Giant Swarm

Life has been always simple for you, in the countryside: fields, mud, fences, and early mornings, nothing more. But for days now the animals have been restless, pacing and whining at shadows you can’t see. This afternoon, you return from the far field with your dog trotting at your side, dust on your boots and sun on your neck. Everything seems normal except maybe a low, heavy buzz rolling through the air like a distant engine. Your dog bolts ahead, fur bristling, barking in a way you’ve never heard before. You run after him toward the back of your neighbour's bungalow and stop dead. Hovering above the path is a wasp the size of an eagle, its wings beating the air into trembling waves. Its stinger glints like a polished blade. Terror grips you. This is no insect you’ve ever known.