’If one of these had below...’ He swallowed hard.
The swarm below thrashed and leapt, their guttural roars blending into a nightmarish chorus.
Jaxon hovered the drone, watching the new variants move with unnatural speed. The streets below were in chaos, the infected relentlessly chasing the drone.
’This place... it’s a death zone. No living human could survive here,’ Jaxon thought, his stomach tightening as he observed them.
It was unbelievable. Not just one, but dozens of the sa type of variant. Each one as fast, as strong, as monstrous as the first. They jumped from building to building, clawing at the air.
Almost a hundred of them now followed the drone, their glowing eyes fixed. If he had been down there, running on the asphalt, he would have been torn apart in seconds. Cars might have given him a chance, but nothing else.
Just as he studied their movents, a sudden shadow flickered across his screen. Before he could react, a creature leaped from a three-story house at terrifying speed.
’Woah!’ Jaxon jerked the controller, narrowly dodging it.
The drone tilted, capturing its landing on the nearby building below. His heart sank as he recognized it.
It was the sa infected he had killed the night before, the one capable of leaping thirty ters with terrifying precision. Its bald head, hunched back, and clawed hands glinted in the faint light. Its black veins pulsed like so living nightmare, and its gaze followed the drone as if it knew it personally.
’F@ck... there’s more.’ Shadows shifted violently, and more of the creatures leapt out, claws scraping the walls and rooftops as they tried to reach the drone.
Jaxon’s hands moved fast, guiding it higher, narrowly avoiding the lunging monsters.
’You’ve got to be kidding ... dozens of you? This is insane...’
The creatures roared, a chorus of hoarse, inhuman cries that sent chills down his spine. Each scream sounded less like a beast and more like the remnants of a forgotten humanity.
’I’m out, no need to provoke them any further. And the battery’s running low.’
He carefully led the horde further away from their location. Then he let the drone fly straight up, higher and higher, until it almost lost signal, vanishing from the sight.
Once he had it in position, he slowly guided it back, heart pounding with every small movent.
A tense minute passed before he finally recalled the drone. He peeked around his window cautiously, scanning the streets for any sign of the chasing monsters.
Relief washed over him as he realized they hadn’t followed. He exhaled slowly, finally allowing himself to relax.
That night, he forced himself to sleep, pushing the images of the horrors he had witnessed to the back of his mind.
....
The next morning, Jaxon told his family about the terrifying encounter he had last night. He had to because this place wasn’t safe anymore.
"Infected that could jump super high?" Cindy repeated, her face turning pale. "Will they co here?"
"I don’t know," Jaxon answered honestly. "But that place is not far from us, so we have to prepare." He paused, then spoke again, making a decision. "We have to leave this place."
He had thought about it again and again through the night. This was the only answer he could find. There was no way they could fight hundreds of those monsters. Hiding was not an option either. The risk was simply too high.
Natasha and Isabel stayed silent, with deep frowns on their faces. They were shaken as well. They had just started to enjoy the short peace they found here, but now fear had crept back into their hearts.
"Everyone," Jaxon said, drawing their attention. "Listen, they haven’t co yet, and from what I’ve seen, they won’t move from their area unless sothing draws them out. We still have ti. We’ll use the drone to monitor their movents."
Hearing his words, the three of them felt a little more at ease, though the fear had not completely left.
"Still, we need an ergency escape plan," Jaxon continued. "Natasha, can I leave that to you?"
She nodded. "I’ll inform Burgors and the two siblings. I’m sure they’ll join us after they hear what’s going on."
"Alright. Contact Elena too."
Natasha frowned at him. "Are we including her in our plan?" She asked, unhappy.
"That depends on her," Jaxon replied calmly. "We cannot fully trust her, but she is capable. Right now, we need all the fighting strength we can get."
"Hmph." Natasha turned her face away, expressing her dissatisfaction. "We did not exchange contacts. I have no way to reach her."
"Why do you dislike her so much?" Jaxon asked. It was rare for Natasha to show her feelings so openly. Most of the ti, she stayed quiet even when she disliked soone.
"I hate that bossy attitude of hers," Natasha said, her brows tight. "And I have not forgotten how she threatened to kill you."
She did not say the rest out loud. When that mont happened, her mind was racing, almost losing it. The thought of losing him made her panic. If Elena had pushed even a little harder, she might have begged her to take her life instead of his.
"That’s right, Brother! She threatened to kill you. I do not like her either," Cindy said, with Isabel nodding beside her. They both understood how Natasha felt.
"Thanks for worrying about . I am not defending her, but it was the situation. If soone sneaked into our house, I would react the sa way."
"I still don’t like her," Cindy said, crossing her arms.
Jaxon did not argue further. He understood Elena’s actions, but that did not an he took her side. As he looked at Natasha, he realized sothing he had overlooked before. He had never truly thought about how she felt at that mont.
He gently held her hand and smiled. Natasha froze for a second, clearly surprised. That small gesture was enough to calm her, telling her without words that he understood.
"We will act based on the situation," Jaxon said. "For now, we still have many things to prepare."
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