@sandzat 6 votes
@xusayz 6 votes
@mikepm74 4 votes
@bigdave2250 2 votes
@jessiemccartney 2 votes

This was a very hard one to judge both @xusayz and @sandzat were incredibly good, but because of the imense kindness of @blocktrades I can offer a first prize of 20SBD and a send prize of 10SBD.

So after much deliberation I felt that @sandzat just came ahead of @xusayz so without further ado here is the next paragraph of the story :-)

"He stood up and looked out of the window." (@scottish01)

"He no longer concerned himself with the sickly amber light that seeped through the panes. Whatever radioactive death the mysterious star that had replaced the sun brought, it would not reach them in time. Picking up his binoculars, he let his gaze fall to the ocean, stretched out hundreds of feet below their dream home: A glass palace built into the side of the cliff at a cost of $123.6 million. The not-quite-humanoid creatures that had crawled from the sea on the third morning following the arrival of the new sun, had made their way a good 100 feet up the rocks now. The tentacles that dripped from below cold, steel shark eyes, reached out probing the stone for handholds. They would be here within hours. He looked back toward his wife, huddled on the Italian leather sofa, arms about their small son. Her own eyes were as cold as the creatures' climbing the cliff wall. He knew what she was thinking. I wanted a house in the mountains."(@jrhughes)

"Chase turned his eyes from her steely gaze. If these were his last minutes on Earth, he’d be damned if he was going to spend them under silent accusation. He poured two more fingers of bourbon into his freshly emptied highball glass. The crystal decanter was thick, and the pale alien rays refracted off its hatched edges. The bottle was still half full of liquor. He imagined stuffing one of the overpriced dish towels his wife had purchased into the container. At 110-proof, the world around him could be turned to oak barrel aged flames and razor-edged shards. He wondered if the things below could burn." (@horrorguyian)

The winner for the next paragraph

"Burn! We should set a fire trap to burn these creatures. Think of that. Think of some way to save us, fast! You are responsible for all this, aren't you? " his wife's words cut through his thoughts like a sharp knife cutting through melting cheese. His stomach grumbled suddenly. Momentarily, his thoughts turned to food. It had been a long time since he had eaten. He looked at the highball glass in his hand. It could do with another refill. Slowly, as if being pulled by a fragile string, he turned back towards her, his wife of seven years. His defeated eyes silently pleaded understanding and forgiveness. But, all his eyes met were a steely cold gaze, unforgiving in its emotion, and unwavering in its intensity. He couldn't bear to look at her, much less answer her. He looked away again, gazing out of the window, desperately wishing he had paid heed to his wife's wishes. "If we'd gone to live in the mountains like you wanted, Momma, we would have been safe, wouldn't we, Momma? And Daddy wouldn't have been so upset as he is now. He'd be playing with me instead." their 4 year old son spoke up for the first time since morning, pulling the mother's face towards him with his little hands. And it was then that Chase had an idea!! Hearing his son's voice, Chase shook out of his reverie and sprung to action. There was no time to be lost. He had to think of something. If he had to die, if they had to die, they would die fighting! He was suddenly like a firecracker that had been ignited. He felt a wave of energy and determination wash over him. His wearied mind became energized as fresh ideas engulfed him. Could those things below burn?" @sandzat