Friend of Monsters

Part 8

H- The ground shook violently beneath Sam, making their eyes dart the ground for signs of cracks or dangers while people around them huddled and screamed or cursed in confusion.

Sams brows furrowed, a mix of disappointed and confused. Why did an Earthquake have to happen on the same day they decided to actually hang out with friends on a holiday? Why *today*?

They stagger forward, pulling their phone out to text Lexie.

*Dunno if you felt that, but Earthquake downtown. I'm by X, stay home if you haven't left already. Might be bad. I'll try to make it over instead.*

C- Lexie's eyes flickered downward as she felt her phone vibrate and drew it out, tapping down a quick text in response.

*I'm in the square downtown. I don't have red hair tho, so u might not recognize me haha. And yeppp I felt that alright. Regroup in the square ok?*

H- *k. I'm the 'not a giant'*
They respond simply, attaching a gif of a cat doing a dramatic thumbs up.

They pocket their phone and head down the block, they weren't far at all - and while they worried for them, they were certain this was nothing to be too concerned about. Earthquakes happened all the time in the country - usually pretty short lived...Nothing was falling over or cracking apart yet...Promising.

C- Lexie waited up against a building in the middle of the square, keeping her eyes peeled for the surrounding streets. Most people were trying to get out of the way at this point, trying to take shelter.

The tremors started again. The earth shook. Then stopped. Then would shake again. It was a steady rumbling rhythm, like the pounding of a heartbeat. There were louder sounds coming from the mountainside above the town, and rocks began to skid down the cliffs.

She glanced up warily, feeling unsettled about all this. The night was growing steadily darker, illuminated by Halloween decorations and shop windows in the square. Suddenly all the lights went out and they were all plunged into complete darkness. Only the ghostly light of the full moon glistened overhead to eerily illuminate the fleeing town. Only seconds after Lexie had sent her text, the cell service went blank. The cell tower was out.

H- Sam wasn't too worried about the sounds at first, focused more on avoiding panicking people and finding Lexie over the rumbling shaking them to their very core. It was just an Earthquake....

Or was it?

They began to imagine each vibration as a step - a single step of a massive giant. It's ridiculous to think of such a thing, but they smile to themselves at the thought. They think that'd be kinda cool.

*Sam, those eat people.*

*Good thing I'm not a people tonight then.* They think back, not at all convinced anything bad was about to happen.

What giant would even be big enough to cause such tremors? Certainly none they had ever seen.

C- Lexie caught Sam's scent once they approached close enough and shouted their name to try to get their attention.

Another rumble sounded. The source of the tremors gradually became clear. The mountainside was collapsing on itself. The rocky face of the cliffs were raining down rocks and large boulders that came rolling down straight towards the city, hurling into buildings and crashing into cars, prompting the high trill of car alarms.

The ground cracked again, then began to split open. The whole ground was shifting. Buildings were beginning to crumble.

H- Sam blindly dashed towards the sound of their name, confused and uncertain of the increasing chaos around them. They wanted to get to Lexie. They had to.