It all began when claws started sprouting out of the ground. In a dozen places around the world, two rows of five claws were spotted coming up from the earth, attracting the attention of governments and peoples around the world. These claws were seventy five feet high, arched away from one another, and reflected an obsidian black color. Witnesses who lived near the sites where the claws appeared reported they just started rising from the ground, shaking the earth as they did.
Despite the sudden and strange appearance of these claws, it didn’t take long for people to approach and crowd around them. All over the internet, you could see footage and images of crowds of people cautiously approaching these claws. From all the continents these claws appeared, people gathered and wondered where these claws came from and why they suddenly appeared.
Due to basic human curiosity, some people decided to touch the claws, to feel what kind of material it was made of. This turned out to be a mistake, as contact with the claws resulted in their hands suddenly melting. Footage posted online showed the skin of their hands suddenly melting and falling off, leaving only their bones as they screamed in excruciating pain. Panic soon ensued, as the crowds that had gathered around the claws began running away from it.
Government authorities from the countries these claws popped up soon responded to reports of these claws. Cordoning off these areas, they soon eyed these claws suspiciously.
Here in the United States, states had claws appear from the ground. One was in Nevada, and the other in Pennsylvania. At the Pennsylvania site, the claws rose up in the middle of an empty field a few miles outside a small town. Local police evacuated civilians who lived in a five miles radius from the claws, before establishing checkpoints along all known routes towards the site in order to prevent people from gathering around it again. Hours before this, around a dozen civilians were severely injured after making contact with the claws.
Meanwhile, as routes to the site were evacuated, forces from the National Guard began to deploy troops around the claws. They formed a perimeter one mile away from it. It was the National Guard that established the initial defensive positions and outposts to encircle it. These ground forces were soon supported by Air Force fighter jets, which patrolled the skies and kept it clear of civilian air traffic. However, it was soon determined that the National Guard alone would not be sufficient to hold the perimeter. Because of this regular army forces from our division were ordered to help secure the area. Together we would form Joint Task Force Pennsylvania.
Like many others, the first look I got of the claws was through footage and images shared on social media by the initial crowds that gathered around it. However, as section chief of the division’s Imagery Interpretation Section, I soon got access to satellite and aerial footage of the Pennsylvania site claw.
Seeing images of it felt so unreal, as I never thought it possible for such a strange thing to occur. From above, they just looked like strange structures. But the up close footage and the effects contact with them made told me that they were more than just strange structures from beneath the ground. They were something else, something deadly. None of our training, planning, and exercises prepared us for such a situation.
Arriving at the area of operation, our division soon established positions on the northern half of the perimeter, while the National Guard held the southern half. Setting up our section at the rear lines, we soon got to work. Although I have to admit, with the limited knowledge we had about the strange claws, we barely had any information to report to G-2 aside from the basic descriptions of the claw. Even thermal images of the claws gave us little information, as they gave off little to almost no heat aside from what it absorbed from being under the sun.
Over the next few hours, we monitored the claws, as the higher ups tried to figure out our next course of action.
Meanwhile, reports from other countries told us about the more aggressive responses towards the claws. One nation decided to bombard the claws with artillery, while another conducted airstrikes on it. Both attacks resulted in no damage to the claws. This scared us, as we realized that our conventional weaponry might be useless against these strange things.
Six hours after the initial sighting of the Pennsylvania claw, CBRN Command sent a Chemical Battalion to conduct a close inspection of the claws. Wearing hazardous material suits, the battalion’s specialist approached the claws on vehicles, before dismounting to take images, test for any signs of deadly chemicals or radiation, as well as attempt to take samples. Initial tests showed no sign of chemicals or radiation on the claws or its surrounding areas, while close up thermal scans gave the same results as the aerial scans from earlier. Meanwhile, the task that proved to be the most difficult was obtaining a sample from the claws, as the drilling equipment melted upon contact with the claws. Not wanting to make further contact with the claws, which may result in injury among the team members, they soon gave up on attaining a sample and focused on taking footage and images. After a while the team returned to the perimeter once sufficient photographs were taken.
Looking at the footage and images the Chemical Battalion took, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of material the claws were made of. They were smooth like marble, but based on the reaction it made with objects and flesh that made contact with the claws, it was clear that there was something more to it. However, like previous images, this didn’t bring much information to us.
For the next few hours nothing significant occurred. However, around twelve hours after the initial sighting of the Pennsylvania claws, the first sign of activity from it occurred from the claws. While studying imagery of the claws from different parts of the world, one of my staff members called out to me and told me to check out the live feed from one of the UAVs monitoring the claws we were surrounding. Looking at the monitor, my eyes widened to see that the claws were shaking.
Transfixed at the screen, I watched as the claws continued to shake, before suddenly moving. From our positions at the rear of the perimeter, I could feel the earth shake, as the claws moved a few miles from where we were. Watching with a mixture of both surprise and fear, I stared at the live feed as the two rows of claws cut through the ground, kicking up dirt and creating a wall of dust. I never imagined that such large structures planted into the earth could slice through hard ground with such ease, and yet there it was, leaving behind a deep trench behind each claw.
As the two rows continued to part, the ground between the trenches they left behind began to sink until a large crater began to form. The rows soon stopped after they were around one hundred feet away from another, leaving behind a deep cavity.
Once all the dust settled, the UAV’s camera zoomed into the crater to see what was in there. From the footage, I saw that what was beneath the claws was now exposed. I didn’t know what I expected to be under those large things, but I remember feeling a chill run down my spine when I noticed that each row of claws was connected to what looked like long fingers that dove into the crater. We all stood there in silence as we realized that those fingers must have belonged to some kind creature, one that was most likely a behemoth if it had claws and fingers that large.
It didn’t take long for us to get answers on how large the creature in that crater was, as the claws rose from the ground and kept on going. Soon we began to see two long arms emerge from the crater. These arms had pale red skin, with texture that looked rough and seemingly covered in scales. The arms continued to come out of the crater until the claw tips were around two hundred feet in the air. At that point that arms stopped rising and suddenly spread, before slamming hard on the ground. The impact of these arms hitting the earth resulted in the ground shaking once more, as if an earthquake had struck.
By that point the initial shock of what occurred must have been swept away from the soldiers at the front, as all radio frequencies suddenly burst into life. Panicked and frantic calls from units around the perimeter asked for orders, as the soldiers there were suddenly confronted with a gigantic creature that they had no idea how to deal with. However, even division headquarters was stunned and unsure what to do, as they merely told the soldiers in manning the forward posts to hold their positions and continue observing. These orders were met with mixed reactions, as some officers requested, and even demanded, permission to fire on the arms that were now laying on the field. However, permission to engage was denied.
It’s not like they could do much anyways. If conventional weapons were useless against the claws, then they would surely do nothing against these large arms.
Deciding to momentarily ignore the radio traffic, I returned my focus to the footage the overhead UAV continued to provide us. At that point the fingers moved to dig the tips of the claws deep into the ground, anchoring itself into the earth. Once firmly in place, movement was once more seen from within the crater. Observing the live footage, I noticed four faint lights appearing deep within the crater. Staring at it more, it seemed that they radiated a reddish hue. As the seconds passed, the light began to get brighter and bigger.
Eventually a head emerged from out of the crater, one with four large red glowing eyes, and four large horns protruding from its bare scalp. This was followed by a neck, a torso, and legs. The arms lifted the entirety of this dreadful creature up, until it was out of the crater and kneeling on the field. The impact of its knees to the ground shook the earth again, as I stared in disbelief at what I was seeing. Sluggishly, the creature got up and stood there until the tips of its horns reached up to the sky. All in all it stood at about four hundred feet in the air. It was menacing and it seemed like it had emerged from hell itself.
To make things worse, we were soon passed information that the claw sites at California and around the world had also moved and parted the earth to reveal similar creatures. UAV footage from California, as well as footage taken by Air Force long-range reconnaissance aircraft that were flying over the sites in other parts of the world, showed a similar scene to the one we were having here.
All over the world, these creatures stood over us, while we waited for what they would do next.
For over an hour we observed the creature, keeping our weapons trained on it, as we anxiously waited for its next move or orders from Joint Task Force Command. Stepping out of the tent my section used, I looked towards the distance and was able to see the distant silhouette of the behemoth, as it faced northward towards our division’s positions.
As I studied it, I couldn’t help but feel fear run through me. It gave an intimidating presence that shook my bones. Its glowing eyes, despite being far away, felt like it was staring directly at me., at my very soul. As I looked at it, every part of my body was telling me to run. I had to fight hard against my instinct and remind myself that I still had a duty to do. Shaking my head, I felt sorry for the soldiers at the main line of the perimeter, who were much closer to the creature than I was.
Returning back inside our tent, I was about to assist in examining some of the imagery from the California site, when a loud, deep, and monotone voice suddenly echoed in the air.
“Humans.” The voice said, as I wondered where it came from. It was loud and powerful, so I knew it came from outside. However, just as I was about to head outside to find the source, I ended up glancing at the monitor that relayed the footage from the UAV.
When the voice boomed out its words, the mouth of the creature opened. It was the one that was speaking.
“My name is one that your limited minds cannot comprehend, therefore, I shall merely address myself as Esurio. I came from the stars and crashed onto your primitive world after being exiled here by my fellow gods. My core burns in anger at the thought of what they have done to me. I knew I had to get revenge, but I needed strength to do that. I needed souls to give me the power to escape.”
Staring at the screen as it spoke, I managed to glance at the other monitors that displayed footage of the other creatures around the world and realized that their mouths were moving too. Ordering one of my NCOs to connect to the audio shared to us by local authorities in some of the sites, I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized that they were all saying the same thing with the same voice. Despite the slight delay in the transmission, I realized that all the creatures were speaking under one voice, as if they were different mouths of one entity. They were all Esurio.
As I tried to process this discovery, Esurio continued to talk and boom its voice in our ears.
“When I first came to your world there were only a few thousand of you. This was unsatisfactory. I needed more souls if I was to exact my revenge. So I waited. I have been dormant for millenia, hibernating, saving my remaining strength, and waiting for my prey to grow in numbers. I am glad to see that you have multiplied since then, to numbers far greater than I have expected. You have done well, it pleases me. Now it is time for me to feast on your souls before you all ruin it by annihilating yourselves through your constant wars and destruction.”
With that said, all the creatures from around the world suddenly stepped forward. The creature, or shall I say the part of Esurio, in our area rocked the ground with its heavy step, as we watched the creature slowly move forward.
Although it’s movement was slow, each step it made covered around a hundred feet. This allowed it to quickly cover large amounts of ground. Before we knew it, this large monstrosity was already nearing the initial positions of the perimeter.
As Esurio approached our perimeter, the forces that were in his path opened fire. The sound of small arms fire could be heard echoing in the distance, as the soldiers there let loose all they had. It was a foolish act, most likely driven by fear and the instinct to attack threats that came at them. All the fire they would place on it was useless and would prove ineffective. Their bullets could not harm this creature and the officers and soldiers there should have known better.
Not wanting to waste ammunition on a useless attempt to fight, Division Headquarters quickly got on the radio and ordered the forces within Esurio’s path to withdraw. The perimeter was to be abandoned because we knew that we had no chance of stopping such a creature.
To cover the retreat of the soldiers in the forward positions, the division artillery began opening up and bombarding Esurio. We knew that we couldn’t kill him within, but perhaps such attacks would slow him down.
It didn’t.
Artillery shells slammed on Esurio’s body, but it barely made any damage or make him flinch. Instead, he continued moving forward, taking one slow step after another, as more shells slammed and exploded on him. Watching aerial feed from the UAV, we watched on with horror as Esurio got closer and closer to the perimeter.
By that time, most of the forces at the forward positions had withdrawn already. However, there were still a few stragglers in the area, who we could see were trying to escape on their Humvees. At first, I thought they would be able to escape unharmed, as the slow moving legs of the creature were slow and easy to avoid.
But then something unexpected happened.
Spider-like creatures began phasing out of different parts of his body, morphing out from his skin and falling straight to the ground. I watched in horror as hundreds upon hundreds of these strange looking creatures emerged from Esurio and covered the ground around him.
Zooming in on Esurio’s shoulder, the UAV feed showed us as one of these terrible looking creatures began to emerge out of his skin. The first thing I saw was its eye. One large eye covered the front of its body, frantically glancing left and right as it gave out a hungry look. As the rest of its body continued to emerge from the behemoth’s skin, I soon saw its legs appear. Eight legs, all thin and white. It looked similar to bone, but had sharp edges that looked like they could easily pierce through flesh and muscle.
Once this small creature fully escaped the giant, it fell many feet down towards the ground. Tumbling in the air as it did, I saw a mouth appear just below its eye. This mouth formed a creepy smile with its sharp looking teeth that reminded me of needles. It looked so strange and unnatural.
Upon hitting the ground, the creature joined hundreds of other smaller creatures that raced forward towards the straggling soldiers that were trying to escape Esurio’s giant form. As they approached one of the Humvees, I realized the true size of these smaller creatures, as they stood just above the height of the vehicle.
Moving fast on their legs, they swarmed around the nearest Humvee, as the vehicle’s gunner desperately fired on them. He managed to get some good hits on a few of these creatures and, thankfully, was able to bring them down. Unlike Esurio, these spider-like creatures were vulnerable to small arms fire.
However, despite taking down a couple of dozen of them, more of the creatures followed and closed in on the Humvee. Eventually, one of them took a leap and landed right on top of the vehicle. With one of its sharp legs, it stabbed the gunner, while the rest of its legs penetrated the vehicle, presumably stabbing the occupants within, as the Humvee stopped in its tracks. Soon the vehicle was engulfed by a sea of these creatures, as they trampled over it as they raced towards the other escaping vehicles.
The UAV’s camera zoomed out at that moment to show the wave of spider-like creatures chasing after the escaping Humvees. It was a frightening sight.
Despite their efforts to escape, most of the Humvees were caught by the creatures and buried under their mass. During that moment, Esurio continued his movement, stomping just behind the wave of creatures that he continued to conjure out of his body.
As the spider-like creatures continued to catch and overrun more stragglers, Esurio let out a chilling chuckle.
“Yes, give me your souls.” He said in a pleased tone.
As the UAV’s camera focused on Esurio, I noticed that his eyes seemed to grow brighter every time his smaller minions devoured a Humvee and its vehicles. I believe that was him feeding, sucking the souls of the dead.
However, I was unable to think much further about this, as an order for us to fall back and abandon our positions was given. With the spider-like creatures and Esurio having penetrated our perimeter and now heading for our rear positions, Division Headquarters decided that it was now time to retreat while we can.
By then the lead group of spider-like creatures was only a mile away from where my section was. Exciting our tent, I noticed that some infantry companies tried to form a defensive barrier between our positions and the wave of creatures.
Opening fire on the swarm, they were able to mow down large numbers of them. But the creatures kept on coming, as more and more of them fell from Esurio and raced towards the soldiers. Stepping over the rising pile of dead creatures, they would then leap towards the defensive line, killing a few dozen soldiers before being taken down.
This process repeated itself as I heard the defensive line’s fire slowly begin to slacken. I knew that they would not hold and so I ordered my section to quickly mount their vehicles and retreat towards the designated fall back position, located further north from where we were.
Some of my NCOs wanted to save some of our equipment and load them into our trucks. But I stopped them, telling them that there was no more time.
Getting on my Humvee, I ordered the driver to get us out of there. He didn’t need to be told twice, as he raced the vehicle down the road.
As we drove away, I glanced towards the side view mirror to see that the defensive line was shattered. Groups of men were now running away from it, only to be taken down by the spider-like creatures that followed them. Feeling my heart race faster, I kept on watching as the creatures overrun them and began to charge towards our direction.
However, before they could begin sprinting towards us, a wall of explosions ripped through them, annihilating many of the spider-like creatures. As the wave tried to advance, they were momentarily halted by continuous artillery fire that tore through them, preventing them from going further.
I realized that the artillery batteries must have given up targeting the impervious Esurio and instead decided to hit the more vulnerable spider-like creatures. This decision saved our lives, as it allowed us to drive away and get further from the swarm.
Eventually, we managed to sufficiently distance ourselves from the scene of death and destruction. Looking back once again, I was able to see the looming silhouette of Esurio, as he continued his way, eyes glowing bright. I could only imagine the horrors being experienced by the soldiers who failed to escape.
Small arms fire could still be heard from our abandoned positions, the last stand of those who were about to die. Meanwhile, the distant sound of artillery also. The batteries must have decided to hold their position in order to provide artillery cover for those who were trying to escape.
Sadly, by the time we got to the fall back position a few miles north of our original location, the artillery had become silent.
We ended up only spending a few minutes at the new position before being ordered to withdraw once more. There were only a few thousand of us there, a mixed group of different units from the division. Joint Task Force Command knew that we would not be enough to hold off the swarm and so we were told to continue northwards and link up with an armored division that was forming a new defensive line a few more miles up the road.
As we were driving up towards the new defensive line, I received information through the radio that the President had ordered a nuclear strike against Esurio. This came as a shock. A nuclear strike against U.S. soil was something I never imagined would ever happen.
However, as I thought more about it, I realized that such a risky move made sense. What we had back there was a creature that was both deadly and seemingly invincible to conventional weaponry. It must be stopped at all costs or else it would destroy the country.
The message about the planned nuclear strike was transmitted in all frequencies, warning all military personnel and civilians to evacuate areas that would be affected by the strike. By the time we reached the new position and linked up with the armored division that had set up the defenses there, Joint Task Force Command informed us that a Trident I ballistic missile had been launched from an Ohio-class submarine in the Atlantic Ocean.
A few minutes later, after a nerve-racking wait, we saw a flash of light from the distant horizon. As the distinct mushroom cloud rose into the air, the sound of the explosion was then heard.
At first everyone was silent. It felt so surreal and many of us were mesmerized by the sight of the radioactive cloud rising up in the air. Eventually, a cheer came from the ranks, as soldiers celebrated the strike, thinking that even a creature like Esurio could not survive such an explosion.
It turned out he could.
The first UAV to fly over ground zero revealed to us that Esurio was still there, standing and looking unharmed. Although his swarm of spider-like creatures were all annihilated, he himself seemed to have no damage on him.
Eventually, he began to walk once more. As he did, more of the spider-like creatures began to morph out of him and fall onto the ground until he had a new swarm leading the way. The nuclear strike had failed and we were left severely demoralized.
Throughout the next hour, we anxiously waited for the arrival of Esurio and his swarm. Monitoring their progress from equipment we scavenged from the other division, me and my section watched as the swarm grew and got closer and closer to where we were.
To help defend the line, another regular infantry division, as well as a National Guard division, was sent in to bolster the defenses. But as more fully manned and fully equipped units began deploying, our division was soon ordered to withdraw and assist local authorities in the rear. Since our division endured devastating casualties during the first encounter, we were too weak, too disorganized, and too undermanned to fight effectively. Because of this we were ordered to aid local police forces in maintaining order and evacuating population centers that were in the way Esurio’s wrath.
After what we’ve been through, we didn’t complain. Some of us even felt relieved. We did feel bad though, since we knew the horrors our fellow soldiers would soon see. Passing on as much information we had to the soldiers who would stay to hold the line, we then moved north to execute our new orders
A few hours later we received word that the defensive line we left was overrun by the creatures. We were glad we weren’t there to witness such a nightmare again.
It was clear that we could not stop Esurio and his swarm.
For the next few weeks, Esurio trampled the land. His form at the Pennsylvania site soon moved towards the major towns and cities all over the northeast. Government authorities did their best to evacuate civilians, while the military tried to delay the swarm’s advance, but Esurio’s invulnerability to all attacks, as well as the mass numbers of the swarm, made it difficult to save everyone. After a month, many major cities in the northern portion of the northeast were in ruins, as casualties sky rocketed to millions.
Meanwhile, his form in other places was creating equal devastation. The one in California ravaged the west coast, while various forms in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia were ruined, as many millions died before his swarms. All attempts to stop him were always met with failure. Eventually, we realized that the only way to save humanity was to get away from his path and hide. But as he roamed the earth, and as his swarms continued to grow and spread, we knew that we couldn’t hide forever. Eventually, he will find every last sanctuary until there are no more humans left.
The situation seemed hopeless. However, it was during that period that I learnt of a project that might just save humanity.
Due to the devastating casualties our division took during our first encounter with Esurio, it was decided that the unit would be disbanded and its personnel reassigned to other units in order to bolster their strength. Due to my experience in military intelligence, I thought I would end up in the G2 staff of another division. However, I was surprised to learn that I was recommended by my former G2 to serve with him in a special task force the military was creating.
At first, I didn’t know much about this task force, aside from the fact that it was based in Texas. But upon joining them, I, and other newly assigned staff officers, were soon briefed about the task force’s mission.
Task Force Chromosphere was the military element tasked with protecting and assisting the Chromosphere Project. This project was a confidential undertaking that had the goal of creating a path between our universe and a parallel universe through the use of a machine they dubbed the Chromosphere. It had been under development for decades and was actually in its finishing stages when Esurio appeared. Now, the project was much more crucial than it was before, as the government realized that an escape to another universe may be the last chance for humanity to get away from the monsters that now roamed our world.
Initially, many of us newly arrived officers found the idea of traveling to a parallel universe hard to believe. However, we soon realize that nothing is impossible these days, especially after the devil itself rose up from hell to consume all of humanity.
Assigned to lead the task force’s Imagery Interpretation Section, I was initially tasked with reviewing imagery and footage of Esurio all over the world, in order to keep the G2 informed of any new developments regarding the behemoths and swarms that ravaged the earth. However, as the days of the initial test of the Chromosphere drew closer, I was told that I would soon be reviewing images and footage from the exploration drones that would be sent to the other universe.
On the day of the test, I joined various staff officers at an observation room that gave a clear view of the Chromosphere. For closer views of the test area, monitors displayed video feed from cameras planted on the test site.
The Chromosphere itself was composed of four towers, each of which contained the complicated machinery that had been developed over the decades. We were told that once the machinery on the towers was activated, it would create a dome that would essentially be a portal to another universe. If things worked out, this portal would lead to another universe, one similar to our own.
Watching intently as the towers powered up, we looked on as a bright flash engulfed the test site. At first I thought something had gone wrong and parts of the machinery had exploded. However, as I studied the test site, I realized that there was now a black down located there.
The test had succeeded and we had created a portal. The question now was, where did it lead to?
To answer our question, an autonomous rover was sent through the portal. Since signals could not go through the portal, it was essential for the rover to have programming in order to conduct the first reconnaissance mission of another universe. The rover’s programing ordered it to drive a few feet before going back to the portal in order for us to recover it and study the footage it took.
This first reconnaissance lasted only five minutes. Once the rover was safely back to our side, the portal was deactivated and teams rushed to recover the footage and data our first inter-universal explorer had.
As the section chief of the Imagery Interpretation Section, I quickly got access to the footage taken. I couldn’t help but smile when it was passed to me, because I saw a world just like our own.
In the footage, the rover went through the portal and immediately came out to reveal a dusty open field. On the ground, patches of tall grass could be seen, while in the distance was the silhouette of mountains. Meanwhile, up above was a clear blue sky. What I saw looked similar to the landscape of the area surrounding the base. This was promising information.
Over the next few days more tests and reconnaissance missions were conducted, each one lasting longer than the previous one. Eventually, various equipment on the rover confirmed that the universe had breathable air and did not have any toxins or high levels of radiation.
Further tests confirmed that traveling through the portal was safe for living beings, as a monkey was strapped to a seat on the rover, sent through the portal, and returned unharmed. Soon a human was sent through the portal and came back in good health.
Later tests involved sending an autonomous stealth UAV through the portal, in order to map out the surrounding area. The UAV flew for a few hours in the other universe, covering large portions of land. Once the UAV returned and landed, it revealed to us high resolution photographs of much of the area. Once the photographs were sent to my section, my team compared it to aerial images of the same area in our universe. It was almost an identical match.
All the tests were proving promising, which was good since we were under heavy pressure to ensure that the universe on the other side was safe for humanity to escape to. The situation with Esurio was becoming worse at that time, as the entirety of the east and west coast have been completely devastated, with the surviving population fleeing to the central states. Elsewhere in the world, the same destruction and death was occuring. We knew that we needed to flee this Earth soon.
However, before we could conduct our mass exodus to the other universe, a diplomatic mission had to be sent out first. The government knew that the sudden appearance of millions upon millions of people in the middle of Texas would confuse the people on that side, and most likely worry the governments of the other Earth. To prevent any possible issues and conflicts that may occur, the diplomatic mission would be sent to negotiate with their governments in order to allow us asylum.
Sadly, before the diplomatic mission could be sent, one of the helicopters that patrolled the perimeter of the facility spotted two rows of claws more than a mile away from our outer walls. I remember feeling my heart drop when I heard the news.
It didn’t take long for the Earth to part open moments after the claws were discovered. Watching from a distance, I saw an all too familiar sight unfold before my eyes. Within seconds, I saw Esurio stand before us, eyes looking down on us while its mouth smiled.
For the next few moments we waited. We waited for him to move forward. We waited for him to destroy our last hope for salvation. But he didn’t move. He just stood still, smiling.
Eventually though, he spoke.
“Were you humans foolish enough to believe that I did not know about this little project of yours?” He said, before letting out a chuckle. The sound of it laughing felt so unnerving. “I merely allowed you to finish it, so that I may have a means to gain more souls. You here were plenty, but not enough. Another Earth though, then that would bring me all the souls I need to gain the strength I desire.”
Dread filled me as I heard this.
“Now, before you all act rashly as you always do, let me offer you something in exchange for passage through your portal.” I told us. “If you would allow me to cross into that universe, then I will spare the remaining worthless humans lives here. A few million of you shall live in exchange for the billions of lives there. Is that a deal?”
Our response took hours to come. I don’t know who were the people involved in the decision making, or if other national leaders were consulted, but in the end we agreed. What choice did we have? In the end, our own survival was paramount.
One month from now we will fulfill our end of the bargain and open the portal for Esurio. Already, as I write this, his various forms from around the world are traveling towards this place. Soon all parts would be here and one by one he would travel across the portal.
I write this now as a warning to you all. In hopes that you will receive this message, I managed to convince some members of the AS/TA platoon to attach a pod filled with leaflets to one of their autonomous UAVs. In a few days, they would open up the portal for a few hours as part of a test to see if they keep it up for a sufficient amount of time that would allow all of Esurio’s parts to cross. We plan to get the UAV through the portal and into your universe during that test.
I hope my message gets to you all and I’m sorry for what we are about to do to you.
We made a deal with the devil and you will pay the price for it.
***
I found this message on a leaflet that was dropped by a military drone that flew over our family ranch before crashing.
It was an interesting site. One moment the drone was flying, the next moment a bird struck it. The impact of the two seemed to have damaged the wing of the drone, as it tumbled in the air before crashing. Not much remains of the drone aside from charred bits and pieces.
At least I managed to recover some leaflets that were dropped on our ranch. After reading through it, I couldn’t help but feel chills at the warning given.
Was it true? At first I thought it couldn’t have.
However, a remark I overheard from the Air Force personnel recovering the crashed drone made me wonder if there was any truth to the message.
Walking around our ranch and examining the wreckage of the drone, one of the officers there remarked that they were not missing any drones and wondered where that one came from.