Simultaneously — 7:00 A.M.
"Alex, Alexa! Don't go too far," Dad said from the driver's seat.
"We're not going far," Alexa replied quickly. "We'll just play in the sand, close to the shore." She dropped herself onto the sand and laughed.
"Yeah! We want to build a sandcastle," Alex added, already pulling out the beach toys.
Cold wind from the sea brushed lightly against my face. Dad had decided to bring us to the beach this morning. We had skipped school for the first time in our lives.
He was still in the car, phone pressed to his ear, probably on one of his many business calls.
Alexa and Alex ran ahead, their laughter echoing across the empty shore. The beach was strangely quiet today. No people. No voices. Just the waves and the wind.
Alexa was older than Alex by a few minutes, and she never let him forget it. Watching them made me wish I could go back to being five. At fifteen, I had to be "mature." Dad said it all the time.
I was the oldest. The first son. The one who would inherit everything.
"I'm coming to join you guys," I said, kicking off my shoes.
They were already laying the foundation of their sandcastle. I walked past them and stepped closer to the water. The cold sea washed over my feet. It felt good. Calm.
I closed my eyes and inhaled the sea breeze.
Then I thought of her.
The girl from class. The one whose hair was always tied in a ponytail. Her smile. That smile. And her blue eyes. Every time I saw her, I got lost in them. I'd never had the courage to talk to her.
Maybe one day I would. But for now, I'd just keep thinking of her.
"Ethan! Ethan!" Alex tugged at my shorts. "Look at our castle!"
I smiled and walked back to them.
Dad finally stepped out of the car and approached us, phone still in his hand.
"Dad," I said. "Why did Mom have to leave so early?"
He stopped walking.
"She had work," he replied after a moment. His voice was calm, but he didn't look at me.
"She didn't even say goodbye."
Dad opened his mouth to speak, but his phone rang again.
"I'll be right back," he said, already turning away. "Stay close to your brother."
He walked a few steps away, talking into the phone.
That's when I noticed the sky. It wasn't right. The morning sun should have been bright, but a strange, unnatural darkness spread across the horizon. Shadows seemed heavier, the air colder. The waves no longer sparkled. They churned with an odd, oppressive energy. Something was coming.
Then the ground shook.
At first, I thought it was my imagination. Then the vibration grew stronger. The sand beneath our feet trembled.
"Dad?" Alexa whispered.
The ground began to split.
Sand burst upward as something massive pushed its way out from below. The earth roared. The air shook.
A huge creature rose from the sand.
It stood on two long, spider-like legs. Two enormous crab-like claws snapped in the air. Its head was massive, almost too large for its body, and its translucent teeth glistened in the sunlight. Sand poured off it as it moved.
It was tall enough to cover a two-storey building.
We clung to each other, frozen.
The creature let out a sound that didn't belong to this world.
Before I could scream, it lunged.
The talons raked deep into my dad's flanks, and the jaws tore into him.
The sound stole my breath.
I couldn't move. I couldn't scream.
The monster lifted his body like it weighed nothing. Blood soaked into the sand beneath it.
Alexa was crying. Alex was shaking. I held them both, afraid that if I let go, they would disappear too.
The creature stood there, looming over what was left of my father.
Then the ground began to tremble again. Sand shifted beneath its legs. Its claws dug into the earth as its body slowly sank. Within seconds, it was gone.
The beach was silent.
Only the waves remained.
We stayed huddled together, shivering, staring at the spot where it had disappeared. The cold sea wind carried no answers, only the echo of what had happened.
I looked down at Alex and Alexa. They were pale and quiet, still clutching each other. I swallowed hard. Everything had changed in a moment. Nothing would ever be the same.
I didn't know what to do next. I didn't know if we were even safe. But we were alive. For now, that was all that mattered.
The sky remained a heavy, unnatural gray, as if the world itself was holding its breath.