by panicked wailing from the beast which had fallen below. The wailing reminded him of the sounds they made moments before their demise. Sure enough, another moment passed, and it was silenced with a sickening crunch that caused Wayne to flinch.

Whatever was digging the holes was down there right now! Wayne bared his teeth as he crouched down, looking into the darkness below. This thing was over-hunting his territory, and it had the audacity to take his meal right out from under him?

He took in a deep breath, and focused. He was going to flush this thing out, no matter what! He felt his stomach churn and his lungs ache as the air within began to heat. With a clench of the throat and a tightening of his muscles, he unleashed hell.

Flames poured from his mouth and into the dark below. He dug his feet in as his tail lashed wildly behind him. He pushed harder, the heat growing and the force of the inferno intensifying. Nearby holes began to spew fire skyward, the effect cascading outwards as the entire field gave way to a grand conflagration.

The ground beneath Wayne trembled as the beast below could endure the onslaught no longer. It breached the surface to Wayne’s side, sending the green kaiju tumbling onto his spiny back as the stream of fire flowing from his mouth cut through the sky.

What Wayne beheld as he rose was a giant kaiju that resembled a titanic badger with what resembled stone-plated forehead that gave way to spiny thorns protruding from the fur along its back, tail, shoulders and haunches. The creature was around the same size as Velostia, but its bulk was significantly greater. It let out a wail of pain as it rolled in the dirt, gnashing its teeth as it desperately sought relief.

As Wayne recovered and clambered back to his feet, he felt his insides churn in regret as he recognized the kaiju known as Teudach. He had let this strange new sense of ego move him to attack another of the ten, and as the creature managed to put out the flames and come to its senses, its attention lay solely on him.

He probably wasn’t going to be able to talk his way out of this one.