The road was littered with burning wreckage, smoke billowing into the night sky. All eight vehicles had been disabled or destroyed, reduced to twisted metal and flames.
Rain failed to quell the inferno. A few splashes of lightning shed visions. Bodies lay scattered along the road, some lifeless, others writhing in pain, groaning as they struggled to move. The survivors, disoriented and terrified, scrambled to dismount from the wrecks, their adrenaline spiking as they faced the sudden, unseen threat.
"Get out! Get out now!" a man shouted, his voice breaking with panic. His leg was twisted, a deep gash oozing blood, but he ignored the pain as he dragged himself away from the overturned SUV, crawling toward the ditch on the side of the road.