In front of Theodore and Aryan, a thing loomed over the smashed truck that defied every comprehension.
It was vast, perhaps thirty feet tall, perhaps even higher. Its upper mass bled into darkness rather than ending clearly.
Its body was made of compressed black energy, dense enough that it resembled thick liquid. Its outer surface moved continuously, roiling like oil heated just before the boiling point.
It walked on six limbs. Four of them below, bent wrongly at too many joints and ending in massive paws. The remaining two supported its upper body, touching the ground with its massive knuckles. With each movement, the joints cracked like splitting bone.
