And well, this end of the world certainly didn't disappoint. The extreme weather? Fine, I could take that. The animals going bat shit insane? Okay, that's a bit much, but still manageable.
But what the flying fuck was that even supposed to be?
It was a video, apparently recorded by a security camera. The resolution was garbage, but just clear enough to understand what was going on.
At the bottom of the massive, gaping hole in the mining site lay what I could only describe as the most unreal thing I had ever seen.
Like a living shadow, it was slowly advancing—crawling its way up the pit, about to break into the surface world. It devoured, like a plague of locusts, eroding the very fabric of reality itself. Near the edges, one could see a smoke-like phenomenon—translucent but not quite see-through—flickering in and out of existence, like a herald of something far worse.
It felt alien, something that shouldn't have been there, out of place.
Honestly? It had every hallmark of a deepfake. The kind of thing you'd scroll past and say, "This is definitely AI-generated."
But deep down, something told me to believe it.
This wasn't some advanced AI piece. It was real. This was the source of that unease clawing at my gut.
It advanced, slow but steady. Someone, a worker, on the video tried to approach it.
Grave mistake. Shadowy tendrils shot out from the fumes and latched onto his feet, as if the thing had been waiting for him all along.
His feet simply dissolved on contact—like thin paper meeting fire—but instead of ashes, there was nothing left. It was as if the flame had burned him straight out of existence.
He fell backward, screaming, before more tendrils spread and wrapped around him. Then he was gone. Not even his bright yellow protection head gear left behind.
Moments later, as if the thing had just been fed steroids, the shadows began spreading exponentially faster, clawing their way upward.
"What the hell even is this?" - I muttered to no one in particular. - "What am I even supposed to do against that?"
I watched as the shadows engulfed a large steel structure—the final frame before the recording cut out.
I just dropped onto the couch, listless. The video had been posted less than an hour ago. The comment section was exactly what you'd expect.
[TheH4lvedOn3]: The world's going to shit, and you clankers keep posting made-up crap like this?
[Erick_Francesco]: Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if this was real. Just watched my neighbor get his face eaten by his dog.
[Don't read the comment below]: Don't read my profile picture.
[GozidillaGod371]: Guys! This shit's real! I just looked outside—it's swallowing everything! I'm already surrounded, so run while you still can!
That last comment made me pause. It was a recent one, from 5 minutes ago.
It couldn't be… could it?
A renewed sense of dread crept in as I approached the broken window, my hand tightening around my sword's hilt while I peeked outside.
It was midday, the sun blazing hot. But what I saw chilled me to the core.
"Fuck…" - I whispered in disbelief.
There it was, at the end of the street—the same shadowy bastard from the video.
It was advancing at a staggering pace. I couldn't think. I didn't have time.
I could only run—as fast as I could. I flung the door open and sprinted, fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white, teeth grinding.
When I dared a glance back, what met my unwilling eyes made me feel like someone had clamped my heart in a vice. I couldn't breathe; my pupils shrank to pinpricks. My thoughts drowned in a blind rage.
'No... Why... Just leave me alone. What did I do? Why must you damn thing take everything?'
I could only watch as my entire house was swallowed whole by the darkness.
My hands were clenched so tightly that my fingernails had cut into my palms, blood dripping down, though I barely felt it. My focus was elsewhere—on what little I had left.
I moved my bloodstained hand to my chest and pulled something from beneath my shirt.Now it's the only thing left, I thought bitterly.
The shadow was closing in faster than I could move. There was no escaping it.
I made up my mind and stopped running altogether.
It's always good to live, but if living's no longer an option… I might as well go out with a bang.
Honestly? I felt helpless. Scared. Angry at my own powerlessness—and at the world that never seemed to tire of screwing me over.
But what could I do?
I turned to face the encroaching darkness.
If the abyss wanted to stare at me so badly, then fine—I'd stare right back.
And I. Would. Not. Fucking. Blink.
I unsheathed my sword, gripping it tight. Beads of sweat trickled down my neck. My ragged breathing and racing heartbeat echoed in my ears.
Strangely, my thoughts were calm.
This helplessness—I had felt it before. And I had sworn never to feel it again.
No way in hell was I breaking that promise now.
It felt like time itself had slowed. The shadows were within arm's reach.
I raised my sword and swung down. I didn't care whether it worked or not—I just needed to strike. To dosomething.
Surprisingly, it worked.
The blade met resistance. The shadows faltered for a split second in front of me—though everywhere else, they kept advancing unhindered.
Good news: I found a way to fight back.
Bad news: I was now surrounded.
Tendrils extended toward me from all sides, reaching for my limbs and my weapon.
I swung wildly, cutting down anything that dared come close. But eventually, one slipped through.
It wrapped around my leg.
Contrary to what I'd seen in the footage, it didn't disintegrate me instantly.
No—that would've been merciful.
It hurt. Like hell.
The first contact sent a surge of pain through me so strong I staggered, and more tendrils caught their chance. Soon they were all over me.
Honestly? It was like some cheap hentai's tentacle scene.
But I wasn't laughing.
It felt like red-hot iron rods were being pressed against my skin. Everywhere the tendrils touched blackened and cracked. Things weren't looking good.