We were on vacation, me and my family. Vacation to a beautiful resort of brightness and green grass. My parents mingled with the other visitors and I explored around with my sister. She didn’t stay long and broke off to play on a massive wooden play place. It looked like fun, but this place is too special to be spent just doing the same thing in the same location so I continued without her.

I saw many intricate statues and fountains in the gardens. Lions heads erupting in crystal water and marble horses that could support a giant. The housing at the resort had shimmering golden roofs that the sun’s light bounced off of and danced in patterns through the tree’s dense leaves.

I saw an open gallery. There was a tour guide explaining to a group of guests who that sculpture of the man with the beard and glasses was. I was interested in the man’s story, but retained little as the tour continued. So many notable figures that they all blend into one by the end.

I spent some time appreciating the statues and flowers and people.

It was dinner time. I headed to where my family was, a secluded shade garden blooming with pink and white flowers. They sat at a wooden picnic table and I joined them. Dinner was a large bowl of ice cream with a chocolate donut on top. I wonder how long it took that donut to climb all that way? No matter. There were so many sights to behold I found myself staring at the hills in the distance rather than the food. I took the donut off its perch and took a big bite. Where was my sister? She wasn’t here. She was going to miss dinner! I looked around in my seat and overheard the family eating next to us something about them going on a cruise. A cruise? A cruise. How inappropriate, they should be appreciating the wonder of where we are now and not some silly cruise. I tried to imagine how this place would feel on the water. A cruise. Ridiculous. I pushed my bench back to stand up and find my sister (no one gave her a bowl as she was absent so I reserved half of mine). But then I heard it.

It was inhuman. A cacophony of violence erupting from the bastion-like hills of the resort. Bloodcurdling screams from somewhere yonder. I pivoted to look for a source of the sound. Nothing. Who was screaming like that? Who could scream like that even? I was new at the resort and figured for a foolish split second that the sound was normal procedure here, but the other family seemed very concerned. I wished I could be watching the news to find out the sound's origins, but it only began seconds ago, not even the most dedicated news programs could report on it. We were in the goldilocks zone of danger. Besides, there was no TV here. News channels would do nothing but explain whatever it was after it happened.

I stopped thinking about that and snapped back to the issue at hand. I was alone at the bench. My family had dispersed and were hugging each other and crying under one of the pristine trees, tears carpeting the fallen leaves and disrupting their path as they flew through the wind. The screaming continued.

I got a visceral feeling they knew what was happening, but I was clueless. I again looked over the hedge for a source of the sound, was someone’s goat having a bad day? Please let it be that. It’s only logical. I went to go hug my family and to show them that their daughter was brave and there to comfort them, but a woman grabbed my arm and yanked me away. She gestured to follow her and began running. I followed suit. Through the sweat and motion blur from sprinting, I could see she was very pretty. How strange I was focusing on that, but it was true. Maybe we could be friends in some other scenario. No time for that, we climbed up onto the resort’s golden roof and it was a mad dash. We jumped roofs at a fuller sprint than anyone had run before, but in a weird way it was satisfying to bound over buildings that took decades to construct, centuries even. As if this was the reward for humanity’s ambition, to see it all at break-neck speeds. 

As we were running the woman was talking to me. She spoke calmly despite her lungs undoubtedly working overtime. I could barely focus on what she was saying on account of my aching legs, and wondering how long it would take to walk back to my family from how far we were. Miles by now. Part of me worried I’d never see my family again. Through the mysterious screams echoing off the hills I could make out only a few things the woman was saying to me.

She spoke in instruction:

“Don’t stop moving”

“We are above sea level, we have time”

“They have large heads. Don’t let the raise them”

“Doppelgangers”

“Homunculus”

I had not the faintest clue what that meant, but I knew she was knowledgeable somehow. I didn’t know what was happening, I just needed a breather to think this through, but the woman wouldn’t let me. She’d skirt back and pick me up if I slowed down to keep me moving. How kind of her, why was I so important? Why couldn’t mom and dad come with me?

The screaming that had been tearing my ears up suddenly stopped. We continued running, roofs thudding rhythmically and metallically beneath our feet. Then I saw something no one has ever seen before, and I doubt anyone was meant to. The luscious green grass had turned dark red and the sun flickered like a dying light bulb. I swung my head around to better take in what was happening. We were very high up, we could see for miles. It would have been beautiful if not for the countless large hands emerging from the earth, each about the size of a person, and began tearing everything apart. The skyline and ground were curling fingers ripping through the resort and the very earth. 

What was happening? I hope my family was okay, I hope they have someone like this woman.

Unrealistic, they were gone.

I waited for a steep jump so the woman would have no time to catch me, I trailed behind as she jumped to the next roof. Through the destruction I noticed a small square hole in the rubble as the hands brutalized paradise. I jumped into the pit and landed in a  shallow pool of water. It was a hot tub. I bet whoever lived here enjoyed it, but the place was empty. Almost empty.

Something emerged from the darkness, it looked human. Almost human. It had an elongated head and bulging eyes. We looked at each other. I was shaking, but seeing something human look relatively calm took the edge off a bit. The walls collapsed as I looked into it’s eyes. I broke eye contact and looked around, seeing billions of the long headed creatures staring at me. A galaxy of eyes all staring at me. I felt special. I looked at the first one, I noticed it’s grotesque body and limbs. 

I smiled.

It raised it’s head. The others followed it’s action. I bent down to get a better look at it’s body, I made out more details, but only for a moment.

I burst into chunks and the tub water turned bright red. I was dead.

If only I knew humanity was on a timer. I thought. 

If only I knew that timer was ending.

The end.