A view to die for, part two

The Planet Turia was located along the outer edge of its spiral arm galaxy. It was best known for its tourism, on account of its pristine and immaculate environment.

The surface of the planet had been terraformed extensively.

Crystal clear blue seas rolled onto white quartz sand beaches. The Coastal cliffs were curated to paint beautiful looking vistas. Long and slender roads lead inland from the coast.

One could get lost for hours here, driving in warm winds and not regret it. Natural and artificial vegetation decorated the landscape and gave the environment a very tropical vibe.

Turia was the talk of the rich and famous upon completion. Thousands of skilled builders and artisans from all over the territories were involved in this enormous venture.

The planet danced in orbit around its violet star at just the right distance and the local system was rich in minerals and hydrogen.

The federal galactic territories invested uncountable efforts into making this place a paradise at the edge of the galaxy. Many at the time thought that it was a tremendous waste of resources.

In the millennium since the enormous project had been completed, Turia had become a well-known resort world.

Split along the equator, each half of the world was further subdivided into three equal parts.

Each of these six areas contained large cities that were connected by roads and mag-lev trains.

These cities housed the local population and each one had its own unique and stunning visual treats. Some had long waterfalls just below the coastline roads that gave an ethereal appearance to this place.

Others had tall white marble spires and elaborate cathedrals that conveyed a sense of majesty to the observer.

Several cities even contained impossible architecture that was created using anti gravity suspension fields. These fields were part of the structures themselves and allowed for building incredibly tall or floating structures.

Famous resorts all over Turia were serviced and supplied from these cities, stretching out from the cities in large man-made archipelagos that were all interconnected.

Many ports and anchorages on private islands were home to painfully expensive yachts and other marine vessels.

The atmosphere here was pristine, as was the water. Large facilities constantly filtered and conditioned the water and air, hidden from view, underground.

The entire surface of Turia was supported by huge automated greenhouses and factories, all below ground and out of view of anyone walking the pristine city streets.

There were many famous workshops and studios on Turia. Some of the craftsmen and artists that build this world ended up staying after the work was completed.

The government did pay them handsomely for their efforts and they were allowed to reside in some of the most exclusive areas available.

The government also operated several research institutes and academies here.

They ranged from free public institutions to elite private establishments, their graduates among the affluent and powerful.

Every single building on every single road, the very land itself, was made to possess an enchanting level of beauty.

It would stare you right in the eye.

Locals could identify a tourist a mile away. They would be seen stopping randomly and getting lost in the views and vistas.

Unfortunately, this alluring beauty was now completely absent here.

Theodore was currently staring down a dark alleyway close to his dormitory and by now he was strongly convinced that something was staring back at him.

He slowly backed far away from the alley as more hissing came from the shadowy figure further down.

As all his focus was bent to observe the thing before him, Theo willed more spiritual energy to his eyes enhancing them in the process.

This then allowed him to finally see all of the horrendous creature. Its large, black outer body was covered in thick armored plates that shielded much of its body.

Insectoid in appearance it possessed six strong limbs that ended in long hooked claws with inward pointed barbs.

A maw of murderous mandibles crowned by multiple enraged facet eyes was looking straight at Theodore, its agitated hisses had left no doubt about its intent.

It seemed badly wounded.

Theodore noticed burned remains of what he assumed used to be wings on the creatures back.

There was a screech as the creature tried to right itself slowly with missing limbs and a large wound in its frontal armor came into view, gushing with liquids.

A moment later, the creature's front two legs were raised upward and its hooked claws began shimmering red, the air flickering with heat.

There was no doubt in Theodore's mind that this was the creature responsible for the loss of his left arm.

He surmised that it must have been shot out of the sky and then crashed here.

After its fall it most likely crashed past him ripping his left arm off below the elbow using those heated hook claws.

The bad part was that it had nonetheless survived the wound in its chest and the loss of its wings.

The creature was in pain and began thrashing about the alley. Theodore decided to quickly get as far from here as possible.

He ran to the east of the alleyway towards the dormitory buildings.

On his way there he couldn't help but be utterly stunned by the apocalyptic scene in front of him.

Blood was everywhere, dead bodies littered the streets surrounded in unthinkable destruction.

Death had come to Turia and its once pristine cities were now a large homes to the dead.

Firestorms raged.

Where there were once beautiful white sand beaches filled with tourists, now only remained a mess of mangled bodies and blood.

The Ports and harbors were littered with broken ships, their debris floating in the water surrounding the piers.

Many buildings he knew well, were utterly destroyed, their finely crafted facades completely ripped down, almost as if presenting their insides like wounded animals.

Broken and abandoned vehicles clogged the streets and as Theodore avoided them he was certain that he was the only one alive around.

Occasionally he could see dead insect creatures large and small with all manner of injuries littering the place.

As he ran eastwards towards his dorm he began hearing large crashing noises behind him and to his horror, he soon heard hissing sounding off in the distance behind.

Running with all his might down the sidewalk he suddenly saw the wall across the street to his left crumble completely.

Broken pieces of wall exploded onto the street.

Through the rubble and dust, Theodore's squinting eyes saw a mixture of shimmering hooked claws moving at astounding speed towards him.

It was extremely swift and before he knew it, Theodore was experiencing the most sublime terror imaginable.

The terror of unavoidable death ahead.

He closed his eyes and felt the heat radiating off those hooked claws around him.

Then darkness took him.