That inhuman, high-pitched shriek seemed to pierce eardrums, stabbing deep into everyone's nerves, instantly igniting primal fear.
"Monster! What is that?! A flying monster!" Officer Martin was the first to cry out in terror.
He craned his neck back, staring horrified as the "Spider" leaped ghost-like between the buildings, drawing closer and closer.
Fear pulled the trigger on his sanity, and his finger spasmed uncontrollably on his rifle trigger, spitting flames uselessly towards the sky.
"What the hell?!" John, still in the cab of the semi-truck, felt his heart clench at Martin's scream and the terrifying shriek.
"It's… it's that monster! It's jumping too fast! Too high!" Miller's voice also changed pitch with extreme fear, trembling uncontrollably.
Even being surrounded by zombies on the streetlight hadn't instilled such bizarre, bone-chilling, eerie dread in him.
"Everyone! Take cover! Against the walls or vehicles! Don't fucking waste ammo firing blindly!" John didn't immediately jump out of the cab.
Instead, he ducked low, warily observing the rapidly moving threat above through the shattered windshield, yelling commands at the top of his lungs, trying to regain control of the situation.
But before John's command even finished echoing, Sam had already reacted instinctively—he dove towards the nearest cover, the overturned wreck of the police car, practically hugging the ground.
At the same time, the ordinary zombies nearby, drawn by the gunfire and scent of blood, snarled and surged closer, instantly creating a dire situation of being attacked from both front and back.
In that critical moment, the engine of the semi-truck that had just been moved roared again.
Jason, in the driver's seat—whether completely terrified out of his mind or driven by some twisted logic to save the children first—saw the zombies already clawing and banging at his truck doors, and saw the nightmarish "Spider" creature relentlessly bounding closer through the air.
Fear completely consumed his eyes.
He slammed the truck into gear, foot stomping the accelerator to the floor.
The massive semi-truck, like a maddened beast, charged forward recklessly, sending several zombies in its path flying, speeding away from the school, away from this disaster zone.
And the aberration known as the "Spider" had clearly chosen its first target—the accelerating semi-truck.
It violently pushed off the wall, its sharp talons digging deep into the concrete and brickwork, sending debris showering down.
In the next instant, its mutated limbs coiled inward, gathering power, then explosively sprang forward like a maximally compressed spring.
The terrifying sound of tearing wind ripped through the air again.
This time, it wasn't just leaping, but launching itself like a siege bolt.
Its metallic, gleaming talons traced several deadly arcs through the air, aimed squarely at the semi-truck's cab.
Squelch—CRASH!
The thick windshield of the truck cab, faced with these spear-like claws, proved as fragile as thin ice hit by high-speed stones, instantly shattering into fragments.
The next victim was Jason in the driver's seat.
The deadly talons pierced the shattered glass without resistance, like red-hot knives slicing through butter, simultaneously impaling his throat, heart, abdomen, and the arm gripping the steering wheel.
Blood erupted like a fountain, instantly painting the interior of the cab crimson.
Jason couldn't even complete the motion of drawing his gun—when he saw the monster lunging, he instinctively reached for his sidearm, but his fingers had barely brushed the cold metal when his body was pierced by several spikes.
Agony and suffocation instantly stole his ability to cry out.
He could only stare wide-eyed in horror, feeling the terrifying spikes brutally twisting inside him, before an irresistible force yanked him bodily out of the driver's seat.
"Jason—!!" Martin roared, raising his rifle and firing wildly at the creature that had just committed the atrocity.
One bullet hit the pale limb of the creature, punching a small hole, even causing its movements to stiffen and falter for a split second, a hiss that might have been pain escaping its throat.
But this minor injury seemed utterly insufficient to stop it.
The "Spider" treated Martin's shots like annoying gnats.
Cradling Jason's still bleeding, twitching corpse like a ragged doll, its agility seemingly unimpaired by the burden, it kicked off the truck roof again, leaping with incredible power towards a sixth-floor window of a nearby building where the glass was already broken.
Without hesitation, it tossed its 'prey' inside, disappearing into the darkness within—clearly, its larder for storing 'food'.
The driverless semi-truck, relying on inertia, coasted forward less than ten meters before veering crookedly to a stop.
The school bus, still attached by the tow rope, slammed into the back of the truck due to the sudden halt.
A loud CRUNCH! of twisting metal echoed.
Inside the bus, the children, who had just quieted down, erupted into even more piercing screams and cries.
The loud collision and the children's wails, mixed with the greedy snarls of more zombies drawn by the fresh blood, instantly turned this small area into a true hell on earth.
"What the fuck was that thing?!" Miller cursed, a mixture of fear and disbelief in his voice.
He quickly backed up, yelling at Sam and Martin, "Close ranks! Back to back! Watch above!"
Martin, panting heavily, retreated towards Miller while firing his rifle at the ordinary zombies swarming in from the sides.
Sam immediately tightened the defensive perimeter.
The three quickly formed a temporary triangular formation, covering each other's backs, struggling to deal with the ever-increasing number of common zombies pouring in from both ends of the street.
Spent casings continuously ejected, clinking on the ground, but each ejected shell meant they were one step closer to running out of ammunition.
John was still in the dump truck, armed only with a pistol, unable to provide significant fire support.
And the "Spider" aberration, now perched high on the building wall like a cold-blooded hunter, looked down upon them.
It didn't attack immediately, merely scanning the three men resisting futilely below, and the 'rations' trapped in the school bus further away, with its lifeless eyes.
Sam instantly understood its intention—it was waiting.
Waiting for these common zombies to deplete their ammunition, waiting for them to become exhausted and fall into despair, before it descended gracefully to enjoy the final feast.
[Damn it, this zombie is actually fucking smart?!] Sam's heart turned cold.
This was almost a checkmate situation.
The aberration was ridiculously fast, its strength terrifying; once their ammo ran out or if they tried to flee, there was no way they could outrun it on foot.
The "Spider" seemed to relish this cat-and-mouse game.
It let out another high-pitched shriek, as if mocking its prey, the sound causing a wave of nausea and fear in everyone who heard it.
It seemed to be growing impatient.
Just as despair threatened to engulf everyone—the school bus door suddenly burst open.
It was Officer Laura.
Like a whirlwind, she dashed out of the bus, pistol gripped tightly, ignoring the common zombies closing in around her, sprinting straight towards the semi-truck cab blocking the road ahead.
The "Spider," perched high above, immediately noticed this prey attempting to escape the 'dinner plate'.
It let out an enraged screech, its limbs tensing, launching itself from the high wall like an arrow, diving towards Laura's path.
It would not allow any 'food' to escape.
But Laura's target wasn't the truck cab at all.
Just as the "Spider" lunged at her, she screamed towards Sam and the others with all her might:
"Now! Fire on my position!!"
Before the echo of her shout faded, she threw herself forward into a roll, landing with surprising agility, narrowly dodging the diving monster and rolling into the deep shadow beneath the massive semi-truck.
Sam, Miller, and Martin instantly understood her intention.
She had used herself as bait, creating a perfect window of opportunity for them.
Almost simultaneously, they swiveled their weapons, all their fury, fear, and survival instinct converging on their fingertips, aiming towards the spot where the "Spider" was now exposed in its dive, about to land—and opened fire with everything they had.
The rifle and shotgun roared together, a dense hail of firepower instantly saturating the spot where the "Spider" was about to land.
Bullets hammered against the side of the semi-truck like a downpour, leaving pockmarks and sending metal fragments flying.
Yet, the "Spider" reacted impossibly fast mid-air.
Just before landing, it curled into a tight ball with astonishing speed, using its chitinous, mutated limbs to shield its head and torso.
Even so, the intense barrage tore more wounds across its pale skin, squeezing out more dark, coagulated blood.
Two smaller, blade-like limbs were even blown clean off by the heavy caliber rounds, snapping with a sickening crack.
The "Spider" let out a piercing shriek filled with pain and fury.
It didn't pause for a moment.
After absorbing the concentrated fire, dark red, almost congealed blood oozed from its severed limbs, but its remaining talons dug into the ground, launching it upwards again with even greater speed and ferocity.
It hadn't forgotten the bait that lured it down.
As it leaped, one intact, spear-like talon flashed out, stabbing towards the underside of the truck.
"AHHH—!!" Laura, hiding underneath, never anticipated the counterattack after such heavy fire, let alone that it would come from above.
The sharp spike instantly impaled the back of her thigh, pinning her brutally between the ground and the truck's undercarriage.
Agony ripped a horrific scream from her.
And the "Spider," still airborne, flung the impaled limb violently, like shaking off an annoying rag.
The immense force sent Officer Laura flying like a crushed soda can, slamming hard against the school building wall over ten meters away.
A sickening CRACK of breaking bone echoed horribly.
She slid down the wall like spilled batter, her body twisted unnaturally, completely motionless.
She was still breathing, but her eyes had lost focus, filled only with endless pain and rapidly fading life—a cruel, still-breathing death.
"You bastard—!!" Martin's eyes were bloodshot, consumed by overwhelming terror and rage.
He roared, holding down the trigger of his rifle, spraying bullets wildly at the "Spider" as it leaped rapidly between buildings again, dodging the shots.
The "Spider," though injured, dripping vile fluids, its movements slightly hampered by the missing limbs, seemed utterly enraged now, its aggression amplified.
Suddenly, the "Spider" dove sharply, its talons flashing as it impaled two nearby common zombies.
It effortlessly lifted the two shambling corpses, then hurled them like trash bags towards the three remaining officers on the ground.
"What?!" Miller and Sam reacted instantly, swiveling their guns and blowing the heads off the two 'meat projectiles' sent flying their way.
But in that split second they were distracted dealing with the 'flying objects,' the "Spider" seized the opening.
Like a phantom, it dove straight down from above, its target clear—the heavy-set officer Martin, who had lost his cool in his rage and nearly emptied his magazine.
"Ahhhhh—!" Martin finally noticed the shadow of death descending upon him.
He screamed in terror, fingers instinctively mashing the trigger.
However, his earlier wild firing had nearly depleted his ammunition.
The rifle only spat out a few futile rounds, adding a couple more bleeding holes to the creature's shoulder, before falling silent with the hopeless, empty click-click of the trigger…
And… the horrifying sound of sharp blades tearing through flesh and bone.
Several gleaming spikes instantly pierced Martin's portly torso, blooming large, bloody holes in his chest and abdomen.
He choked, trying to let out a final scream, but blood surged up his throat, silencing him completely.
And the "Spider," having struck, didn't pause.
It swiftly used Martin's heavy body as a shield, perfectly concealing itself behind his bulk.
"Damn it!!" Miller raised his shotgun, staring at Martin, who was still twitching slightly, impaled and used as a meat shield.
For a split second, he couldn't bring himself to fire.
But in that fraction of a second of hesitation—Sam moved.
He was eerily calm now, a chilling coldness he'd never felt before settling over him.
His rifle rose steadily, aiming not at Martin, but through the gaps in Martin's body, at the sliver of pale white visible behind the 'meat shield,' where the "Spider" was already shifting, preparing its next attack.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The rifle bullets screamed out, ruthlessly tearing through Martin's still-bleeding, fleshy torso, accurately striking the "Spider" hidden behind its gruesome shield.