A sharp cracking sound tore through the air.
For a moment, I couldn't move. My body locked in place as my eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above me. It split apart with a violent force, wood and plaster giving way as dust and debris rained down into my room.
Then something pierced through it.
Not metal. Not anything man-made.
Something alive.
A long, jagged limb forced its way inside, followed by another, and then a third. They were massive, dark, and jointed—like the legs of some grotesque insect. Each movement sent tremors through the house, as if the very structure was struggling to hold itself together under the creature's weight.
My throat went dry.
"A… monster…?"
The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. My mind rejected what my eyes were seeing, desperately trying to label it as something—anything—normal. But there was nothing normal about this.
The house groaned again, louder this time.
Whatever that thing was… it was standing on top of us.
A cold wave of fear washed over me, finally breaking the paralysis gripping my body. I stumbled backward, my legs weak and unsteady, my thoughts spiraling into chaos. This couldn't be real. Things like this didn't exist—not here, not in my world.
"Rael!"
The door slammed open.
"D-Dad?"
I turned toward him, relief flashing for a brief second—until I saw his face.
He was pale. His eyes wide with a kind of fear I had never seen before. This wasn't the calm, dependable man who always knew what to do. This was someone who understood something I didn't.
"Run," he whispered.
Just one word.
But it carried a weight that crushed everything else.
Before I could respond, something moved behind him.
It was fast—too fast for me to process. There was a blur, a dull, heavy impact, and then my father collapsed to the ground.
"…Dad?"
My voice came out hollow, like it didn't belong to me.
I stared at him, waiting—hoping—for him to get back up. For this to make sense somehow. But he didn't move.
And then I saw it.
A small figure stepped into the doorway.
It was barely three feet tall, with green skin, pointed ears, and sharp, unnatural features. In its hand, it held a crude wooden club. Its eyes locked onto mine, cold and lifeless, yet filled with a strange, twisted curiosity.
"…What… is that…?"
The creature tilted its head slightly, as if studying me. Then, slowly, it smiled.
Not kindly.
Not playfully.
But like I was something to toy with.
Something to break.
My entire body went rigid. I couldn't move, couldn't speak properly. Fear wrapped around me like chains, tightening with every second that passed. This wasn't the kind of fear I had felt before a game or an exam. This was something deeper—something instinctive.
The kind that told you you were about to die.
"N-no…"
My voice trembled as I took a shaky step back, but my legs barely responded. The creature took a step forward, slow and deliberate, as if it wasn't worried in the slightest.
"M-mom… Emily… Lily…"
Their names slipped out without thought, like a final prayer.
The creature raised its club.
And in that moment, something inside me snapped.
Move.
The word echoed in my head, louder than everything else.
Move!
My body reacted on instinct. I threw myself to the side just as the club came crashing down where I had been standing. The floor splintered under the impact, sending fragments flying.
A sharp breath tore from my lungs.
I moved.
I actually moved.
The creature paused, then its grin widened, as if it had just found a new source of entertainment.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, burning away the paralysis. I didn't think anymore—I just ran.
"Mom! Lily!!"
My voice echoed as I burst out of my room and into the hallway. The house was falling apart around me. Cracks spread along the walls, furniture had toppled, and from outside came a chorus of screams—dozens, maybe hundreds, all blending into one horrifying noise.
I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
"Mom!!"
No answer.
"Lily!!"
My voice cracked.
Then I heard it.
A small, trembling voice.
"…R-Rael?"
My heart clenched.
"Lily?!"
I rushed toward the living room and found her curled up near the couch, her tiny body shaking as tears streamed down her face.
"Rael… what's happening…?"
For a brief moment, everything else faded—the monsters, the destruction, the fear.
None of it mattered.
I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly.
"It's okay," I said quickly, even though it clearly wasn't. "I'm here."
Her small hands clutched my shirt desperately.
"I'm scared…"
"I know," I whispered softly. "But we're going to be okay."
Even if I didn't believe those words, I had to say them. For her.
Another loud crash shook the house, this time much closer. The floor trembled beneath us, and something heavy shifted above.
My grip tightened instinctively.
"…We need to move."
Because whatever was outside—
It had already taken our world apart.