Chapter Ninety-two

Chapter Ninety-two
Kacy
"That's 250 pesos all ma'am," the gorgeous waitress said at KFC's fast-food restaurant chain, handing me the plastic of packs of fried chicken.
I pulled out my purse and paid the price. Then I picked the plastic and went back to the hospital as fast as I could. When I reached the door of Bryan's room, I heard some weird sounds coming from inside. I opened the door and saw a huge monster with greenish skin. It looked like Hulk.
I got frozen on my feet, unable to react to what's going on. There's only one thing I know: this huge monster standing in front of me is no other than Bryan. He might look like Hulk, but he's still my boyfriend.
"I'm hungry," he growled to my face, so strong his breath almost blew me off.
Fear and shock emptied my mind. I don't know how this happened. How is this even possible? Something must have happened to Bryan to make him an enormous monster.
"I'm hungry," it said again.
My hands were trembling as I picked up the packs of fried chicken from the floor. "He... Here's your food." I handed it to him, afraid he'd do something to me. In his current shape, I know he's gotten 10 times stronger.
"Delicious." He took them with his big hands and devoured them in one go. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "I'm still hungry," he growled.
"Alright, alright. Just sit down and relax. I'll get you more food. Please don't cause trouble," I said.
I knew it'd be a disaster if other people saw him. It would surely cause a commotion. I don't really know how he became like that. He must have eaten something weird. I need to find a way to bring him back to his normal appearance.
Hurriedly, I went outside. The people around were moving so fast while I moved so slow. I don't know what to do anymore. I have lots of problems to solve.
"Kacy, where are you going?" Francis asked, approaching.
"Something happened with Bryan. He... he turned into a monster," I said.
"What?" Francis exclaimed. "Are you serious?"
"I also don't know how it happened. I just went out for a while to buy some food, but when I came back, he already changed, as if he transformed into an orc," I tried my best to explain.
"Can I see him?"
"Yup, but I'm afraid he'll go wild and hurt you and other people. I've reminded him to behave for a while. It seems like he can still understand human language."
"Come. I might be able to help," Francis said, grabbing my hand and bringing me back inside the hospital.
The nurses and other people were staring at us, probably confused about what was going on. We continued at Bryan's room. The doctor stopped us in the corridor.
"Is everything okay?" He asked. "You're Bryan Browne's family, right? How's the patient doing?"
"He..."
"He's doing good, Doc," Francis cut me off. "We're here to pay him a visit. He's gradually recovering. I'm sure he'll be able to go out soon."
"I'm glad to know that. Family's and friends' support during trying times is very important," the doctor said. "I should go now. I still have other patients to check."
"Um, thank you," I said.
As the doctor left, Francis opened the door, and we got inside. He's not even afraid or surprised when he sees the huge monster sitting on the broken bed with eyes closed. Bryan isn't that ugly, though; instead, he looked like Totoro from Studio Ghibli or meditating Buddha.
Francis pulled out something from the pocket of his pants, a syringe containing red liquid. "What's that? What are you doing?" I asked, confused.
"I got it while investigating their organization," he replied.
"You mean those masked men?" I asked.
"Yeah. No more questions. You have to help me inject him with this. He might struggle; you have to comfort him," Francis replied.
"Me?"
"Who else? Don't worry, it'll be quick. Just try to cheer him up for a while."
"Got it."
Slowly, I walked towards Bryan. He opened his big, yellowish eyes and stared at me. "Food..." he growled. "Where's my food?"
"I... Don't worry, Bryan. Everything will be alright. We'll get you food right away, but you need to get a shot first," I said. It feels like convincing an old grumpy man.
"No. I need my food." He shook his head, acting like a kid throwing a tantrum. "Food. Where's my food? I'm hungry."
"Bryan, please calm down; it's me, I'm your girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" he looked at my face. I gestured for Francis to proceed while Bryan was confused.
Francis moved behind Bryan and injected him with the red serum. Unfortunately, Bryan felt pain and started going wild. He grabs Francis's throat and is about to smash him, but the antidote starts to work, slowly turning him back to his human form. His flesh shrunk until he finally let go of Francis, who gasped for breath.
"I'm fine," Francis said, touching his neck. His face is red.
"Bryan!" I rushed to him as he fell down on the floor unconscious.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be just fine. He just needs some rest," Francis said.
I hugged Bryan, and then I noticed something. His arms turned back to normal, as did his leg. He's no longer an amputee. I don't know how this happened, but it's a miracle.
"We should put him to bed," Francis said. He helped me put Bryan to bed. "He won't be awake for a while. You have to watch over him."
"Thank you. But how about you?" I asked.
"I need to continue my investigation. I have a hunch that they'll use this shape-shifting thing to cause chaos. We have to find a way to stop them," Francis said.
"I... Can you tell me what's really going on here?" I asked.
"I know you're confused about the sudden happenings. I will tell you. But let's bring Bryan out of here for now. We need a safer place," Francis said.
"Uh, okay." I helped Francis bring Bryan outside.
The doctor tried to stop us, but Francis told him that Bryan's alright now and he didn't have to stay at the hospital anymore. Then he paid the bill, and we continued to his car. We heard explosions just behind us, but Francis didn't stop.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"They are here to bring chaos. Those masked men we have encountered are part of a larger organization. They have a leader who died a long time ago, and they want to bring him back to life, so a series of experiments have been conducted, including the shape-shifting potion," Francis explained.
"But why Bryan?" I asked, more confused. "What does he have to do with all of these?"
"He's probably a way to awaken their leader. They didn't kill him, which means they needed him. I'm not really sure, but for now we need to find a safe place. The chaos has already started." Francis drove faster.