Chapter 2

Displaying the passing seconds, the hands of a pocket watch spun rapidly as a mysterious and inexplicable energy infiltrated the earth's atmosphere. As the surrounding clouds began to shift and align, they formed a cumulonimbus cloud that loomed high above the gleaming golden metal object. In a reciprocal manner, the item responded by shooting a massive beam of blue light into the sky. After it vanished into thin air, all that remained was a mesmerizing display of swirling blue light within the clouds. As the whirlpool expands, it takes on the form of a circle that is accentuated by a striking blue outline, revealing a boundless darkness at its core. This ginormous gate serves as the central point from which several smaller gates diverge. Swiftly and with purpose, they traverse the soft and ethereal blanket of clouds.

The people on the ground, previously oblivious to the watch appearing, were now fixated on the unfolding events.

The hands on the stopwatch came to a halt, freezing at exactly [03:00:00]. 

Gradually, small dots inside the black void became clearer. The blue lights approached and descended upon the cities and landscapes below.

An Island nation in the East was among the locations bombarded by this strange phenomenon—the nation of Japan. The citizens observed as these inexplicable objects forcefully crashed onto the surface nearby.

A beam larger than others plunged into the earth. The spectators who had been standing nearby approached to get a closer look at what had fallen. These actions went against common sense, but human curiosity had its own plans.

A cloud of dust blocked their view, leaving people curious about what it could be. Holding his phone, a man directed it towards the crater ahead. The man couldn't get an excellent shot, causing him to lean in closer. Not even seconds later, he was swallowed up by the dense fog, disappearing from sight.

A woman's voice called out, "Jiro!", desperately shouting for the man who had vanished. Just a few moments after he was taken in, the unmistakable sound of crunching emanated from inside the dust curtain. The piercing sound reverberated, leaving the bystanders trembling with fear, their minds racing with thoughts of the unsettling events that might be taking place.

The unfathomably horrid sounds filled the air, causing some to flee in discomfort, only to be met with an equally unsettling sight. People were torn apart by creatures of similar appearance but of different sizes. Mayhem had erupted, and there was one thing on everyone's mind. 'I don't want to die.'

Motionless as a statue, a middle-aged man fixated his gaze forward. He was oblivious to his surroundings. The only thing entering his ears was the slow crunching. 

As the wind whispered through the air, it gradually dispersed the fog that had obscured his sight. Upon seeing that inexplicable thing, his ears unclogged. 

He was overwhelmed by a deluge of screams, which made him realize the horrifying events that had begun. The people around him were fleeing from the monstrous creatures, but he was frozen, only able to stare at the bloodstained mouth of the giant beast in front of him.

The creature is around 3 meters tall, has sharp claws and teeth, fur all over its body, and a mouth similar to a rat's. It was beyond his worst nightmares, something he never thought could exist. He felt burdened by his lack of comprehension of the situation, fearing he would become like the young man if he stayed any longer.

He took in a deep breath while getting a concrete idea of what was happening around him. The pungent smell of blood filled his nostrils and the sight of this motionless creature made him understand everything, but even then, he knew he wasn't ready to behold that sight, yet he had no other choice. 

Without a second thought, the middle-aged man turned around, and the sight made him feel sick. The repulsive image stayed imprinted in his mind as he ran, as the sound of small footsteps echoed in his ears. It seemed nearly impossible to find an escape route until a solution presented itself.

Determined, he turned down an alleyway and disappeared in a flash. He changed directions so frequently that he couldn't even remember. Upon reaching a main road, there was not a single soul in sight.

Pausing occasionally to catch his breath, the man continues to navigate the city streets and alleys.

Now and then, when he found somewhere to rest, he would spot a body, but they were quite a rare sight. Initially, he disregarded them, but with newfound courage, he started examining them. What he noticed was that mostly the wounds were never targeted in vital spots. They mainly seemed to go to town on whoever they got their grubby little paws on, but this time it was different.

The strike was clean, perfectly pierced for the heart. There were a few claw marks on the body, but they had dried. It was clear as day to be a death by stabbing. So with that conclusion, it had to be manmade, but who would do such a thing in a crisis like this?

The middle-aged man stood up and sighed. He thought the only danger he would face were these rabid dog-like beasts, but it seemed like there was a killer on the loose. 

His face contorted in agony as a shrill ear-screeching sound mercilessly attacked his eardrums.

From darkness emerged a creature that shattered his limited comprehension of these otherworldly beings. It stood on two feet, its back was perfectly straight and moved with an exaggerated grace that eliminated any hint of instinct.

His eyes darted between the creature and the lifeless corpse as his mind became flooded with a whirlwind of unanswered questions. The man's gaze eventually stopped on the spear in its hand.

Everything he's been doing to survive, all the time he spent trying to understand these cretins, null and void when things like these are put in the equation.

His mind raced back to the gigantic creature; its eyes were staring at him. It knew he was easy prey, but it didn't move. "That can't be." Throughout the time he had spent running, this was a thought that came to mind, but even now he still didn't want to consider it a truth."I can't accept this, I can't."

His belief in human intelligence was his only solace in the chaos, yet now he had to come to terms with that he was the one dancing in the palm of their hands.

His heart pounded and his eyes shook as they were pinned onto the creature. When their staring contest hit its climax, it started taking physical action. Its mouth slowly opened, showing these familiar sharp teeth. A smile that had now appeared on its face sent chills down his spine.

The creature brought the spear closer to the ground and made contact with the tip. As it walked, the spear made a scraping sound on the concrete floor. The ear-splitting sound made the middle-aged man come back to earth.

As it came closer, he started to back away. With fear having taken over his mind, he had forgotten his surroundings. He stumbled over the dead and found himself groundwards. He gets his legs over the body and crawls away. The creature saw his attempt at making distance, but it never quickened its pace.

He didn't get far before a stone erection blocked his path. Back against the wall, he glances from side to side. Cornered like a mouse, his only way out was past it. Knowing that doing that was impossible, he urgently sought an alternative escape route. He did see an option, but it would all be up to chance. To both his sides were two doors, they could be unlocked, or they weren't. 

Inhaling and exhaling, he swiftly dashes to his right. With both hands, he grabs the handle and pulls it down. "Come on, come on."

The door didn't budge. It wasn't going to open no matter how hard he tried, but what else could he do? Hoping for a miracle, he tugged on the door with the handle down, wishing it would grant him passage.

When he peeked behind him, he saw it getting closer; it moved with a leisurely pace as if it had all the time in the world. Dread further seeped in, but his body never stopped. "Please, please open."

The creature lifted the spear while he continued the same motion. The spear lunged forward in a straight line. Life flashed before the man's eyes. Everything he experienced, everything he accomplished, would disappear with him. It was the moment he had to come to terms with that he meant nothing to this world.

In an instance the door in front of him flies open, making him fall to the ground. The sound of metal clashing entered his ears and was followed by a beastly scream.

A hand grabs him and pulls him inside the building. The door was slammed shut behind him and keys were turning locking it. 

"We should leave now; it won't hold for long." He glances behind him to see a young man with black hair. Around the boy's waist, he could see a Katana. "Who are you?"

"Is a name more important than your life?" The young man walks past him and moves to the opposite side of the room.

Right when his heart was settling, the creature's polearm pierced through the metal door."AAARGGGHHHH!" Its roar pulled him back to the reality he was in. 

Filled with terror, he frantically dashed towards the younger man. With the boy leading the way, he steps into the next room. 

Behind him, he could hear the rustling of keys once more. Afterward, the young man walked past him while swirling them around his finger. "We're going to move. Get ready."

"One second!" He mistakenly believed that the words were meant for him, but someone else responded. A girl emerged from the corner, holding an anpan in her mouth. 

Seeing him, she takes it out of her mouth. "Who's this?"

"He was rattling away in the back." The young man nonchalantly answered her while walking through the room.

"Oh, you're him. Well, it's nice to meet you." The girl smiled at him.

"Right nice to meet you too." He gave her a slight bow before his confused gaze surveyed the room. His stomach began to grumble as he looked around the convenience store he was in.

A loud crash and a long-lasting roar emanated from the storage room they had just come out of. 

The young man drops the keys on the ground and turns to face the two. "I'm not saying it again. We're leaving."

Loud noises reverberated through the room. George, near the entrance, left through the door and stopped in the hallway.

"What's going on?" Maria's eyes became wide open and fixed her gaze on George.

"I'm not sure, but it seems like it's coming from outside." 

Out of nowhere, the air was filled with the deafening sound of screams. "What the hell is going on outside?" Darius walked past George.

"What are you doing?" 

Without glancing back or halting, Darius continued. "I'll go downstairs to check what the problem is."

"Wait up, I'll come with you."

Darius turned around before George could follow him. "Hold it there. You don't need to come with me. I can do this myself."

"Don't start acting like this now, Darius?"

While maintaining eye contact with George, Darius was moving further away. "Don't worry, not like something bad could happen."

When Darius's figure disappeared down the stairs, George could hear a gun go off. "God dammit." Under his breath, George muttered a curse in frustration.

"What's going on?" Jean's gaze fell upon her mother, who remained poised on the podium. The loud bang of the gunshot left Kathleen in a daze, her mind struggling to comprehend what could be happening. 

"Mom?" Jean tapped Kathleen on the shoulder. Concerned for her mother, who seemed out of it.

"Ah, I'm sure everything will be fine." Clueless about the situation unfolding, she instinctively turned to comforting her daughter.

"Samuel?" They glanced over and saw Sarah staring intently at the door. Without any hesitation, she swiftly dashed away. 

George took notice of her actions and stopped in her path. "Where do you think you are going?"

"Let me through. What if something happens to him?" By grabbing her shoulder, he effectively halts her progress.

"Darius already left to check on the situation. When he comes back, I'm sure Samuel will as well."

With a sigh, she finally stopped her futile attempts to get past him, accepting her current position. "Alright." With her head to the ground, she turns away from George.

As Darius moved down the stairs, the sound of gunfire grew louder. With each passing moment, his heart thumped faster and faster, a steady drumbeat of anticipation. 

With each deliberate step, he descended downwards. When he reached the halfway point, the sound of approaching footsteps sent a shiver down his spine. With his fists clenched in front of him, he anxiously awaited the approaching presence. 

A woman came sprinting from around the corner, her footsteps echoing as she hurried up the stairs. Startled by the sight of Darius, she quickly raised the gun in her hands. 

Witnessing this, he reacted immediately by raising his hands. "Listen here lady, I've got nothing to do with what's out there. So, can you not aim that at me?"

Darius waited in silence, but the woman remained unresponsive to his words. Darius realized that this Korean woman most likely didn't understand whatever he said. He wasn't in his country of origin. His ye old British English accent would leave the woman puzzled and unable to comprehend what he said. 

"I am not looking for trouble." Since he didn't know any Korean, he could only articulate. The woman partially grasped his words, but a noise outside made her rush. Seeing her gesture with the gun, Darius comprehended her meaning and promptly returned upstairs. Rather than immediately following him, she peeked around the corner before going up as well. 

With her not pointing the gun at him anymore, his heart stopped pounding and his mind calmed down. When he glanced at the woman, he noticed she was wearing a police uniform, but that's not what shocked him. It was the claw marks covering her entire body. "Miss, are you alright?"

Darius caught the woman's gaze as she parted her lips. "I'm Fine." She spoke slowly, but that she even said anything was enough for a reason to continue asking questions."do you know what is happening outside."

When she looked at him, her eyes betrayed her nervousness. They trembled ever so slightly. "Beasts."

"Beasts?" What she told him left Darius confused and unsure of what to make of it. Her words failed to explain the constant screams that echoed through the air or the acrid burned smell that filled his nostrils.

The woman paused at the top of the stairs, her eyes lingering on the view below before releasing a heavy sigh.

"Follow me." Darius makes an arm motion to her. She watched him make some distance before reluctantly following him.

Confusion hit George when he saw Darius come back not alone, but with someone he didn't know. "Who's that!"

"She's someone who can tell us what's going on."

Gorge's eyes grow wider as they get closer and the woman's gruesome state becomes clearer. "Christ, what's going on out there?"

"George, get Sarah." George acknowledges Darius's words with a nod before turning around.

Peeking through the door, Gorge wanted to shout for Sarah, but a shrill, bone-chilling scream made him turn back around.

The two men's eyes stop on a small creature vigorously scratching away at the woman. Darius's mind goes crazy upon seeing this."What the hell is that?"

The eye-judging mutt created a scene that was difficult for them to look at.

I groaned before light reflected came back into my eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" When I regained consciousness, I felt the cold, hard tiles beneath me. As I stood up, I realized that the relentless pain I had been feeling had vanished, filling me with newfound energy.

"Shit, it should have started already." I rush to the door, afraid I might be late again. As I reach for the handle, the door violently swings open before I can even touch it. When I close my eyes due to the sudden movement, I can feel a firm grip wrapping around my shoulders. "What the..."