The first creature lunged.
Ethan barely dodged as clawed fingers swiped past his face. He drove his knife forward, the blade burying deep into the creature's throat. It shrieked—a terrible, distorted sound—but didn't fall.
Instead, its glowing blue eyes locked onto him, and it kept moving.
"Not good," Ethan muttered.
Behind him, gunfire cracked through the night. Olivia took down two of the creatures with precise shots, but more kept crawling from the darkness.
Noah swung his metal pipe, shattering a skull, only to be tackled by another. "Little help?!"
Blaze lunged, his powerful jaws clamping onto a creature's arm, dragging it back. Shadow was a blur, weaving between legs, her claws slicing through tendons.
But they were outnumbered.
Valerie fired her last shot. "We need to run!"
Ethan slashed through another attacker, breathing hard. "Where?!"
Then he saw it.
An abandoned truck sat at the edge of the gas station lot, its doors hanging open.
It was their only shot.
Race Against Death
"Move!" Ethan shouted.
Noah ripped free from the creature pinning him and sprinted. Olivia fired over her shoulder as she ran. Valerie yanked open the truck door, scrambling inside.
Ethan covered their retreat, stabbing one last attacker before diving into the driver's seat. "Everyone in?!"
Blaze and Shadow leapt inside just as the creatures swarmed the vehicle.
"GO, GO, GO!"
Ethan slammed his foot on the gas. The truck roared to life, tires screeching against the pavement as they tore out of the lot.
Creatures clung to the sides, clawing at the windows.
Noah grabbed a shotgun from the back. "GET OFF!"
BOOM.
The blast ripped through one of the creatures, sending it tumbling.
Ethan swerved, throwing another off balance. Blaze snapped at one trying to climb through the back.
Valerie gritted her teeth. "They're not stopping!"
Ethan's eyes flicked ahead—a collapsed bridge loomed in the distance.
His grip tightened. "Hold on."
Then—he gunned it.
The Jump
The truck hit the broken edge at full speed.
For a split second, they were airborne.
The creatures still clinging to the sides screeched as they lost their grip—plummeting into the darkness below.
Then—impact.
The truck slammed onto the other side, skidding violently before coming to a stop.
Silence.
Heavy breathing.
Then Noah let out a breathless laugh. "Okay. That was either the dumbest or the coolest thing you've ever done."
Ethan exhaled, hands still gripping the wheel. "Probably both."
Valerie checked the laptop. "We're still on course for New Dawn."
Olivia reloaded her pistol. "Then let's keep moving."
Ethan nodded.
Because whatever waited for them at New Dawn…
It was only going to get worse.