Gfantis vs the Guest Monsters

by Matthew Dennion

  4

  Will coughed, removing the water from his lungs. He felt dry land beneath him. He opened his eyes, finding himself on the beach.

  But how? We fell into the ocean.

  A tugging on his arm pulled his attention elsewhere. He turned his head toward the tugging to find Ashley trying to pull him up. He shook out of his stupor and, with his girlfriend’s help, got to his booted feet.

  The ground shook.

  Will craned his head up, taking in the massive form of Gfantis, the monster just steps away from crushing them.

  And running won’t change that. It’d only prolong the inevitable.

  Will stood his ground, accepting his fate.

  “Will! What are you doing?! Come on!” Ashley pleaded, pulling on his arm.

  But it was too late.

  Gfantis lifted his mighty foot and began to bring it back down. Will closed his eyes, waiting for the crushing embrace of death.

  But it never came.

  Will slowly opened his eyes, seeing Gfantis toppling backward into the ocean with a splash, revealing another massive behemoth.

  Marugrah!

  The maroon saurian kaiju looks down to the fallen Gfantis with a snarl. Marugrah doesn’t appreciate the creature attempting to step on his best friend. Marugrah reached down, grabbing Gfantis by his scaly throat. The sea dragon is lifted into the air, confused at what had transpired the last few moments. But as Marugrah brings Gfantis to his face, the sea dragon’s brows furrow and he retaliates, plunging his claws into the side of Marugrah’s neck.

  Tugging on his arm turns his attention away from the commencing battle.

  “Will! We gotta go!” Ashley urged.

  Will complied, following her across the beach and back to the Land Rovers. Ashley hopped in first, with Will following her. With them in, the Land Rovers sped off through the jungle, back toward the facility.

  Marugrah roared as pain radiated from his neck where the new kaiju had dug its claws into him. He pushed the monster, which he heard Will call Gfantis, away from him, delivering a kick to the monster’s gut. Gfantis pitched forward, clutching his stomach in pain. Marugrah turned, bringing his club tipped tail around. The club connects with Gfantis’s head, sending the sea dragon sprawling to the shallows of the ocean below with a splash.

  Gfantis grew infuriated, launching up from the ocean and biting down on Marugrah’s armored arm. Marugrah roared in pain, pounding on the sea dragon’s head, but he doesn’t release his grasp. Marugrah raises his arm, lifting Gfantis off of his feet, the sea dragon being 100 feet shorter making it an easy task. Marugrah leaned forward, thrusting his arm, and the monster that clung to it, toward the ground, slamming the sea dragon to the earth.

  The jarring impact with the wet ground made Gfantis release his grip. His teeth slurp from Marugrah’s armored flesh. Marugrah stood up to his full 400-foot height and raised his foot, slamming it down on the sea dragon’s head…repeatedly.

  Marugrah was in full on rage mode.

  The creature in front of him had made a fatal mistake trying to step on his… What do I consider him? Marugrah thought. My friend? My best friend?

  While Marugrah was a kaiju now, he wasn’t always one. The kaiju from two months ago were the same case. They were once beings that lived peacefully on their own planets…until the Plagueonians, a race of war mongering monsters, arrived, turning them into science experiments… creatures they called Vexnoxtuque. Marugrah, however, willingly turned himself into a Vexnoxtuque in order to save New York City from an attacking kaiju… and later the world. He still thought like the being he was before he was turned, but he fought like a monster. And the serum that allowed him to gain the power to save Earth came with a cost. Madness threatened to take over his mind, turning him against the people he was trying to protect. He fought the encroaching madness, but if it won…the Earth would burn.

  He batted away his fury, thinking strategically. The monster before him was equally as smart as him, he could sense it, but something was sending it into a frenzy… something deeper in the island.

  Maru! Will’s voice came in his head. Keep Gfantis busy! I know what it wants. We just need time to give it back.

  Marugrah looked down at the recovering Gfantis, getting back to his feet.

  Roger that, Marugrah replied, and pounced on his enemy.

  The Land Rovers skidded to a halt in front of the facility. Will leapt out, whirling on Dennion.

  “Care to tell me what the hell you have that Gfantis wants back?” Will growled.

  The scientists from zodiac two, though soaked, survived being thrown overboard, hurried into the facility. Two soldiers from zodiac one, survived and followed the scientists.

  Dennion twitched nervously and said, “W-we have an egg. W-we found it washed up on the beach! We didn’t know it was his…hers? I’m not even sure it has a gender. But that may be why Gfantis is here. He wants his egg back.”

  “We’re going to give it back then,” Angel said, walking up beside Will, her M32 replaced by a M-16 assault rifle.

  “B-but-”

  “No buts!” Angel pointed her rifle at Dennion. “We are in charge here, not you. Director Cole said so. So you do what we say or you’ll be out of a job.”

  Dennion’s face twitched, but he nodded, valuing his job.

  “Alright, then. Lead us to the egg.” Angel motioned toward the facility with the barrel of her rifle.

  Dennion swallowed nervously and lead the way. On the way through the winding hallways of the facility, Will contacted Marugrah through their mental link.

  Maru! Will said. Keep Gfantis busy! I know what it wants. We just need time to give it back.

  Roger that, Marugrah replied.

  And with that, the link was disconnected.

  “It’s in here,” Dennion said solemnly. He stood in front of a door in a white hallway. None of it looks different from the last hallway Will was in before they left the facility and almost died. But, he knew they were deeper in the facility this time.

  How does anyone know where they are going in this place? he thought.

  Will glanced over at Ashley, making sure she was okay. She saw him looking and gave him a smile.

  Yeah, she’s fine.

  “Open it,” Angel ordered.

  Dennion sighed, but complied, swiping his card over the card reader. It clicked and Dennion pulled it open. They piled in the room…

  Looks more like a hanger, actually.

  A plain, wide open space stretched out before them, a giant cage located in the middle. Well, it wasn’t giant, but it was well sized. Maybe 50 feet long by 40 feet high. An ovular object sat inside. Its surface was lumpy and yellow in color, with black spots dotting it. Computers sat around it on folding tables. Wires were attached to the egg, monitoring the creature inside.

  The baby Gfantis inside…

  “How the balls are we going to get that out of here?” Will asked.

  “The roof opens up,” Angel observed, looking up at the domed ceiling. “That’s how they got it in here in the first place. We can use the Blackhawk to carry it out of here.”

  “Is there really no talking you out of this?” Dennion asked.

  “It’s the only way we can get rid of Gfantis. There is no other choice. Plus, it’s not wise to keep a parent away from their kid…” Angel gave Dennion a disapproving glare. She obviously didn’t like that Dennion took the egg in the first place. Her morality found it wrong. “We’re giving the egg back.