After the combined scream of these four Dreads echoed through the forest, all the monkeys and gorillas running after Dean stopped midway, unable to move any further.
Their bodies were thoroughly paralyzed, in a way which they couldn't even blink.
If they knew that the scream was coming, they would have had time to cover their ears to avoid most of the damage that it could cause to their brains. However, that surprise trap happened all of a sudden and got them off guard. They wouldn't move for a long while.
Rick ran toward Dean, getting the boy from the ground and carrying him like he was a potato bag.
He looked closely to a Stone Gorilla that was about to take Dean. If not for Rick's perfect timing, he would have been caught in a matter of seconds.
'This imposing creature doesn't show any hint of fear while paralyzed in front of an enemy. I can just feel its ambitious eyes looking toward me and the boy. This thing only thinks in eat, get stronger, and eat more. It doesn't have any other objective, his instincts are programmed to this now.'
Rick was the type of person who liked to analyze every possibility around him. He was a calculating and cunning guy. That's why he couldn't help but think about something when looking at the murderer's eyes of that beast.
'I wonder if someday all these things can get intelligent enough to create a whole army and do a mass genocide... Is it even possible? I know that some specimens can learn how to cooperate with others that aren't their similars, creating a strong pack of Dreads, but never heard of more than this.'
His reasoning was interrupted once he heard other screams coming from a faraway point.
'Okay, it seems that Paul could get through it. We did well. These things will be paralyzed for much more time, so we have a long deadline to reach the end of Spear Forest and keep our journey.'
Sometimes, even Rick couldn't believe how he could pass for such things. He felt the need to sigh hard when thinking about it.
He adjusted Dean on his shoulder, then began to walk away from that glade.
'I wonder when will arrive the time when these impossible situations will kill me... I hope it lasts longer. I still didn't reach my fifty years.'
For his own reasons, he wanted to live until that point. Afterward, he wouldn't bother to die anymore. He would have had accomplished his goal.
However, Rick would need to struggle once more if he wanted to live for two years more and have this accomplishment. After all, there was still another threat coming from behind.
When he crossed half of the glade, avoiding the Screamers at any cost since he didn't want to get harmed nor engage in battle, he heard the sound of something moving between the trees.
He felt a chill running down his spine and turned back with surprised eyes to see what was going on.
"Could it be that one of them already recovered!? It should be impossi--" He was muttering, but got interrupted once he saw a huge rock being thrown in the Screamer's direction.
It struck one of them before it could even poise its roots to defend itself from the attack. The trunk of the Screamer got broken in half, and the rock could yet strike another and do the same harm.
Afterward, a furious roar was heard coming from where the rock came.
The other two Screamers were going to open their mouths and do what they did better. Their roots were piercing through the ground and going in that direction, trying to find the source of those attacks.
Rick was trying to run away but needed to stop to cover his ears once he saw what they were intending to do. He couldn't carry Dean and cover them at the same time while running.
Nonetheless, those Dreads barely had started to scream and another rock came their way. As they also were lined with each other, although distant, that one rock was enough to get both in one shot and end with their lives.
Those two rocks were two or three times bigger and dozens of times heavier than Rick, but even so they were thrown with more speed than an arrow.
'That's... That's too much power...' He thought, forcing his trembling legs to work and start to run again. Rick wasn't going to wait until the Dread who did this could show its face.
'It's one of the Dreads of the 5th generation. I am sure of it. These lines of "Chaos" are distinctive. I can tell that they belong to something powerful.'
His rush finally led him to leave that glade. But it wasn't something for him to get happy at all. Anyhow, those big threes were still an advantage for any of those animals, but not for him.
'Don't worry. The end of the Spear Forest is still far, but I can outwit him! Just do it and you will be safe. The next stop is another refuge filled with girls and beds for you to enjoy your life a bit more!' He prompted himself, trying not to lose strength on his legs.
Nevertheless, sounds of something in a relentless pursuit could be heard behind him. Its steps could shake the ground, which showed that it was heavy. However, the heavy body didn't match its incredible speed.
At the pace that the Dread was going, Rick would surely be caught.
'Crap! That crap of a Dread! Why it needed to be of the damned 5th gen!?' Rick couldn't go any faster because Dean was dead weight for him to carry.
'Should I just leave Dean behind? It would probably forget about me and stop running to eat him. However, he is currently my best source of money. Just with Paul, we weren't able to buy the basics, but Dean is being very profitable. If we lost him, all the luxury that we gained will be gone as well!'
That dilemma was driving Rick crazy. He didn't know what to do this time.
His plan didn't work as it should. He ran out of ideas. Those Screamers were his last chance.