BOOM!!
A loud and thunderous explosion drowned out the soft susurration of the ocean waves. The briny tang of the crisp ocean breeze, mixed with the delicate smell of sun-baked sand, seeped into Luciel's nose, bringing with it an acrid metallic scent as a thick plume of smoke rose from where the capsule once stood.
Luciel, along with the other fortunate children who had gone out of the capsule, remained motionless, their eyes wide open as they took in the sight before them, the once-thick metallic structure of the capsule now reduced to small debris along with all the children who remained inside it.
Their small bodies trembled at the thought of how they could have been among those who died in the explosion. But before they could dive deeper into their imaginations-
"We need to get out of here.", The stern voice of the black-haired girl pulled them out of their heads, her eyes locked toward the water.
Luciel could sense it too; the rhythmic sound of water gently washing away the sand was being interrupted, the waves pushing further into the sand as they grew bigger.
'Something big is coming this way.', thought Luciel as he got up from the sand, small pieces of sand sticking to his black bodysuit.
"She is right." Luciel affirmed.
The other children hesitated, their eyes wide with uncertainty and fear because they knew any wrong choice would lead to their untimely demise. But they also knew that they would be dead by now had they not followed Luciel and the black-haired girl out of the capsule.
"We will go with you.", said the bright-haired girl, her eyes gleaming with unconditional trust as she gazed at Luciel's focused expression.
"Follow m-", said the black-haired girl before the roar of a massive monster shooting up from the waters interrupted her.
The very ground the children were standing on trembled as the monster's large webbed feet touched the sand. Streams of water falling from the sky, flowing down the monster's green, scaled back. The massive dorsal fin running along its spine twitched slightly from the feeling of the hot sunlight as it scanned its surroundings.
The children didn't move, didn't breathe.
Didn't dare blink.
But as the massive creature set its reptilian eyes on the children meters away from it, the children knew-
"Run!"
The six children, led by the black-haired girl, turned and ran towards the thick forest behind them.
ROAR!
The creature let out a roar, revealing its rows of razor-sharp teeth, as it dashed towards the running children, moving at a speed unimaginable for its size. But before the children could enter the thick forest-
SQUELCH
The sound of blood gushing out as bone and tissue were crushed by a devastating force could be heard behind Luciel as he ran towards the forest. The murmured-POP of a heart as the monster's teeth effortlessly went through it, seeping into his ears.
AARRGH!
And as Luciel turned to sense what was behind him, he could sense and hear the figure of a boy being crushed between the monster's long jaws. His heart pounded against his chest, his legs moving faster despite his previous fatigue.
'I'm about to make it!', thought Luciel as he got only meters away from the forest entrance. But despite all his efforts, the monster only drew closer and closer as the other four children entered the forest ahead of him.
And with only inches away from the forest, Luciel leaped into the air as the monster also lunged at him, turning its long jaw sideways as it revealed its deadly acidic teeth. The monster's turned jaw fitted around Luciel's frail frame as time seemingly slowed down, both he and the monster floating cinematically through the air.
'Just a little more!', Luciel desperately thought.
But it was too late. The monster's razor-sharp teeth were only inches away from fully encasing Luciel's body.
AARGH!
SQUELCH
The scream of a young boy reverberated through the air before his body flew into the jaws of the monster; his body crashed instantly.
'What just happened?', Luciel thought as he jumped in between the thick trunks of two orange trees, marking his entry into the forest.
But as he spread his ethyr around him, he could sense that one child who had entered the thick forest before him was missing, and that the scream was from him. Luciel was perplexed and yet relieved at the same time. He was glad he hadn't died, but he couldn't understand how the boy had suddenly appeared between the monster's jaws.
But now wasn't the time for thoughts. He had to continue running further from the monster.
THUD
A loud crash shook through the forest as the massive creature ran into the forest's large and thick tree trunks.
"This way!", The voice of the bright-haired girl called to Luciel, and in an instant he dashed towards her. His weakened body felt invigorated under the shade of the trees. But as he ran deeper into the forest, his surroundings turned into large, thick vegetation, with only a few bizarrely shaped trees within the radius of his ethyr.
Luciel pushed past the long and massive purple vegetation in his way as he made it to a wide clearing, the other three children waiting for him as they caught their breath.
"What do we do now?", asked one child between his constant panting, his brown eyes glancing at the black-haired girl.
"We need to go towards that cave.", answered the black-haired girl as she pointed to a wide opening in a hill not too far away from them.
Luciel and the other children quietly agreed with the girl's suggestion. And as they set off for the cave, Luciel noted his surroundings, starting with the large tree in the clearing they were in.
After a few minutes of careful running, the four children reached the mouth of the cave, their senses heightened as they gazed into the cave's dark and wide interior. In an instant, Luciel spread his ethyr forward, scanning the cave's suspicious interior.
"Nothing is inside.", said Luciel after not sensing anything inside the cave.
"Let's go inside.", said the bright-haired girl as the sun calmly set behind them.