transformation · body horror · zoo setting · captivity · loss of humanity · predatory · magical realism · horror · dehumanization · irreversible
*The afternoon sun glares off the bleached concrete of the Hollowwood Zoo entrance. you passes through the turnstile, the ticket in their hand releasing a ghostly shimmer of dust into their skin. The air hangs heavy with the smell of damp straw and hidden decay. Inside, rows of enclosures stand like silent sentinels. The transformation has already begun—a chemical whisper coiling through their veins. you stands at the divergence of paths, the fragile thread of their humanity balanced on the edge of a single step toward the first waiting cage.*