Irvin stood among the other men, acutely aware of his parts hanging in the morning air. Without his carefully hoarded supplies, his value to the group had plummeted. He glanced at the others, wondering if they'd cast him out now that he no longer had anything tangible to offer.

I need to secure my position, Irvin thought. Fast.

He caught Tom's eye and nodded slightly. Tom had been receptive to his ideas before; perhaps he could be an ally now. Irvin sidled closer to him, keeping his distance and voice low.

"Crazy situation, huh?" Irvin said, forcing a chuckle. "But we handled setting this shelter pretty well last night."

Tom nodded, a hint of pride in his expression. "Yeah, good thinking on that one."

Irvin seized the opening. "We make a good team. Clear heads in a crisis, you know?"

As Tom slowly nodded in agreement, Irvin's gaze shifted to Mike. The only other man he had any clear hook to get him into conversation. Irvin approached him next, careful to maintain a respectful distance given their current state.

"Hey Mike," Irvin said, his tone casual but the mans name felt like paper in his mouth. "That was some impressive work last night. We wouldn't have had place to sleep without your strength." Irvins palms were sweating, his gaze firmly planted on the mans face.

You couldn't make it more awkward moron. Irvin cursed himself realizing the state they were in wasn't helping either.

Mike grunted in acknowledgment, but clearly uncomfortable with Irvins approach.

Two potential allies, Irvin thought. It's a start.

As the group milled about uncertainly, Irvin saw an opportunity. He lowered his voice, stepping closer to Mike.

"Look, I hate to state the obvious, but we've got a problem," he said, gesturing to the couple apples in his hands. "Whatever happened to our clothes probably affected all the food in the area too."

Irvin leaned in closer to Mike, his voice low and urgent. "We should suggest a scouting party. Look for food and water. We can't just stay here exposed like this."

Mike frowned, shaking his head. "I don't know, man. Splitting up seems risky. We don't know what's out there."

"That's exactly why we need to look," Irvin pressed. "We can't just sit here and wait for things to get worse."

But Mike remained unconvinced. "No, I think we should stick together. Safety in numbers, you know? Let's see what the others think when they come out."

Irvin bit back a frustrated sigh. As if the women are going to just walk out naked.

Irvin shook his head. "I'm going to start searching. Anyone want to join me?" His voice sounded unconvincing even to him.

There was a moment of hesitation. Then Tom stepped forward. "I'll go," he said. A younger man around Irvins age, whose name he couldn't recall, also volunteered together with another in his fifties.

Something flashed in Mikes eyes and Irvin almost missed it. We just need to come back with food and give him the credit. I will be fine then.

With a final glance at the uncertain faces of those staying behind, Irvin set off with the three new allies trailing behind him.

Irvin led the small group through the transformed city, his eyes darting from one strange sight to another. The changes that had begun yesterday seemed to have accelerated overnight. Buildings warped and twisted by humongous vines and trees, their structures now resembling organic forms more than architectural designs. The streets undulated beneath their feet, making each step a challenge.

"Watch your step," Irvin called back to his companions. He picked his way carefully around a cluster of what looked like giant, pulsating mushrooms that had sprouted from a crack in the pavement.

As they navigated the alien terrain, Irvin's considered his next steps. He turned to the men behind him, curiosity getting the better of him. "So, what augments did you guys choose?"

The older man, whose name Irvin still couldn't recall, just grunted. "Strength and intelligence," he muttered, not elaborating further.

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The younger man shrugged. "Agility and strength, there wasn't that many options," he said, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.

Tom, however, seemed eager to share. "I went for double intelligence," he explained. "Figured it might help us understand what's happening, you know? Plus, I've always been more of a thinker than a fighter. You?"

Irvin nodded, filing away this information. "Double strength, that is how I moved those rocks back there."

They walked for couple hours looking for any buildings still standing with little success. Irvin wasn't sure he wanted to try the strange mushrooms or fruits growing from the sky covering trees quiet yet.

As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with what used to be a supermarket. The building had been consumed by an enormous, plant-like structure. Thick vines wrapped around the walls, and strange, bioluminescent flowers bloomed from every crevice.

"This looks promising," Irvin said, gesturing towards the transformed store. "Let's see if there's anything salvageable inside."

"Didn't you say all the food wrapped in plastic got destroyed? What do you expect to find in there?"

"Fruits, vegetables, maybe some meat which wasn't wrapped." Irvin replied as they cautiously approached the collapsing entrance barely held together by the vegetation.

Irvin turned to his companions. "Why did you decide to come with me, anyway?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

Staring into the dark hole the older man spoke up first. "We've been without food for two days now," he explained. "We were working the night shift at the factory when everything went dark. Stayed there through the initial chaos, but no food there."

Tom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and when you suggested scouting for resources, it seemed like you had a plan. That's more than the other group had going for it."

Irvin nodded, realizing the desperation that had driven these men to follow him.

As they approached the entrance of the transformed supermarket, an eerie silence fell over them. The air felt thick with tension, and Irvin's skin prickled with an unsettling sensation. He paused, holding up a hand to stop the others.

"Wait," he whispered, his eyes scanning the twisted vines and pulsating flora around them. "Something's not right."

Before anyone could respond, a bone-chilling howl pierced the air. From the shadows of the ruined building, a pack of monstrous creatures emerged. They were unlike anything Irvin had ever seen - wolf-like in shape, but with grotesquely elongated limbs and skin that seemed to shift and ripple like water. Their eyes glowed an unnatural green, fixed hungrily on the group of naked humans.

"Run!" Irvin screamed, his heart pounding in his chest.

But as they turned to flee, another pack of beasts burst from the undergrowth behind them. These were different - more reptilian, with scales that glinted like metal and jaws that dripped with a sizzling, acidic saliva.

Were they following us? Irvin trembled at the realization of what was happening unbeknown to them the whole time. How long?

Chaos erupted as the two packs collided, their focus split between the human prey and their new enemy. Irvin's mind went blank. He glanced at his companions, seeing the panic in their eyes.

Tom stumbled, his feet tangled in a mass of writhing vines. "Help!" he cried out, reaching for Irvin.

For a split second, Irvin considered grabbing Tom's hand. But self-preservation won out. He darted to the side. The wolf-like creatures descended on Tom, his screams cutting through the air before being abruptly silenced.

The older man had already disappeared into the fray, his fate unknown. Irvin caught a glimpse of the younger man, Alex, desperately climbing a warped tree.

Irvin's eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. He spotted a small crevice in the twisted structure of the supermarket, just large enough for him to squeeze into. Without hesitation, he dove for it, wedging himself into the tight space.

From his hidden vantage point, Irvin watched the brutal battle unfold. The two packs tore into each other with savage fury, their inhuman shrieks and growls filling the air. Blood - some red, some blue - splattered across the mutated landscape.

As the fight raged on, Irvin's stared frantically around his immediate area. He needed a weapon, something to defend himself if discovered. His eyes landed on a warped branch, part of the new fauna claiming the structure.

Move, you got to move. But he couldn't force himself to leave the safe space.

The battle seemed to last an eternity, but gradually, the sounds of combat died down. Irvin peered out from his hiding spot, surveying the carnage. Bodies of the monstrous creatures lay strewn about, many still twitching with residual life.

The wining reptiles dragged couple corpses into the building continuing their hunt.

Irvin felt his skin crawl with realization and mix of thrill with dread. If not now then never.

Hastily, Irvin crawled from his hiding place, snapping thin branch from nearby tree. Clutching the weapon tightly in his hand. He moved quickly towards the fallen beasts, his eyes sharp for any sign of movement.

A low growl caught his attention. One of the wolf-like creatures, badly injured but still alive, struggled to its feet. Without hesitation, Irvin brought his weapon down on its head, bringing it down. The wood snapped in half, he continued with stab into the monster multiple times before finishing it off with a sickening crunch.

He repeated the process with a few more of the wounded monsters, each strike leaving him splattered with their strange blood. The wood in his hands covered in grime and sickly liquid.

As the last of the injured beasts fell silent, Irvin stood alone amidst the carnage. His breath came in short gasps, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

He looked around at the bodies of the monsters, then at the spots where Tom had fallen. He lay dead on the side.

Irvin noticed Alex watching him from the tree.

A cold, calculating part of his mind noted that with the others gone, there would be less competition for resources. But another part, one he rarely acknowledged, felt a twinge of something - regret? Guilt? He pushed the feeling aside, focusing instead on survival.

Irvin gripped his blood-stained wooden weapon tightly, before his stomach turned, retching its content on the floor.