5 Days Remaining...

SpongeBob groaned, his legs not taking too kindly to his hike as they were just about ready to buckle inward, sending him to the cold sand below. Thankfully he was able to keep himself propped upright through sheer will, but even that threatened to fall away and leave him with nothing to aid his resolve. Patrick and Squidward were in a similar vein, their hike having happily taken them the entire rest of the day. Of course, sunlight was far from an issue given the terrible smog permeating the atmosphere like smoke in a fire. It was beyond humid within the shipyard, oceans of sweat already having come and gone down each individual head of the trio. Although none of them wanted to continue, they knew it was a must for survival.

Squidward slouched in an attempt to conserve energy. At least, that's what he said. In reality he was simply to exhausted to hold his frame upward. Patrick was no different, his position denoting a man who'd been overworked by the mere act of walking from point A to point B. It only made it worse when they'd all started feeling light vibrations beneath their feet. They'd no clue where it had come from. SpongeBob, however, had the vaguest hint that something was off. He tried to recall Mindy's words to him nearly a week before when she'd told him about the treacherous road ahead and all of its many dangers. However, his memory was blurred with visions of the horrors those past five days had encompassed him in.

The vibrations continued. They pulsated against the ocean floor as if it were about to give way to a cavernous ravine right down the center of their path. Of course, no such event occurred. But, the idea of an earthquake was not far from any of their minds. Even still, SpongeBob had a gut feeling that that wasn't quite right. No. It wasn't an earthquake. There wasn't even one incoming.

If it wasn't an earthquake though, what was it?

SpongeBob strained himself to pull some semblance of a clue out of his brain. He had to think strictly about what Mindy said to him when she gave him the bag of winds.

She'd told him that the path was dangerous. But then what? Mindy had told him something else... something far more foreboding...

"And guarding Shell City, is a monstrous Cyclops!"

He froze.

Just like that, those words had penetrated his hazy recollection and stabbed directly into the front of his brain. Guarding Shell City, is a monstrous Cyclops.

A Cyclops, and they were walking right into it.

The vibrations got worse.

They got so much worse.

SpongeBob, now wide awake, turned to the rest of the group in a panic, "Guys! We've gotta stop now! I forgot to mention that there's a giant Cyclops guarding Shell City and it's coming in our direction right now!" he blurted. The two gawked at him, disbelief written on their faces. Patrick more so out of confusion, but Squidward was feeling something far more ugly, "You're telling us that this whole time there was a hideous Cyclops guarding the streets of Shell City and you never TOLD US! YOU NEVER FOUND IT PERTINENT ENOUGH TO INFORM US THAT THERE'S A MONSTER GUARDING SHELL CITY! ARE YOU FU-" Squidward was cut off when the ground lurched and he was thrown onto the sand below. SpongeBob didn't have time to feel ashamed of himself as now it seemed the ground was going on a full-on retaliation, shaking violently in short bursts no less. One second everything was still and peaceful. The next, it was as if the whole world was trapped inside the camera of a found-footage horror movie.

They knew they had to run, now. Frantically, Squidward returned to his feet and looked around wildly for any sort of cover. Now they could hear pounding against the seafloor. The ocean wasn't retaliating against its inhabitants. Its inhabitants were retaliating against it! SpongeBob spotted an alcove underneath a slanted anchor and a prisoner's ball and chain. He motioned for the other two and all three of them ran underneath where they sat in waiting.

For a while nothing happened. The tense atmosphere was only filled with harsh rumbles followed by small periods of silence. SpongeBob's eyes moved around wildly, yet they only caught the pea soup engulfing the ocean. The footsteps got louder. Now they could distinctly make out boots smashing against the sea floor. The footsteps were getting closer, closer. SpongeBob and the other's tensed up to the point where they ached badly. It seemed like the footsteps were feet away from them, yet they couldn't see anything from out in the abyss. Where was it coming from-

SpongeBob was grabbed and flung out into the clearing before anyone could realize what had happened. Dennis loomed over him with a horrible sneer, his bandana torn away and a hunting knife in his hand. Squidward couldn't help but yelp. Patrick, on the other hand, was immediately filled with anger more than fear. He stormed up to the assassin and tapped his shoulder. Big mistake.

Dennis spun around and nailed Patrick in the jaw hard enough to nearly break it, sending him sprawling across the seabed, "Wait your turn!" he spat, returning to SpongeBob. However, the sponge had moved. Dennis looked around frantically to find his location, but SpongeBob already had the jump on him.

He barrelled out of the fog and threw himself at Dennis' left leg, dropping the thief on the sandy ground. Patrick scrambled to his feet, still reeling from the impact, and stumbled over to Dennis. He, however, was in no mood to be tricked again. He threw off SpongeBob and intercepted the foot that Patrick had sent directly for his face. Patrick cried out as his stubby appendage was twisted and violently tossed along with the rest of him.

Dennis scrambled to his feet and prepared another blow, fist reared for a vicious attack. Squidward was quick to jump into action and swung his leg upward toward Dennis' head. It was suddenly thrown off balance when the ground shook more harshly than it ever had before. This time, no one remained on their feet. Dennis tried to return to his feet, but failed miserably, the sand kicking up beneath his boots and and another shockwave sealed his fate on the ground.

SpongeBob frantically looked wildly about the scene surrounding him. Dennis was struggling to stand, Patrick was in pain on the ground, and Squidward had nearly had his head taken off by the protruding foot of the anchor. Another shockwave. SpongeBob stumbled, but stayed standing. He looked into the fog. Another shockwave, this one rippling so violently that the anchor was shifted. It came crashing down onto the seabed nearby. Another one. SpongeBob could now make out a dark mass just at the edge of his vision. It swallowed the sickly green, transforming it into an inky black color.

It took another step. This one so absolutely devastating that SpongeBob was instantly thrown back a few feet, his spongy back slamming against the sand hard. No one was standing, and the four were all left to stare at the hulking mass looming over them like the Grim Reaper over a recently deceased corpse.

The Cyclops was upon them.

Author's Note: Eh, I don't really have anything to say here. Just, enjoy the new chapter!