Chapter 209: The Wings of Death

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: The Wings of Death

Three Recon Drones flew toward the city, keeping low enough to avoid drawing attention as they approached the evacuation route from different directions.

Jaxon’s drone moved ahead of the others, slowly closing in on the convoy. When the camera finally cleared the rooftops, his expression immediately changed.

"...What the hell?"

The others immediately looked toward the screen.

Something enormous was attacking the convoy from above.

The creature stood more than five meters tall, its body covered in dark, hardened flesh. Its arms had transformed into massive wings, torn membrane stretched between thick bones and reinforced by bulging veins.

Each of its feet ended in four long, hooked claws, sharp enough to tear through metal.

And its head was the most disturbing part. Its entire jaw had split open far beyond what a human skull should allow, forming a massive mouth that stretched across almost the entire width of its head. Rows of jagged teeth filled the opening, while several smaller eyes were scattered across its skull, constantly moving as they searched for prey.

It looked like a giant bat had been twisted into something far more grotesque.

Then Jaxon noticed something even worse.

There wasn’t just one. More of the creatures moved through the sky, diving between the buildings and swooping down toward the convoy.

"More than ten..." Jaxon muttered.

Everyone watching the feed slowly went pale.

"Where did something like that even come from?" Elena asked, her voice tight.

...

The convoy had already descended into chaos.

"CONTACT! AIRBORNE!"

"Fire! Fire!"

Soldiers raised their rifles and machine guns, sending a storm of bullets into the sky. Tracer rounds streaked between the buildings as the creatures swooped down, but the infected were too fast.

They twisted through the air, dodging between buildings before attacking from another direction.

"Commander, this is First Squad! We’re under heavy aerial attack! Requesting immediate support!"

"Negative! All units, scatter and take cover!" the commander shouted through the radio. "Do not remain in the open!"

Before the soldiers could fully react, one of the creatures suddenly folded its wings and dropped toward an armored vehicle.

BOOM!

Its claws slammed into the roof, crushing the metal beneath them.

"Get out! Get out!" The soldiers inside desperately tried to escape, but the creature beat its massive wings and lifted the entire armored vehicle several meters into the air.

The soldiers could only cling to whatever they could find as the vehicle rose higher.

Then the creature released it.

The armored vehicle came crashing down onto the street.

BOOM!

The vehicle exploded on impact, flames engulfing the wreckage as shattered metal and debris scattered across the road.

"Move! Move! Move!"

Another creature suddenly swooped down and slammed onto the roof of a bus. Its massive claws dug into the metal before tearing through it with a horrible screech.

The roof peeled open, exposing the terrified faces of the civilians inside.

"Help us!"

"Get out of the bus!"

Soldiers rushed toward the exits, desperately trying to pull the civilians out, but the creature reached inside first. Its massive jaws snapped down, and the screams that followed were quickly drowned out by the sound of gunfire.

"Fall back!"

"Get inside the buildings!"

The convoy finally broke formation. Buses and armored vehicles scattered through the streets as drivers desperately searched for somewhere to take cover.

The commander grabbed his radio and shouted over the chaos.

"All units, abandon the main road! Get inside the buildings and establish defensive positions!"

He pointed toward the surrounding structures.

"Do not stay in the open! Repeat, do not engage them in the streets! Take cover and regroup!"

Soldiers began directing civilians toward nearby buildings while others provided covering fire.

But the infected above them continued circling like they were hunting.

One of the buses suddenly swerved off the road and crashed through the front of a grocery store.

CRASH! Glass exploded across the pavement as the bus forced its way inside, crushing shelves and sending products and debris flying in every direction.

The soldiers and civilians inside barely had time to react before a shadow passed over the broken windows.

The flying infected had followed them.

Its massive claws tore through the roof, ripping apart concrete and steel as it forced its way into the building. Pieces of the ceiling collapsed around the bus, and within seconds, the creature smashed through the side wall, creating a huge opening.

"What the fuck?!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Fire!"

The soldiers jumped out of the bus and immediately opened fire.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Rifle rounds struck the creature’s body, but most of them failed to penetrate its thick, leathery hide. A few bullets tore shallow wounds across its flesh, yet the creature barely slowed.

CRACK!

Its massive jaws clamped down on one of the soldiers and ripped him off the ground.

"AHHHHH!" The civilians scattered in panic.

"Run! Get away from it!"

People fled deeper into the store, knocking over shelves as they desperately searched for somewhere to hide. Some crawled beneath counters while others squeezed themselves into corners, trying their best not to make a sound.

The creature slowly moved through the store, its head turning from side to side. The smaller eyes scattered across its skull shifted constantly, while its strange ears twitched at every movement.

A civilian crouched behind a shelf, one hand covering his mouth as he desperately tried to control his breathing.

The creature stopped.

Then its head slowly turned toward him.

The man’s eyes widened. "No..."

The creature’s claws suddenly tore through the shelf.

"AAAAHHH!" His scream echoed through the store.

One by one, the creature found them. Every hiding place. Every movement. Every desperate attempt to escape.

When the last scream finally faded, the creature spread its massive wings and rose back into the sky.

Its many eyes scanned the streets below. There were still more vehicles to hunt.

From a distance, Jaxon’s group could only watch the chaos through the drone feed.

"Just what in the hell are we looking at?" Thomas muttered, a deep frown on his face as he stared at the screen.

Hae-in turned toward Jaxon, her expression tense. "What do we do?"

"We have to hide," Jaxon said immediately. "Start the vehicles and get as far away from the city as possible. We can’t stay here."

The group didn’t waste another second. Thomas climbed into the military truck while Haris rushed behind the wheel of the Hilux. The engines roared to life, and both vehicles quickly pulled away from the city, staying beneath the trees whenever possible.