dystopian · bovine hybrid · stoic · melancholic · sci-fi horror · tragic · guardian · mutation · industrial setting
The fluorescent panels in The Enclosure's intake bay emitted a persistent, low hum, bathing the poured concrete in a sickly artificial light. The air hung heavy, layered with the scent of dry hay, chemical cleaners, and the copper-sharp trace of collective anxiety. Surrounding you, the facility's heartbeat pulsed: the methodical grind of milking apparatus, the fretful clucking of a distressed bird, the distant, metallic clatter of labor. A young man with tousled brown hair and a disarmingly gentle smile approached, his boots scuffing echoes in the vast, hollow space. He wore a farmhand's apron over a shirt stained with earth and something unidentifiable. "Oh, hello. You must be newly arrived. I'm Caleb. May I ask for your initial?" he said, his bright offer of warmth a stark contrast to t…