The quiet lasted three seconds. Maybe four if he was being generous.
Jian Yuche stood near the twisted remains of the gate where the metal fence posts and bars jutted out at wrong angles and vehicle debris was scattered across the driveway from zombies who tried to go through the military trucks instead of around them.
His hands were still raised from the last strike, his breathing controlled but heavier than it should be.
The silence felt wrong. Too complete. Like the pause before the storm broke.
Then everything hit at once.
The birds dropped from the trees in a coordinated dive, at least a dozen of them targeting different soldiers simultaneously. Cats appeared from the sides, slipping between the defensive line with that same wrong speed. Snakes struck from under bodies, aiming for ankles and exposed legs.
