Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan watched with his own eyes as the fungus morphed into a human shape. It was nothing short of incredible.

He wasn’t exactly a scholar and had no clue how it worked, but he’d heard of something called an ”enzyme” before—something that could slow down its own metabolism to mimic life. People called it the ”gene-mimic enzyme.”

Once the woman fully took shape, her expression was blank, her eyes hollow. Without a word, she started walking, step by step, into the distance.

Ethan guessed she was probably looking for a new host.

Most likely, one of the dead woman’s companions.

Which meant there were other humans in this forest.

Without hesitation, Ethan decided to follow her.

After about ten minutes of walking, they left the fungal zone. The forest returned to its usual state. It was still pitch black, but the faint chirping of insects could be heard from the grass and treetops.

Occasionally, he’d spot mutated spiders the size of basketballs weaving massive webs between the branches.

Ethan sniffed the air lightly. It didn’t take long for him to catch the scent of humans.

Not far ahead stood a massive tree, so large it would take three people holding hands to encircle it. The tree was dead and withered, surrounded by piles of overgrown weeds—clearly disturbed by human activity.

The woman’s steps were leading her straight to the tree.

Beneath the thick layer of weeds was a hidden hollow in the tree. Inside, three young men were huddled together. The space was cramped, dark, and damp, the kind of place that made you feel suffocated just by being there.

The three of them were pressed so close together they could hear each other breathing.

One of them, a scruffy-looking guy with a patchy beard and ragged clothes, was fiddling with a phone, tilting it this way and that in frustration.

”Signal’s crap. I can’t connect to Genesis Biotech’s network at all.”

”Try again tomorrow when we get closer to the edge of the forest,” another guy suggested. ”No point wasting battery now.”

Charging out here wasn’t easy—they were completely reliant on solar panels.

”Yeah, I guess…” The scruffy man nodded, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes. ”Man, I wonder what it’s like out there. If Genesis Biotech really managed to clear out the zombies in the city, life’s gonna get a whole lot better.”

”No kidding,” the second guy said, his voice tinged with excitement. ”Once we join Genesis Biotech, we won’t have to worry about food or supplies anymore.”

He was clearly sick of hiding out in this godforsaken forest.

But the third guy wasn’t sharing their optimism. His brows were furrowed, his face dark with frustration.

”Ivy’s been gone all afternoon, and you two are just sitting here fantasizing?”

”So what? If she’s not back, she’s probably dead,” the scruffy man said casually, shrugging.

In a world like this, people dying was just… normal. A girl disappearing for this long? Odds were, she wasn’t coming back.

The third guy’s face twisted with anger. He grabbed the scruffy man by the collar and snarled, ”Shut your damn mouth! Say one more word, and I’ll rip it off your face!”

”Alright, alright, calm down!” The second guy quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. ”Sam, we can’t start fighting each other. Let’s stick together. We’ll go look for Ivy tomorrow morning, okay?”

The scruffy man scoffed but turned his head away, clearly not interested in arguing further.

Sam clenched his jaw, his hands trembling as he let go of the scruffy man’s shirt. He leaned back against the tree wall, his expression clouded with worry.

It was obvious—Sam and Ivy weren’t just casual acquaintances. He cared about her deeply, maybe even loved her.

The two of them had met while fleeing the apocalypse.

For months, they’d stuck together, relying on each other to survive. There was even a time when Sam injured his leg, and the scent of his blood attracted a mutated beast. While everyone else ran for their lives, Ivy stayed behind and saved him.

After that, she never left his side, nursing him back to health and watching over him.

”Ivy’s a good person…” Sam muttered to himself.

She wasn’t like the others—selfish and cold. Even in the middle of this nightmare, she still held onto her kindness.

Every time he thought about her, he felt an overwhelming urge to go out and find her.

But wandering through the forest at night? That was as good as signing your own death warrant.

But just then—

A faint rustling sound came from outside the tree hollow, like someone walking through the weeds, their footsteps brushing against the overgrowth.

”Who’s there?” The scruffy man was quick to react, sitting up straight like a startled rabbit, his eyes darting toward the entrance.

”Ivy! It’s Ivy! She’s back!” Sam’s face lit up with hope, his exhaustion vanishing in an instant. He scrambled to his feet, ready to rush out.

”Wait, are you out of your mind?” The scruffy man grabbed his arm, holding him back. ”It’s the middle of the night. How could it possibly be Ivy?”

”Let go of me! Who else could it be?” Sam snapped, shaking him off and climbing out of the hollow without hesitation.

The scruffy man frowned deeply, muttering under his breath, Love makes people stupid as hell.

But there was no stopping him now. With no other choice, the scruffy man and the other guy followed Sam out to see what was going on.

The three of them emerged from the hollow.

Under the pale moonlight filtering through the branches, shadows danced across the forest floor. And there, not far away, stood a woman.

”Ivy! You’re finally back!” Sam’s face broke into a wide smile, all his earlier worry melting away. He jogged toward her, waving enthusiastically.

But the scruffy man and the other guy froze in place, their eyes widening in disbelief.

It really was her?

How was that even possible?

The two of them exchanged uneasy glances, keeping their distance from the woman.

Sam, oblivious to their hesitation, called out, ”Where have you been all afternoon? Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

”Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” Ivy replied, her lips curling into a smile. But something about it was… off. Her mouth stretched unnaturally wide, the corners pulling up to her cheekbones in a way that was eerily symmetrical. The smile didn’t reach her eyes—it was stiff, almost grotesque.

”Uh…” The scruffy man sucked in a sharp breath, his unease growing. The longer he looked at her, the more wrong it felt.

The other guy leaned in and whispered, ”Sam… Ivy doesn’t seem… the same as before.”

”What are you talking about? Stop being so dramatic,” Sam shot back, waving him off.

Ivy’s gaze shifted toward the two of them, her tone soft but questioning. ”What’s wrong with you guys? Why are you standing so far away? I was out in the forest gathering mushrooms this afternoon. That’s why I was late.”

”Mushrooms?” The scruffy man blinked, momentarily thrown off. For a second, she sounded… normal again.

Had he imagined it? Was he just being paranoid?

Ivy reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of white button mushrooms. They looked fresh, plump, and perfectly edible—almost too perfect, given the state of the world.

”Here, eat up! They won’t stay fresh for long,” she said, holding them out with a smile.

The scruffy man’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He hadn’t eaten in what felt like forever, and his stomach growled at the sight of the mushrooms. But… could they really be trusted?

He hesitated, glancing at Sam, who was already reaching for one. Of course he’s gonna eat it, the scruffy man thought. Let’s see what happens to him first.

Sure enough, Sam didn’t even pause. He grabbed a mushroom and popped it into his mouth, chewing with a satisfied grin.

”These are amazing, Ivy! I can’t believe you found so many normal mushrooms. You’re incredible.”

”Just lucky, I guess,” Ivy said with a soft laugh, her eyes flicking toward the scruffy man and the other guy. ”What are you two waiting for? Come on, dig in.”

The scruffy man stayed rooted to the spot, his expression still wary. His eyes darted to Sam, watching him closely for any signs of… well, anything. But Sam seemed fine. Completely fine.

Then he looked back at the mushrooms in Ivy’s hand.

They were just plain white button mushrooms—the kind you’d toss into a stew or sauté in butter back when life was normal. Before the world fell apart, they were the kind of thing you’d see at a barbecue or a family dinner. Harmless. Familiar.

The scruffy man’s mouth started watering. The more he thought about it, the hungrier he got.

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