HIJACKED

Throughout the great continent, massive domes dominated the city skylines across all 26 states. They had seemed as permanent and unbreakable as the earth itself. These marvels of human engineering were sanctuaries for those that could not defend themselves, those who could not do anything more than hope for deliverance.

And so in the twilight of humanity, the remaining people of the world, now trapped in their own little bubbles settled in for the long night, but not all will await judgment peacefully. Humans are not alone in this world, humans are not the only creatures with the desire to live, there are monsters among them, monsters who are now as powerless as the weak people they once looked down upon and trampled, monsters who would end lives casually but value their own above all else.

Together all sentient beings sought sanctuary within the walls of the towering domes. Good and bad, man and monster, it did not matter, as long as it had the will to live, it sought safety and through sheer tenacity, evil survived the death of the world and some of these sanctuaries that once shielded the innocent and frail from the cruelty of the world have now become cages from which they could not escape.

My name is shikimori, I am from city F currently residing within shelter 764. I am writing in my personal notebook in the hope that in the near future if I am dead and if humanity still survives the survivors will know of what has befallen this shelter.

I am hoping someone discovers this notebook. I am hoping my story will not be forgotten.

My shelter has been hijacked by monsters. They entered as one and managed to overwhelm the heroes and soldiers guarding the entrance after a hard fought battle with casualties on both sides.

Usually shelters would be closed within the first fifteen minutes or on sight of a monster.

The calamitous nature of the current incident however has made the officers in charge disregard protocol.

The shelter doors were kept open for as long as possible. They were kept open until the shelter reached maximum capacity and it was still open when it went beyond that. The officers were naive fools trying to save as many lives as possible in a futile gesture of kindness that will be rendered redundant by the fact that we will starve to death in two months anyway. Probably sooner considering the ravenous appetite of the monsters we cohabit with.

When the monsters started to crawl out of the hidden places shunned by humanity, instead of closing the sturdy blast doors heroes were sent out to halt their advance and protect the innocents.

When the defenders were finally overwhelmed and the blast doors were to be closed it was found that the doors were jammed, a creature no bigger than a mouse had snuck past the human warriors and wedged itself between the closing doors, interfering with the locking mechanism.

When the monster finally reached the door, they were able to pull it apart and enter.

They immediately began attacking once inside the disaster shelter and managed to eat two people.

My heart goes out to jasper and kamil and their families.

The only reason i am still alive. The only reason the monsters haven't eaten everyone is the strongest hero on earth decided to hide himself amongst the common folk.

By the time he revealed himself two had already perished but his sheer presence forced the rampaging monsters into compliance.

Then as peace was established the metal knight made his announcement that he was going to become king of the survivors. I'm unsure what benefit he gets by claiming such a title. Out in the vacuum of space ordinary people are all so insignificant and weak. We cannot have survived on our own.

If the price we pay for survival is to just entertain an old man's fantasy and dance for him, so be it. We will do it with gratitude.

The more pressing question for us is how do we deal with the monsters?

King for some reason refuses to execute them stating that the panicking monsters will create more casualties. And we cannot afford any damages to the shelters.

So now we endure a perishable peace with monsters and we watch as they stare at us from across the room with unblinking eyes. Waiting for a chance to strike. And one of them is talking to us.

The one that spat out a half eaten Kamil when king announced his presence. It had the face of a man on a head that was as large as an elephant's, it's skin was covered in teeth, yes teeth, human incisors protected it's neck and molars covered it's chest and back, it's hands covered in teeth, the sharp pointy teeth of a sand tiger shark meant for grabbing, it's long sinuous legs were covered in sharp serrated teeth like a great white shark meant for cutting and it's tail was covered in broken disgusting festering teeth that emitted an inescapable odor that reeked rancid in the confines of our "sanctuary".

Barydactus it called itself. The man hunter.

Dear Shikimori,

Thank you for sharing your story with me. It is both heartbreaking and terrifying to hear about the situation in Shelter 764. It's difficult to imagine living in a world where humans and monsters coexist, but your account of the situation is vivid and makes it feel all too real.

It's a relief to hear that the strongest hero on Earth is among you and has managed to keep the monsters at bay.. It's concerning that he refuses to execute the monsters, but it's understandable that he doesn't want to risk further casualties.

As for Barydactus, it's alarming that he's speaking to you and the others in the shelter. It's unclear what his intentions are, but given his name and appearance, it's likely that he poses a significant threat to your safety.

I hope that someone finds me and learns about the situation in Shelter 764. Your story is important, and it should not be forgotten. Stay safe, and keep writing.

Sincerely,

Notebook

There has been an interesting update, this notebook seems to have gained sentience. It has replied to the input I gave it.

Notebook: in this world, the desires of man can often become reality through sheer willpower and desperation. This is the source of strength for many heroes and monsters in this world.

Perhaps in this desperate time, it is your desire for someone to listen to you that has created me.