Roughly a year later the world fought back and won. That was Mrs. Pozzessere’s doing.

10 years after the New York Incident

 (‘SEE NIGHT WORLD’ OR ANY OF F. PAUL WILSON’S NOVELS)

"The world was fool enough to believe that it had conquered The Otherness." Richard said. Kolabati shared his sentiment. “It’s not over Johan. You’re wrong. We need to prepare. I can feel it.” A queer sensation had been crawling up her spine since high tide. “I agree. The sensors I developed confirm this. It's been 10 years. An entire God damned decade.” Richard said through gritted teeth.

Johan was turning red. Why won't they just accept that we are at peace? He had lost the person he cherished most during the first collapse. He felt that if he could finally find his resolve, and settle in to enjoying this peace, then so could they! “Meanwhile, your research is exactly akin to astronomy—pure, fucking, hokum." Richard said this with far to much bass in his voice. Johan swirled his scotch around in his glass. "You have to let this go Kolabati!” he said, banging his glass on the table. “Johan…” She couldn't reach him. 

He had dismissed all of their claims the moment they approached him claiming the high tide played the catalyst in an incomprehensible battle between The Otherness—a consciousness you could only call evil on an extremely good day, and the Ally—a consciousness with the attention span of a goldfish, who isn't  as concerned with us as it is winning an intergalactic chess match played with our world. The most we can expect from it was benign insouciance. Every attempt to get through to him about their impending doom ended the exact same way.  It took a second invasion for Johan Augustine to admit he was at fault. 

The room shook. “W-what....?” Kolabati surveyed their faces. They were as stunned as her. The next tremor floored them all. Johan began to rise, but lost all constitution when he looked through the window. A moment later, adrenaline soaked his system and triggered a massive heart attack. He was one of the lucky ones. He didn’t live long enough to witness the macabre in it's ethereal form.

The power grids were knocked out like they were made of tin foil. The city’s lights went dark methodically and one by one—echoed by an equal number of human souls being snuffed out. The spikes were grotesque. They were thousands of feet long tore through the earth. Lava—or what could have easily been blood—sloshed around in their deep crevices. They seemed alive. If trees grew in hell, they would look just like these.

They shredded through skyscrapers without effort. People died in droves. Goddamn droves! The Otherness herded humans towards their death and supped on their misery! These things literally nourished themselves on  suffering.

No one was spared in the city—not a woman, man or child. The very earth was alive and obliterating any and all life it found. The Earth was black and red, however in the following months it cooled to an ash gray hue. The spikes—having ended their climb—could be seen from space. Then it happened. 

The O-DNA molecules began to replicate. The desolate and twisted thing our world had become; combined withthe desperation the survivors served as the sustenance it required to maintain itself in our dimension.  It rewrote the DNA sequence of any embryonic life form it came across—plant, animal, or man. The possessed life-form then burrowed into any section of the earth that held dinosaur fossils and consumed them. They were remnants of their ancestors during the first attempt The Otherness made for our planet a few millennia ago. From there they made their ways to the nearest spike, burrowed into the ground, and slept.

 After a painfully short gestation period—the dark earth serving as their womb—the monsters erupted into the world; lousy with O-DNA and any DNA sequence they absorbed from conscious life on our world. They fed on anything. Consuming any matter from the old world appeared to be their primary function. They were excellent at their job. Roughly a year later the world fought back and won. That was Mrs. Pozzessere’s doing. She gathered a rag-tag conclave of the once hidden powers that be, and lead a revolt against the very evil they ushered into their world. They won......but not without substantial heartache.

Hide and seek…

Alisa was 7. She tugged at her father’s scarf, begging for his attention. “No Alisa. Your father is busy.” her mother said. “Boring….” Alisa was clearly unaffected by the trauma the world had suffered. She skipped ahead of her parents giggling. She ran towards an abandoned warehouse. Luckily they lived in an area least affected by the collapse, though everything was still a God damned wreck of a nightmare.

“Hey! Alisa!” her father yelled. “That child! Where could she have gone?” her mother asked. “Papa! Mamma!” she squeaked from behind them. “Hide and seek!!” Alisa yelled; running into the warehouse. “Alisa!” her mother objected. Her heart was playing drums inside her chest. She started after Alisa, but papa shut down her pursuit. “What’s the harm?” he said. “So you want to play hide and seek Alisa?” he asked. “Not yeeeeeeeeet!” she was enjoying this.


“Hide and seek...” he said. Alisa was busy looking for the perfect hiding space.  She spotted a banged up cabinet that somehow survived the planet’s decimation. “Come and find me!” she yelled out at her father.  “All right! Now where is my….Alisa!” he said. Alisa giggled, eyeing him through the cracked door.

**CRACK**
**CRACK**

Several gunshots rang out. Two of them and in swift succession; followed by screams. “It’s the Aragami! Run!!” a voice echoed throughout the warehouse. Alisa was terrified. She was all alone in the cabinet. She tucked her knees into her chest and went silent. “Alisa! Where are you!!!?” Her father was frantic. Her mother ran towards him in the exact same state. “Dear, where is Alisa?!” she said. She was sweating through her orange turtleneck, and her golden mane was slightly ruffled.  Their baby girl was in another world. She had completely disconnected. Those things are out there! Those things! Those things that ate Tommy!

They yelled until they were hoarse—hoarse and desperate. “Alisa!!!! Alisa!!!!” they echoed each other. Eventually their voices reached her. Alisa snapped out of it having found her resolve. “Mamma! Papa!” she yelped. It was still too late. The thing snatched her papa up in it's maw; snapping his body in two and chewed. At the same time it ran her mother through with what appeared to be a horn. Her 5 year old psyche couldn't handle this. Alisa went numb. She stared at the thing wide eyed.

It was terrifying. It radiated darkness. It's tail was long and had what appeared to be a huge and disfigured flipped attached to the tip. It's skin was a sleek and oily black. It's face and body appeared to be half lion, half God. Her father's split and mangled body hung from it's mouth. Half of him was covered by the creatures blood soaked beard. The thing also had several onyx spikes protruding from it's head. Her mother was sloppily impaled on one of them.  The creature began to leave—but suddenly—it stared directly into the cabinet. A moment later, it's face was buried into the crevice her face was crammed into. Alisa screamed.

MY ETERNAL GRATITUDE TO THOSE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO ACTUALLY READ THIS.THE MINI MOVIE TEASER IS BELOW.
Sentinels: The Next Generation