It felt strange at first, having this much freedom.  He couldn't remember the last time he had had a week off from work but he definitely deserved it.  The day had started nice and slow.  He had roused himself from sleep.  Made a simple breakfast.  Showered and had headed at once out into the city.  He wasn't a very social person but it was summer and the day was beautiful.  He could spend the entire day just strolling around the city but first he thought he would head to the mall.  He loved the way it was designed, with layered levels and a glass ceiling to let the sunlight bathe all those underneath.  He had heard that they had expanded the mall as well, adding an outdoor concept area.  The construction had only just finished and it was the first week that they were open to the public.  He definitely was interested in seeing how it looked.<br/><br/>But he was never one to simply do something for no reason and so before putting his shoes on and leaving he made sure to grab his wallet.  He would grab something to eat and maybe a book.  He was in desperate need of something new to read.  Stopping by the mirror in the front hall he looked himself over.  He was a lanky guy and stood a couple inches over six feet.  His hair was dark brown in colour and was thick and curly forming a fro atop his head.  His eyes were similarly brown and he well along his way into growing a stubble.  His rounded glasses with dark green rims added a slightly goofy, slightly intelligent look to him.  Yet his attire added little except to say that he was a laid back person, wearing beige cargo shorts and a light grey t-shirt with white lettering denoting the brand.  He had thought to put on socks but at last minute decided that he'd rather ware his sandals and so took the socks off.  Sliding on his footwear, he grabbed his keys from the bowl and headed out.<br/><br/>It didn't take him long to get from his apartment to the mall whereupon he quickly found himself in the bookstore browsing the selection there.  Spending a couple of hours looking, he finally found decided upon a book by a favorite author and another that had been recommended to him by a friend.  With his book bag in hand, he had decided to head to the food court when riding the escalator when a powerful and sudden feeling overcame him.<br/><br/>Clutching at his chest, it felt like his heart was being squeezed.  But that wasn't it.  He simultaneously felt a burning sensation spreading through his body.  Opening his eyes, having shut them to brace against the pain, he looked down at his hand only to see that it wasn't rightfully his hand anymore.  At least not in any sense that he would recognize it.  The skin had darkened to an ashen black and had grown several sizes.  A moment of clarity gripped him then as he looked inward.  First and foremost he felt a longing for something.  But then he felt the painful changes his body was undergoing as it similarly transformed like his hand.<br/><br/>His bones cracked as they broke and grew to accommodate a much bigger frame.  His skin split and peeled as his body grew, darkening as it did.  His face became flatter and his eyes darker.  The skin thereupon became blood red as similar patterns appeared on the rest of his body.  Two tusks grew out of the corners of either side of his mouth as horns curled around from the back of his head to the front, two by his brow and another two on either side of his jaw.<br/><br/>As the transformation began to complete itself he sudden became more aware of his surroundings.  There was a lot of yelling and screaming going on but not all of it was directed at him.  There were seemingly other things in which to be feared about now.  Had he been caught up in some big epidemic?  Could a virus or disease do this?  He couldn't be sure of anything now.  His sense of reality was too warped having experienced what he just had.  He knew only two things for certain.  He wanted something and he wanted it bad.  Like nothing he had ever wanted before.  And he felt the need to start smashing things.