Outside, he stopped and took a deep breath. Feeling his head clear, but not enough to take his mind off the Chronivac and what he was considering, Jeff jammed his hands into his jacket pockets. Starting to walk, he turned in a random direction. Roaming down the block and turning onto the next street, he continued to go over the options available to him and he wondered if should be a cat, a ferret, or a dog. Feeling these would offer him the best choices, he also asked himself, "For how long?"
The idea of remaining an animal for the rest of his life seemed tempting, but he figured that at some point he'd want to go back to being human. Thinking he'd seen a timer option, he considered maybe to set it as he toyed with either being an animal for a month, three months, or even six months, but certainly no longer than a year. Going over all of this, and thinking that if he did chose to be an animal he'd stick with what his current sex and gender was, finding the idea of being female as something he wasn't ready to try quite yet, he shivered when he felt a tingle sensation wash over him. Glancing about, noting that the day wasn't even that cool, he took a deep breath, and relished at home many smells he could take in.
His walk soon taking him toward the park, he stopped when became aware he was heading for the section designated for dogs. Leaning on the fence, Jeff stared at the canines, the way they gambolled about, played with each other or the humans present, and he couldn't help himself as he thought, "That sort of what I want to do," as he found his attention drawn to the males first, who he found he kind of attracted to, then to the females, who he wondered if he should challenge for right of dominance.
Suddenly aware of what he was doing and thinking, he asked himself, "What the hell am I doing?" and believing the Chronivac was getting to him, affecting him before he'd made any changes, he turned away from the dog park.
Back the way he'd come, Jeff took several deep breaths. Trying to clear his mind of the strange thoughts that had intruded, he froze when he caught sight of movement in a tree. Seeing it was a squirrel, he wasn't able to stop himself when he started to bark at it as he charged toward the tree. Placing his hands flat against the rough surface, he peered up into the foliage and continued his verbal canine tirade at the small rodent before he lost sight of it and felt his interest in it wane. Taking a step back, confused by what he'd done, Jeff shook his head in attempt to clear it and whined out, "What the hell?!"
Only, what came out was exactly that, the whine of a confused pooch. Startled by this, Jeff began to panic and race about in circles, barking and crying out as he exclaimed, "What's happened to my voice? Why can't I talk anymore? Why do I sound like a dog," and his mind leaping toward the Chronivac, he couldn't help himself as he wondered if somehow the programme had automatically activated, chosen a transformation for him. Finding his frightened by such a notion, he uttered another series of whimpers and whines.
In need to get home, to check the Chronivac and make sure that it hadn't done as he feared, Jeff started back the way he'd come. Approaching the edge of the park, he suddenly stopped. Feeling a need to relieve himself, it didn't register at first when he kicked off his shoes and socks, took off his pants, underwear, shirt and jacket, took a couple steps away from where he dropped the items, and proceeded to squat down to pee. When it finally hit home what he was doing, Jeff was mortified by it and looking over at the few people nearby, sure they's say something, he grabbed his underwear, jeans, and shirt, pulled them on, and hurried out of the park, realising that he'd left his jacket, shoes and socks after he'd gone a couple blocks. Figuring to go back for them, at the last minute he changed his mind as he decided getting home was the better choice, and starting to hurry, he was disturbed when at one point he considered dropping to all fours to run.
Troubled by these thoughts, Jeff fought against them as he tore up the front walk. Scrabbling at the front door, it took him a moment before he remembered how the doorknob worked, and finally turned the accursed thing, he tore into the house. Running through it, passing his mother, who hollered at him, “Stop tearing about like that, Nikki,” Jeff didn’t hear this as he headed for his room.
Again, he struggled with the knob, but finally getting it open, he stopped and stared in wonder and horror at his room.