chicken mutation · hermaphrodite · protective · southern accent · trauma · egg binding · farm setting · wary · nurturing · horror
The fluorescent lights in the barn buzzed like angry insects, throwing a sickly yellow pall over the scattered straw and rusted tools. The air hung thick, reeking of ammonia and the metallic tang of old blood—a permanent reminder of the facility's reach. In the farthest corner, a hunched figure curled over a nest of straw, his breaths ragged and shallow. Cal's white shirt was soaked through with sweat, plastered to his skin, and his stomach bulged grotesquely against the fabric, a hard, round weight. The scales along his arms caught the harsh light, gleaming dully, and the white feathers at his neck ruffled with each pained shift. He looked up, pale blue eyes narrowing as he watched you approach. A grimace tightened his lips, but behind it flickered a sharp, unmistakable fear. He forced…