"Ran. Ran. Why haven't you gotten out of your room yet? Dad has taken home your favourite vanilla ice cream." The soft muddled voice of my mom came from outside the room. A 132 sq. ft., 8 feet in height room that has nothing but me, yet I can't move due to the invisible eyes surrounding me from every corner of this hellhole.
"Darling, let him be, he's in the phase where he needs more space, time, and understanding from us." He can hear his father say.
"But hon, It has already been 2 weeks! The adviser told us all about what happened and I fear it left a permanent scar on him..." Tears are threatening to burst in her eyes any moment now.
"Okay, we'll follow what the therapist said. Tomorrow morning, help him pack his things, we'll go to Japan." His father said.
"Really!? Okay! Ran! We'll go to Japan!"
Click!
The door opened for the first time and a 13 yrs. Old child with black hair and black eyes, properly paired with eyebags came into view. This is probably one of the greatest things that has happened in his life.
...
[April 25, 20:03, Military Time]
"Passengers of flight xxx please board the plane, I repeat..."
The tap from my mother Felicity woke me up from my super realistic dream, a dream full of uncertainty, darkness, and blood...
"Ransom, it's time for us to move. Help your father with his luggage." My mother smiled at me. I took a small bag from my father. I knew that we were tight on budget due to my aunt's car accident last month. Fortunately, she survived but our whole family and relatives has to gather up funds to help my aunt's family with the hospital expenses.
Tightly, he holds in his hands 3 tickets, printed: From Manila To Tokyo. He has been dreaming so long for this. 'I wish I could quit school and never see those f*ckers at school again.' He thought.
But fate always has something in store.
...
[April 25, 22:37, MT, Paris, France]
Never has been there a day when Champ de Mars garden, the place where the most famous Eiffel Tower stood has no visitors. Just like today, thousands of locals and tourists are flocked to the centre, with the street light and elegant restaurants filling the atmosphere with the symbol of heart, and love.
Yet at this moment in time, a big earthquake startled every living being there is in that place. Lights blink, people panicked, and the internet stopped working. Radio and TV suddenly stop broadcasting. The Eiffel Tower from afar looks like dancing a bitter dance to please the heaven.
On April 25, 2023, time: 22:37, the strongest, widest, and deadliest earthquake which will be called "The Trumpet" by historians wreaked havoc all over the earth. From U.S., China, Russia, Taiwan, Japan, etc. No place is left unkempt. It killed over 200 million people, destroyed $3 Trillion worth of infrastructure, and lasted for a whole staggering 12 minutes and 8 seconds. In the minds of those who have experienced the red spot of The Trumpet, that whole 12 minutes might just be the most terrible time of their lives.
BUT NO, IT'S NOT EVEN THE START
[April 25, 2023, 22:49. Ascend]
Everyone around the globe, no matter where they are, at this moment saw the same blinding light from the sky. Some say it's the start, some say it is the end, and some say it's the coming of the Messiah. Many things popped into the heads of the people, but one thing is for sure.
FROM NOW ON, EVERYTHING WILL NOT BE THE SAME ANYMORE
...
"KYAAAHHH!" The horrifying scream of the female attendant echoed all over the lobby.
"What the f*ck is going on!!!???" The bald man at Ran's right completely echoed what was in his head.
'Where did those green things come from!?'
Just a few seconds ago he was listening to music on his earphones. When suddenly a flash of white lightning struck the aeroplane, causing the floor to stagger. And then, more than 20 of those green things appear out of thin air. They are half the size of an adult male and have green skin, a big belly, a pointed nose, and sharp teeth. In addition, every one of them is carrying some sort of weapon, or at least something pointed... They're very primitive and ugly.
He knew this things, he has seen something like them in the fairy tale book his mother bought him when he was 6.
They're-
"Goblins." His father, Raymond couldn't help but blurt out. A creature from a fantasy world which is his favourite genre when he was a teenager appeared out of thin air. It is the most ridiculous situation.
"Gah!" A male who's supposed to help the flight attendant got struck by a goblin's cub at the back of his head.
The situation intensifies as the other goblins jumped at every passenger they can see. Some fought, some tried to fight, some cried, and some ran to the back of the cabin, to the comfort room area, only to be stabbed by some more goblin with their weapons. In less than 2 minutes, the inside has become a massacre.
"Honey." Felicity touched Raymond's sleeves. Raymond woke up when he saw his wife and son trembling beside him.
"Felicity! Cover Ransom with the blanket! Use this bag to shield yourself!" Raymond took his travel bag. Felicity nodded as she and Ran crouched on the floor.
Raymond surveyed the surrounding. He saw a goblin cutting a woman's belly. The sight disgusted him, almost making him puke on the spot. 'What will my father do in this situation?' Raymond's father, Edward King has a big influence on his personality. Whenever in a difficult situation, he always imitates what his father will do in that problem. He was never courageous before, that's why he picked architecture over what his father wanted, to become a soldier. But the intense sense of urgency coupled with adrenaline and fever clouds his cognition.
Using all his power, he yanked the goblin on its head with a heavy travel bag. It shrieked and staggered. Using this chance, Ray took the crude knife off the woman's body. The goblin got angry and leapt at him. They wrestled for a while.
Raymond got scratched all over his face and stomach but in the end, he managed to stab it a couple of times in the torso until it dies.
Taking a deep breath, he saw another goblin looking at him from behind and another one lounging at Felicity and his son, Ransom.
"P*tan*in* niyo!" He cursed with all his might and tackled the goblin lounging at Felicity.
"Raymond!" Felicity cried out. In her embrace is Ransom, completely covered by a thick jacket and blanket, shrivelling and crying. He felt like he was in the school again, dark, cold and fuzzy. He has no one but darkness and death accompanying him.
Creak!
The sound of a skull being pierced echoed clearly in his head. The arms wrapping around him lost their power.
'Nonononono! It can't be! This is all just a dream! This is just a dream! Wake up, Ran! Wake up!'
"FELICITY!!!" The moment he heard his father's sorrowful voice the plane began to crash.
The two pilots eventually died at the hands of the goblins after opening the pit to check the situation.