Chapter 35: Wrong Turn Ends
In the forest, desperate gasps intertwined with the rustling of crushed leaves.
Chris looked back, his heart practically leaping into his throat. The rusty pickup truck, like a rabid animal, was wildly closing in, plowing through small trees at an angle that completely ignored the terrain.
In the truck bed, the deformed man wielding a machete let out sharp roars, as if already tasting blood.
"Quick! Head for higher ground!" Chris yelled hoarsely, grabbing Jessie, who was nearly collapsing beside him, and dragging her forward with all his might.
Scott and Carly followed behind, their faces already smeared with tears and dirt.
Scott's leg had been injured in the previous rollover accident, and every step felt like knives stabbing him, but he didn't dare stop; the instinct for survival overcame the physical pain.
However, human strength can't compete with machines.
The pickup truck swerved violently, cutting across their path and blocking their escape.
One-Eye and Saw-Tooth from the truck bed jumped down, forming a circle with Three Finger, who had been driving.
At the same time, from the dense forest behind and to their side, another relatively thin but equally hideous female mutant emerged. She held a crude bow and arrow, the arrowhead gleaming with an ominous dark sheen, already aimed at Carly at the back of the group.
Four against four, but the disparity in strength was suffocating.
"No..." Carly let out a desperate cry, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground.
It's over.
This was the only thought in Chris's mind. The interview, the future, life... everything would end here, in this godforsaken West Virginia wilderness, with a bloody period drawn by these freaks.
The female mutant grinned, revealing a cruel smile, and drew the bowstring taut.
Just then, a sharp, somewhat abrupt gunshot pierced the desperate air.
"BANG!"
Time seemed to slow down. The female mutant who was about to release the arrow suddenly jerked her head back, a small spray of blood erupting from her forehead.
The smile on her face instantly froze, and the cruelty and excitement in her eyes were rapidly replaced by an empty death stare.
The next second, she toppled straight down like a felled tree, dead silent.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.
Chris and his group forgot their fear; the three male mutants also stopped advancing, all turning their heads to look in the direction of the gunshot.
Not far away, from behind several large trees, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a tall young man, dressed in black riding gear, holding a uniquely designed silver-white pistol, from which a faint wisp of smoke still curled.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting his strikingly handsome face in alternating light and shadow.
He looked indifferent, as if he had just casually swatted an annoying mosquito, rather than taking a life.
Edward blew on the muzzle of "White Ivory," silently complaining to himself: "The recoil on this gun is still so smooth, though that entrance was a bit cliché; should've dropped in from above."
"RAAAAGH!"
After a brief silence came a beast-like roar of rage.
Three Finger let out a piercing shriek. He clearly couldn't understand why his companion had suddenly dropped, but he could feel the threat posed by this man who had suddenly appeared.
His primal savagery fully unleashed, he grabbed the hatchet beside him, broke into a run, and charged madly at Edward.
Saw-Tooth and One-Eye also reacted, flanking him from left and right, their machete and meat hook carving deadly arcs through the air.
Facing three monstrous, menacing creatures, Edward didn't even blink.
He didn't even take a step back, merely calmly raised his arm.
Chris and the others watched, their hearts in their throats. They wanted to shout "Watch out!" but found their throats seemed blocked, unable to make a sound.
Just as Three Finger's hatchet was about to split Edward's face open.
"BANG!"
Another gunshot.
Three Finger's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. He looked down at the rapidly expanding hole in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to let out a final roar, but ultimately only spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Almost simultaneously, Edward flicked his wrist, the gun already aimed at One-Eye, who was attacking from the right.
"BANG!"
The bullet accurately entered One-Eye's single eye, the tremendous impact sending him flying several meters backward, crashing hard into a tree, then sliding limply to the ground.
The entire process was lightning-fast, smooth as silk.
In the blink of an eye, only one enemy remained.
Saw-Tooth, wielding his machete, was now less than ten feet from Edward.
He had witnessed two companions die in quick succession within two seconds, and his animal instinct filled him with unprecedented fear.
But he could no longer stop his momentum; he could only transform all his fear into rage, bringing down the machete with everything he had.
Edward watched the rusty blade rapidly grow larger in his vision, a cold curve on his lips. He didn't even fire again, casually extending his left hand forward.
"Whoooosh—"
An invisible force instantly enveloped Saw-Tooth.
The powerful machete stopped eerily less than four inches from Edward's forehead, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
Saw-Tooth's expression changed from ferocious to bewildered. He exerted all his strength, veins bulging on his arm, yet he couldn't make the blade advance another inch.
"Too weak," Edward said softly.
He slightly clenched the five fingers of his extended left hand.
"CRACK!"
A bone-chilling snap echoed through the forest, and Saw-Tooth's arm holding the machete bent backward at an extremely unnatural angle.
The intense pain made him let out an inhuman shriek, and the machete clattered to the ground.
Immediately after, Edward pushed his palm forward.
Saw-Tooth's massive body was propelled like a ragdoll by tremendous force, flying over thirty feet, breaking several branches, before crashing heavily to the ground, twitching a few times, then falling still.
All of this happened in just over ten seconds.
The four mutant freaks who had driven Chris and the others to the brink of despair were all dead.
Silence once again returned to the forest, broken only by the rustling of wind through the leaves and the heavy, ragged breathing of the four survivors.
Chris, Jessie, Carly, and Scott stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the man who seemed like some kind of guardian angel, their minds blank.
Everything that had just happened was completely beyond their comprehension. Was this real? Or were they hallucinating from extreme fear?
Edward holstered "Ebony and Ivory." He walked over to the pickup truck, glanced at the foul-smelling debris and bloodstains in the truck bed, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He turned around, looked at the four shell-shocked people who were still frozen in place, and spoke in a flat tone: "Road's blocked. Taking the shortcut?"
This abrupt question was like a key that instantly unlocked the thoughts of Chris and the others.
"Y-yeah..." Chris stammered in response. He tried to stand straight but found his legs were still uncontrollably trembling. "Who... who are you? Those... those things..."
"Local. Out hunting," Edward casually made up an excuse. He pointed in the direction he'd come from. "It's not safe here. If you want to live, follow me. I'll get you back to the highway."
His voice held an undeniable authority, causing the four to instinctively obey.
The will to survive took over once again. They helped each other up, stumbling along behind Edward.
Along the way, no one spoke; the atmosphere was heavy and eerie. They occasionally stole glances at the tall figure ahead, their hearts filled with awe and confusion.
Who exactly was this guy? Why was he here? That incredible marksmanship, and at the end, that strange ability to stop that freak from a distance... it was all a mystery.
Edward paid no attention to the stares behind him. With his photographic memory, he effortlessly navigated the complex forest, quickly finding the dirt path leading back to the main road.
When the familiar asphalt and the distant line of cars reappeared in their sight, Jessie and Carly could no longer hold back, crying tears of relief.
Scott also let out a long breath, slumping to the ground.
Only Chris, after a brief moment of joy, immediately turned to look at Edward, his face filled with gratitude: "Thank you, seriously, I don't know how to repay you..."
"Don't mention it," Edward waved dismissively, not caring.
Just then, a siren wailed, growing louder. Several police cruisers with flashing red and blue lights were stopped at the accident scene nearby.
An officer seemed to notice them emerging from the woods and was looking their way.
"Cops!" Jessie shouted excitedly, as if she'd seen salvation itself.
Chris also perked up. He was about to say something to Edward when he realized the man beside him had vanished.
He spun around, only to hear a low, wild roar of an engine.
By the roadside not far away, that insanely badass black motorcycle he'd seen earlier at the forest path entrance had appeared out of nowhere.
The mysterious man who had saved them all was now straddling the bike, putting on his aviators, and casually waving at them, as if saying goodbye.
"VROOOOM—!"
The engine roared, and the Fenrir transformed into black lightning, instantly speeding away, vanishing down the highway in the blink of an eye, leaving behind the four bewildered survivors and the approaching sirens.
Chris stared blankly in the direction he'd gone, opened his mouth, and ultimately could only give a wry smile and shake his head.
It seemed some questions were destined to remain unanswered.
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