In the end, it took Jake almost ten minutes to cool himself down. When he finally felt his heart rate drop to, what he hoped were normal levels, he walked to Mason, who was kneeling on the ground, bandaging the small Kobold.

"You were right. Those devolved idiots didn't even think of checking up here." He whispered as he sat down next to his friend.

Mason kept cleaning and binding the girl's wounds and replied without looking.

"Of course, I am right. I am amazing, after all! But more to the point, not a lot of people their age would go to this floor." He pointed offhandedly at the shelves lined with diapers and other baby products.

"And with the main stairs blocked, how would they know of the small side staircase."

Closing his eyes, Jake rested his head on his arms. "Mason. I just saw some huge cat thing, with six legs, follow those goblins."

Finishing the bandaging, Mason sat down, crookedly, cursing his tail a bit. "That's just great. As if goblins and god know what else, isn't enough."

Nodding, Jake thought for a while. "We need to find weapons. Do you think guns still work?"

"I don't know, so far all we have heard points to fantasy and I haven't heard any shooting yet. But I guess it can't hurt to check."

The two sat together in silence, listening to the occasional sound from outside. After a while, Jake pulled out his cell phone and tried pushing the buttons again. But no matter what he did, the screen stayed dead.

"It could be something like an EMP? Let's see if we can find one of those old landline phones."

Not getting any response he looked over and saw Mason lying on the ground, the only sign he was alive the movement of his chest. Examining his friend, Jake noticed there was blood congealing from some small wounds, and discolored scales everywhere. Sighing, he stood up and walked around the room, looking at the different products for something to help his friend.

--

A few hours later, Jake almost had a heart attack when Mason shouted and waved his arms in his sleep. Rushing over, Jake wondered what to do. He remembered his mom telling him never to wake people during a nightmare, but if Mason didn't shut up, someone would hear. When it was clear Mason wasn't going to stop, Jake put his hand over his friend's mouth and shook his arm. The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back, Masons snarling snout inches from his face and a taloned claw clenched tight around his neck.

"Mason, stop! It's me, wake up." Jake's voice was barely audible.

As if hit by a lightning bolt, Mason's body went rigid. Then awareness returned to his eyes, and he looked at his hands around Jake's neck. Shock registered on his face, and he let go while backing away. "Sorry, sorry, I had a bad dream and… sorry..."

Sitting up, Jake rubbed his neck, taking a deep breath. "Must have been one hell of a dream..."

Mason didn't reply, as he looked at his hands.

A piercing howl came from the window. With a jerk, both looked at the dark sky outside, expecting something to jump in and attack. When a minute passed, then another, and nothing happened, Mason sighed.

"That sounded like it came from the underground parking garage… Glad we didn't end up going there." Jake said as he shuddered.

Mason nodded before getting up. "Let's go see if we can find anything useful, but let's stay on this floor until the girl wakes up."

--

It was almost ten in the evening, according to the old analog clock Mason had found, when the girl woke up. Jake was applying more random baby ointment to cuts and bruises on Mason's arms and face when they heard a soft cry. Looking to where the girl was lying, they saw she had crawled into the corner, arms around her legs and watching them with wide-open eyes. Some blood was dripping from her lips, and she was trying to stifle soft coughing.

"Easy there, we won't hurt you. We chased off those angry monsters that were hurting you." Jake walked over before crouching down, a little distance away. The girl somewhat reminded him of his younger cousin, although she also looked like a kicked and beaten kitten. Her skin was a darker blue than his was, with purple highlights and she had startling purple eyes, barely noticeable under all the bandages.

The girl silently looked at him, and the lower part of her mouth shuddered a bit. Jake thought it was weird. Although she looked nothing like a human, he felt like she seemed perfectly normal. Did something change in the way they regarded their kind? Crying interrupted his internal monologue, and he saw the girl softly weeping.

"Can I come over? I promise I won't hurt you, but you were injured pretty badly and moving around may have opened your wounds."

The girl sniffled a bit then nodded, and when Jake moved next to her, she stayed very still. Trying to be as careful as possible, he inspected her wounds.

"You are still bleeding a little, so you need to drink and eat to recover your strength." he softly said his attention on the girl's wounds, trying to remember what a squeaking sound while breathing meant.

"You are like me? Did you also make a mistake?" A soft voice startled him, and he looked at the girl's face. She was examining him, seeming especially interested in his tail. "No, little one, and neither did you. There is nothing wrong with what you are now."

Mason laughed from the side. "It's the other way around. Those stupid green-blooded wankers made the wrong choice."

Wide-eyed the girl looked at Mason. "You can't use those words. If you do, you won't get dessert!"

Mason blinked in astonishment while low laughter came from Jake that increased in intensity until he was almost falling over. The shock from the change and the battle with the goblins had stressed him out, and hearing the little girl reprimand his best friend just like his mom used to, released all the tension. Big tears came rolling down his face as he laughed and cried at the same time.

Looking at him, Mason snorted, then a grin surfaced on his face, and he too started laughing. As their tension released, the girl looked from one to the other, before she smiled a little. Then she coughed, and blood sprayed from between her fingers. The guys immediately stopped laughing and rushed over.

"I think she has internal bleeding and maybe a perforated lung. We need to find a doctor or…" Jake fell silent when he noticed the girl watching him, a frightened look on her face and tears appearing in her eyes.

"Don't worry about that. Me and him? We are good at this stuff! We will find a doctor, and he will fix you right up again." Mason said, putting an arm around her.

In shock the girl looked at him for a moment and then began crying, huddling up against a startled Mason. Behind the girl, Jake motioned him to hug her, and awkwardly Mason complied, making shushing sounds.

--

A few hours later Emma, which she said was her name, was sleeping in a makeshift bed, and the guys were sitting together, discussing the events of the day and trying to figure out what to do.

"After we find her a doctor, we need to go back home. Our parents will be going crazy with worry, and I keep wishing we had called them to tell them which race to pick." Jake said, looking at the darkening sky.

"You know they wouldn't have listened to us, well nobody except for your mother. Most likely, they would have tried to stop us." Mason replied after a while, sounding tired. "We were lucky today. Those goblins didn't know what they were doing yet. But soon things will become worse."

"I know. Everyone is still partly holding on to old values and believes, even those thugs. But that won't last. And if our change is any indication, it won't be weeks but days or hours."

They were silent until Mason asked the question that had been in both of their minds.

"What do we do with the girl? Finding her parents might be impossible."

"If they are still alive," Jake added darkly.

Looking at his friend, Mason had a worried look on his face.

"Do you remember if Kobolds can see at night? And what about Goblins?" Jake asked, looking at the increasingly dark city.

"Yeah, Kobolds can see in the dark, but so can Goblins. But I don't remember who can see better. If I had to make a bet, I would say we can."

Getting up, Jake walked towards the stair. "Ok, then I'm going to go downstairs and look for supplies. We should leave at night and hope the goblins aren't up at night."

Mason made a motion as if to stop him, then thought better of it. They needed supplies bad, and both had not eaten in almost a day.

"Cats are nocturnal though…" He whispered into the silent room.

--

Heading down the stairs, which should be pitch black, Jake noticed he could see the walls and some debris lying on the staircases. It was as if a small amount of light was always present, even if there was none.

Arriving at the lower floor, he noticed only a few shelves were still standing, most lying in a jumbled mess on the ground. Clothing, women's articles, and all kinds of random things were littering everywhere.

Finding his way around, Jake quickly located the fresh foods department. To his surprise, most was already spoiled, and he wondered how that was possible. Deciding it must have something to do with the strange changes, Jake went straight for the packaged food. He started filling a bag with things he could eat without heating them. While putting more and more in the bag, he stopped when he saw what he was holding.

It was a chocolate bar, and right away, his stomach started growling. Seconds later he was spitting out the pieces he had put in his mouth, a look of disgust on his face.

"What the hell…" he whispered, looking at the chocolate bar's date.

It wasn't expired but still had years left. Walking towards the other shelves, Jake tasted other things, cake, cheese, and even some fruit. No matter what he tried, he felt like there was either poison or garbage in his mouth. Eventually arriving at the canned supplies, he opened a can of sausages. Biting in one, he felt like he had found heaven. Within seconds he finished the can and opened and finished two more before he could stop himself.

Getting his senses back, he started thinking. He was a Kobold. What did he know about their diet? Nothing really, only that they ate meat. Looking at the bag in his hand, he saw all the nutritious products he had so meticulously selected before. Dropping it in disgust, he got two more big bags and filled them with all the canned meat he could find. He tried a few more things but eventually had to get to grips with reality. Only meat tasted good.

He grinned when he thought of his vegetarian mother. How angry she would be if she did pick Kobold. Then his grin faded as he realized he didn't know if she was still alive. He resolved himself to get home as soon as he could. Traveling to the city his parents lived in would take almost a week without a car. He stopped, how sure was he that vehicles wouldn't work? They might. In some games and novels, they did. Carrying the bags, he headed back towards the stair, leading to the second floor.

"Grrrrr"

A low, uneven growl came from the entrance of the building. Freezing in his steps, Jake held his breath as he felt his heart rate rising. Swallowing, he gently moved his head to the side. In between the standing shelves, he could barely make out the entrance, and in front of it, something was moving. Realizing his night vision wasn't as good as that of a cat, he silently cursed himself for his carelessness. Stepping behind one of the shelves that wasn't knocked over, Jake lowered the bags he was holding as gently as he could. He placed them on the ground, trying to refrain from making noise.

"GRRRRR"

He almost jumped from a second growl, close to where he was hiding, and he heard soft tapping as if something was slowly walking through the store. He resisted the urge to swallow, and on his hands and feet, he shuffled around the shelve, trying to keep it between him and the sounds. Close to his hiding place, the footsteps stopped, and he heard faint breathing. Realizing that if he could hear it, it could hear him as well, he immediately held his breath and started praying for whatever it was to keep going.

After a few precarious seconds, his prayers seemed answered when the footsteps moved away. Staying as still as he could, Jake slowly let out his pent up breath. From the other entrance, something big shuffled out of the shop, brushing past some toppled shelves.

Shaking all over, Jake peeked around the shelve to find the shop was again empty. Sneaking back to the bags, he picked them up and carried them towards the stairs. Taking a final look into the dark store, he tried not imagining monsters everywhere, before quickly heading back up.

--

Arriving in their temporary hideout, he was surprised to see Mason having a whispered conversation with Emma.

"You're pretty tough for such a tiny girl!" Mason replied, sounding amazed at something Emma had told him.

"I am not tiny! Next week I turn ten!" Emma shot back, looking a lot less scared than before, and more than a little annoyed. When she noticed Jake was back, she looked at the ground before waving at him.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jake walked over, trying to control the terror he was still feeling. "So I see you two became bestests of friends already."

Looking up, the girl shot him a glare before bending her head down again. There were dried bloodstains on her lips and chin, indicating she had had another coughing fit.

Mason looked over and noticed something on his friends face. Frowning for a second, he quickly hid it with a grin. "You say that now, but she is a tough one. She told me a little about herself, and she went through one hell of a childhood."

Something in Mason's eyes told Jake he wasn't joking and he should be careful with his words. It was something they had been able to do since childhood, communicate non-verbally, and it seemed the change they had gone through had not removed it.

Nodding, Jake walked over and handed Mason ten cans. "Eat that. You will need it."

Grimacing at the cans, Mason looked up. "Seriously bro, I know your mom can be a pain with the greens, but this is taking it a bit too far don't you think?"

A chocolate bar flew through the air and Mason snatched it. "That's more like it! Next time I'm doing the shopping." Unwrapping the bar, Mason put half of it in his mouth and started chewing. A second later, he coughed and spat it back out while Jake had a nasty grin on his face.

"I knew you would say that. But I, of course, tried a lot downstairs, and we only seem to eat meat now." Jake put the bag filled with canned meat next to his friend. "Stop looking at me like that. You would never have believed me without trying."

"Bah, that might be true, but I would have tried a small bite. I'll remember this!"

Ignoring the remark, Jake opened a can and gave it to Emma. "Eat a little. After we have all had our fill, we will go out and find a doctor."

Emma took the can and looked at it in disgust before opening it. Examaning the sausages inside, she shuddered but eventually managed to take a bite. As soon as she did, her eyes flew open in marvel, and she began chucking down the entire can.

"Easy, easy. If you eat too fast, you will get sick." Jake said, looking at the girl gorging herself.

"You say that now, but if we truly only eat meat, we might not get sick from overeating. Remember how snakes eat?" Mason said from the side, his mouth filled with canned meat.

"Ow and thank you very much for that lovely image. Do you prepose we swallow an entire cow if we find one?" Jake shot back, annoyed by the unbidden images that flashed through his mind after the remark.

Mason shrugged and continued eating, quickly clearing the tin cans. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with the remnants of his sleeve and burped loudly. "God, I feel so MUCH better now. Did you think of looking for weapons?"

"No, I brought you the meat first. I know how upset you get on an empty stomach." Jake's fake grin quickly turned into a real one. His friend did get grumpy when he was hungry.

A small wet cough interrupted their friendly bantering, and looking over they saw Emma holding her hand to her mouth. Blood was dripping down, and her facial scales had turned ashen.

Jake got up and indicated Mason to come. "Enough, we can't wait any longer. The hospital is twenty minutes away from here, and we need to go there and hope some doctors stayed behind."

"That was before. We have no idea how long it might take now, so you are right, we need to get going."

Walking towards Emma, Mason extended his hand to pull her up, but as soon as she tried to get up, she became deathly pale and started coughing loudly. Scared, the boys sat down next to her, waiting and hoping she would be alright. A minute of coughing later, Emma was lying on the ground like a wet towel, her eyes closed. She was breathing slow and uneven.

"She can't walk, and we are idiots for thinking she could," Mason exclaimed as anger and fear warred across his face. "How could they do this to her, she is just a little girl! Weren't they still human yesterday?"

Jake had been wondering about that for a while now, and he had come up with an idea. Trying to distract himself from all the blood he began explaining.

"I think they could do that because they changed into goblins. They were too young to be hardened criminals, so that leaves only the recent changes as the culprit. Remember how they said goblins care a lot about race? If you turn that around, doesn't that mean they don't care at all about others? Or they care about all races, just not in a good way? Besides, if I recall correctly, goblins follow orders very well don't they?"

Mason calmed down a bit while listening to his friend, and a scowl formed on his face. "Yes. If you are stronger, and part of the same species, they will follow any order, no matter what. And I think I understand what you are getting at. You think they tried to make us choose goblin so they can control us easily?"

Jake nodded. "Although I don't know who 'they' would be, so let's not get too many conspiracy theories ready yet."

As they were both deep in thought, the room became silent again. The harsh breathing of Emma was the only thing they could hear.

With a shuddering sigh, Mason kneeled next to the girl." Do you think we can pick her up without making it worse?"

Looking at his friend, Jake shrugged. "Do I look like a doctor? I don't know man, but we can't leave her here like this. And we've got more problems. When I was getting the food, something entered the store. I managed to hide, and it left, but there are things out there, hunting."

Nodding silently, Mason put his arms under the girl. She was so small his biceps could almost hide her from view. "So that's why you looked like you had seen the devil when you came back up. I didn't want to ask because it would scare her."

Standing, he cradled the girl to his chest, only one of her arms dangling free. He looked at Jake, a stern look on his face. "Jake. If anything happens, I won't be able to help you without dropping her..."

"I know. We will be fine. But if anything happens, try and get Emma to the hospital." He tried to sound heroic, but Mason interrupted him with a firm shake of his head.

"No you idiot, you don't understand. I won't let you die for a girl we just met. What I mean is, make sure you don't need my help, so I don't have to drop her. Because I will if it means saving you." At the end of his sentence, Mason's voice began breaking up a bit, and he sniffed while turning away towards the door.

Jake look stunned. He understood where his friend was coming from, but for some reason, he felt that saving the girl was the most important thing to do. Or wasn't it? Trying to get a grip on his disturbing emotions, he wondered what he would do if he was carrying Emma and something would happen.

"Are you coming or what?" Mason hissed, snapping him awake, and he nodded abruptly. He didn't know what he would do, and he had no interest in finding out. What he needed now was a weapon.

"Yah I am coming, but I had to figure out if what you said just now was a hidden love declaration." Jake shot back, trying to lighten the mood.

Mason laughed. "You wish. First, grow some tits and then ask me again!"