Chapter 127: Hello Again, Alice
"If we don't count the guy from before, I should be the only priest in this church right now."
Putting everything else aside, Jake had to admire the previous priest. Indeed, the difference between a fake priest and a real one was vast.
He'd encountered all sorts of extreme scenarios in various worlds, from the most disturbing to the most heartwarming, and he'd witnessed all kinds of psychological issues. But this was the first time he'd ever seen someone keep a sister who had turned into a zombie.
Tying up his infected sister and feeding her human flesh—that was true devotion taken to a horrifying extreme. With Jake's somewhat twisted sense of humor, he'd put the actual priest out of his misery by shooting the zombie sister. After all, she was undead; what if she accidentally bit him?
However, Jake hadn't expected that after he dealt with the zombie, the priest would disappear. Perhaps he'd gone out to become zombie food himself.
So, this place temporarily became Jake's territory.
Jill was confused by his words. Could there have been other priests in this church?
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a scream suddenly rang out, the sound coming from outside the church.
The man who'd been trembling with fear quickly raised his pistol and roared, "I want to leave! Let me out!!"
He then ran toward the door.
"Hey!" Jill called out, but the man paid no attention and continued running toward the entrance.
Just then, Jake suddenly moved, his legs taking long strides as he burst forward at incredible speed!
The two were a full thirty feet apart, but Jake, moving from behind, closed the distance instantly, leaping up and grabbing the man's neck with his right hand, slamming him to the ground. Simultaneously, a pistol appeared in his left hand and was pressed against the man's head.
"Don't move! I don't think you're very eager to meet your maker."
The man tried to shout again, but the hard metal against his skull abruptly silenced his cries.
"Hey..." Peyton raised his hand. "Easy, Father."
He tried to defuse the situation. "Aren't you a priest? You shouldn't be so quick to violence. Just relax, relax..."
Jake reached out and snatched the man's pistol. "Hands behind your head, squat on the ground, or I'll make sure you don't even get a chance to turn."
"Stay away from the door. If I see you trying to open it again, I'll put a bullet in your brain!"
The man nodded, trembling. He was terrified.
Suddenly, a noise came from above.
Peyton and Jill, guns in hand and tactical flashlights in the other, shone them at the ceiling. A grotesque creature appeared before them—a Licker!
Terri also turned on her camera, filming every second. She had to record anything unusual. Whether she was doing this to expose the truth or to advance her career, no one knew except herself.
"Oh my God!" The man who had been squatting on the ground with his hands behind his head also saw this scene—this horrifying monster.
Instantly, he scrambled up and ran toward the second floor. He hadn't forgotten Jake's words: if the door opened, he'd blow his head off.
"What the hell are you doing!" Peyton cursed under his breath. "Get behind me right now!"
The creature's roars continued. Jill and Peyton clearly didn't have the ability to search for the panicked civilian while facing such a monster; they remained on guard with their weapons drawn.
"These are Lickers. Although they're blind, they possess powerful hearing and thermal sensing abilities," Jake explained.
"And they're much stronger than zombies." Jill nodded, indicating that she understood the danger of this bio-weapon.
"I saw three in total," Peyton took a deep breath and delivered the bad news. "They've got us surrounded."
"What should we do?" Terri asked quietly.
"I have a way to send them to hell," Jake said, his left hand sliding his pistol back into a concealed holster.
This sleight-of-hand astonished the other three. They held their breath, watching Jake intently.
"The best way to kill these things is with fire, acid, or explosives," he said, glancing at the second floor where he'd been positioned earlier. "And I happen to have those weapons; I can take them out."
"What do you need us to do?" Jill asked.
"Draw their attention."
He was having trouble dealing with three Lickers alone, so he naturally needed help.
Jill chambered a round, indicating that she understood.
She and Peyton turned, raised their weapons, and instantly opened fire on two of the three Lickers!
The sudden attack startled the creatures, and they quickly scattered.
Jake seized the opportunity to move.
In the blink of an eye, he was directly below the second floor balcony. Jill and the others thought he would climb the stairs, but to their surprise, he didn't slow down, maintaining his sprinting momentum and actually running up the wall to reach the second floor!
At this moment, Jill and her companions were surrounded by three Lickers.
The three creatures moved constantly overhead, and suddenly one dropped down, leaving the other two still above.
They were closing in!
"Damn it!" Jill shouted, "I'm out of ammo!"
Just then, a loud boom rang out, and a grenade round flew through the air, accurately striking the Licker that was some distance away from the group!
The explosion's flash illuminated the entire dimly lit church as if it were daylight!
The three turned to look and saw Jake holding a grenade launcher in his right hand; the devastating shot had come from his weapon!
However, before they could feel relieved, the remaining two Lickers dropped down, converging on their position.
Jake's grenade launcher was now useless.
He couldn't fire at his own allies.
The brief satisfaction of killing one Licker hadn't even registered before Jill and her companions' hearts sank.
Jake was too far away to reach them in time. Of the three surrounded, only Peyton had three bullets left in his pistol; Jill was out of ammunition, and Terri was still holding her camera.
Just as the Lickers prepared to pounce on the three survivors, a sudden burst of light shone from behind the crucifix!
The cross and the stained glass sculpture were shattered by a motorcycle that suddenly burst through!
A sleek figure wearing a protective helmet was expertly controlling the bike!
With a tremendous crash, the motorcycle hit the ground, and the rider actually used her legs as a pivot to swing the bike around in a controlled spin!
She removed her helmet—it was Alice, who had recently parted ways with Jake!
"Get out of the way!" she yelled at Jill and the others.
Her sudden appearance startled the two Lickers.
The group quickly scattered.
Alice began to accelerate the motorcycle, its engine roaring like a mechanical beast ready to charge!
At maximum speed, she abruptly released her grip, performing a graceful backflip and leaping off the bike.
The motorcycle shot forward, heading straight for one of the Lickers!
As she rolled, Alice grabbed for her thigh holsters, pulled out two pistols, and aimed at the speeding motorcycle!
The Licker, being a highly aggressive creature, was naturally unafraid of anything charging at it, and collided with the bike head-on. In the impact, the Licker was slightly overpowered.
Just then, Alice pulled the triggers, two bullets flying out instantly, precisely striking the motorcycle's fuel tank!
BOOM—!
Flames instantly engulfed the Licker.
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