STARDUST GENESIS

The piercing, sterile scent of the hospital room greeted Ashley as she slowly regained consciousness. Her head throbbed, and she was disoriented, wondering where she was. Blinking her eyes open, she found herself in a large room filled with rows of hospital beds, each occupied by another patient.

A doctor, his white coat pristine and demeanor composed, noticed her awakening and approached her bed. "Where am I?" Ashley inquired, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"Hi, I'm Frank, and I'm the doctor here," he introduced himself with a friendly smile. "You're in a health center for people like you."

Ashley's brow furrowed in confusion. "People like me?" She sat up, throwing the covers off her. Her gaze fell on the IV line running into her arm, and her eyes widened with alarm. She looked back at Frank. "Can you take this out?" she asked, desperation in her voice.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Frank replied with an apologetic tone.

Fear gripped Ashley, she didn't know where she was or what the strange pink fluid they were pumping into her was. Panic surged within her as she reached to remove the IV line, but the doctor's firm grip stopped her. "Hey, let go," she protested, her voice rising.

Suddenly, a group of men dressed in black uniforms rushed to her side, pinning her down. She struggled, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as the people in the other beds seemed oblivious to the commotion.

"Help!" Ashley screamed, her heart pounding in her chest. The world around her was surreal, like a nightmare, and she felt trapped. The doctor swiftly injected a substance into her neck, and her vision blurred before she slipped back into unconsciousness.

When Ashley awoke again, it was the dead of night, shrouding the room in darkness. Her immediate instinct was to escape from this strange place. As she tried to move, she soon realized her limbs were immobilized, bound by chains that held her down to the bed.

"What the...?" She exclaimed, frustration and fear welling up as she tugged on the unyielding chains.

In the dimly lit room, a voice cut through the darkness. "Ash, calm down," it said softly.

"Josh, is that you?" Ashley asked, her voice tinged with relief.

"Yeah, I'm right here," Josh replied as he reached out to hold her hands.

"Can you in a way to get me out of these so we can get out of here?" Ashley asked.

Josh remained silent for a while before he replied. "We can't leave. There's something wrong with us."

Confusion swept over Ashley. "What do you mean? I feel fine," she protested.

"I can't explain it, but something about us has changed," Josh explained in a grim tone. "That's why we need to be here. It's for our own good."

Ashley felt a growing unease as she grappled with this cryptic revelation. Just as she was about to question Josh further, a strange sensation passed through her. Her hand, previously in contact with his, suddenly went through his, and her heart raced with confusion and fear.

"Josh, what's happening?" Ashley called out, but her friend panicked and vanished, leaving her alone in the enigmatic darkness. The room felt colder and emptier as she tried to make sense of this inexplicable turn of events.

As the night wore on, sleep eluded Ashley. Her thoughts were consumed by worry for Josh, the bizarre chains holding her down, and the inexplicable events that had unfolded. If only she were free, she would have gone after him in a heartbeat.

The next morning, Doctor Frank entered the room and noticed that Ashley was awake. He approached her with a faint smile. "You seem calm," he remarked.

Ashley, no longer willing to dance around the issue, got straight to the point. "You know what's happening around here, right?"

Frank chuckled softly. "Yes, I'm aware."

Concerned for her friend, Ashley asked, "My friend Josh, what's wrong with him?"

Frank took a seat beside her bed, leaning in as if about to share a well-guarded secret. "We believe your DNA has changed," he revealed.

"What?" Ashley exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Shh. Keep your voice down you'll wake the others." Frank said. "A sudden phenomenon seems to have caused a sudden evolution."

 Ashley's mind was reeling in shock.

Frank nodded solemnly. "The meteor that hit is what we believe to have started this sudden evolution."

Ashley struggled to grasp the enormity of what she was hearing. "Wait, you mean humanity has evolved?"

Frank chuckled again, shaking his head. "No, I mean you have evolved."

Ashley felt a mixture of shock, confusion, and fear. "I don't understand."

The doctor's voice was calm, but his words carried a heavy weight. "You and everyone here receiving treatment has evolved. That's what you need to know."

Ashley sat in silence for a moment, her mind racing to process the astonishing revelation. "So we're some lab rats?" she finally questioned.

Doctor Frank, though his expression remained composed, was quick to reassure her. "Oh no. If it were just fifty to a thousand people, maybe you would have been, but it happened to over 50 million people. So rest assured, you are not a lab rat."

Relieved but still uncertain about the situation, Ashley allowed Frank to attend to another newly awakened patient. As more individuals stirred from their slumber, he found himself occupied, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Thankfully, the staff served the patients a meal that exceeded Ashley's expectations. She was pleasantly surprised to find a satisfying meal, even if they would need to accommodate her vegan diet by removing the meat from her meals.

Nurses arrived to check on the patients' vitals, ensuring their well-being in this peculiar facility. After a while, Frank returned to her bedside just as the nurses were finishing up their assessments.

Before he could exit the room, Ashley called out, "Wait. What's going to happen to us?"

Frank, holding a key that would soon unlock her chains, met her gaze. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad," he assured her before departing.

With the chains removed, Ashley couldn't help but wonder about the unknown future that awaited her and the others who had experienced this mysterious evolution