Chapter 140: The Scream [5]

“What the fuck is that thing?” Brad’s voice cracked with terror as he raised his trembling flashlight toward the enormous figure looming in the darkness beyond their destroyed defenses. The beam of light wavered unsteadily in his shaking hands, casting erratic shadows that made the approaching threat seem even more nightmarish and surreal.

Christopher watched in growing horror as the enhanced infected creature methodically selected another projectile from the debris scattered around their destroyed defensive perimeter. This time, instead of choosing one of the wooden spikes that had formed the outer ring of their protection, the creature’s massive hands closed around a steel spike—a much heavier, more deadly piece of metal that had been designed to anchor their electrical grid system.

The steel spike was nearly seven feet long and weighed at least thirty pounds, a piece of industrial hardware that would require significant strength for a normal person to lift, let alone throw with any accuracy. But the enhanced infected hefted it with casual ease, testing its weight and balance like an experienced javelin thrower preparing for competition.

“Oh Fuck…” Christopher whispered, his eyes widening with the terrible understanding of what was about to happen. “Everyone get back! Get away from the perimeter immediately!”

His warning came just in time. The enhanced infected drew back its massive arm and launched the steel spike with supernatural force and precision, the heavy projectile cutting through the night air with a sound like an incoming artillery shell. The spike struck the ground just inches from where one of Martin’s men had been standing, the impact driving the metal deep into the concrete with enough force to create spider web cracks spreading outward from the point of impact.

The man who had narrowly avoided being impaled fell backward onto his seat, sweat pouring down his face as he stared at the steel spike that had missed killing him by mere inches. His breathing came in short, panicked gasps, and his hands shook uncontrollably as the reality of how close he’d come to death settled over him.

“Jesus Christ,” he whispered with a trembling voice. “That thing just threw a steel beam like it was a dart.”

Martin, who had been staring in stunned disbelief at the enhanced infected creature, finally broke free from his paralyzed shock as the immediate danger to his people snapped him back into leadership mode.

“W…What’s happening…?-” Margaret’s voice called from behind them as she emerged from the Municipal Office building, drawn by the sounds of gunfire and shouting. Her expression shifted from confusion to horror as she took in the scene of destruction—their electrical grid system torn apart, their vehicle barricades scattered like toys, and a creature unlike anything they’d ever encountered methodically hunting their people with improvised weapons.

“We have to evacuate everyone immediately,” Martin said, seriously. “This building is no longer safe. We need to implement our emergency evacuation protocols right now.”

“What?” Margaret looked at Martin in shock, struggling to process what he was telling her. The Municipal Office had been their home, their sanctuary, the center of everything they’d built together over two months of careful planning and hard work. The idea of abandoning it seemed almost incomprehensible.

“You heard me, Margaret!” Martin shouted, his voice rising above the increasing sounds of combat and destruction around them. “Evacuate everyone now! Get them moving toward the emergency rally point! We don’t have time for discussion or debate!”

Margaret’s face went pale as the full implications of what Martin was saying hit her. She nodded with grim determination and rushed back into the building to begin organizing the evacuation that would save as many lives as possible.

Martin turned his attention to the other armed members of their community who had gathered around their ruined defensive perimeter, men who were looking to him for leadership and hoping he had some kind of plan that could salvage their impossible situation.

“Listen up, everyone!” Martin bellowed, his voice carrying over the chaos hoping his voice wasn’t trembling. “We need to hold these infected back long enough for everyone else to evacuate safely! This is about buying time, not winning a battle!”

He paused to fire several shots from his handgun at approaching infected, noting with growing alarm how many standard creatures were streaming through the gaps in their destroyed defenses. The enhanced infected might be the most dangerous immediate threat, but the sheer numbers of ordinary infected could overwhelm them through pure volume.

“Forget about conserving ammunition!” Martin continued, reloading his weapon. “Anyone with firearms, use them immediately and continuously! Don’t worry about making every shot count—worry about creating enough noise and destruction to slow them down!”

The defensive position around the Municipal Office immediately erupted into sustained gunfire as community members followed Martin’s orders. The sound of rifles, shotguns, and handguns created a constant crackling backdrop to the night, punctuated by the shouts of people coordinating their fire and calling out warnings about approaching threats.

Mark, who had been awakened by the initial destruction of their electrical system, activated the emergency lighting system he’d installed throughout their compound. Powerful floodlights blazed to life, illuminating the battlefield with harsh white light that revealed the full scope of the nightmare they were facing.

The enhanced visibility was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they could now see their targets clearly and coordinate their defensive fire more effectively. On the other hand, the light revealed just how many infected creatures were approaching their position, and how utterly inadequate their remaining defenses were for handling such numbers.

Some of the community members almost regretted having light as they saw the full extent of the infected army approaching them. Dozens and dozens of ordinary infected creatures moved through the darkness, all of them drawn by the sounds of destruction and the scent of human prey. But dominating the scene was the towering enhanced infected, standing like a commander in the middle of its forces.

“He’s preparing another attack!” Christopher shouted as he watched the enhanced creature bend down to retrieve another piece of their destroyed defensive system.

Everyone in their defensive position tensed as they saw the creature draw back its arm for another throw. Some of the defenders threw themselves to the side, trying to get out of the projectile’s probable path, but the enhanced infected had been observing their movements and adjusting its aim accordingly.

The spike flew through the air with lethal precision, striking another community member squarely in the chest and killing him instantly. The man’s name was Dan, a quiet mechanic who had been working on maintaining their vehicles and equipment. He had a wife and two young children who were probably being evacuated from the building at this very moment.

“Dan! No!” His best friend cried out, rushing toward the fallen man despite the obvious danger. The emotional reaction overrode tactical thinking as he knelt beside Dan’s body, trying desperately to find some sign of life even though the steel spike had clearly caused fatal damage.

“Damn it, what the hell is that thing, Christopher?” Martin asked while continuing to fire his handgun at the approaching mass of infected creatures. Of course he didn’t expected any answers, he was just speaking throughs shock.

“I don’t know exactly…” Christopher replied, though his conversation with Ryan was echoing in his memory with terrible relevance. “But Ryan mentioned encountering enhanced infected during some of his missions—creatures that were bigger, stronger, and more intelligent than the normal ones we’ve learned to handle.”

The pieces were beginning to fall into place in Christopher’s mind. Ryan had shared stories about battles with infected creatures that demonstrated tactical thinking, supernatural strength, and abilities that went far beyond simple viral mutation. At the time, Christopher had assumed those were isolated incidents, anomalies that didn’t represent a broader pattern.

As long as another Frost Walker didn’t pop up, Christopher thought it was fine…

“Wait, where is Ryan?” Christopher asked suddenly. He remembered Ryan sleeping beside him in their shared room, but when the destruction had awakened everyone, he’d assumed Ryan had already gone outside to help.

Looking around the defensive position, Christopher realized with growing alarm that Ryan was nowhere to be seen. Given everything that was happening, Ryan should have been among the first people to respond to the crisis, using his enhanced abilities and combat experience to help coordinate their defense.

The fact that he was missing during such a critical moment suggested that something had gone seriously wrong before the attack on their building had even begun.

“Ryan must be somewhere around here helping with the evacuation!” Martin shouted back, though his voice carried uncertainty that suggested he was beginning to have his own concerns about Ryan’s absence. “Christopher, I need you to get inside the building and help everyone evacuate! All our emergency vehicles with keys and supplies are parked about a mile away from here—we have to reach them and get out of this area immediately!”

The Municipal Office’s leadership had indeed prepared for emergency evacuation scenarios, understanding that their defensive position might eventually become untenable because of what happened with the Fire Spitter. Over the past weeks, they’d positioned a dozen vehicles with full fuel tanks, survival supplies, and emergency equipment at a rally point far enough away to be safe from immediate threats but close enough to reach during a crisis.

The evacuation plan was sophisticated and well-rehearsed, involving predetermined routes. But like their defensive preparations, the plan had been based on assumptions about normal infected behavior and conventional post-apocalyptic dangers.

None of their planning had anticipated facing an intelligent, coordinated enemy that could systematically destroy their defenses and hunt their people with improvised weapons.

“Right!” Christopher nodded immediately.

He turned and ran toward the Municipal Office entrance, leaving Martin and the other armed defenders to continue their desperate holding action against overwhelming odds. Behind him, the sounds of gunfire, shouting, and destruction continued to escalate as more infected creatures poured through their destroyed perimeter.

Inside the building, Christopher found organized chaos as Margaret directed the evacuation with remarkable efficiency despite the terror and confusion surrounding them. Families were gathering essential belongings, parents were organizing children, and everyone was moving around.

“Christopher!” Clara’s voice cut through the chaos as she spotted him entering the building, relief evident in her tone despite the terror etched across her features. “Thank God you’re here. We desperately need help getting everyone organized and moving toward the emergency exit at the building’s rear. The evacuation vehicles are prepared and waiting, but we have to reach them safely through this nightmare.”

Clara’s usually composed demeanor had cracked under the pressure of coordinating a mass evacuation while the sounds of battle raged just outside their walls. Her hair was disheveled from rushing between rooms, and sweat beaded on her forehead as she tried to maintain order among frightened families who were struggling to understand how their safe haven had become a death trap.

“How many people do we still need to evacuate?” Christopher asked urgently, already beginning to help guide confused families toward the predetermined escape routes that had been carefully planned but never tested under such dire circumstances.

“About sixty people total,” Clara replied. “That includes children who are too young to understand the danger, elderly community members who will need physical assistance, and several people with mobility issues who can’t travel quickly on their own.”

She gestured toward the crowded hallways where people were emerging from their converted bedroom spaces with hastily packed bags and expressions of bewildered terror. “Most of the younger adults are already moving toward the rally point, but we have critical people who simply cannot move at normal evacuation speed.”

“Alright, I’ll start organizing people into groups based on their mobility and—”

“Where is Wanda?!”

The desperate cry cut through Christopher’s planning as Joel burst through the main entrance, his aged face contorted with panic and his breathing ragged from obvious exertion. The elderly man’s clothes were disheveled, and his hands shook as he looked around frantically for any sign of his granddaughter.

“Joel, what’s wrong?” Christopher asked, immediately rushing toward the distraught grandfather.

“I can’t find Wanda anywhere!” Joel gasped, his words tumbling out in a rush of terror and desperation. “I’ve looked in every room, every corner, every place she might have gone to hide. She’s not in our sleeping area, she’s not in any of the common rooms, she’s just… gone!”

The old man’s breathing was becoming increasingly labored, and Christopher could see the signs of someone approaching cardiac distress. Joel’s advanced age and the stress of their current situation were combining into a potentially fatal medical emergency that would only complicate their evacuation further.

“Joel, you need to calm down and breathe slowly,” Christopher said, immediately guiding the panicked grandfather to the nearest chair and forcing him to sit before he collapsed entirely. “Take deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. We’re going to find Wanda, but I need you to stay conscious and functional.”

Christopher began patting Joel’s back rhythmically, trying to help regulate his breathing. Wanda was Joel’s entire world, the only family he had left, and the reason he fought so hard to remain useful despite his advancing years.

“Wanda… my little girl…” Joel wheezed, his voice breaking with emotion as tears began streaming down his weathered cheeks. “I looked everywhere I could think of. She wouldn’t just disappear, not when things are dangerous. She knows to stay close to me when there’s trouble.”

“She must be somewhere in the building,” Christopher tried to reassure him, though he could feel his own anxiety building as he considered the various terrible possibilities. “Wanda would never voluntarily leave you alone, especially not during an emergency. She’s probably just in a part of the building we haven’t checked yet, or maybe she’s helping with the evacuation in ways we haven’t accounted for.”

But even as he spoke the comforting words, Christopher’s enhanced awareness was beginning to piece together elements of their situation that painted a much darker picture. The attack on their building hadn’t been random or opportunistic—it had been too coordinated, too perfectly timed, too focused on destroying their specific defenses.

That’s when his eyes widened with a realization that sent ice through his veins.

The explosion that had destroyed their electrical grid hadn’t been the first unusual sound of the night. Before the massive impact that had awakened everyone, there had been something else—a sound he’d heard but dismissed in the chaos that followed.

It had been a scream. Not the typical moaning of wandering infected, but something far more powerful. A sound that carried unnatural resonance and seemed to come from everywhere at once.

None of them had paid attention to it because the destruction of their defensive barriers had been so much more immediate and obviously threatening. The sound of their electrical grid being torn apart and their vehicle barricades being scattered had dominated everyone’s attention completely.

But Christopher knew what that initial scream had been, and the implications were far worse than just an attack on their building.

The Screamer device had finally unleashed its full transmission.

The alien technology that Ryan had discovered at the radio station had activated its devastating final protocol, sending out the coordinated signal that would summon infected creatures from miles away in every direction. Jackson Township was about to be invaded by every infected creature within the device’s massive range of influence.

Christopher’s face went pale as the full scope of their predicament became clear.

“We have to leave this town immediately,” he muttered.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep