Chapter 43: Chapter 43 - Zombie Wave (5)

The virus had nearly wiped out civilization, but humanity’s creativity and firepower—once used to dominate the world—still served as a grim reminder of its unmatched potential for destruction. Even now, no other force could rival humanity’s ability to wreak havoc.

“Cole, what’s the status of the bombing?” Antonny’s voice buzzed through the radio, cutting through the crackle of static.

Cole glanced at the fiery chaos below, his lips curling into a smirk. “Looks like we’ve taken out two, maybe three hundred thousand.”

Antonny’s reply carried a faint note of grim satisfaction. “Good. Let’s hit them again.”

“Roger that!” Cole said, his grin widening as he prepared for another run.

As their planes banked around for a fresh attack, a lone zombie amidst the massive horde slowly lifted its head. Its glowing eyes burned with an unnatural intelligence, tracking the aircraft with eerie precision. Then, it unleashed a piercing, high-pitched scream—silent to human ears but powerful enough to ripple through the air like a shockwave.

The horde reacted instantly. A wave of madness spread like wildfire, the zombies convulsing before their eyes lit up with frenzied intensity. A guttural roar erupted from the masses, shaking the ground as they charged toward the nearest human defenses.

Among them, the Hunters—agile, mutated zombies—sprang into action. Some bolted toward stairwells in the surrounding buildings, while others scaled glassy skyscrapers like spiders, their claws digging into the smooth surfaces with terrifying precision.

As the horde shifted, the area around the strange, intelligent zombie emptied. Antonny, eyeing his original target, cursed under his breath. “Switch targets! Bomb the usual zone!” he barked, steering his plane lower and preparing to release his final two missiles.

The bombs struck their mark, triggering massive fireballs that tore through the densest part of the horde, leaving a charred wasteland in their wake.

“Prepare the cluster bombs!” Cole’s voice broke through the radio as he aligned his plane with Antonny’s. Following closely, he lowered his bomber and unleashed the cluster munitions. A cascade of explosions lit up the ground below, consuming waves of undead in an inferno.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Cole laughed, watching the destruction unfold. “Too bad we’re almost out of ammo.”

“Not quite,” Antonny replied. “I’ve got a few machine guns left. Stay on me—I’ll lead us in.”

“Got it,” Cole answered, lowering his plane to match Antonny’s path.

But their victory was short-lived. A chilling roar echoed across the city, sending shivers down their spines. Out of nowhere, Hunters launched themselves from the rooftops, their insect-like limbs propelling them with horrifying accuracy. Their claws gleamed in the dim light as they leaped toward the bombers.

“Damn it!” Antonny cursed, his heart racing as he realized the threat too late. “They’re coming from above! Watch out!”

The warning came seconds too late. The heavy bombers, unable to maneuver quickly, became sitting ducks. Hunters latched onto their fuselages, claws tearing through metal like paper. Alarms blared in Antonny’s cockpit as one Hunter ripped his plane’s wing clean off.

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Losing control, his fighter spiraled toward the ground. Below, the hungry horde waited like a tide ready to consume him.

“Antonny!” Cole’s panicked voice rang out, but there was no time for grief. His own bomber was under attack. Hunters clung to its wings, tearing into the engines. Smoke and flames billowed as the controls failed.

“Engines One and Two are gone! We’re going down!” Cole shouted, his voice heavy with desperation.

One by one, the planes crashed. Antonny’s fighter hit first, followed by Cole’s and another bomber. Explosions lit up the skyline, their fiery aftermath casting an eerie glow over the city.

From a distance, Zack spotted the fireballs and swore under his breath. “Why the hell were they flying so low?” he muttered angrily.

A faint voice crackled through the comms. “Cole… Cole?” It was Antonny, weak but alive.

“Cole’s gone,” Ava’s voice cut in, tight with urgency. “Hold on, Captain. I’m coming for you!”

“No… don’t,” Antonny whispered, his voice faint. Trapped inside the mangled cockpit, he could hear the zombies clawing at the glass. Cracks spiderwebbed across it, each one a countdown to his end. He knew his time was almost up.

Zack clenched his jaw as he pinpointed the crash site. Without a second thought, he gunned his thrusters, pushing toward Antonny’s location.

But before he could get there, another jet streaked through the sky. It was Ava. “Hang on, Captain!” she shouted, diving her plane straight into the heart of the horde.

Her plane’s machine guns roared, tearing through the zombies with relentless precision. The clearing around Antonny grew, giving him precious moments of safety. But Ava’s steep dive came at a cost. The G-forces pressed against her, blurring her vision as the plane strained under the pressure.

At eight Gs, the world went dark, but her grip on the controls never faltered. At the last second, she pulled up, her plane’s nose skimming mere meters above the ground. As the blood rushed back to her head, her vision cleared, and she exhaled a shaky breath. “Barely made it…”

Circling above, Ava kept her sights locked on the horde. She wasn’t done yet. If they surged again, she’d be ready to fire.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Antonny seized the hard-earned opportunity. Before the zombies could regroup, he unbuckled his harness, grabbed his pistol, and jumped out of the cockpit. But danger was closing in fast. From a nearby building, a Hunter—a monstrous creature—launched itself off a wall, snarling as it sprinted toward him.

Just as it was about to reach Antonny, Zack dropped from above, slamming into the Hunter with such force that it flew down the street, smashing through streetlights and skidding across the pavement.

Before the creature could recover, Zack's shoulder-mounted Vulcan cannon spun to life, unleashing a hail of bullets that shredded the Hunter into a gruesome mess. Zack turned to Antonny, irritation clear in his voice. "This your plan? Fly low and get swarmed by zombies?"

Antonny lowered his head, his voice heavy with regret. "I... I got careless." He didn’t try to dodge the blame—it was his overconfidence that had caused the crash. Surviving had been pure luck, but not everyone had been so fortunate. His squad… they had paid the ultimate price.

Zack sighed and shook his head, skipping the lecture. Instead, he grabbed Antonny by the collar and launched into the air, carrying him like a sack of potatoes. They sped toward the three remaining bombers in the sky. "Open the hatch!" Zack barked over the comms.

“Captain Antonny?!” One of the bomber pilots glanced back in shock. The moment he spotted Antonny dangling from Zack’s grip, he quickly opened the rear hatch. “Rear hatch open!”

Without missing a beat, Zack adjusted their approach and swung Antonny inside, landing him safely in the cabin. “How many cluster bombs do you have left?” Zack asked, his tone sharp.

Antonny, steadying himself, yelled over the noise, “We’re out of cluster bombs, but we’ve still got regular explosives. We can keep hitting them if you need it!”

Zack grimaced. “Out of cluster bombs, huh? Fine. I’ll handle the rest myself.” He turned and dove straight back toward the chaos below without another word.

Antonny blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Zack’s resolve. “Is he serious?” Shaking his head, he manually shut the hatch and hurried to the cockpit.