Back in the command center.

"Sir, all shadows are inbound back to base," one of the operators said.

"Yeah I saw that, thank you very much for the update. Now I need another update on Forbes—wait, what the heck is that? Moving through the crowds of zombies..."

The operators looked at the screen and a flicker of recognition flash before their eyes.

"Sir, that’s a Hunter..."

The room went quiet for a second.

Not because they didn’t know what it was.

But because of how many.

The thermal feed sharpened as the drone adjusted focus.

At first, it looked like fast movers cutting through the scattered infected. But then the shapes became clearer.

Moving in bursts instead of a steady pace.

"Count them," Adrian said, stepping closer to the screen.

"Stand by..."

The operator zoomed further, tagging each moving heat signature.

"One... three... five..."

He paused.

"...twelve..."

More entered the frame.

"...twenty... and still counting."

Another operator leaned forward.

"Sir, they’re not engaging the zombies," he said. "They’re pushing through them."

On screen, it was clear.

The Hunters didn’t slow.

They didn’t get dragged down.

They moved through the infected like they weren’t even there, shoving bodies aside, leaping over obstacles, using anything in their path to maintain speed.

And they were heading in one direction.

Forbes Park.

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

"Warn them," he said.

"Sir, we have no direct comms with the compound."

"Then track them," Adrian replied. "Keep eyes on those things."

"Yes, sir."

Inside Forbes Park, the evacuation was still ongoing.

"Second bus, move!" someone shouted.

The engine roared as another vehicle pushed forward, weaving through bodies and debris.

Civilians were still climbing into the remaining buses, panic rising again as the gunfire from the perimeter started to pick up.

"Why are they firing again?" a woman cried out.

No one answered her.

At the eastern side, the defenders saw it first.

"What the hell is that?" one of them said, raising his rifle.

Something moved through the street.

Fast.

Too fast.

Not like the others.

"Contact! New contact!" another shouted.

But it didn’t slow them.

The first Hunter closed the distance in seconds.

It didn’t hesitate.

It didn’t stop.

It slammed into the front line.

One guard didn’t even get a second shot off before he was thrown backward, his body hitting the ground hard.

"Fall back!" someone yelled.

But there was no time.

More came in behind it.

Five.

Ten.

Then more.

They hit the line all at once.

A Hunter leapt over a barricade, landing directly in front of a group of guards. One of them fired point blank.

The rounds hit.

But it kept moving.

It grabbed him before he could step back.

Screams followed.

Another Hunter burst through the side, slamming into a second group and breaking their formation instantly.

"Break! Break!" someone shouted.

But the line was already gone.

Back near the buses, one of the drivers looked up just in time.

"What the—"

The impact came without warning.

A Hunter hit the side of the first bus at full speed.

The entire vehicle rocked violently.

Then, it tipped.

Then all at once.

The bus rolled onto its side with a loud crash, metal scraping against concrete, glass shattering as it hit the ground.

People inside screamed.

Some were thrown against the windows.

Others crushed under the sudden shift.

"Bus down! Bus down!" someone shouted.

Panic spread instantly.

Civilians started running again.

Not toward the buses anymore.

Just away.

Anywhere.

"Hold the line!" a guard yelled, trying to regroup his men.

But it didn’t work.

The Hunters didn’t give them time.

They moved from target to target, hitting isolated groups, breaking any attempt at formation before it could stabilize.

Gunfire became erratic.

Desperate.

"Where the hell did these things come from?!" one of the guards shouted.

No one answered.

Because there was no answer.

Above, in the command center, Adrian watched everything unfold.

The screen that had just shown progress now showed collapse.

"Sir... they’re tearing through them," one of the operators said.

Adrian didn’t respond immediately. He knew there’s nothing they could so since the AC-130 was just recalled.

Meanwhile, there’s an LC300 pushing through the inner road.

The armored vehicle forced its way past debris, tires crunching over broken concrete and bodies alike. The engine roared as the driver tried to keep momentum, weaving through the chaos while gunfire cracked around them.

Inside, it was worse.

The Mayor sat in the rear seat, one hand gripping his pistol, the other braced against the door as the vehicle jolted over uneven ground. Across from him, two women huddled together, eyes wide, trying to stay quiet as screams echoed outside.

Jayson sat in the front passenger seat, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

"Sir, we need to get out of this sector," he said. "They’ve broken the line. We won’t hold here."

The Mayor didn’t answer right away.

He looked out the window instead.

Guards running.

Some firing.

Some falling.

The situation had changed again.

"...Useless," he muttered.

Another impact hit somewhere outside, close enough to shake the vehicle.

"What the hell was that?!" the driver shouted.

Jayson leaned forward.

"Keep moving!" he ordered. "Don’t stop for anything!"

The LC300 surged forward again, then something hit it.

The entire vehicle lurched sideways, metal groaning under the force. The rear wheel lifted slightly before slamming back down.

Inside, the women screamed.

"What the—!" the driver yelled, fighting the wheel.

Jayson twisted in his seat.

"Contact! Something hit us!"

The Mayor’s expression shifted, not fear, but irritation.

"Drive," he said coldly. "Don’t stop."

But it wasn’t that simple.

Another impact.

This time from the side.

The vehicle slammed into a low wall, stopping it dead.

The engine was still running.

But they weren’t moving.

Then a heavy thud landed on the hood.

The metal dented inward.

"Sir!" Jayson shouted.

The Mayor looked up.

For a split second, he saw it through the cracked windshield.

Then it was gone.

A shadow slipping off the front.

"Back up!" Jayson yelled.

The driver shifted gears, flooring it.

The wheels spun.

No traction.

They were stuck.

Another hit came from the rear.

The vehicle rocked violently.

One of the women cried out, covering her head.

"It’s here!" she screamed.

Jayson drew his weapon, aiming toward the rear window. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I’ve got nothing!" he said. "It’s moving too fast!"

The Mayor stayed seated.

Closer this time.

Right beside the rear door.

The metal bent slightly inward.

The women shrieked again.

"Open the door!" one of them cried. "Let us out!"

"No," the Mayor said.

He turned his head slowly toward them.

"No one moves unless I say so."

The vehicle shook again.

Harder.

The rear window cracked.

Lines spreading across the glass.

Jayson looked back again.

"Sir, it’s going to breach!"

The Mayor didn’t panic.

He simply reached forward and grabbed one of the women by the arm.

She gasped.

"Wait—what are you doing—"

He didn’t answer.

He pulled her toward the door, ignoring her struggle.

"Sir!" Jayson shouted. "What are you doing?!"

The Mayor opened the door.

The moment it cracked open, something slammed into it from the outside.

The force nearly tore it from his grip.

The woman screamed.

And the Mayor pushed her out.

Straight into it.