Ape Band

You had never expected to get along so well with your roommate. He seemed like he was going to be a cocky gym bunny, always headed to the gym to keep his lean svelte body. To your surprise, he was actually pretty friendly and smart. He was neat and well-groomed, making sure to always trim his body hair and get a good haircut. You got along talking about shows and movies, even comics and videogames that you didn't really have anyone else for.

That was when he came back with a new 'Ape Band' he'd picked up from the gym. He proudly showed you, boasting it was supposed to help increase his balance and mobility. You looked at him a bit strangely, saying you didn't think he was the type to fall for that, but he shrugged, giving it no other thought.

That should have been your first clue that something was off. He started treating many of your conversations the same, aloof and apathetic, barely taking any time to think before moving on. You saw he started hanging out more with other guys from the gym, all of them wearing the same bands. Their conversations were loud, their chatter and laughter almost reminding you of a dumb animal's.

It didn't take long until you felt you had an entirely different person as a roommate. Even when you still attempted to talk about the stuff you had before, his expression was amused when you tried. He'd laugh, acting surprised you were speaking English to him as if you were the dumb one, the empty look in his eyes telling you his thought process had already died.

He seemed not to care about anything but his body anymore, which was a surprise since he no longer groomed himself. He'd shaved his head and started growing out his beard, matching the rest of the gym bros he hung out with. He was clearly lifting harder in the gym, his physique quickly changing as veined muscles wrapped around his body. Body hair accompanied his growing definition, a thick layer of curls that he let conquer his bulging torso.

He had smelled up the apartment after he'd stopped showering, the place looking more and more like an animal pen as he left his things lying around. All he ever spoke to you for now was to check out his body while he flexed in front of you, his empty eyes oblivious to how fast he'd turned into a dumb monkey.