The hunter who saw the girl didn’t slow down.

It closed the distance in a single burst of movement, its body low as it lunged. The woman barely had time to scream before it hit her, the impact driving her straight into the pavement.

Her body jerked under the force as the creature pinned her down, its limbs locking her in place before she could even twist away. Her hands clawed at the ground, trying to push herself up, but it didn’t matter.

It was already on her.

Her scream tore through the air, sharp and desperate, cutting through the noise of gunfire and engines. It didn’t last long.

The hunter tore into her, ripping through flesh with brutal force. Blood spread across the concrete, dark and thick, pooling beneath her as the creature worked.

Inside the LC300, Jayson froze.

"...Jesus Christ," he whispered.

The driver didn’t look back.

He just pressed harder on the accelerator.

"Go! Go!" Jayson snapped, snapping out of it. "While it’s distracted!"

The wheels finally caught.

The vehicle lurched forward, breaking free from the wall and pushing down the road. The engine screamed as it gained speed, tires slipping over blood and debris before finding grip again.

Behind them, the hunter didn’t chase.

It stayed where it was.

Still tearing.

Still feeding.

The woman’s body twitched once.

Then stopped.

But the creature didn’t.

It kept going, tearing into what was left, as if nothing else in the world existed.

The remaining woman inside the vehicle had both hands over her mouth now, shaking uncontrollably, her eyes wide and locked on the scene they had just left behind.

She couldn’t process it.

Couldn’t breathe.

Jayson didn’t say anything.

He didn’t even turn back again.

He just stared forward, jaw tight, forcing himself to focus on the road ahead.

The Mayor, on the other hand, didn’t look disturbed.

He leaned back into his seat, adjusting his grip on his pistol as if nothing unusual had happened.

"See?" he said calmly. "It works."

Jayson didn’t answer.

He kept his eyes forward, scanning the road, trying to ignore what he had just seen.

But the silence didn’t last.

From behind them, the hunters was still chasing.

On the street behind the vehicle, it dropped low and sprinted forward.

It pushed off the ground with force, clearing debris in long strides, using wrecked cars and fallen bodies as stepping points to maintain speed.

Inside the vehicle, the driver focused on the road ahead.

"Clear path!" he shouted.

The engine roared louder as he pushed it harder, the speed climbing as they broke into a straighter stretch of road.

Jayson checked the side mirror—

Then froze.

"...We’ve got one!" he said.

"What?" the driver asked.

"Behind us! Fast!"

The Mayor didn’t turn immediately.

"...Then lose it," he said flatly.

Jayson leaned forward.

"Step on it!" he barked.

The driver didn’t need to be told twice.

He floored it.

The LC300 surged forward, engine screaming as it pushed past debris and through broken sections of the road. The suspension took the hits, bouncing over uneven concrete, but the vehicle held.

Behind them—

The Hunter didn’t slow.

It adapted.

When the car accelerated, it accelerated.

When the road opened, it closed the gap.

It ran in bursts.

Each step covering distance faster than anything human could manage.

"...It’s gaining!" Jayson shouted.

"No way..." the driver muttered.

He pushed the accelerator harder.

The speed climbed.

But it wasn’t enough.

The Hunter leapt.

Its body slammed onto the rear of the vehicle, claws scraping across the metal as it tried to find grip. The impact shook the LC300 violently, the rear dipping slightly under the sudden weight.

"Contact!" Jayson shouted, turning in his seat and raising his weapon.

The Hunter moved immediately.

It didn’t stay still.

It crawled across the back, its limbs gripping onto edges and seams, moving toward the rear window.

The cracked glass from earlier gave slightly under its weight.

"Shoot it!" Jayson yelled.

He fired in short bursts.

But the creature didn’t fall.

It jerked slightly from the impacts, then kept moving.

"Fuck—!"

The Hunter slammed its limb against the rear glass.

The cracks spread wider.

Another hit.

The glass bent inward.

"Sir, it’s going to break through!" Jayson shouted.

The Mayor finally turned.

His expression didn’t change.

He raised his pistol.

Waited.

Another hit.

The glass was seconds away from giving.

"Now!" Jayson shouted.

The Mayor fired.

The shot cracked inside the vehicle.

The round hit the Hunter at close range.

It staggered.

Just enough.

The driver swerved hard to the left.

The sudden shift threw the creature off balance.

It lost its grip, and slid off the back of the vehicle, hitting the road hard.

"Go! Go!" Jayson shouted.

The driver didn’t lift his foot.

The LC300 surged forward, engine screaming as it tore down the road, weaving through wreckage and broken pavement.

Inside, the vehicle shook from the speed.

"Keep it straight!" Jayson barked.

"I’m trying!" the driver snapped back, hands tight on the wheel.

For a second, it felt like they made it.

Distance opened.

The road ahead cleared.

The noise behind them faded.

The woman in the back seat gasped for air, shaking, her hands still pressed against her mouth.

"...It’s gone," the driver muttered, almost in disbelief.

Jayson didn’t answer. Then there was a blur.

Behind them, the Hunter was already back on its feet.

It didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t slow.

It sprinted again.

Faster this time.

Angrier.

It cut across the road at an angle, not following their path directly. It used the side debris, bouncing off a wrecked sedan, pushing off a wall, building speed in a way that didn’t make sense.

It wasn’t chasing anymore.

It was intercepting.

"...It’s coming again!" Jayson shouted.

"What?!" the driver yelled.

Before he could react, the Hunter leapt.

Not onto the rear this time.

It came from the side.

A full body impact slammed into the left flank of the LC300.

The force was brutal.

Metal crumpled inward.

The entire vehicle lifted on one side, tires losing contact with the ground.

Inside, everything shifted.

The woman screamed.

Jayson grabbed onto the dashboard.

"Hold—!"

The vehicle tipped.

Slow for a split second, then completely.

The LC300 rolled onto its side with a violent crash, the sound of metal grinding against asphalt echoing through the street. Glass shattered inward as the windows took the impact, fragments spraying across the interior.

The engine roared unevenly, still running, but the vehicle was no longer stable.