Relentless running has brought the lonesome boy to the brink of exhaustion, his legs putting on as much work needed as he cuts through the cornfield.
Then, the ground suddenly molds beneath him, and from the depths of the earth, a monster the size of a skyscraper emerges.
With a scream so shrill and so unworldly, the monster, known to seek out and devour humans, raises a titanic tendril large enough to dwarf a person in the same a person would dwarf an ant.
The boy acts quickly and casts a weapon, a marvel of titanium, nanotech, and sheer human will.
He fires.
Fifty megatons of repulsion energy strike the monster in the chest piercing through its thick skin, leaving burns, mortal wounds, and even a gaping hole as large as a bus.
The monster screams.
And the battle begins.