Chương 5: Twilight
Standing still in anticipation, the two youths' shoes began to sink in the sand.
"What's happening?" Emma shouted.
But instead of responding, Emile waited and continued observing all around them. Far out in the distance, where the sandy hills were shifting, the ground erupted. The white sand exploded up into the sky and a massive cloud of dust filled the atmosphere.
As the dust began to settle, Emile witnessed a colossal ivory tower ascend towards the bleak sky. Only once the tower's peak pierced the heavens did it stop its ascent. Moments later, the tip of the spire began to radiate ghastly white light. Over the course of a few minutes, the light grew larger and brighter while Emile's surroundings descended into darkness.
The rumbling of the ground ceased and the light atop the spire ended its expansion. Emile and Emma now found themselves under a black sky. The artificial light from the tower acted like a moon in the night so the two could still see around them, that was until the ocean permeated the sands with a thick and heavy fog.
As the world was molded from day to night, the temperature rapidly plummeted and the fog from the sea made the atmosphere viscous with moisture. Emile could barely see 20 feet around him. All he could see through the fog was the light from the ivory tower, as if its purpose was to act as a lighthouse for the environment that the tower itself created.
Water droplets began to condense on Emile's skin as he moved closer to Emma. The two both grew uneasy at their scenery's rapid transformation.
Emma asked what they should do, but Emile didn't have an answer. They once again found themselves in a situation where they couldn't see and had no idea what direction to go. Emile considered walking deeper into the desert towards the tower, but the pulsating light gave him a severe sense of unrest. At the same time, he didn't want to return to the ocean.
After some contemplation, Emile decided to wait. Since their hunger vanished, the need for food no longer controlled their actions. They could stay put and wait out the night, assuming the day night cycle was similar to Earth's, or at least not an eternity.
But after waiting for about an hour, a scratchy rustling sound permeated the fog around them. Emile and Emma stood up and readied themselves for whatever may be coming. Emile gripped his decrepit branch and watched for any movement that might enter their 20 foot vicinity.
Just as he prepared himself, Emile saw the first silhouette moving through the fog. Then another, until dark shadows passed all around them. One of the dark silhouettes was walking towards the pair, its outline becoming crisper.
The unknown entity stood eye to eye with Emile. It walked in tandem with six, long stretched out limbs. The shape of the creature struck a particular sense of fear into Emile and Emma.
One of its long appendages stepped into Emile's range of sight. The thin leg was as dark as the sky and covered in long, straight hairs. After another step, the entirety of the hideous creature could be seen.
At first glance it looked like an extremely overgrown tarantula, but instead of its torso being flat, this creature's torso curved upwards where its oval shaped head lay. The arachnid had eight, large eyes and two, huge fangs protruded beneath them. Only six of its appendages were used for walking as the other two acted as its arms. And rather than coming to a point like its legs, the creature's arms ended with a three-prong claw.
Even though the tarantula centaur was now visible, it continued at the same pace towards the pair. Emma was frozen with fear. Emile stared at the arachnid, waiting for it to charge or recognize them in any way. But the arachnid never did. It continued walking straight towards them until finally Emile ran towards it with his branch spear aimed right at its chest.
The wooden stake plunged deeply into the arachnid's body, a thick, green substance burst from its wound. Even still, it continued walking forward, pushing Emile to the side. The branch still impaled in its chest, the arachnid finally slowed down then came to an abrupt stop as it toppled over and smashed into the sand.
"Is it dead?" Emma asked.
"I–I think so," Emile responded.
Emile told Emma to keep an eye on the other creatures in the fog while Emile went to check on the slain monster. It was holding its head up and its two arms were desperately plowing through the sand. Emile stepped by its line of sight and the creature persisted to ignore his presence. All the while, more and more green goop slopped onto the sand.
After a few short moments, the arachnid's arms stopped and its head began to drop. But before the monster's head hit the ground, its body produced a soft white glow until the entirety of the arachnid burned white and evaporated into thousands of particles that flew towards Emile. Shocked at the disintegration of the arachnid, Emile didn't react to the spores that flew towards him.
The softly lit particles flew into Emile's body, passing through his clothes and skin. Emile felt a strange heat rising near his heart as his vision began to blur. Emile tried to steady himself, but he lost control of his limbs and he crashed to the floor.
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