Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Damn it... there really are some freaky monsters out here!”

But just as the words left his mouth—

A zombie leapt from the top of a high-rise, landing squarely on the shoulders of one of the armed soldiers. This wasn’t just any zombie—it was one of the Red-Faced Zombie King’s top enforcers, the King of Agile Zombies, nicknamed Monkey.

Monkey’s body was muscular, covered in grotesque, pus-filled boils. With a swift motion, it wrapped its arms around the soldier’s neck and twisted. The sickening crack of bone echoed as the soldier’s head was ripped clean off.

”Attack! Now!” someone shouted.

The surrounding soldiers scrambled to retaliate, but Monkey was too fast. With another powerful leap, it landed on the back of the Doom Hunter—a massive, heavily armed mech-like unit designed for zombie extermination.

The Doom Hunter staggered under the sudden assault, its movements jerky and unstable.

And then it happened.

The Gatling gun mounted on its right arm misfired.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

A hail of bullets sprayed out, tearing through the ranks of the armed personnel.

”Take cover!” someone screamed.

The soldiers dove behind an armored vehicle as bullets ricocheted off its surface, sparks flying everywhere. But not everyone was lucky. A few unlucky souls were caught in the crossfire, their bodies shredded by the gunfire, exploding into bloody chunks.

With the arrival of the zombie elites, the tide of battle was turning against the humans.

And then, the Red-Faced Zombie King made its move.

Raising one grotesque arm, its muscles swelled to an unnatural size, veins bulging and writhing like living snakes. Those veins shot out, snaking through the air and wrapping around several soldiers.

The veins pierced their bodies.

”Arghhh—!”

The soldiers screamed in agony as their bodies shriveled up, their blood drained in seconds. What was left of them collapsed to the ground, nothing more than dried-out husks.

”So strong!” Michael muttered, his sharp eyes fixed on the Red-Faced Zombie King. Its grotesque attack reminded him of a movie he’d seen—Venom.

Still, he thought, at least this ability wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. It was horrifying, sure, but it didn’t qualify as something from the Phantom Infected category. Not yet.

As the Red-Faced Zombie King’s veins lashed out, claiming more lives, Michael stomped his foot hard against the ground.

In an instant, several oval-shaped earthen walls erupted from the ground, forming a barrier that blocked the King’s attacks.

”Captain! The horde’s breaking through!” someone shouted from nearby.

Without the suppressive fire from the Doom Hunter, the massive zombie horde was surging forward, closing the gap.

”I know!” Michael snapped, glancing over his shoulder. This whole situation felt like a twisted game of whack-a-mole. No matter how many zombies they took down, more just kept coming. He was barely keeping up.

But then, one of their heavy hitters stepped forward.

Xander.

A towering man with a commanding presence, Xander was an Awakener with lightning-based powers. His body crackled with electricity, arcs of lightning dancing across his skin. Even his hair stood on end, charged with raw energy.

The air around him grew heavy with power, the tension almost suffocating.

”Die!” Xander roared, slamming his fist into the ground.

BOOM!

The earth cracked like a spiderweb, lightning surging outward in all directions. Within a 60-foot radius, the ground was engulfed in a storm of electricity. Zombies caught in the blast convulsed violently, smoke rising from their charred bodies as they were reduced to ash.

”Captain, this isn’t sustainable!” Xander called out, turning back to Michael. ”We’re gonna get worn down at this rate!”

Awakeners were powerful, but their energy wasn’t limitless. Xander, along with the other key fighters, was already showing signs of exhaustion. Their faces were pale, their movements slower. They were running on fumes.

Michael clenched his jaw. ”Yeah, I know. These zombies didn’t just show up out of nowhere. They’re from somewhere else... and their strength is on par with a three-star zombie nest.”

He had already pieced it together. Something bigger was at play here.

”Wha—what the hell…?”

The female Awakener’s face turned pale as a sheet. She hadn’t expected her first mission to turn into this kind of nightmare.

”Why… why are they even here?” she stammered.

”How the hell should I know?!” Michael snapped, his frustration boiling over. ”The zombies from the one-star nest haven’t even shown up yet!”

”...”

The group fell into an uneasy silence. They’d been thrown into a crisis out of nowhere, and to make matters worse, their actual mission target—the one-star zombie nest—was still untouched. Not even a scratch.

”Well, if there’s a silver lining,” Michael said, trying to keep his composure, ”it’s that the zombies from the one-star nest staying put makes it easier for us to break through.”

”Yeah…”

The others nodded in agreement. Things were bad enough already—if those zombies joined the fight, they’d be completely screwed.

Evan tried to lighten the mood. ”Relax, everyone. Those zombies are dumb as bricks. We’re practically knocking on their front door, and they’re still not moving. They’re probably not coming out.”

...

Meanwhile, on a rooftop overlooking the battlefield, Ethan stood with a calm, almost leisurely expression.

Around him perched a flock of crows—Buddy Crows, as they were called—waiting for scraps like freeloaders.

”Thanks for waiting, everyone…” Ethan said, his voice low and smooth.

”Is the water boiling yet?” one of the crows asked, its eyes glowing red with excitement.

”It is,” Ethan replied with a nod.

Down below, the battlefield was in chaos. The armed personnel were running low on ammo, and the Awakeners were visibly exhausted, their energy nearly depleted.

The once-massive horde of 20,000 zombies had been reduced to a ragged, scattered few.

”It’s our turn now,” Ethan said, his voice carrying a chilling finality.

At his command, the thousands of zombies still standing suddenly roared to life, their bloodlust filling the air.

”ROAR—!”

Leading the charge was Bulldozer, a hulking brute of a zombie. With a thunderous roar, he barreled forward like a runaway freight train, his massive footsteps shaking the ground.

Behind him, the elite zombies surged forward like a pack of wild animals unleashed from their chains.

But the most eager of them all was Laura. The moment Ethan gave the order, she could barely contain herself. She’d been itching to join the slaughter, her bloodlust simmering as she watched the carnage unfold earlier. Now, she was ready to ”play” with the humans.

”Hehehehehehe~~”

Laura’s grin stretched unnaturally wide, almost splitting her face in two. With a flash of movement, her figure blurred, vanishing like a shadow as she darted toward the battlefield.

Above, the rooftop erupted into chaos as the crows took flight, their black wings blotting out the sky. In the center of the swirling flock stood Ethan, his cold, sharp gaze fixed on the battlefield below.

His crimson eyes glowed briefly—and then, in an instant, he vanished.

...

Bulldozer was the first to crash into the battlefield. His massive frame plowed through the remaining zombies like a wrecking ball, sending bodies flying in every direction. Some zombies were even impaled on streetlights, left dangling like grotesque ornaments.

With his sheer brute force, Bulldozer tore a gaping hole through the zombie horde.

Behind him, the elite zombies moved with terrifying precision, pouncing on their prey. Their razor-sharp teeth tore through flesh and bone, snapping necks with ease. After tossing aside the severed heads of their victims, they immediately moved on to their next targets.

”Wait… what the hell is that?”

Michael and the others had felt the tremors before they saw it. Turning toward the source, they spotted the massive figure of Bulldozer tearing through the battlefield, heading straight for their position.

”Shit! They’re… they’re coming out!” Michael shouted, his voice tinged with panic.

The group’s faces went pale.

The female Awakener’s voice trembled. ”Evan! Didn’t you say they wouldn’t come out?!”

”I… I…” Evan stammered, completely at a loss for words. The situation had turned on him so fast, he didn’t even know how to respond.

Was this just bad luck? Or something worse?

The team’s already dire situation had just gone from bad to worse. But as they quickly realized, this wasn’t just ”worse.”

This was a whole new level of disaster.

Bulldozer’s massive frame was now barreling toward the human defenses. The ground shook violently with each step, the sheer force of his charge sending shockwaves through the air. His presence alone was overwhelming, a terrifying display of raw power.

”We have to stop him!” Michael shouted, snapping the team out of their daze.

The armed personnel opened fire, their bullets pelting Bulldozer’s thick, leathery hide. But it was no use. His skin was like armor, and the bullets barely left a scratch. If anything, the onslaught only seemed to make him angrier. He roared and picked up speed, charging even faster.

”Let me handle this!” the female Awakener said, her brow furrowing in concentration. Her ability was metal manipulation, and with a wave of her hand, she sent a heavy armored vehicle skidding into Bulldozer’s path.

BOOM!

The collision was deafening. The armored vehicle was sent spinning through the air like a toy, flipping several times before crashing far off in the distance.

The team stared in shock.

”Holy crap… he’s that strong?!”

...