Keneric groaned, getting up. His whole body ached like hell from the earthquake's aftermath, but still, his mind was sound.

The first thing he did was check for major injuries. Finding none, he exhaled in relief. He glanced around. The place was empty—no people, no birds, not even insects commonly seen in this season. The silence was unsettling.

With shaky fingers, he pulled out his phone. But no signal. He refreshed, restarted, and held it up high. Absolutely nothing. Frowning, he stared at the screen. The network had always been stable here, but now it was just… gone.

Even the college WiFi was down. The heavy quakes must have taken out all the cell towers in the area, he thought. So, no calls, no messages. No way to reach his friends, his family, or even the police.

"Bloody hell!"

The gymnasium behind him was eerily quiet. There was not even a hum of electricity and no flickering of lights. Panicking won't help in this situation, so Keneric took a steadying breath and slid his phone back into his pant's pocket.

If his signal was dead, others were probably cut off, too. That meant waiting for rescue might become pointless as there was no way to know what was happening beyond campus walls. Were the quakes limited to Melbourne City, or had the entire country collapsed? And if the whole of Australia was in ruins, then who was left to help them?

Therefore, right now, he needed a plan. And, plan he did.

Keneric stepped inside the gymnasium again. His sneakers crunched over shattered glass, but at least he had good quality shoes, or walking here would have been a big disaster.

A whiff inside was stale with a scent of dust and mildew. Keneric walked past overturned benches and broken lockers until he reached the equipment room.

Once, this place was neat and orderly, but now it had transformed into a landfill of discarded gear and debris. Keneric picked through the wreckage and started searching.

His patience finally paid off when he uncovered a pair of yellow rubber boots—just what he needed. The boots weren't perfect, but they will function far better than his current waterlogged sneakers in this wetland.

He also found a first-aid kit, half-buried beneath a pile of gym mats, and a mop with a metal pole. With a few sharp kicks, the mop's plastic head snapped off, leaving Keneric with a makeshift spear. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Keneric had seen enough movies to know how people behaved when law and order were missing, and nobody was there to reprimand their actions. And he would rather stay prepared than regret it later.

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Next, he moved freely into the gymnasium, gathering anything useful inside his duffle bag. A first-aid kit, water bottles, a pair of clean rags, and a working torch were everything he'd picked so far. But as he zipped the bag shut, a sound interrupted him.

"Woof woof."

"Woof woof."

The barking came from outside, growing bolder and louder as if approaching his location. Keneric wasn't alarmed as he recognized this voice.

It was Bear.

That one stray dog who showed up last semester and quickly won over fellow students with his scruffy brown fur and dark-patched eyes that looked like permanent dark circles. Yes, girls were crazy for him. Hence, he easily became a campus fixture, fed by students and tolerated by faculty.

Keneric stepped out of the equipment room, following the sound. Bear stood there by the gymnasium door, barking, but the moment Keneric pushed them open, the dog darted inside.

Keneric looked down. "What's wrong bud?"

The dog didn't answer, of course, and just kept barking. Keneric peeked outside the half-opened door with a confused expression. Something was off. Something felt weird. But he couldn't tell what at this point.

He stepped outside just enough to look about. A little further, near a large puddle, lay a freshly uprooted tree. It looked ordinary at first to Keneric, but then it… shivered? Keneric look hardened into slits.

All of a sudden, the waterlogged wood compressed in length and multiplied in height. A single eye promptly manifested the top of its half-shaped neck, and with time, more features followed, like arms, legs, shoulders, and feet.

By the time the transformation stopped, a giant tree monster stood there at the height of a man's house. Completely made of wood.

"For Pity's sake!"

The despicable Bear would not stop barking. Its sharp growls echoed through the marsh, ultimately drawing the attention of the supersized golem. At last, its mud-covered, wooden frame cracked and protested under the newfound load. Its head turned towards them with a wheat-colored eye locked onto the source of noise.

Keneric bit down hard, teeth mashed tight. He had known, deep down, something had gone horribly wrong. Now, he understood the source of that feeling. "Stupid dog, you'll be the death of me," He cursed at the many meals he had offered this animal in the past.

The ground quaked as the golem took a step. And another. Each movement pulsed the earth, like the aftershock of the former earthquake. Keneric's survival instincts took over. He just spun on his heels and ran—past the equipment room, past the broken glass shards, and past the locker room—until he reached the public shower pods (that he previously hated so much) and hid inside.

Moments later, the gymnasium wall shuddered as the golem crashed through the front door. Pressed against the tiled surface, Keneric just clutched his makeshift sphere. The chaos outside was loud and clear. Bear was still barking, but it did not last. A sudden thud silenced him, and an eerie stillness settled over the space, leaving only the sound of approaching footsteps drawing closer to the locker room.

There was also an added sound of dripping water and splintering wood after the golem moved closer. Its massive form was now staring at the entrance of the locker room. However, unlike before, it did not crash through the locker room's door.

This entrance was far more narrow, and the space against the ceiling was way too tight for its bulky body. Instead, the golem extended one arm inside before his thick fingers scraped against the floor, searching for Keneric. Green muck and shattered tiles were left behind wherever its nails touched.

Keneric was alive… but trapped.