The Third Convergence Day

Lagos

Lagos, Nigeria

December 31st, 2053

6:40 PM

The best part about Makoko are its sunsets. Amara could recall countless evenings where she and her brothers would climb to the top of their ramshackled home's tin roof to watch the sky come alive with brilliant colors as the sun began to dip beyond that distant horizon. In those moments, Amara could forget everything, forget about the rusty roof she rested upon, or the gnawing in her gut, or the sting on her cheek from her mother's swift hand, watching that distant ball of fire and gas sink so majestically into the sea was her way of getting away from it all, at least for a moment. She supposed that's why she was here now. When she heard the distant wailing of sirens, loud enough to be heard even over the hustle and bustle of the waterways and wooden walking paths, she knew they could only mean one thing. Ultra Fauna, they had returned, and at least one of them was on course to Lagos. Amara had panicked when she first heard the sirens, much like everyone else, but she hadn't joined her family in the mad dash towards land, in a desperate attempt to seek salvation in some bunker. There'd be no point, even at her young age, Amara knew that whatever bunkers were on shore weren't going to open up to the influx of outcasts from the Makoko, especially not to those of the outskirts of the floating slums, they'd be more than filled by the time they got there.

Besides, she doubted they would help much. She was too young to remember the previous events, but from what little she had learned through illustrations in her school's books, or what she overheard from chatter on the waterways, these things... The bunkers would not save anyone. There was no point in running, instead she might as well spend her last moment here.

Amara felt a tear run down her cheek as she hugged her knees close to her chest. It was quiet below her now, the outer reaches of the floating slums were empty now, with exception to a handful of unlucky dogs, who barked wildly into the dimming evening air. Amara sighed deeply, but never for a moment did she consider moving, she simply sat upon that rusty, beaten up roof, and watched as the orange sun dipped lower and lower. It was a beautiful sunset, with vibrant splashes of orange, deep purple, and eventually, a dark blue as that distant star finally fell below the waves. For a moment after the sun fell away, Amara felt a sense of calm she had never really experienced. She was alone, her only company being the rhythmic slap of waves against the stilts below, and her own deep breathes.

That's when she felt it. A tremor, soft, distant, but distinct amongst the stillness of night. It came again, the same low rumble, only stronger this time around. A rhythmic series of low booms shook the very earth beneath her, and Amara braced herself against the roof with her hands to keep herself from tumbling sideways and into the murky depths below. Her heart raced in her chest and her mind started to piece together what was happening, it was one of them, it was already here. Amara attempted to stand, but another tremor sent her falling backwards and onto her butt. She let out a pained grunt as her eyes fell upon the horizon that mere moments before she had been so mesmerized by, and what she saw sent a twang of fear through her body, freezing her in place. She saw, in the distance, just barely peeking up above the horizon, something white. Was it a wake? No. It was solid, like... bone? The object thrashed from side to side, sending white waves flying forward, as something below, something gargantuan, moved forward at an alarming rate. As it came closer, the white shape became more defined. It reached high into the air, like a tower of solid ivory, it was rounded at the top, and had odd holes covering its rough surface, it almost looked like-

The earth shook underneath Amara so violently that she was flung backwards and nearly off the roof. She let out a scream as she desperately lashed out to grab onto something. Her finger snagged on the edge of one of the roof's many metal panels, and she felt it dig into her skin. She cried in pain, but held on for her life. The world shook again as Amara managed to pull herself back onto the roof on her stomach. A new sound filled her ears and Amara turned to see a house across the waterway as it buckled and collapsed into itself. She desperately stood up and looked to the side of the roof, trying to find her way off, when her eyes fell upon the horizon once again, just in time to see something breaching the water's surface.

She watched wide eyed as a shape emerged from the depths, rounded and solid, like the exoskeleton of a massive insect or crustacean, and in the center of its mass, two large, glowing eyes, protruded upwards into the night air, like beckons in the dark. The creature's head lifted high, exposing powerful, interlocking mouthparts, rhythmically clacked and grinded against each other. Amara felt a wave of dread wash over her as she watched this abhorrent thing grow larger and larger, and felt the booms of its footfalls get louder and louder.

Amara shook herself out her dazed trance and rushed forward towards the edge of the roof, only to be knocked over by another gargantuan rumble. She fell forward onto her face and rolled onto her side from the force. She tried to regain her footing as her ears rang and as blood started to pour down her forehead. Tears started to well in her eyes as she tried to crawl forward, towards salvation.

Her attention was drawn back to the creature, however, when a new sound filled the night air. Amara's head snapped to the side to see the creature, now almost completely emerging from the depths, its large crab-like body towering so monstrously above the mainland bridge. She watched as the creature's mandibles spread apart, and a deep, guttural roar came from within the creature. The bellow shook the water below the beast, and caused Amara to have to reach up and cover her ears. She screamed in pain as she watched the Ultra Fauna's large, segmented arms, tipped with large bladed claws, rose high into the sky, before being forcefully brought down upon the miniscule bridge like the blades of a guillotine.

Snap.

Amara didn't hear the snap, not really, she felt it more than anything. She felt as the stilts holding up her home were broken like toothpicks from the shockwave. Amara knew what it meant, that soon she would be thrown from the roof and into the murky depths below, probably to drown, or perhaps be crushed by falling debris. She simply could not do anything about it. She watched wide eyed, blood smeared upon her swelling face, as her view of the titanic creature shifted to the side, and then fell out of view, as for a brief moment, she experienced weightlessness.

Until her back hit the surface of the water below, and the world turned black.