Sweat trickles down my back as the air grows heavier with each passing second.
*beep*
My heart pounds in my chest, the sound roaring in my ears.
*beep*
The gun feels cold and heavy in my trembling hand. I take a deep breath and pull the trigger, my focus razor-sharp.
*beep*
One more shot. Just one more.
*beep*
"That'll be eleven dollars and fifty-eight cents," I say, sliding the receipt across the counter with a plastered-on smile.
Just another night on the graveyard shift.
_________________________________________
It's hard to hope for more when you never had that much to start with. Call me a cynic, but it's not easy to stay positive in this day and age.
It's been around a hundred years since the first Animalis was born. At first, it caused quite a stir, but after a couple million more Animalis babies later, along with a civil rights movement advocating for Animalis kind, it became normal for people to accept that some people had cute animal ears and the ability to bench press around 300 pounds with ease.
Researchers from around the globe have spent years trying to solve the question of such radical mutations in the human genome, but have found no answer and accepted it as the next stage of human evolution. Some even call it a miracle. After all, who wouldn't want abilities bordering on superhuman levels? But, as with all things, results may vary.
My arms struggled to carry the drinks necessary to restock the fridges. Usually, the store has a cart that we load items onto for re-stock, but someone had the bright idea to try and ride the thing in the parking lot, breaking one of its wheels in the process.
____________________________________________________________________________
"You'll be fine, Sash," my manager said with a fresh gash on his forehead.
"It's Sasha… actually."
He talked over me. "You're a beasty, and with great power comes, great customer service." He put his arm, bent in ways a human arm shouldn't bend, on me while the paramedics lay him down on the stretcher. "You got this…hey Sash?"
"Yeah?" I said, looking into the flitting eyes of my manager.
"That was a sick kick flip wasn't it?"
I wouldn't call it a kickflip per se, it was more like the cart had powerbombed him into the asphalt.
I gave him my best customer service smile, wiggling my ears the way I know people think is cute, while the paramedics carted the egg-shaped man off to get medical treatment. Just another night at the convenience store.
________________________________________________________________________
Stocking the lower shelves, I arched my back and let out a deep sigh. The pressure along my spine released in a symphony of crackling discs and cartilage, blending with the steady hum of the coolers.
I was only twenty-one, but I already knew this wasn't the life for me. The reflection in the fogged glass showed someone unfamiliar—a stranger with deep bags under his eyes, staring back with a hollow smile.
Ding Dong.
The doors opened ushering in a gust of winter air.
My ears twitched in a Pavlovian response. "Yes, hello, welcome!" I called out instinctively in a false cheerful voice. I didn't bother standing up to greet the customer; experience told me there was no point. The late-night crowd rarely craved small talk, and I was more than happy to respect their unspoken preference. I had only put away a couple more cans of beer before the front counter rang for my attention. I stumbled awkwardly to my feet, tripping over myself, and greeting the cool polished concrete floor face-first. The front desk rang again.
"Coming!" I jogged over to the counter, ducking underneath the drawbridge entrance and popping up quickly like a jack-in-the-box. "Hello, how may I assist you tod-...?"
Standing across the blue laminated counter was a woman who exuded respect, her hair a majestic mane of honey and blonde waves with small streaks of clay red speckled throughout, small rounded ears sitting on top, a jawline reminiscent of carved marble, and lips stained in a lush red. Her eyes gleamed like polished amb-
"Excuse me," her deep voice rumbled, laced with cool concern. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?"
She leaned over the counter, her tall frame imposing but not unkind. Her hand reached toward my face, fingers warm and gentle as she brushed my skin, her thumb tracing the edge of the blood.
"You're bleeding."
Startled, I jumped back, colliding with the display of tobacco behind me. "Ma'am, you really shouldn't touch people without their consent."
"Oh..." She was right. I hadn't noticed it before, but a warm feeling was pulsing from my left cheek, a trail of blood on the floor illuminated by fluorescent lights. My face felt even hotter from blushing.
She took out her phone, a slight smile etched onto her stoic face, "do you want me to call for an ambulance?"
"No!" I lept towards the phone in a panic. "M'am… I'll be okay. I'm a Animalis," I said, wiggling my ears to accentuate my point.
She eyed me suspiciously. "Okay," she shrugged. "But if you pass out I'm calling for an ambulance.
"Yeah, that's fair." I felt a little woozy, "So M'am how can I help you tonight?"
She straightened up from the counter, towering over me with her arms crossed, one hand resting on her chin as if in deep contemplation. Her suit draped perfectly over the muscles beneath.
"Ah, I'll take an Animalis extra strength premium." She pointed at the wall of tobacco, gesturing toward her choice, though her aim was way off. It wasn't uncommon for animal people to smoke—it was an easy way to get an instant hit of dopamine. Thanks to their natural regenerative healing abilities, one of the many perks of being an Animalis, smoking and alcohol caused minimal damage to their bodies. It's thanks to this that I feel like all I do is restock the tobacco and beer shelves all night.
I quickly retrieve the pack of tobacco for her with a smooth practiced motion.
*Beep*
"That'll be twelve dollars after taxes, will that be credit card or cash?"
She pulled out her wallet and fished out a hundred-dollar bill.
"I'm sorry, M'am. We don't carry enough cash to break that, any chance you have something smaller?"
She crossed her arms, a hand resting again on her chin. "Give me seven more packs."
I scanned 7 more packs. "That'll be eighty-six dollars after taxes. Would you like a bag for that?"
She cocked one of her eyebrows, "No, I'm gonna carry all of this in my arms."
There was an awkward silence.
She laughed a hearty laugh, her right hand partially covering her face as she did so. It was as if she had just heard the funniest thing in the world, and I had no idea what it was. "I'm just kidding. I would like a bag."
I stared at her, eyes narrowed, sliding the mountain of tobacco off the counter and into a plastic bag without breaking eye contact.
"Thanks, err.." her eyes shifted towards my name tag, "Sasha, I needed a laugh with the night I was having."
"Glad, I could provide my service for someone so... beautiful." My brain was lacking oxygen and I felt heavy.
"Hey, are you okay there, Sasha?"
"I'm okay." My vision was fading and the fluorescent lights started to swirl and dance around.
She reached over the counter, picked me up, and laid me flat on the floor. "Oh dear, I'm gonna call you an ambulance. You've lost too much blood for a girl of your size. Do you know what your blood type is?"
"O negative animalis blood." The world started collapsing around me, the scent of her perfume felt so good as my consciousness slipped away from me. "Also, I'm a man."