A child cowered from behind his mother's feet, peeking through the windows at a wooden arch that had once given them a second chance at life. Whatever stepped through it next was certain to be their death.
And they knew it better than anyone.
-- The Drydocks, town -- 2018 --
An hour's worth of panic had given way to silence. Everyone had taken refuge in their new homes, whimpering with closed eyes as the footsteps drew closer.
A blood-curdling scream boomed through the streets, filling the people's hearts with dread.
The campers crawled into their new homes, locking the doors behind them. Some slumped against the wall in prayer, chanting the verse of the Lord as fast as their tongues could move, while others cursed themselves for hoping that the surface was safe. It was time to meet what lay ahead. A sort of acceptance had found its place in every camper's mind, a notion that they'd only been drawing out the inevitable.
It was now that the games began.
Giant footsteps thundered through the streets, a pace that was slow yet powerful as it rippled through the shanty old town. Wind whistled through the empty walkways, not a soul's voice rising to break the dreadful silence that had taken over the streets.
"We should have left," Blake whispered as he peeked over the edge of the crumbled wall.
They were right in the town's centre, caught in the middle of the nightmare. Sarah's eyes had never once left Blake's, the tension in his glare growing stronger by the minute. She knew she was wrong, but admitting it meant nothing if they were dead.
She had to keep them alive, all of them.
Her mind set into overdrive, speeding past every solution one could possibly imagine. There was a failsafe, a sort of last resort in her mind. It was guaranteed to work. But living on after losing her edge over the demons would be pointless. She had to find another way.
Another step shook the earth, its tremors shaking the very hearts of the campers who were now frozen in terror. Blake's breath hitched in his chest as an enormous shadow passed over him. For the first time, they saw what had come for them.
Standing nearly 30 feet tall was an abomination, the worst kind of monster he'd seen in his lifetime. Its pale grey skin had started to rot, the stench of death sticking close to its hideous form. Hardened bones stuck out from its shoulders, like they had been skewered into it. The fingers had ashen nails, fixed with rugged deposits making the palms and feet more like claws. The rock-hard bones were entwined in thick bulky muscles, a single blow enough to shatter a man to pieces. Blake's eyes rose, and in an instant, he felt his legs going numb.
The greying skin had decayed almost entirely at its face, the muscle peeking out through the gaps. The eyes had been sewn shut by flesh, the mere sight of the hellion making him tremble with fear. Every single tooth had been sewn right onto its skin, encircling an endless void. There were no lips or gums, the teeth visible from root to tip right on its face.
Blake stood still as he saw the creature turn towards them. Hollow clicks echoed from its mouth as it drew closer to him.
Sarah's eyes widened as she saw the beast draw near.
Jumping to her feet, she grabbed Blake by the shoulder as she darted for the streets.
A deafening scream tore through the town, footsteps thundering behind them as they ran for their lives.
"WHAT THE FUCK SARAH!" Blake yelled at her as he broke free of her grasp, picking up pace as the giant stomped its way nearer to them by the second.
YOU ARE READING
Where Light Dies
Fantasy--Completed-- Book 1/3 - A Phantom's Light The world has ended. It has been nearly two decades since humanity fell. The skies have turned a vile crimson, and the earth now lies smeared in the blood of billions. In a realm overrun by demons...
