"Jesus, God, please have mercy on me. Oh, God, Jesus!"
"May all beings find peace, even in this end. I release all fear and attachment. In this moment, I surrender to the Dharma—may my passing bring no harm, but compassion and light."
"Allahu Akbar… forgive my sins and grant me mercy."
The desperate prayers of strangers rose and fell around them, voices colliding in a chorus of faith and terror.
"Faster! Don't look back!" Clark's voice cut through the chaos, every syllable laced with urgency.
They ran, weaving through the streets that had turned into a living nightmare. The acrid scent of smoke, ash, and blood filled the air, stinging their eyes and lungs. Jagger struggled to keep pace, Hannah clinging to his hand, her sobs choking her breath. She stumbled more than once, slowing them down.
"Hannah!" Clark's voice thundered, sharp as steel. "Pull yourself together. You're strong—I need you strong right now!"
Her small frame shook with fear, but she nodded, tightening her grip on Jagger's hand as if her life depended on it.
A thunderous crash split the air. The ground lurched violently beneath them, hurling people off their feet. Another tremor followed, then another, each one stronger, until the earth itself convulsed. Buildings collapsed like brittle shells, cascading into clouds of dust and rubble. The shriek of twisting steel and shattering glass drowned out all else.
Jagger risked a glance over his shoulder—and froze.
The portal had become a wound in the sky, spilling nightmares into the world. Creatures poured through, a grotesque menagerie of terror. Scaled dragons with molten eyes shrieked as they spread their wings. Hulking wolves, their jaws bristling with fangs, snapped and tore at fleeing figures. Monstrous birds swooped down with wings like scythes. Spiders the size of cars clambered down ruined buildings, their eyes glowing with alien hunger. And weaving among them, serpents as vast as rivers slid through the streets, demolishing everything in their path.
It was the end of the world made flesh.
Screams rose to a fever pitch, mingling with the roars of beasts in a symphony of despair. The city was being torn apart, piece by piece, body by body.
An ogre, towering and grotesque, slammed into the ground mere meters ahead. The shockwave nearly knocked them off their feet. Flesh and bone crunched beneath its bulk as panicked citizens were crushed into red smears. Blood sprayed outward in a grisly arc, splattering Jagger and Hannah in a grotesque rain.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"MOMMY!!!"
"HELP MEEEE!"
"MOMMY! DADDY! NO—PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"
The shrieks of children cut sharper than the roar of monsters, piercing through the madness like knives.
Clark pulled harder, his voice ragged. "Don't stop! Don't look back! MOVE!"
And so, they ran—through fire, through blood, through the collapsing corpse of a city swallowed by monsters.
-
Ishtar'ka grinned, his lips curling with savage delight as he surveyed the chaos below. "How wondrous," he whispered, licking the blood-stained air as if savoring the very taste of fear. His cold, grey eyes blazed with madness and hunger, drinking in the sight of his beasts ravaging the city—monsters tearing flesh, crushing bone, rending steel and stone alike. Every scream, every death, was music to him.
"Upper One."
The voice came from the shadows, dark and resonant, echoing as though from some hollow abyss.
Ishtar'ka turned, his expression sharpening into anticipation. "Zar'kathar," he purred. "Well done. Thou hast served us well, O servant of the Forgotten."
A head materialized in the gloom—floating, disembodied. Its glowing grey eyes radiated both reverence and pride.
"Indeed, Upper One," Zar'kathar intoned, his voice solemn. "It is my highest honor to serve thee."
"How fare the others?" Ishtar'ka asked, his gaze never leaving the writhing destruction below.
"They are… occupied," Zar'kathar replied. "Each lays waste to the 'countries' beyond. All proceeds as foreseen."
"Excellent." Ishtar'ka's grin widened, his fangs glinting faintly as he spread his arms as though to embrace the ruin. "Then let us ensure the Blessing arrives not before its appointed hour."
"Aye, Upper One. May the Forgotten bestow their favor upon thee."
The shadows deepened, swallowing Zar'kathar whole. His head dissolved into the darkness until nothing remained but the echo of his loyalty.
Ishtar'ka turned back to the burning world, the grin never leaving his face.
-
"Dad!" Jagger shouted, yanking him aside as the ogre's colossal frame crashed down. Blood and fragments of bone clung to their hair. The monster rose with a thunderous roar, hefting a blood-drenched club before swinging it in a brutal arc. Flesh and bone shattered in its path, the air filled with screams and the sound of bodies breaking.
The sight froze Hannah in place. Her knees buckled, her whole body trembling.
"FUCK! HANNAH, GET UP!" Jagger screamed, tugging her hand. "Move!"
"Jagger, get your sister out of here!" his mother cried, her face twisted with despair.
Clark let go of his wife and scooped Hannah into his arms. "Jagger—grab your mother and follow me!"
"Okay!" Jagger gasped, clutching his mother's hand.
They ran, weaving through rubble and corpses, dodging the ogre's blows. The world had collapsed into chaos—fire, screams, and death at every turn.
Crack. Splish.
The grotesque sound of the club pulverizing bodies rang out behind them. Blood sprayed the walls, painting the ruins in crimson.
"What the hell is happening!" his mother sobbed, tears streaking her face. "God, please help us!"
Her plea vanished into the roar of destruction. The once-familiar streets were a war zone of smoke, blood, and ruin.
"Jagger! Here—the MRT!" Clark's voice bellowed through the cacophony.
Jagger clutched his mother's hand as they pushed forward. The air was alive with screams, explosions, and the unholy roars of beasts.
Suddenly, a hand shot from the crowd, grabbing Jagger's leg. He toppled to the ground, skull striking concrete. Pain flared white-hot. "Mom!"
His mother stumbled, nearly dragged down with him. She spun, her face a mask of panic. "Jagger!"
The man clung desperately, eyes wide with terror. "Help me! Please!"
Her fear turned to rage. She kicked him in the face once, twice, then again. When he didn't let go, she stomped. Again. Again. Bone crunched wetly under her heel. His skull caved with a spray of blood, spattering her legs. She didn't stop until he lay still, her chest heaving, eyes wild.
Clark seized the moment, pulling Jagger upright. "Get up! Now!"
Dizzy, Jagger staggered to his feet, gripping his mother's hand. They ran again, the roar of destruction behind them.
Another monster crashed down nearby. A bull-headed giant, its matted black fur slick with gore, lowered its horns and charged. The ground shook with every pounding step as people scattered in terror, screams shredded into the night.
"Hurry!" Clark barked, his voice ragged.
His wife ran as though flying, pulling Jagger in her wake. Together they barreled into a ruined mall, racing toward the underground MRT station.
The entrance was chaos—hundreds surged for safety, trampling over one another in blind panic. Gates buckled, barriers toppled, people clawed at each other for a way inside.
"Get out of the way!" a man screamed, shoving others aside in desperation.
"Please, stop!" a woman begged, falling to the ground, but the crowd surged over her. Her cries were cut off beneath stomping feet.
The nightmare only deepened inside. The MRT station was packed wall to wall with frantic bodies. People fought over food and scraps of water, while others collapsed in grief, clutching the injured who could not be saved.
Clark pushed and shoved until he carved a space in the crush of bodies. Jagger's mother dragged them into the small gap, pulling them down onto the cold concrete floor.
The family huddled together, surrounded by the sound of sobbing, fighting, and the muffled thunder of monsters above. The world they knew was gone, and all that remained was survival.
-
The station was thick with whispers, sobs, and hurried prayers. The sound filled every corner—an ocean of fear swelling beneath the dim lights.
Hannah trembled in her mother's side, her head leaning against her shoulder. "Everything is going to be all right, honey. Just breathe… breathe," their mother whispered, stroking her hair with shaking hands. She tried to sound calm, but the quiver in her voice betrayed her. The blood on her feet, reminded her of the man she killed.
Clark wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "You had to do what you had to. We'll get through this," he whispered, firm and steady. "Trust me."
She managed a fragile smile and squeezed his hand like it was the only thing anchoring her to the earth. Then she turned to her children, her gaze softening with sorrow and fierce love.
"Jagger, come here," With a trembling touch, she called him over.
Jagger leaned forward, his mother's hands brushed the blood and grime from his face and forced a reassuring smile. "Be strong, Jagger."
Jagger nodded, though his chest tightened with fear. His heart thundered. 'Come on, pull yourself together. You're the older one. You have to be strong. Protect them.'
Then the world shook.
Boom.
The deafening blast silenced the crowd in an instant. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and the ground shuddered violently beneath them.
BOOM. BOOM.
Each crash was heavier, closer. Screams echoed faintly from above, cutting through the suffocating air. Jagger's pulse raced as he shifted close to his sister. Around them, silence collapsed into a tense, collective terror. The MRT station felt like a tomb, trembling with every thunderous impact.
The world above was falling apart, and all they could do was hold on—and pray the darkness did not swallow them next.