Chapter 53: Chapter 53: There Were So Many Children

"The parking garage seems fine."

Sierra said, looking toward the supermarket.

As she moved, the headlamp she wore cast its beam on the supermarket entrance.

The dust-covered plastic curtain strips shimmered dimly in the light.

The curtain strips blocked the beam, making it impossible to see what lay beyond them.

The pitch-black entrance was like a terrifying Aberrant Beast that had opened its gaping maw, silently waiting for them to walk right into its trap.

Sierra frowned. "I have a feeling something’s not right in there..."

Before she could finish, a rustling, skittering sound came from inside.

It was coming from inside the supermarket.

It sounded like countless feet, scrambling at high speed.

"Something’s coming out! Fall back!"

Jayce grabbed Sierra and ran for the escalator.

Neither of them dared to look back as they scrambled frantically up the escalator.

Only when they reached the first floor did Sierra finally risk a look back.

A dense swarm of enormous spiders was crawling up the escalator after them.

Each spider was as big as her head.

The swarm of spiders was so dense it was impossible to count them.

All she could see was a writhing mass of countless eyes and countless legs. A cold sweat broke out on her back, and every hair on her body stood on end.

It wasn’t just fear.

It was, more than anything, disgust.

Sierra had never had trypophobia, but this scene was enough to trigger it.

’How can they be so disgusting!’

Jayce was already forming countless spheres of water, hurling them down nonstop.

The massive spheres of water carried an incredible impact, knocking the spiders straight back down.

But killing so many of them wouldn’t be an easy task.

More importantly, they had no idea if more spiders were on the way.

Without knowing their total numbers, getting bogged down in a fight was a bad idea.

While the water spheres held the spiders back, Jayce and Sierra turned and fled.

They ran like the wind and were out of the shopping mall in moments.

Dominic Crawford was standing beside a car, his gaze fixed on the shopping mall’s entrance.

Seeing Sierra and Jayce burst out in such a desperate state, Dominic Crawford didn’t even stop to ask what happened. He immediately threw open the door of the car next to him. "Get in, quick!"

Sierra and Jayce moved just as quickly, diving into the car.

Dominic Crawford scrambled in right after them.

In the car, door slammed—it was all one fluid motion.

As the door slammed shut, Dominic Crawford switched on the walkie-talkie in his hand. "Withdraw!"

At Dominic Crawford’s word, all the vehicles’ engines roared to life, and the convoy immediately pulled away.

Only then did Dominic Crawford look worriedly at Sierra and Jayce. "What happened? What’s down there?"

Ignoring Dominic Crawford’s question, Sierra scrambled to the back of the vehicle and peered out the small rear window.

The car hadn’t gone far, and the blowing sand wasn’t too thick, so her vision wasn’t overly obstructed. She could clearly see spiders chasing out of the shopping mall.

In moments, a black tide spread across the open ground in front of the mall.

It was all spiders!

Dominic Crawford had come over with Jayce, and was now pressed against another window, looking out.

Even seeing it with his own eyes, Dominic Crawford found it hard to believe.

"What... are those? Spiders?"

’How could spiders get that big?’

’Before the apocalypse, he’d only ever seen spiders that big on TV!’

’Watching them on TV was just thrilling.’

’Seeing them for real was way more intense!’

The sight was so intense that Dominic Crawford swallowed hard.

Even though they were driving away, he couldn’t stop thinking.

’If he had gone underground with them, faced with that many spiders, would he even have had the strength to run?’

’He was suddenly grateful he hadn’t insisted on going.’

’He hadn’t gotten himself killed, and he hadn’t been a burden to Sierra and Jayce.’

Only when the mall entrance was completely out of sight did Sierra finally pull her gaze away and slump weakly into her seat.

’Just moments ago, she’d been focused only on escaping, with no time to think.’

’But she knew in her heart.’

’Bruce Rhodes and the others... they must all be gone...’

It was a cruel realization, one Sierra desperately didn’t want to believe.

But she had no choice but to believe it.

Even people with relatively strong Superpowers, like her and Jayce, could only turn and run when faced with so many spiders.

Bruce Rhodes’s group had only a few Superpower Users with weak abilities; the rest were all ordinary survivors.

They would have been completely powerless against an army of spiders like that.

"Sierra."

Jayce gently wrapped an arm around Sierra’s shoulders.

"Don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault! You did everything you could!"

They had gotten back to the base, and without even stopping for a sip of water or a moment’s rest, had immediately led the convoy back to mount a rescue.

But fate was cruel; in the end, they were still too late.

Jayce was just as devastated, but he didn’t want Sierra to take all the blame onto herself.

Sensing Jayce’s concern, Sierra shook her head gently. "Don’t worry. I’m not going to blame myself for everything. I’m not a god; I can’t save everyone."

"I’m glad you can think that way." Jayce breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been afraid she wouldn’t be able to get past it and would secretly blame herself.

Listening to their conversation, Dominic Crawford began to understand what had happened.

After all, he had spent the last two days with them, and they had gotten along well.

They had only been separated for a few hours, and now they were gone forever. For a moment, he couldn’t accept it.

Dominic Crawford slumped back into his seat, his expression growing increasingly complex.

After a long while, Dominic Crawford forcefully slapped his own leg.

"There were so many children..."

Dominic Crawford’s voice was quiet, and thick with a choked sob.

At that moment, the powerfully built man was utterly helpless.

Sierra also remembered the children who had brought her and Jayce something to eat.

She could still see their smiles floating before her eyes, but the children themselves were already...

Sierra closed her eyes.

Her loathing for this apocalyptic world intensified. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Her hatred for the Aberrant Beasts overflowed.

’I have to get my Superpower stronger, and fast!’

’It’s the only way to fight the Aberrant Beasts.’

’Not like this, where I know those spiders killed Bruce Rhodes and his people, but I can’t get revenge—I can only turn tail and run.’

The vehicles had come empty, and now they were returning empty.

When Kevin Everett learned what had happened, his expression grew somber.

"The Aberrant Beasts are multiplying, and humanity’s living space is shrinking. We have to speed up the search for survivors."

If we don’t, the Aberrant Beasts will eat everyone!

Jayce and Sierra’s expressions were resolute. "We’ll start searching for survivors tomorrow."

Kevin Everett nodded. "The search is important, but so is your safety. I just want you to come back safe and sound."