From the depths of the ocean to the furthest reaches of space, this collection of short stories will take you on a thrilling ride through a world of monsters, kaijus and cosmic beings. Brace yourself for heart-pumping action, heart-wrenching drama a...
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In the steel veins of the city, a hundred floors high, the walls of a corporate edifice shuddered with a barely perceptible tremor. The monotonous drone of a news bulletin echoed throughout the coldly-lit office floor, where glass walls framed a world ablaze with the neon iridescence of technology.
"Attention! Reports have been confirmed that a… a gigantic creature, some kind of behemoth, has emerged from the sea… It is presently decimating the coastal districts... Citizens are urged to…"
In the labyrinth of cubicles, chatter erupted, rapidly escalating into a cacophony of disbelief and panic. Several peered out of the windows, eyes drawn to the distant coastline. The firmament was scorched with ominous plumes of smoke, soiling the neon dreams of the city.
Steve, a long-suffering office drone, turned to his colleague, Mary. His face mirrored the smoky pallor of terror outside. "Mary, what the hell is going on? Is this some prank or—"
The words were ripped from his lips as the windows rattled with a thunderous roar, a sound so monstrous and alien that it seemed the very fabric of reality shook. Jet fighters streaked across the sky, contrails piercing the gloom.
"Jesus," Mary whispered, her fingers white-knuckled on the edge of her desk. "This is real, Steve. God help us, it's real."
The next announcement came like the dirge of sanity. "The military is engaging… the creature… Reports are… still… still uncertain. Please… everyone stay indoors, away from the coast…"
Their boss, a stern, craggy-faced woman named Helen, strode out of her glass office, face ashen but resolved. "We need to evacuate, now. Go home, stay with your families, and keep safe. That's an order."
As the office began to empty, Steve and Mary exchanged a glance. A madness, a morbid curiosity, lit their eyes. Without a word, they broke away from the fleeing coworkers, heading for the stairs that led to the roof.
The panorama that unfolded before them from the roof was a fevered nightmare painted onto the canvas of reality. A gargantuan column of smoke twisted upward, and the distant thrumming of devastation echoed like the beats of a monstrous heart. The cityscape pulsed with panic - a river of glittering vehicles and tiny figures, clogged and chaotic, screamed their terror into the night.
Mary gasped, pointing. A monstrous silhouette, an abomination birthed from the abyssal depths, emerged from the swirling smog. "Steve," she whispered, "get your phone. Record this."
"But... Mary... We need to—" Steve began, but he was already fumbling for his phone. His family and colleagues were blowing up his line, their desperate messages of concern only intensifying the horror.
The kaiju loomed closer, its true enormity becoming apparent. A leviathan, its scales a sickly, iridescent color that hurt to look at. Its many eyes, a grotesque constellation of malignant light, studied the city with otherworldly malevolence.