Zeltan spun around. His eyes widened as the Aether Railgun hummed to life, prepping for another strike.
Inside the truck, the dashboard screen flashed red.
[Target Elimination Failed.]
[Railgun Overload Charging.]
[Preparing for another attack.]
Energy gathered deep within the cannon’s barrel. This time, the metal housing glowed a blistering red.
[Initiating attack in 10 seconds.]
Fury flashed across Zeltan’s face at the threat to the Blood Altar. He thrust an arm toward the sky. His heavy halberd tore through the air and slapped firmly into his grip.
"I won’t give you another chance."
Shielded by his amulet’s barrier, Zeltan launched the weapon at the Apocalypse Truck. The halberd became a violent blur of spinning metal as it crossed the distance.
Grandpa Jiro spotted the incoming threat. He shoved the truck door open and leaned out, yelling over the wind.
"Kid, accelerate! An attack is coming our way. I’ll try to intercept it!"
Danny slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The heavy engine roared, pushing the vehicle faster in a desperate bid to outrun the strike. But the weapon only spun faster, tracking them like a magnet.
Jiro drew his sword, the steel heating to a glowing red. He braced himself to deflect the blow. Just before impact, the halberd snapped its trajectory. Rather than striking the cabin, it hooked downward and smashed into the front passenger tire.
BOOM!
The rubber exploded. The speeding truck fishtailed, caught the dirt, and launched violently into the air. With the door unlatched, the sheer force ripped Grandpa Jiro from the cabin.
Danny lunged, grabbing the old man’s arm. But he lacked the strength to anchor them both. Jiro’s momentum dragged Danny out into the open air right behind him.
The truck’s AI blared over the speakers.
[Truck Damaged.]
[Canceling attack.]
The Aether Railgun powered down, its hum dying away.
[Requesting occupants to brace for impact.]
[Safety measures initiated.]
Thick airbags erupted from the side panels, swallowing the remaining passengers in a protective layer. The heavy truck hit the earth.
CRASH!
Metal groaned as it rolled over three full times before skidding to a halt, resting yards away from its original path.
The airbags hissed and deflated. Lily and Linda, along with the unconscious Aldina and Nina, were bruised but unharmed. The world kept spinning for Linda as she tried to shake off the dizziness.
A cold jolt of panic hit her. Danny. She had seen him fall. Snatching her rifle, she scrambled out of the wreckage and scanned the battlefield.
She found him lying in the dirt a few yards from the crumpled truck. He groaned, a thin line of blood running down his forehead. Linda bolted toward him.
"Husband! Are you okay?"
A few paces away, she froze. The deafening crash had drawn the roaming infected. Shambling figures were already closing in on Danny’s prone body. Panic gripped her chest. She raised her rifle and squeezed the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sharp cracks roused Danny from his daze.
"Linda, don’t!"
The warning came too late. The loud shots shifted the horde’s focus. Half a dozen rotting faces turned her way and broke into a sprint.
Linda held her ground, firing shot after shot into the rushing crowd. Most dropped before they got close, their bodies tumbling into the dust.
A low snarl slipped past her guard. A Crawler Zombie launched itself from a blind spot.
Danny’s eyes widened in horror.
"No, Linda!"
She flinched at the shout and twisted her body away, but the creature was faster. The crawler’s jaws clamped down hard, sinking deep into her forearm.
Danny watched in disbelief, his pupils shaking.
"She... she got bitten."
"She was only trying to save me..."
His hands shook as he stared at the dirt.
"Why... why am I so weak?"
A dormant spark ignited in his chest, sending a violent wave of heat through his veins. Danny’s eyes flushed red. He thrust his trembling hand forward.
BOOM!
The earth tore open beneath the crawler. A massive hand made of solid rock breached the surface, closing into a fist as it drove upward.
SPLAT!
The stone crushed the creature into pulp.
But Danny couldn’t stop. He threw his head back to the sky, a raw scream tearing from his throat.
"AHHHHHHH!"
A dark, suffocating madness clouded his thoughts.
The earth beneath the entire battlefield rumbled.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Pillars of jagged rock and giant stone hands erupted from the soil. They lashed out without aim, grabbing and flattening everything in reach. Zombies were swatted away like insects, and even the nearby military soldiers had to dive to avoid being pulverized.
Leo dropped into the chaos. He zeroed in on Danny at the center of the destruction. A heavy sense of dread settled in Leo’s stomach. He remembered this exact scenario. William. This was exactly what had happened when William first awakened his powers. Danny was spiraling.
Leo crossed the distance in a blur. Planting his feet, he drove a harsh right hook directly into Danny’s jaw.
BAM!
"Snap out of it, you moron!"
Danny staggered. Before he could regain his footing, Leo gripped him by the throat and hoisted him onto his tiptoes. Danny clawed at the iron grip, choking for air. As his lungs burned, the crimson fog in his eyes finally cleared.
Leo let go. Danny crumpled to his knees, coughing violently. Reality crashed down on him. Linda. Tears filled his eyes.
"Si... Sir Leo..."
"Linda got bitten."
"What... what do I do now?"
Leo stayed perfectly still.
"Don’t panic."
"What kind of superpower did you gain?"
Grandpa Jiro limped over to join them. Danny forced himself to breathe, piecing together what had just happened.
"It seems... I can control stones."
Leo nodded.
"Can you create a dome around the truck and us?"
"We need something to keep the horde from attacking."
Danny glanced at the endless tide of infected beyond the broken earth.
"I... I can try."
The three of them hustled back toward the wrecked vehicle.
Linda waited near the chassis, gripping her bleeding arm tight against her chest, her face pale with terror. Danny stepped in front of her. He took a steadying breath and raised both palms upward.
The ground shifted beneath their boots.
CRACK!
Thick slabs of bedrock tore through the crust. The rock curved and locked together as it expanded outward, sweeping up and over the truck. Within seconds, a solid, impenetrable stone dome sealed them in, blocking out the chaos of the world outside.
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