The creature let out another earth-shattering roar, sending shockwaves through the air as it reared up, its heads snapping at the sky.
"Hold on!" James shouted, his voice strained as he struggled to keep the plane steady against the turbulent winds that had begun to buffet them.
The storm outside was growing more violent by the second, the sky darkening to an inky black as clouds swirled ominously above them.
Thunder rumbled, and a bolt of lightning struck dangerously close to the plane, illuminating the serpent's terrifying form below.
"What's happening, Mister Francis?" James asked, his voice tight with fear and urgency. He glanced over at Francis, who was staring out the window with a look of utter dread on his face.
Francis turned to face his family, his expression a mixture of sorrow and resolve. "The end of days is here," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of his words. "This is the beginning of the end... the prophecy has been fulfilled, and now... now there's no turning back."
Quinn looked up at his father, his young face pale with fear. "But... but you can stop it, right? You said you were close to saving everyone..."
Francis shook his head, tears welling in his eyes as he realized the gravity of their situation. "I was close, Quinn. I was so close... but the stars... the stars are not in the right order yet. He's not ready... the one who could save us all... he's not ready."
As the plane soared through the storm, the world below continued to tear itself apart. Massive cracks appeared in the earth, swallowing entire forests and towns. Rivers surged over their banks, flooding the land in a violent deluge. Tornadoes formed out of nowhere, ripping through the landscape with terrifying force.
Inside the plane, the tension was palpable. James gripped the controls tightly, trying to keep the aircraft steady amidst the chaos. The wind howled outside, battering the plane as it fought to stay in the air.
"Is there nothing we can do?" James asked desperately, glancing back at Francis. "There has to be a way to stop this!"
Francis shook his head again, his face pale as he stared at the storm outside. "The prophecy... it foretold of this day... the day when the earth would crack open, and the end would rise from the depths. The only one who could have stopped it... he wasn't ready. And now... now it's too late."
The plane shuddered as another bolt of lightning struck nearby, the flash of light momentarily blinding them. Quinn clung to his mother, tears streaming down his face as he tried to make sense of the chaos around him.
"Francis," James said, his voice trembling, "you have to tell us... what exactly are we dealing with here? What is that thing?"
Francis took a deep breath, his gaze distant as he recalled the ancient texts and prophecies he had spent his life studying. "It's an ancient being... older than time itself. It's been lying dormant beneath the earth, waiting for the right moment to awaken. That serpent... it's just the beginning. There are more... more creatures... more terrors that will rise. And when they do... they'll bring about the end of everything we know."
The plane rocked violently in the storm, tossed like a toy in the hands of a merciless child. Thunder roared around them, a symphony of impending doom that shook the very core of their beings.
Lightning crackled across the darkened sky, illuminating the terrified faces of Quinn and his parents. Francis gripped the sides of his seat, his knuckles white, his mind racing with thoughts of what was to come. He knew this was no ordinary storm.
"It's an ancient being," Francis began, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and awe. His gaze was distant, as if he were seeing something beyond the physical realm, something only he could comprehend. "Older than time itself. It's been lying dormant beneath the earth, waiting for the right moment to awaken. That serpent... it's just the beginning. There are more... more creatures... more terrors that will rise. And when they do... they'll bring about the end of everything we know."
James's heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to grasp the gravity of Francis's words. He had seen many things in his years of service, but nothing could have prepared him for this. He glanced at his wife and son, their faces pale with fear, and felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. "What do we do, Francis?" James asked, his voice barely a whisper. "How do we stop this?"
Francis shook his head slowly. "We can't stop it, James. Not anymore. The time for that has passed. All we can do now is survive. But even that... is uncertain."
As if on cue, a blinding flash of light filled the cockpit, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. The plane jolted violently, and in the next instant, everything went dark.
...
Urrggh! My neck," Quinn groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, the world around him a blur of shapes and colors.
He could feel the dull throb of pain in his neck, radiating down his spine. For a moment, he lay there, disoriented, his mind struggling to piece together what had happened.
Then, as his vision cleared, he realized he was lying on the cold, damp ground. The scent of earth and pine filled his nostrils, and the distant sound of rustling leaves reached his ears.
He pushed himself up to a sitting position, his head spinning as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was the wreckage of the plane, a mangled mass of metal and debris lying a few meters away.
Smoke rose from the twisted remains, curling into the sky like ghostly tendrils. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered what had happened, the lightning, the crash... his parents.
"Mom! Dad!" he screamed, scrambling to his feet, his voice raw with panic. He stumbled toward the wreckage, his legs unsteady beneath him, his mind racing with fear and