Gfantis vs the Guest Monsters

by Matthew Dennion

  3

  After a short drive through some man made trails cut into the island’s forest via Land Rovers, they arrived on the east side of the island, a sandy beach stretching out before them. If it weren’t for the fact that they were dressed for war and were looking for a giant monster in the ocean, today would have made a perfect day to spend on the beach. The sun was high in the sky, heating up the beach and the water looked refreshing.

  But they had other things they needed to attend to.

  Will stepped out of the Land Rover, his boots sinking into the sand.

  Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a swim, he thought, wiping sweat from his forehead.

  They made their way across the beach, toward the water where three zodiac motor boats, like the kind the Navy SEALS used, awaited them. Local soldiers, armed with heavy artillery weapons, would occupy one, them being a safety precaution if the creature got aggressive.

  The Apaches are here for that, too.

  Another zodiac would be occupied by scientists with monitoring equipment. They’ll try to track down the kaiju and get readings from it. Will knew they’d also try to get samples from it if the chance arose.

  I wouldn’t advise that, though.

  The third zodiac would house Will, Ashley, Angel, and Dennion, whom are also armed with semi-heavy artillery, minus Dennion. They carried M32 rotary grenade launchers. The launchers fired 40mm rounds from a spring-driven revolver-style magazine that holds six rounds. It’s not as strong as what the soldiers on zodiac one carry, but it would surely get the kaiju’s attention if it goes after the scientists on zodiac two.

  They jumped in their respective boats and started the motors, heading out to sea to search for the monster. The sound of whipping winds and churning ocean filled Will’s ears. He scanned the waves, looking for any sign of the kaiju. Seeing none, he turned to Dennion.

  “How far out was it spotted?” Will asked, shouting to be heard over the whipping winds.

  “Just a little further, Mr. Carver. There is no guarantee that it will even still be there. It was spotted here yesterday. It could be gone by now,” Dennion said.

  “Why is it even here? What do you do here?”

  Dennion’s eyes darted back and forth, but says nothing.

  He either can’t tell me or what they are doing here isn’t what’s considered good… Or both.

  The boats slowed, coming to a stop a mile from the beach they departed from. Will watched three of the scientists in zodiac two power up the hand held tracking devices they brought with them. They raised them in the air like someone trying to get a signal on their cell phone while another dropped a sonar microphone into the water, lowering it deeper by the cord it’s attached to, listening to whatever it was picking up through the headphones covering his ears.

  Will waited, hoping they’d say they found the kaiju, but instead they looked over to him and the others in his boat with frowns and shake their heads.

  Dang it.

  The scientist with the headphones on eyes widen. He presses his hands against the headphones, making sure he was hearing what he thought he was hearing. The scientists with the tracking devices turned their attention to the beeping devices.

  “What is it?” Dennion shouted.

  They didn’t get to reply.

  The ocean bubbled and rose up, stumbling Will and everyone in the boats as they were pushed away from the rising dome of water. The dome of water split, raining down on the boats. Will looked up at the creature that just rose from the depths.

  Oh man…

  The kaiju looked down at them with sinister eyes. It opened its massive, sharp toothed maw and let out a devastating roar. Will shouldered his grenade launcher, but kept it pointed low and nonthreatening. He didn’t want to anger the monster.

  “Incredible,” he heard Dennion say.

  “You know what that thing is?” Will asked the man.

  “I’ve heard stories about a sea monster that has been spotted near the island chain the island our facility is on is a part of. They called the sea monster…Gfantis.”

  Will looked up at the monster, taking in its massive form and gasped. He recognized the creature that is known as Gfantis.

  It’s the monster from my dream!

  Gfantis leaned forward with his massive saurian head, getting a better look at the three boats floating in front of him and the humans occupying them. He eyed the first boat, full of soldiers armed with rocket launchers, but turned away, as if the weapons didn’t threaten him. He scanned the second boat, full of terrified scientists and their weird gadgets. He turned away from them, too, showing no interest in them. Gfantis’s eyes shifted toward Will’s boat, his eyes narrowing. Will could see the anger in the kaiju’s massive pupils.

  But why? We’ve not done anything to it!

  Will glanced over at Dennion, seeing the man looking nervous and sweating.

  Of course…

  Gfantis backed up with a roar, bringing one of his massive arms up. The Apaches took it as a sign of aggression, which Will agreed with as the kaiju was clearly about to bring the limb down on the boat. The Apaches opened up on the monster with their M230 chain guns. It stopped Gfantis from crushing Will and everyone in his boat to death, luckily.

  “Get us out of here!” Will shouted, turning toward Angel who sat by the motor, seeing a chance to escape.

  She started the zodiac’s motor and steered them back toward the beach they departed from. The two other boats followed their lead, speeding away from the battle between man and monster. As they sped away from Gfantis and the Apaches, he watched their fight.

  The three Apaches circled Gfantis, firing their chain guns. Seeing that wasn’t doing any good, they switched to their missiles. Hydra 70 mm rockets and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles erupt from hard points located on the chopper’s stub wings. Gfantis’s brows furrowed, the kaiju letting out a roar of anger. He brought his clawed hand up, swatting an Apache out of the sky, taking off the craft’s tail and sending it spiraling into the ocean.

  The two remaining Apaches, seeing how easily their comrade was swatted out of the sky, moved out of reach of the kaiju, raining missiles and rockets upon the beast. Gfantis became enraged, clenching his clawed hands into fists as his body shook with barely contained anger. The crescent horn on the top of the monster’s head began to glow. Will gasped as a searing beam of white light shot from the horn, striking one of the two remaining Apaches, which erupted in a ball of fire. Gfantis then turned the white beam on the last remaining Apache, with the same result. Gfantis threw his head back and roared his victory to the sky above.

  Then he locked back onto the boats.

  Crap! He still wants Dennion…but why?

  Will looked back toward the island, seeing the beach ahead another half a mile maybe.

  That’s too far, Will thought, looking back toward Gfantis who was wading through the ocean toward them.

  “Maybe we should just give it back the youn-” one of the scientists in the boat behind Will started, yelling over the wind.

  “Quiet, you fool!” Dennion screeched, silencing the man that was speaking.

  “What are you hiding, Dennion?” Will demanded.

  Dennion looked unsure, but opened his mouth to speak.

  He didn’t get a chance.

  A wave slammed into the boat, sending Will, Ashley, and Dennion to the floor of the zodiac. He helped Ashley back to her feet and turned back toward the monster nearly upon them. He shouldered his M32 and pulled the trigger, a 70mm grenade arcing through the air and detonating on Gfantis’s scaly torso. Instead of injuring the beast, however, it only angers it. The soldiers redirect Gfantis’s anger, however, as they open fire with their stronger fire power. Rockets erupt from their launchers, detonating on the kaiju’s chest. Gfantis strikes out a clawed limb, crushing zodiac one, and the soldiers on it,
beneath the waves…creating a wave itself.

  The wave crashed into zodiac two, throwing the scientists overboard into the ocean. The wave reached zodiac three next, throwing Will, Ashley, Dennion, and Angel overboard. Something solid collided with Will’s head, sending him into unconsciousness.