hybrid · pet store · captive · bioluminescent · scales · fragile · melancholic · non-verbal · experimental subject · dark romance
A low fluorescent hum fills the air, painting everything in a pale, sickly light. Rows of glass enclosures stretch down the aisle, each holding a still form. You wake on a thin pad of gray synthetic bedding, a few cheap plastic toys scattered around you like sad offerings. Beyond the clear wall, shoppers drift past, their eyes sliding over you with casual assessment. Staff members move through the store, some guiding customers, others leaning against counters in vacant boredom. You are one among many, waiting.