The faint moonlight filtered through the shattered glass skylights above, casting sharp, fractured beams across the crumbling balcony where Lex and her team crouched. The colossal Titan below them let out a guttural growl, its massive head swiveling slowly as its molten eyes scanned the shadows. Each breath it took was accompanied by the sickening wheeze of decayed lungs struggling against their own bulk.
The group huddled together behind the remnants of a broken railing, their faces streaked with sweat, soot, and exhaustion. Lex crouched at the front, her crossbow steady in her hands as her sharp eyes tracked the Titan’s movements. Behind her, Damien leaned against a cracked pillar, gripping his machete tightly. Maya held Elliot close, the boy trembling against her side as he clutched his father’s pocketknife. Brandon checked his rifle, his knuckles white from how tightly he gripped it. Sophie’s tablet flickered faintly in the dim light as her fingers skimmed across the cracked screen.
Every movement, every sound, felt deafening in the silence that followed the Titan’s roar.
“It’s searching for us,” Sophie said softly, her voice trembling. “It doesn’t see well, but it can hear, and it can feel vibrations.”
Lex’s brow furrowed as she glanced down at the hulking creature below. “We can’t stay up here forever. This balcony won’t hold if it decides to swing one of those arms our way.”
“What’s the plan, Lex?” Damien asked, his voice low but firm.
Lex turned to Sophie. “Remind me—what are its weak points again?”
Sophie brought up the Titan’s schematics on her screen, the faint glow reflecting off her wide eyes. “The knees and elbows are vulnerable. Its chest cavity is the most exposed, but it’s heavily armored. If we can damage its legs and slow it down, we might have a shot at hitting its chest.”
Damien let out a sharp breath. “That’s a lot of ‘ifs.’”
“It’s all we’ve got,” Lex said firmly.
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Lex scanned the ruined atrium below, her mind racing. “Okay. Damien, Maya, you two are our distraction team. You’ll lure it toward the support columns and aim for its legs. Sophie, Brandon—you’re on long-range support. Find any elevated position you can, and focus fire on its chest when we get an opening.”
“What about you?” Maya asked.
Lex’s jaw tightened. “I’m getting close. If we can bring it down to one knee, I’ll get a shot at planting an explosive in its chest cavity.”
“Lex, that’s suicide!” Brandon said sharply.
“Do you have a better idea?” Lex snapped back.
The silence that followed was deafening.
“No one else dies today,” Lex said softly, her voice trembling just slightly. “We owe Elliot, Margaret, and Anthony that much.”
The group nodded, their fear tempered by grim determination.
“Let’s move.”
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The group split up. Damien and Maya descended a collapsed staircase on the left side of the balcony, moving carefully to avoid dislodging debris. Sophie and Brandon slipped into a shattered storefront, finding vantage points behind the remains of glass counters. Lex stayed back for a moment, watching the Titan from above.
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Its head swiveled slightly, its molten eyes scanning the space. Its massive chest heaved with each heavy breath. The faint thud… thud… thud of its slow, deliberate steps reverberated through the marble floor.
Lex’s stomach twisted as she watched it move. It was more than just a monster—it was a force of nature, an unstoppable juggernaut born from humanity’s worst mistakes.
“Alright,” Damien’s voice crackled through Lex’s radio. “We’re in position. Ready when you are.”
Lex raised her crossbow and took aim. “Go.”
Damien stepped out from behind a pillar, raising his machete high above his head. “Hey, ugly! Over here!”
The Titan’s massive head snapped toward him, its hollow eyes glowing brighter as it let out a low, guttural growl.
Maya followed Damien’s lead, throwing a broken metal pipe at the Titan’s knee. The makeshift weapon clanged against the creature’s armored joint, drawing its attention.
With a slow, deliberate motion, the Titan began to move toward them. Each step it took shook the ground, cracks spiderwebbing across the marble tiles.
“Damien, move!” Lex barked.
The two scrambled to opposite sides of the room, ducking behind fallen columns as the Titan’s massive arm swung downward, obliterating the spot where they had stood moments before.
From above, Brandon opened fire, his rifle shots cracking through the atrium. Bullets ricocheted off the Titan’s thick armor, but a few struck softer spots around its exposed chest cavity. The creature roared in anger, swiping blindly toward the source of the gunfire.
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Lex gritted her teeth as she climbed down from the balcony, her crossbow slung across her back and a makeshift explosive strapped to her belt. The Titan’s attention was divided between Damien, Maya, and Brandon’s gunfire. This was her chance.
Moving low and fast, Lex darted between broken kiosks and scattered debris, her eyes locked on the Titan’s massive chest cavity.
Above her, Sophie’s voice crackled through the radio. “Lex, it’s moving too much! You won’t get a clear shot!”
“I’ll make one,” Lex growled.
The Titan let out another roar, its massive hand slamming into a support pillar. Chunks of marble and steel crashed to the ground as dust and smoke billowed into the air.
Lex seized the opening. She sprinted forward, her boots skidding across the cracked tiles as she neared the Titan’s exposed chest cavity.
With trembling hands, she activated the explosive and hurled it upward with all her strength.
It sailed through the air, spinning end over end, before wedging itself between the Titan’s armored ribs.
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The Titan’s body heaved as it let out a final, echoing roar. Flames erupted from its chest cavity as the explosive detonated, sending shockwaves through the atrium. Its massive arms flailed wildly, smashing into nearby walls and sending debris cascading from above.
“Move, move!” Damien shouted, grabbing Maya and pulling her out of the Titan’s path.
Brandon dragged Sophie to cover as chunks of marble rained down around them.
The Titan staggered backward, its massive form crashing into the remains of the fountain in the center of the atrium. Its hollow eyes flickered, dimming as smoke and fire billowed from its shattered chest cavity.
With one final, shuddering breath, the Titan let out a low, mournful growl before collapsing. Its massive form crashed to the ground, shaking the entire structure as dust and debris filled the air.
Silence followed—a silence so profound it felt deafening.
The team emerged slowly from their cover, their faces pale and streaked with sweat and dust. Lex approached the Titan’s massive, lifeless form, her crossbow still clutched in her trembling hands.
“It’s… it’s over,” Maya said softly, tears welling in her eyes.
Damien dropped to his knees, letting out a long, ragged breath. Brandon leaned heavily against a broken column, his rifle dangling loosely from his hands.
Sophie knelt on the ground, clutching her tablet to her chest, her eyes glassy with exhaustion and relief.
Lex exhaled shakily and looked toward the sky, where faint beams of moonlight filtered through the dust and smoke.
But even in their victory, the weight of their losses lingered—Margaret, Anthony, and Elliot.
“We move forward,” Lex said softly. “For them.”
The camera pans upward, showing the broken glass skylight above and the faint stars beyond.
Fade to black.