Their eyes locked onto the source of their predicament.
A creature, a feline predator, stood before them.
A caracal.
But this was no ordinary caracal.
Towering far beyond its natural size, it loomed menacingly, muscles rippling beneath sleek fur, eyes burning with savage intelligence.
Ethan and Logan instinctively reached for their weapons, ready to strike.
Then Jennifer's calm, resolute voice cut through the air.
"I'll handle this"
Ethan nodded without hesitation and leapt onto the roof of the bus.
The air responded to his command, bending and twisting as a massive dome of swirling wind formed around the vehicle.
His intent was clear: to shield the bus from any further ambushes.
If the bus were to suffer damage, it would mean no other means of transport capable of carrying them all, forcing them to retreat back to the university in search of another.
Below the protective barrier, Logan took his position outside, daggers drawn and ready, eyes scanning for any threats that might approach.
Ethan's gaze fixed on Jennifer.
'I wonder what her ability is'
He thought, having never witnessed her in true combat before.
Jennifer's long crimson hair flowed like a fiery banner down her back, rippling with the wind as she faced the snarling beast.
But the caracal gave her no time to analyze or strategize.
With a blur of lightning-fast movement, it lunged, massive claws slashing downward in a deadly strike aimed at Jennifer.
But Jennifer didn't flinch.
She stood rooted, almost as if frozen by fear.
The caracal's claws descended with brutal force, slashing through the air, then through her.
No!
At the last possible moment, she moved, swift and precise, appearing above the beast.
Her spear arced down from above, aimed straight for its head.
The caracal's instincts screamed danger.
In a fluid, lightning-quick twist, its lithe body contorted, narrowly evading the deadly strike.
Its feline agility on full display.
Jennifer's spear plunged deep into the ground as the beast evaded the strike.
But she was far from finished.
The moment her feet touched the earth, her legs snapped out sideways with lightning speed, as if she had anticipated not only the dodge but also the exact direction the caracal would take.
Caught off guard by the sudden counterattack, the beast had no choice but to endure as Jennifer's foot slammed into its skull with crushing force.
The caracal skidded backward from the impact, but it quickly shook its head, fiercely shrugging off the creeping dizziness.
But Jennifer didn't give the beast a moment to recover.
She vanished in an instant, reappearing beside the caracal like a shadow.
Her spear struck out with ruthless precision, aiming to sever the creature's head from its neck in one decisive blow.
Yet, at the last possible second, the caracal twisted its body with uncanny flexibility, bending both hind and forelimbs backward to narrowly evade the lethal strike.
But the caracal refused to remain on the defensive.
Its tail lashed out like a whip, striking toward Jennifer's back, a sudden, vicious sneak attack.
In perfect sync, Jennifer's feet, waist, and arm moved as one.
Her spear twirled gracefully in her hand, pivoting just in time to meet the strike.
With a sickening, flesh-tearing sound, the spear sliced through the tail with precise, effortless force.
RRREEEAAH
The caracal howled in agonizing pain, its roar echoing through the tense air.
But Jennifer wasn't finished, she refused to give the creature even a moment to recover.
With the caracal's pierced tail still impaled on her spear, she drove the weapon deep into the ground, pinning the beast in place.
Her figure vanished again, only to reappear directly in front of the struggling creature.
Then, like a divine hammer descending from the heavens, her elbow crashed down upon the caracal's skull.
The sickening crack of bone shattered the tense silence, echoing in everyone's ears.
Before the beast could utter another scream, it was dead, its mind extinguished before the pain could even register.
Jennifer calmly strode over to her spear, retrieving it with a steady, unhurried motion.
Her footsteps were measured, her breathing even, not a single bead of sweat marred her composure.
Her battle style was the embodiment of lethal efficiency.
The survivors watched from inside the bus, their eyes wide with awe and admiration.
To them, she was nothing short of a superwoman.
And in truth, she truly was.
Logan watched Jennifer with a gaze full of shock and admiration, then turned to Ethan with a grin.
"She's like the female version of you, battle genius and maniac combined. You two would make quite the pair"
But Ethan didn't respond.
His mind replayed Jennifer's fight on an endless loop, analyzing every move.
'Teleportation'
He realized silently.
'It seems she can teleport anywhere within her line of sight'
Ethan mused silently.
'But whether there are limits, like a maximum range, or if she can teleport to places she's visited before, I have no idea'
Jennifer's martial art was rooted in relentless, continuous assault.
'It seems that whenever she strikes, she always anticipates her opponent's evasive move'
Ethan's thoughts churned.
She was the kind of fighter who never relied on a single hit to connect.
Instead, she prepared for every possible dodge, flowing seamlessly into her next attack like an unending storm of blows.
She never trusted that any strike would land until it actually did.
'Looking at her combat form, skill, face, body, hair, that graceful step… all she needs is a pegasus and she'd be a complete Valkyrie'
Ethan mused, unable to help the faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
With a casual flick of his hand, the swirling wind dome dissipated into nothingness.
He landed smoothly on the ground, boots crunching softly against the asphalt, then stepped back into the bus.
Jennifer was already seated, back at the same spot she'd left, her expression unreadable.
Her spear rested across her lap, silent as she was, like it had never tasted blood just moments ago.
She didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
Ethan stepped into the bus, his eyes scanning the shaken faces before him.
"Is anyone injured?"
He asked, his voice calm but firm.
Silence answered him.
Survivors glanced at one another, searching for signs of pain or broken limbs, but no one spoke.
No one raised a hand.
"Good"
Ethan said after a moment.
"Since everyone is fine, we'll continue the journey"
Without another word, he turned and made his way to the back.
Logan followed close behind.
The driver, who had been gripping the wheel with white-knuckled tension, exhaled deeply and twisted the ignition.
The engine groaned to life once more, its rumble cutting through the heavy silence.
And just like that, the bus rolled forward again, tires crunching over cracked asphalt, leaving behind the carcass of a fallen predator and the ghost of what could've been their end.
Their journey east continued, with steel in their hearts, and death never far behind.