Ethan’s alarm clock buzzed, the shrill sound dragging him from his sleep. 7:30 AM. He groaned, reaching out to slam the snooze button. Another day, another early morning.
A quick glance at his phone showed a message from Sara: “Don’t forget to call when you get a break!”
Another from Ryan: “New game out today. You in?”
Ethan just sighed and tossed the phone back on the nightstand. No time for games or texts. He had work to do.
He dragged himself out of bed, tired eyes blinking as he stumbled into the bathroom. His reflection didn’t look much different—scruffy stubble, dark circles under his eyes. He ran cold water on his face, hoping to wake up.
A quick shower, then he grabbed his uniform—a faded delivery jacket, jeans, and sneakers. A quick glance at his phone before he left—no new messages, no urgent updates. Just the usual weather warning, which everyone ignored by now. It was going to be another hot day, but who cared?
His mom was already at the kitchen counter, humming as she made breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs hit him immediately.
“Morning, kiddo,” she greeted, flipping pancakes.
“Morning,” Ethan mumbled, grabbing a piece of toast. His dad, sitting at the table, glanced up from his newspaper.
“Another busy day?” his dad asked, barely looking away from his paper.
Ethan nodded as he spread butter on his toast. “Yeah, deliveries all day. Same as usual.”
His mom shook her head as she set a plate in front of him. “You know, you should take it easy sometimes. With all this weird weather, I worry about you.”
Ethan shrugged, the usual dismissive tone in his voice. “It’s fine. Just some storms. Nothing we haven’t had before.”
His dad grunted. “That’s right. People love to make a big deal out of nothing.”
Ethan didn’t respond, just finishing his breakfast and grabbing his bag. The world outside felt like it was moving in slow motion, the weight of the morning air thicker than usual. But he shoved the feeling aside. No time to overthink it.
The delivery van was just as cramped and loud as always. Ethan tossed his bag into the passenger seat, turned the key, and rumbled out of the parking lot. The morning traffic was already bad—he’d have to make good time if he wanted to finish his route before lunch.
He tried to ignore the strange feeling in the air. The heat was oppressive, and there was a strange stillness that made everything feel... off. Still, he didn’t think much of it, turning the radio on to drown out his thoughts.
“...weather advisory continues. A heatwave warning has been issued for the entire region as temperatures rise. Authorities report an increase in seismic activity—”
Ethan flipped the station, annoyed. It was the same old news. People always panicked over nothing.
The first stop was at a café, a quick drop-off for a regular customer. The package was small, just a few bakery supplies, but as soon as he knocked on the door, the barista seemed tense, looking over her shoulder as she grabbed the package.
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“You feel it?” she asked, voice shaky.
“The heat?” Ethan said, keeping his tone casual. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad today.”
“No, I mean—” she stopped herself, glancing out at the street nervously. “The tremors. You didn’t feel that?”
Ethan paused. His hand twitched toward the doorframe. A tremor? He shook his head. “Must’ve been the wind.”
But even as he said it, he felt the tiniest vibration under his feet, like a distant rumble. He didn’t want to admit it, but the idea lingered in the back of his mind. The air felt heavier now, something unexplainable pulling at him.
By the time he made his way downtown, the air was suffocating, and something was definitely wrong. The streets were crowded, people walking in hurried steps, eyes darting back and forth as if they were all expecting something to happen. The news alerts on his phone were nonstop now, but Ethan didn’t care to check them. He had deliveries to make.
As he stopped outside an office building, the ground rumbled again, this time harder than before. He paused, looking around. People were looking at each other, confused, unsure whether to run or stay put.
“What the hell?” one of the office workers muttered, looking up at the ceiling.
Ethan wasn’t sure how to respond. “Probably just a pipe burst or something.”
But the doubt gnawed at him. He watched a few more people glance nervously at the exit, then turn back to their desks.
The rest of the morning was uneventful, but with every stop, the world felt like it was starting to shift. Another tremor. A faint crackling in the air. The oppressive heat hung heavier than before. And the more Ethan moved through the city, the more people seemed to be on edge.
By noon, the unease had grown. People were rushing out of stores, phones pressed to their ears. Whispers of something big were spreading like wildfire.
At his final stop before lunch, Ethan was outside an apartment building, waiting for the elevator to reach the lobby. He checked his phone. The news was still reporting on the rising temperatures, and the weird seismic activity. The sun was starting to feel… wrong. Like it was too close.
Then, there was a sudden, sharp shake. The ground trembled beneath his feet, a deep rumble that couldn’t be ignored. The building seemed to groan, the floor shaking as if it was unstable.
“Did you feel that?” someone asked, their voice panicked.
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. “Yeah... what the hell?”
Before he could say more, the lights flickered. A few people screamed, the panic in the air rising as the room went dark for a moment. The emergency lighting kicked on, but it did little to calm the chaos.
Ethan made a snap decision. “We need to get out. Now.”
People flooded into the lobby, heading toward the exit. Ethan grabbed his things and bolted out the door.
Outside, the city was a warzone. People were running in every direction, their faces full of fear. Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road, their doors flung open. Ethan glanced at the sky, the orange hue that had been creeping in all day now unmistakable. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
And then he saw it.
In the distance, towering over the buildings, something enormous was moving through the city. The shape was massive, its presence unmistakable. Ethan’s blood ran cold. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. A creature—no, a beast—was tearing through the streets, its body casting an ominous shadow over the city.
“What the hell is that?” someone screamed nearby.
Ethan didn’t wait. He turned to Ryan, who had caught up to him, his face pale and wide-eyed. “We need to get to my place. Now.”
Ryan didn’t argue. They ran together, pushing through the crowd of people, shoving their way down the block.
But the ground shook again, harder now, the buildings around them groaning under the pressure. Something massive was coming.
“Where are we going?” Ryan shouted over the noise.
“To my apartment. We need to get to safety.” Ethan’s voice was hoarse, his mind racing. He had to get to his parents. He had to make sure they were okay.
But as they ran, the sky cracked open with a bright flash of lightning. The air seemed to warp around them. The world was changing. It was no longer just about strange weather or unexplainable tremors.
It was the beginning of the end.
Ethan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn’t have time to check it. The city was falling apart in front of him. People were screaming. Buildings were crumbling.
Ethan knew that the world as he knew it was gone.