thetinylittlespider - Tumblr blog

thetinylittlespider · 21 days ago

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Shameless morning boost

The Playground of Gods. (Halloween Story!) It is finally here after a miss of 1 hour! I dont think I did as good as I could have, but Idk if the reception for this is good I might think of a sequel! Or else is the last time I try doing smn like this xhjasfdgasfdas Anyways! Enjoy your candies people! and this humble mess of a story!

CW: Death, dehumanization, cruelty, angst, post-apoliptic scenario, probably slight mention of v0r3.

5 years ago, with no time to answer, people from around the globe took a change that had no explanation even to this day. They grew to gigantic sizes, their eyes started glowing like the stars in the night sky, their skin turned gray and some factions of their bodies adopted scales similar to the snakes, their teeth became sharper and the worst part of it all, their minds were not the same.

In the first week, the people who grew...once friends, family, and even lovers, lost all sort of empathy towards the people below, and they were most likely killed among the countless victims that came soon when the giants started their rampage around the world.

Cities fell, civilizations vanished, governments lost meaning, and armies were just a pause for the civilians to get as far away as they could...

Nuclear weapons were tested in Europe as the last resort, to see if that could finally put an end to the giants, but after the sacrifice of one entire city to the blast, the giant that resided survived, wounded, but quickly healing and regenerating the damage, the burns.

The last thing everyone recalls hearing on the radio was the use of nuclear weapons to terminate all the 100 identified giants dispersed around the globe, risking that our planet's atmosphere became a living radioactive hell, with no chance for long-term survival.

It took a few months for the giants to finally manifest just the surface of their goals by causing so much pain.

"To create a perfect world, the last one must fall."

Those words were painful, a ringing bell next to my ear when I managed to evacuate my city, I was 17 back then. And the giant that took over our region, I'm glad I never saw that thing...Otherwise, my nightmares would been plenty.

Ever since the giants created small cities with a handful of humans who were called "cultists". People who had lost all hope for freedom, and who accepted the giants as the rightful owners of our planet, and species. Their minds were broken, willing to sacrifice their own to feed the giants, to track, expose, and eliminate any rebel group they could find. And taking every resource on the outside back to their fucking human farm...

As for now, I'm just a rebel.

1 year after every official military shelter fell, I managed to find a group of crazy bastards that have been my new family ever since. We stopped using our real names, and instead used code names to prevent the cultist from getting any information, just in case we are recognized.

As for our name, we recently chose to call ourselves "Jackpot" over the radio when we talked to other rebel groups. The reason for it...

ーIt's because we are so goddam LUCKY!ー Said Omega, a man who was around his early 30s, our leader. He was the oldest around and had far better ideas to survive, the only one who had at least some military relatives to show him how to manage in this type of situation.

ーDon't jinx it, last thing we want is to find useless crap in this place...ー Charlie, on the other hand, was quite the opposite of that, yet he was the youngest at just 19 years. Made sense he was usually so moody. He might've lost most of his life far younger than any of us.

ーWe could use some ammo, Alpha said that he almost ran out of it, we can't have one of us unarmed. ー Zulu, she was our scout. Older than me with 27 years on her. She had brought us to this city with remains of the old civilization, resources could be plenty, after all, most people didn't have time to even loot shops or take valuables when the giants started their killings. And as for now, rebel groups could be counted with a hand. Cultists were far in the regions in deep nature. We were supposed to be fine.

ーIt's not my fault, that bear back at the last resting point almost ripped my head off! It was my life or his!ー And me, the waste of resources that somehow managed to stay alive ever since the crisis started.

My parents had traveled on some vacations before the giants started murdering people like ants, it was a boat thing for rich people, of course, they didn't want me to come and ruin their fun, after all...I was meant to have a life already built...And now I couldn't stop thinking if they were somewhere in the world, maybe alive on a little island. But that was far too positive for me to imagine.

As for friends, I only had two of them in my hometown, Eric and Tania. They both were at a party the day this nightmare began, none of them answered their phones. And like my family, I had given up hope to ever find them, at least...alive.

Tania had plans for me to come live with her in an apartment, that was as good as life treated me. She didn't care I had trouble with keeping a job, or that I was useless to even cook my meals. She always had hope things could turn out good for me. Maybe those wishes kept me alive for this long. But some days I barely understood why I kept going when there was nothing of my life I could return to.

But these guys...they were a good reason to keep living on.

As we got inside the remains of the city, I released a small sigh. I usually got melancholic seeing the destroyed buildings, and recalling what they used to be, and how many people there were. And now, this place was our little sanctuary for the next 2 days before we had to move again. Our giant overlord is said to enjoy walks to hunt people or animals, and that was not a risk we were willing to make by standing in one place for too long.

ーOkay, I'll set down the camp, Alpha and Zulu, go get whatever you can from the remains, food, water, guns, new clothes, go wild. Just get back here with something useful, Charlie, you get a high spot and go on watch until I'm done, take your rifle, see any cultist, you shoot, rebels, you give me a signal, our giant "queen" makes any sign of getting close to the area, you get back to us and don't let yourself be seen. ー Quick as always, we never had to be asked twice whenever Omega designated our chores. And so, everyone got to it.

Charlie managed to find a building, originally, it probably had more than 20 floors. But the structure collapsed, destroyed, and he had to manage to take the 8th floor. It was as high as he could get now.

Zulu and I took a little tour around the streets, I just simply kept walking, looking at someplace that could resemble a shop, even a destroyed mall. Lifting a few boxes of ammo that the military left years ago was a very mechanical task. I did my best to ignore the dried blood of the citizen's remains, the colossal footprints that branded the ground, and the flattened vehicles that were now unrecognizable. But I didn't even realize I had company until Zulu got ahead of me a few steps. Without speaking a word, she quickly let me know her question by staring at me for minutes, trying to make eye contact.

ーYou are having one of those episodes, are you? ー She asked in a soft yet concerned tone.

ーWhat are you talking about? I'm just doing what I'm told. Is not that weird. ー I say in a useless attempt to avoid the subject.

ーBack in the cave you didn't shut up about how much you missed seeing a city again ever since we targeted this place. But right now I just see you like an old guy wondering where the great years went. How does an excited puppy turn into a silent robot all of a sudden? ー She said making a stop, and I did the same.

ーWell- Ugh. I don't even know how to tell you. But every time we go into these ruins...I just get hit with nostalgia, I start missing my school, college, my friends, and sometimes...Sometimes I see all of this and think of it as a museum, one that tells and shows us that none of it will ever come back. It's history. ー My tone was broken, to think about how far I had come to survive this whole apocalypse, I even wanted to be ignored by Mom and Dad instead of not knowing if they were dead or alive.

Zulu kept quiet and looked down at the ground, a tired smile drawing on her face as her eyes went back to me, filled with kindness and care.

ーHey, listen...I know this isn't the life you want. And is not the life any of us wants. Every day I try to sleep...I can't stop picturing that fucking bitch's face out of my mind. But you tell me you haven't seen her yet, right? Then why not keep the happy memories? Not like a burden that is going to be taken away from you. ー She was suggesting something I never quite put my mind to. I always feared that even if I had good things now, one day everything would be gone, and it tortured me to think about it, present or past, the future would crush it.

ーWe are the only ones that can carry on those memories, is a way to make the people we lost come back at us, a company to bring joy, to make us go forward. ー She finished, giving me a light pat on the shoulder, and I replied with a small nod and an awkward smile that tried to defeat my negative thoughts.

The afternoon came to an end, and the night was setting in. We were back at the provisional camp that Omega prepared. A fire, some cans of tomato soup from our reserves ready to go, and he had made a small tent from some nearby bags and damaged clothes he found around.

ーSo you two found anything good? Or is this place as empty as it looks? ー Said Omega before starting to eat, hitting the ground next to the fire for us to do the same.

We told him everything, of course. Ammunition was not a problem anymore, some cans of tuna survived the rampage of the giant here, and we had some sodas that were close to expiring. At least we had something different to drink today, and maybe the last artificial flavored drinks on the planet.

Charlie remained on his duty, I handed the boy a warm can of food and his drink before heading to sleep with the rest. Observation duty was awful, I've been there my fair share of times as well.

And as soon as I started to finally get some rest.

Boom

Boom...

I moved slightly, groaning, annoyed by the sound...

Boom

Boom...

I hear the tent opening, and a fast breathing trying to be under control.

ーGuys, wake up! Now! We gotta go! ー Charlie, out of his post...This wasn't good.

Everyone got up immediately, Charlie quickly started putting all the things we gathered today in our bags, desperately.

Boom

Boom...

The ground started to shake under us, this was more than bad news. And they got closer, and closer.

Before any of us could hope to get out of the tent, crashing like a meteor, a massive foot fell right beside the exit of the tent, making the entire team freeze.

"Hm. How dull."

The giantess above us spoke, and her thunderous voice made our bones tremble, it was the first time in 5 years I heard that voice. Her tone was deep, yet feminine, piercing but with echoes of every word she spoke. One of the things that changed about her when she turned into a giant.

As she started to walk into the streets, Omega opened the tent slowly to prevent any sound from escaping. He then saw the giant walking, knocking off the tallest buildings with her arm, and they fell as if made of sand...

ーI'm gonna make a run to the other side of the street, hopefully, I'll try to get further into the city and bring her attention. You go the other way, get out, back to the forest. ー Omega whispered, flaregun on hand, Charlie looking disturbed at the idea, after all, we never had this close of an encounter with the giantess. And it was for a good reason, there were no tales of people who survived being close to them, not rebels.

ーN-No, Omega...I-I didn't see her coming, I swear I don't know what happened Charlie got interrupted as Omega covered his mouth with a free hand.

ーIt doesn't matter, if we go together she has a higher chance of killing us on the spot, hiding isn't a good idea if she ends up destroying what is left of the city and us alongside it. She is looking for entertainment, so I will give it to her, and you all get the fuck out of here. Got it? ー Omega tried to give us a reassuring smile after we all agreed to follow the plan. As much as he promised to be okay, to try and hide. At least Zulu and I knew how things were ending, our duty was to follow the plan and keep Charlie safe.

The giant walked aimlessly towards an abandoned parking lot, she was giving us her back, and that moment was perfect for Omega to quickly move in between the streets, and soon, he was nowhere to be seen...

The rest of us moved as well, out of the tent towards the opposite direction the gigantic entity was moving, we tried to ignore the ground shaking beneath us as she just casually kicked one of the corners of the building she had in front of her. We kept Charlie in front of us, trying to be quick on our feet while also not making noises that the fine ear of the giantess could catch.

ーThis is all my fault, I don't know what happened...I could've sworn we were clear I-I...ー The young one kept blaming himself for the presence of the giant, but it was not in my position to judge or criticize how well he did. He was just a kid, after all. This was too much, even for me.

And curiosity be damned. I never saw our overlord, besides a hand in the distance, a voice changed to a so-called divinity tone. A part of me asked me to look at her, to give a figure to that one I had to hate, for everything we lost, for everyone we lost.

But instead of hate, I'm greeted with confusion, her figure, her hair, they resulted as something terrifying...

Something familiar.

My steps became slower, as this information made room in my mind. As things tried to make some sense. Zulu and Charlie both turned back to whisper at me.

ーHey! Let's go! There is no time to waste! ー

I shook my head as I noticed the giant woman picking a vehicle in between her fingers, she observed as if it was a toy of extreme details, and it seemed that it wasn't exactly of interest to the woman, as she just sighed and threw the car from the parking lot behind her, almost reaching us in the impact, but missing by a few meters.

I fell to my back, trying to get away from the now-destroyed object. The bored "divinity" started to shift her position once more, with one swift move of her arm, she made the entire building collapse, she was turning around. And we were in the middle of the street.

We all hid behind the collapsed car, and the absolute darkness of the night ceased for us as the light finally reached us, it was her eyes. During the day we wouldn't notice, but her eyes emanated a glow like a big flashlight, and she focused on her recent destruction. She wanted to get closer, probably to check what else she could find, her steps felt closer.

Zulu held Charlie and we all kept our mouths shut to prevent even a gasp from coming out. Before the light from her eyes could be above us, a distant sound of a small explosion was heard, the glowing eyes moved aggressively as she turned in the direction of a new source of light. A flare, bright red decorated the sky, and she took no hesitation to check what was it that shot it. Given her size, she didn't bother to go around the buildings, and instead, she went right against them, concrete got turned into dust as she came in contact with the structure, her hands pushing aside the closest constructions, and making a rain of debris fall upon us, who shielded with only our arms and bags.

Omega had made the distraction. And we had to take advantage now.

"Now what do we have here? What game are you playing?"

She was being coy, she knew what his fate was, and so did he. The gunshots came soon, and she only released an amused chuckle.

We had to keep going, trying to ignore the background noises that resonated in the empty and dead city, she kneeled, making our world tremble once again, like a cat, that sick monster played with her food, and eventually, after ceaselessly shooting, Omega ran out of bullets. We were just 3 streets close to the bridge we came in, the forest was near. We could still make it.

ーFuck, Fuck...She demolished the fucking bridge! ー Zulu said in anger, she started to get stressed, our options were getting limited by the second, our only way out was either get to the coast and hope to not be seen, or cross the gap between the city, the river with savage waters, and the forest...

ーWe have to get down, the coast is not safe we will be exposed and she will kill us all. ー I thought it would be better to take our chances crossing the river instead of going to the coast.

ーAlpha, the waters will destroy our resources, mess with our guns, and we will be injured if we take the wrong step, I'm not taking that chance! ー Replied Zulu, crossing her arms, thinking to herself some other possibilities.

Charlie, out of our sight. Gave a few steps back to watch the city, listening to what seemed to be screams of pain, and then, he saw a fist rising above the crumbling buildings, and then the falling of it.

A loud booming came to us, and a shockwave of air almost made us lose our balance.

That was the moment we knew Omega had died, his screams could reach us no longer. And the piercing feeling in our hearts only filled us with dread. Charlie was the first one to manifest his pain, crying out loud the name of the man who had taken care of him after losing everything, in a way, in this world of injustice, Omega was the closest thing he had to a father figure.

But both Zulu and I knew there was no time for grief. Quickly we both placed our hands on top of Charlie's mouth again, with his muffled screams barely coming through, and his tears falling on top of our palms. It hurt to do this, but noise was the last thing we wanted.

"And you had friends, of course."

Unfortunately, we were late...she heard. She knew. She stood there, a figure in the shadows of the night, eyes enlightened, looking, wandering.

The impact of familiarity struck me again, but this time, I made a horrible decision, my mind was playing tricks with me, and for some reason, I had the need to prove something to myself. And the fact that we were cornered like rats didn't help my thoughts.

We moved towards a building, hoping we could sneak in between the next one, but it was an abandoned mall, at least the structure resembled one. Footsteps that shook the earth soon followed, the crystal dome upon us let some moonlight in, as well as the silhouette of our predator. Her hands now trying to bring down the entrance from top to bottom.

Zulu and Charlie followed me, and just by a few steps we managed to get away from the collapsing structures, reaching a small stand that was barely holding on for safety. But the giant curious hands did not give time to rest.

She knew we were here. And it could've been far too easy to kill her fun by just collapsing the entire building over us. Instead, she treated the mall like a small box, and we became her toys, our lives were in the short term now.

Now, the wall of collapsed concrete that sealed the entry fell apart as a clawed hand made its way through, crashing to the floor and searching for us.

Her fingers, as long as our entire bodies searched with precision every object, every piece of concrete, and every single thing that could be her attempt at catching us started with a careful hold, even the plastic trash bins that lay there were picked with the greatest of care I could never imagine from this monster, but reality set itself back once she crushed whatever she had caught, as soon as the contact made clear she hadn't caught us yet.

Zulu couldn't handle staying in the same spot waiting for me to move, and Charlie still was too afraid to react on his own. So this time, she took it over herself to be the leader. She used a flashlight she kept on her waist to point a direction, a fire exit door, apparently the only way out of there, since the light also showed us rubble blocking every other visible path in the mall, it was our only chance. Maybe we could use it to reach the next building, while the giantess kept trying to fetch us blindly.

Zulu held Charlie by the arm, and I soon followed them, trying to look backward at the movements in the fading light consumed by darkness, the hand kept clashing with the environment, and the stand we used to hide, was reduced to nothing once it passed close to it.

Inside the fire exit, there was a corridor. Before another door, the last one we could cross. We would have to sneak a little bit in the streets before reaching the next place.

But then, dust fell over us as we heard a thunderous annoyed groan, the earth-shaking movements once again made us stop completely as the noise of broken concrete, glass, and metal increased around us before finally seemed to stop in a matter of seconds. Had she destroyed the rest of this building?

Was she gone?

The minutes passed, no more movement, no more chaos.

ーThis is my fault...Everything is my fault, I should've been more patient, I should have been more careful. ー Charlie kept lamenting, while I only could try to think what our next step would be.

ーWe have to go if she is truly gone...we can make it out of this damn city...ー Zulu was in a hurry to get us safe, the team was falling apart without someone capable of taking decisions, and for both me and Charlie it was the first time we found ourselves in such proximity to get caught by a giant.

ーWe can stay the night here...Even a few hours will do...ーI suggested, I saw nothing wrong in waiting a few hours more. Especially if we could bring Charlie to calm himself down

ーNo, if she just left, is probably going to send some cultists to search around the perimeter, and recover stuff. We would be found. It's better to go now. ー She replied before walking up towards the door, it seemed stuck at first. So she left Charlie in my care while she forced it.

I tried to give some comfort to Charlie by just giving him a small hug and some pats on his back to reassure him everything was going to be fine. That we would manage to get away, live to see another day.

After some tries, the door unlocked, Zulu released a small smile of accomplishment, and I for once felt everything had finally passed.

ーC'mon dorks, the river will be our only concern-...ー

Without warning

Without realizing

2 fingers plucked Zulu away from us to the exterior.

"Wow, I never imagined patience could work with your type..."

Her voice, booming, yet soft. Amused, and with a slight sense of cruelty. She was so close, she was right there waiting for us. She never needed to even cast a sound. How!? How something so big could be so silent!?

ーLet go! You fucking bitch! ー I could hear Zulu's screams, she was alive. For the moment. And only a chuckle escaped this self-claimed deity's mouth. She never addressed Zulu or her insults. Many, given the stories we had, would've died at that instant. But there was something weird about the situation

"I know you are in there, Aaron. Come on out now, I wish to have a word."

My face turned pale, confusion invaded Charlie's face, and Zulu's insults went to a stop.

Did she know my name?

ーAlpha...What is she talking about? ー Said Charlie, taking a few steps away from me. I stood frozen, not knowing what was happening. But I could see in the light reflecting on the ground, thanks to the gigantic eyes looming outside, he thought of betrayal, orchestrated by me.

"Come out now, or this woman dies right now."

I felt a knot in my throat, unable to speak, to answer the doubts from Charlie. Someone who I saw as part of my new family now kept staring at me as if I had planned this whole thing. As if I had sold them to the devil.

Like if I had planned for Omega to die.

I stepped out, crossing the door, greeted with those glowing white eyes, and a smile with teeth that could grind my bones into dust. She was on her knees, one hand holding Zulu in a tight fist. And her face...Now I could understand where the sense of familiarity came from.

The rain started to pour, and a lightning bolt nearby showed me, even if by a fraction of a second. The person who turned into this giant oppressor, into this monster whose tales are of death and suffering.

It was Tania, someone who I thought dead all this time, alive. One of the sparks of hope in my past life now was goddess, a merciless and terrifying one. How did she know I was there? How did she after 5 years recognize me? How could she kill Omega if she knew I was around them?

"You seem upset to see me, I thought my ascension and presence would bring you comfort."

ーYou knew her all this time!? You cultist piece of shi-Agh!ー The hand that was holding her tightened, and the smile from Tania's face vanished for a second just to look at Zulu.

"Quiet, bug...I have not permitted you to speak to him. Try that again, and your blood will be wasted in the ground."

ーDo not hurt her! Please! Tania! ー I begged, holding my gun out at her, ready to fire. But not sure if I wanted to cause anger. Charlie was peeking from the corner of the door. And my arms were trembling.

"Well, your little friends have been killing my subjects, running and taking things I never allowed you to. For how many years have you had the chance to join willingly to my new foundations?"

ーYou have killed people...Murdered in cold blood, you have a following of batshit insane idiots who worship you out of fear! I've heard more than enough to know you are far from a viable option! What about Eric? Is he one of your toys at the farm you built? ー

"Eric died a swift end when I was given this precious gift, a sacrifice for a better future I'm afraid. But so it is the life of your kind. The people from the capital city understand this. They are given everything, a perfect life, but I need their flesh and blood as well. An exchange."

ーLives...people's lives are not a thing. Eric was our friend and his death means nothing to you!? ー I was frustrated, confused, furious. To see the friend who I thought was a salvation at one point, now being the cause of my suffering, the suffering and demise of others. It was hard to believe. And even harder to accept.

"This conversation is pointless, I can see your thoughts. And you will never understand my duties or my nature. Your rebel group ends now, you are coming with me to the capital. And these pests are to never act in my lands again."

She was serious, but taking me to the capital? Why? She didn't have a reason. For all I care I could very well die like Eric and she would give zero fucks. Yet, she didn't seem reluctant to the idea of leaving me.

ーI'm not going anywhere, i-if you want me...You leave them alive, both her and the boy inside the mall. ー My voice was weak, and my grip tightened around my gun, in a futile attempt to feel safe.

"One rebel back to the capital means redemption of your ways, more than that creates a danger for the civilization I'm creating. I did promise you in past life to improve your life. This is what I'm doing now."

Zulu, as hurt as she was, remained confused about the apparent mercy Tania, the goddess who took our region, had over me. But she saw an opportunity, and her eyes as always, allowed me to get that.

ーThen let them go...They will go away, and hide, but don't harm them, a-and I will go. ー I replied. Finger on the trigger. She looked at me in disbelief, as if I was sinning by trying to negotiate. 2 things could come out of this. Either I die here along with Zulu and Charlie, or I manage to at least get Charlie out by distracting Tania long enough.

"Put down your weapon, AND THEN pick one to spare."

She said cold. Zulu already sweating, staring at me with tears in her eyes.

We both knew what our only option was. My only option. As Charlie awaited my answer. Zulu had already broken into tears but gave me a nod to go ahead with the same messed-up idea I had in mind.

Se both had to die, so he could survive.

In the end, they were like my family. Zulu and Charlie were my brothers for so many years now, and this time it was up to the oldest to make sure the young lived.

My throat hurt. My mouth was dry, tasting dust from all the rubble that almost crushed us before. And my legs felt weak.

ーYou let the boy on the building survive this...You don't kill him. You promise! ー I say with a shaky voice.

Tania's eyes sharpened towards me, she was not amused by my answer. As she expected something else. As if I had somehow disappointed her.

Her grip tightened around Zulu's body, enough to make her groan in pain, before getting lifted to an open mouth, greeted with sinister white teeth as big as a person. A pearly gate of a cave of doom.

I reassured Charlie everything was going to be fine, pushing him lightly inside the building again, repeating the same words as I hugged him, with a response born of desperation and despair. With his tears drenching my coat's shoulder. While in the background, I could hear Zulu's last words. Her body and cries fell into the jaws of the beast, and instantly his body crushing to nothing as Tania chewed her up...An echoing "gulp" being the last of our sister. I was next, needed to make sure Charlie knew what to do.

ーStay here, okay? It's going to be fine, find the camp radio, contact a group, a safe place...You will be fine. I promi-...ー My time was up.

Soon, I was plucked by 2 fingers pressing my body, quickly ending the farewell hug I had with my brother. Lifted into the skies, out of the dark.

I closed my eyes, but I was never greeted with a wave of warm humid air, nor the sight of a cavernous mouth awaiting me. Instead, I fall delicately into an open palm, eyes wide open in shock as Tania just held me there, staring at me. Thinking...

ーIf you are killing me...Don't dwell on it...Fucking do it! ー I yell, as her gaze turns to the building where Charlie hid.

She lifted her free arm. Aimed it to the top of the fire exit of the mall.

ーNo, Wait! No, NO, WAIT! ー I screamed in desperation.

I could only hear Charlie screaming before the entirety of that side of the building fell to the ground, now reduced to a pile of broken concrete and steel.

"Don't worry for him, he will survive that, after it...depends on him. And you, come with me."

I fell to my knees, as I released all the pain that I accumulated in my lungs. Silenced only by wrapping fingers, a fist that became my enclosure. No matter how much time I kicked, how much I struggled. Her skin, impenetrable, her strenght, unmeasureable.

Her steps were audible, she wanted me alive.

And I didn't know why.

I was being taken away to her capital.

Were my freedom would die.

Because my will had left me,

along with my second and last family.

#g/t #g/t horror #g/t whump #g/t angst

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