January 16, 2026 — 10:12 AM
South Luzon, West of Los Baños
The earth trembled with each step.
From a distance, it sounded like distant thunder—dull, rhythmic, unrelenting. But as it drew closer, the sound evolved into something primal. The cracking of tree trunks, the squelch of moist earth under colossal weight, and the occasional bone-deep roar that made even the bravest soldiers flinch. Birds had long fled this forest. Even the usual infected stragglers had vanished—cleared out by the Goliath's mere presence.
The monster was moving north.
The Goliath towered over the treeline, its hulking mass covered in sinew, vine, and a bark-like layer of hardened flesh. The remnants of nests it had absorbed pulsed beneath its skin like malignant veins. Glowing pustules littered its spine and shoulders, some still dripping acidic sap that hissed against the leaves. With each step, it crushed boulders, uprooted decades-old trees, and sent shockwaves rippling outward.
