The Third Convergence Day

Rome

Rome, Italy

January 1st, 2024

6:40 PM

Giovanni was panicking.

He sprinted back and forth through the museum's long halls, in his arms he carried any artifact as he could lift. From medieval polearms, to ancient marble busts, to renaissance era paintings. In the distance he could hear the rumblings, the thunderous booms of artillery and the low, powerful grumbling of whatever ungodly monstrosity was making its way through the city's defenses. He breathed heavily as he reached the halfway point of the hallway, his hands falling onto his knees as he took a moment to catch his breath. He was jolted back into activity as a rather loud grumble shook the museum, a frightened squeal escaping his lips as his overweight figure made his twentieth trip into the gallery.

His eyes darted around the room, as he mumbled incoherently to himself. What was worth saving here? Surely this building wouldn't survive whatever cataclysmic conflict was on its way, and there was not a chance in hell Giovanni was going to allow Rome, the center of Western culture, perhaps the most important city in human history, to be wiped off the map without saving a handful of relics. He grabbed a painting, a Labruzzi original, in one hand, and a surviving Galae, a bit rushed, but he couldn't just let it get crushed under some big starfish.

He took off out of the room, his heaving breaths echoing nearly louder than his footfalls, it took him a minute to get out the front door and to the truck he had parked out front. Hurriedly, he tossed the helmet into the truck bed, followed by the painting. He grimaced as he heard the painting's wooden frame crack as it collided with the bust of Trajan. He cursed the emperor's name, but had no time left to investigate the extent of the damage, he had to move. Turning on his heels, he pushed himself forward. He tasted iron, his knees and ankles burned, and he figured he'd swallow his own tongue if he breathed any harder, but he had to move, no one else had made any efforts to preserve these pieces of culture and history, so it was up to him. Images of Pompeii and Carthage, of Troy and Antioch flashed in his mind, so much history lost, he couldn't let that happen to Rome, anywhere else be a tragedy, but losing all the history in Rome would be indescribable. So he pushed on, bursting through the doors and into the gallery. His head whipped from side to side, and fell upon two fairly sizable busts, one of Nero and one of Caligula. He let out an exasperated breath as his eyes jumped between the two, his brain arguing with itself over which one was the least bad.

The earth rumbled below his feet as a series of artillery shells collided with something in the not so distant distance, and he watched as the Nero bust fell forward, shattering spectacularly on the floor. He looked at it for a moment, before looking skyward, thanking God for making his choice a bit easier.

He rushed through the hall, his eyes darting to the statues that were displayed on either side of the hallway, and he prayed that these ultra-fauna decided to take their duel to the death somewhere else, preferably somewhere not on the peninsula. He waddled his way down the stairs of the museum and opened the passenger side door and gently placed Caligula's head inside. He turned to head back in, before turning back and wrapping the seatbelt across the bust's face. He looked at his precaution, and let out a content sigh, he was nearly done. He slammed the door shut and turned, he only had a few more runs to make, grab a few more paintings and weapons before he-

Down the road, some 400 meters away, was a massive organic shape. Giovanni froze in place, staring at the grayish flesh, his gaze slowly moving upwards. His shallow breath caught in his throat as he saw a circular mouth, rimmed with massive triangular teeth, each the size of yacht, staring back at him. He watched as the creature remained motionless, its jaw occasionally twitching, as he slowly began to make his way around the back of the truck bed. His hand fumbled in his pocket, trying to fish out his keys as the creature continued to stare, stare? He wasn't sure if it could stare now that he looked at it, it didn't appear to have eyes, or ears, or a nose, just that massive, pit-like maw. Images of Tartarus filled Giovanni's mind and he pulled his keys out, and gingerly reached for the car door. Maybe this was the pits the Greeks had spoken about, the toothy maw fit the general description. He cautiously opened the door, felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he turned around, putting his back to the monstrosity. He sat down in the diver's seats, the cushions sagging in a familiar way, as his eyes darted to the rear view mirror. The creature remained stationary, drool dripped from its open maw and pooled on the cobblestone road below. Giovanni's eyes didn't move from the creature as he blindly tried to jab his key into the keyhole. After a few seconds that felt like eons, his aim was true, and he let out a sigh of relief as he twisted the key, starting the ignition.

The creature grumbled behind him, and Giovanni swore his heart sank below his stomach as he watched the creature's mass shift, its maw shifting till it was facing him.

Giovanni's foot fell on the gas like a meteorite as the truck lurched forward. Giovanni, eyes still set on the rear view mirror, watched disheartedly as the Labruzzi painting flew backward and out of the truck bed, but his disappointment was swiftly replaced by unmistakable dread as he watched the beast's mass move forward in almost a rolling motion. Massive tentacles, lined with pool sized suction cups, armed with hooked barbs shot forward, crushing the museum and all its contents in a single motion. Giovanni screamed as he drove, dodging barricades and abandoned cars as the massive invertebrate chased after, its massive tentacles stretching out, falling mere meters short of the truck's bumper.

He turned around a bend and sped forward, pushing the truck as fast as it would go as he neared the Ponte Sant Angelo. The beast grew closer and closer, until it suddenly changed course. Its massive form turned on a dime, as it started to make its way towards the Colosseum. The truck slowed to a stop on the opposite end of the bridge. He watched as the creature's boneless form sloshed across the landscape and out of sight. He only noticed how heavy he was breathing once it was out of sight.

Was he alive? He was, god almighty, he was alive. He looked over his shoulder and let out a victorious shout as he saw that most of the artifacts were still cramped into the bed of the truck. He laughed out loud, raising his hands into the air, praising God that he had made it, Rome, at least a part of it, would survive this catastrophe. He let his head fall forward, and chuckle, before he looked out his driver's side window. Just in time to see another massive, tentacled monstrosity rolled towards him. He didn't even have time to scream as its mass rolled over the truck and the bridge, crushing both in one action, before continuing along its way.