Chapter 4: The Unexpected
Gary woke up early the next morning, feeling a sense of trepidation wash over him. He had been dreading this day all night, worried about what might happen at school.
But as he got dressed and ready for the day, he felt a sense of determination rise up within him. He was not going to let the bullies get him down.
As he walked to the bus stop, he was greeted by several people who wished him a good morning. Gary smiled and returned their greetings, feeling a sense of normalcy return.
When he saw Peter waiting at the bus stop, he felt a surge of relief. At least he had one friend who was looking out for him.
"Hey, Gary," Peter said, as Gary approached. "How's it going?"
Gary shrugged. "It's going."
The two friends boarded the bus and rode to school in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
Meanwhile, in an unknown area of the universe, a group of aliens were gathered around a large control panel.
"The project is complete," one of the aliens said, its voice clicking and whirring. "We are ready to launch."
The other aliens nodded in agreement, their large, black eyes gleaming with excitement.
But as they prepared to launch their project, something strange began to happen on Earth.
It was lunchtime, and Gary was sitting alone at a table, trying to eat his sandwich. But before he could even take a bite, the bullies appeared, sneering and snickering.
"Hey, Gary," Blake said, his voice dripping with malice. "What's up?"
Gary tried to ignore them, but they just wouldn't leave him alone. They started pushing him around, laughing and jeering.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, everything went black.
The lights flickered and died, plunging the school into darkness. The bullies stopped in their tracks, looking around in confusion.
Gary took advantage of the distraction to slip away, disappearing into the darkness.
But as he stumbled through the blackness, he couldn't shake the feeling that something much bigger was going on. Something that had nothing to do with the bullies or the school.
Something that threatened the very fabric of the universe itself.
As the darkness enveloped the Earth, the aliens accessed all forms of communication, hijacking every speaker, TV, and internet connection to broadcast their ominous message.
"Citizens of Earth," a cold, metallic voice echoed through every device, "we have been preparing for this moment for 100 years. Today is the day we unleash our project, _Monster Forge_."
The voice paused, allowing the weight of its words to sink in.
"We will transform nearly half of your population into beasts, unleashing a new era of terror upon your world. You will become the very monsters you once feared: zombies, werewolves, orcs, goblins, trolls, vampires, and more."
The voice grew louder, more menacing.
"You have 60 minutes to prepare for the transformation. After that, there will be no turning back. The countdown begins... NOW!"
As the voice finished speaking, a massive holographic timer appeared in the sky, its numbers ticking down with an eerie glow.
59:59... 59:58... 59:57...
Panic set in as people scrambled to comprehend the enormity of the situation. Cars screeched to a halt, sirens blared, and chaos erupted in every corner of the globe.
Gary, still reeling from the bullies' attack, stumbled through the darkness, his heart racing with fear. What was happening? What did the aliens' message mean?
As he staggered through the streets, he saw people running wildly, screaming, and crying. The world was descending into madness.
And then, Gary saw the timer, its numbers ticking down with an otherworldly glow.
He knew he had to do something, but what? The clock was ticking, and the world was about to become a living nightmare...