Blood and Chaos

Mr. Cavan scrutinized the bridge, his expression turning grave. "There's a slight problem," he announced, testing the bridge's strength with a cautious step. "What is it?" Ayid's grandfather asked, his voice laced with anxiety.

"This bridge won't hold all our weight at once," Mr. Cavan explained. "We need to cross in small groups, and even then, we'll need to be extremely careful."

Ayid's gaze darted between the precarious bridge and the rapidly closing earth split, his mind racing. "How many can cross at once?" he pressed.

"I'd say three at most," Mr. Cavan replied. "And we'll need to move steadily, no sudden movements."

Ayid's grandmother grasped his hand, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. "Ayid, take Imelda and cross the bridge first. We'll follow right behind. You've done enough for us; now worry more about yourself."

Ayid hesitated, but his grandmother's words resonated. He nodded and took Imelda's hand, leading her toward the bridge. As they stepped onto the creaking wood, Ayid's grandmother turned to Mr. Cavan, with a warm smile "Please, officer, ensure our grandkids' safety. We'll wait for your return."

Mr. Cavan nodded solemnly, his eyes locked on the children as they began their perilous crossing.

As they watched their grandkids and Mr. Cavan disappear into the distance, Ayid's grandfather turned to his wife with a gentle nudge. "How's your leg holding up, dear?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with concern.

She smiled, her face pale but determined. "It hurts a lot I'll tell you that, but I'll manage. We need to get through this and ensure our family's safety."

Ayid's grandfather chuckled. "I think I know where Ayid gets his strength from now."

His wife playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop teasing me, dear."

"'What...? I'm serious... You're always...' The words died on Ayid's grandmother's lips as she beheld a sight that would haunt her forever. In the blink of an eye, her husband was torn asunder, his body split from the waist down with eerie precision. The blood burst forth like a dam breaking, splashing onto her face and filling the air with a crimson mist. She stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the unspeakable horror, as her husband's lifeless form slumped to the ground, divided into two halves like a grotesque puzzle piece.

Ayid, mere steps from safety, was halted by his grandmother's blood-curdling scream. The sound shattered the air like a glass splintering, echoing through the city with a haunting intensity that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth. The earth split, the treacherous bridge, and the perilous journey all faded into the background as he witnessed the unimaginable.

Time seemed to warp and distort, suspending Ayid in a living nightmare. His grandfather, the rock of their family, was gone, brutally severed from the world in an instant. "Grandpa...", was all he could mutter as he stared frozen.

"Ayid's grandmother cowered in terror as a monstrous, shadowy creature loomed over her, its towering frame exceeding eight feet in height. The being's head was a grotesque amalgamation of three faces, each one twisted in a macabre grimace, with horns protruding from the empty eye sockets like jagged spears. The faces seemed to sneer at her, their mouths open in a perpetual scream, as if mocking her very existence. The creature's claws were massive iron blades, attached to powerful hands that looked capable of crushing steel. Its legs were like thick, black pillars, ending in feet that seemed to be rooted to the ground.

As the creature breathed, its chest heaved with a low, thunderous rumble, like a storm warning of impending doom. The air seemed to vibrate with malevolent energy, making Ayid's grandmother's skin crawl. Her knees buckled in terror, and she collapsed to the ground, her eyes fixed on the creature in abject horror. The creature's full attention was focused on her, its gaze like a cold, dark weight that pressed upon her very soul.

The grandmother's mind raced with thoughts of her husband's gruesome fate, and the creature's unholy presence seemed to confirm her worst fears. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to move or speak, as the creature's claws flexed with an ominous creaking sound, like the rustling of dry bones.

"'Please, don't harm...' The words barely escaped her lips before the creature's arm flashed in a deadly arc, its razor-sharp claws slicing through the air with a sickening 'SWIPE!' that seemed to echo through the very soul. Her head was severed in an instant, her beheaded body crumpling to the ground with a grotesque thud, as if all life had been extinguished in the blink of an eye. Blood gushed from the severed neck, pooling on the ground like a dark, crimson halo.

The three witnesses stood frozen in terror, their minds reeling from the sheer brutality of the attack. The world around them melted away, leaving only the sound of their own hearts racing with fear, pounding in their chests like drums of doom. The creature's gaze then shifted to them, its eyes burning with an unholy hunger, its teeth gritted in a snarl that seemed to rip the very air apart.

As it opened its three mouths, a thunderous roar shook the city, shattering windows, and sending shockwaves through the ground. The sound was like nothing they had ever heard before .

Mr. Cavan's gaze snapped back into focus, his mind racing with the dire reality of their situation. 'Kids, let's move... now!' he urged, turning to flee, but his words trailed off as he noticed Ayid standing frozen in place, his eyes vacant, his body eerily still, as if the very life force had been drained from his veins. Imelda crumpled to the ground, her small frame convulsed in sobs, her tears falling like rain upon the cold, unforgiving earth.

Mr. Cavan's heart ached as he realized the unimaginable trauma these children had just endured, witnessing their grandparents' brutal slaughter before their very eyes. Ayid's body seemed to have shut down, his vision blurring into a haze of despair, his whispered murmur barely audible: 'Grandma... grandpa...'

Just as all hope seemed lost, the creature tensed its massive leg, its muscles coiling like a spring, its thunderous breathing filling the city with an ominous rumble. The air seemed to vibrate with malevolent energy as it prepared to unleash its fury, its eyes fixed on the trio with an unrelenting hunger. And then, in a heart-stopping instant, it launched itself into a monstrous leap, its body soaring across the chasm, its claws outstretched, ready to strike... and everything went black.