Apocalypse: King of Zombies

David had no idea what kind of nightmare she was trapped in, but it was clear that the Nightmare Zombie King’s methods were insidious—so much so that it blurred the line between dreams and reality.

Some victims would suffer brain death in their sleep. Others would wake up only to take their own lives. And the worst cases? They’d grab a weapon and violently attack their own teammates.

”No way! We have to find that Nightmare Zombie King and end this crisis!” David grabbed his machete and bolted out of the tent.

The camp was in chaos. Red warning lights flashed everywhere, accompanied by the blaring of alarms. People were shouting, panicking, running in every direction. It was pure bedlam.

Several night-watch Awakeners, who hadn’t succumbed to the nightmare, were scouring the area, determined to locate the Nightmare Zombie King.

”Captain David, are you okay?” A squad of Awakeners ran up to him, concern etched on their faces.

”I’m fine,” David replied, shaking his head. ”That Phantom Infected’s psychic attacks have a limited range. It has to be somewhere near the camp.”

”Agreed. We need to find it fast,” one of the Awakeners said.

David nodded, urgency tightening his chest. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall figure standing in the distance.

”Wait…”

Something felt off. His instincts screamed at him. He squinted, focusing on the figure. Pale skin. One eye black, the other white. A cold, unyielding expression. It was unmistakable—Rancho Cucamonga’s Zombie King. Nightmare.

”There! He’s right there!” David shouted, his voice sharp with alarm.

”Huh?” The Awakener squad turned to him, their faces blank with confusion. ”Where?”

”Right there!” David pointed directly at the figure, his voice rising in pitch.

But the Awakeners still looked baffled. ”There’s nothing there, Captain David. Are you sure you’re not seeing things?”

”You can’t see him?!” David’s face twisted in shock.

”No time to waste. We need to move!” The Awakeners, clearly unconvinced, dismissed his warnings and sprinted toward the camp’s perimeter.

David stood frozen, his mind reeling as he watched them pass right by Nightmare without even noticing him. Not a single reaction. Nothing.

Even the drones flying overhead, their bright searchlights sweeping the area, didn’t seem to register Nightmare’s presence. It was as if he were invisible.

”What… what’s going on?” David muttered, his brow furrowing deeply. A sinking feeling churned in his gut.

Nightmare’s lips curled into a faint, chilling smile. ”Your teammates are all trapped in a dream. You’re the only one who isn’t. Doesn’t that strike you as… odd?”

”What… what are you saying?” David’s throat tightened, and he swallowed hard.

Nightmare tilted his head slightly, his voice calm but laced with menace. ”How do you know you’re not in a dream yourself?”

”What?!” David’s eyes widened in horror, cold sweat dripping down his face. His gaze darted around frantically, searching for any proof that this was the real world.

But the more he looked, the more things didn’t add up—like Nightmare’s sudden appearance.

Taking a deep breath, David slowly unsheathed his titanium machete, his eyes locking onto the blade’s cold, gleaming edge.

”This time… it’s my turn…”

...

Meanwhile, Nightmare stood in a crumbling high-rise, his psychic energy having only been unleashed for two or three minutes. Yet down in the camp, chaos had already erupted. Screams echoed through the air. Some people had broken down mentally, others had taken their own lives, and a few had gone berserk, attacking their comrades like madmen.

Just as he’d planned. A fabricated nightmare could take hold in mere seconds—one, maybe two. That was all it took.

And in those fleeting moments, many had already fallen victim.

”Not bad…” Nightmare murmured to himself, clearly pleased with his handiwork.

There was just one downside. He couldn’t go down to collect the crystal cores himself. Three liquid-enhanced cyborgs had arrived on the scene.

Their faces were expressionless, their eyes cold. Their brains operated entirely on artificial intelligence, devoid of any human emotion.

Against such emotionless machines, even Nightmare’s formidable psychic attacks were useless.

The three cyborgs moved methodically through the camp, neutralizing anyone who had gone mad or was attempting suicide. Their orders were clear: preserve as many lives as possible.

”What a shame…” Nightmare muttered under his breath.

To deal with these cyborgs, he’d have to rely on physical strength. But while his psychic abilities were top-tier, his physical prowess was merely average for an S-class. He wasn’t confident he could take on three A+-class cyborgs at once.

Nightmare pondered his options. He’d need to manipulate someone else to deal with the cyborgs—perhaps Los Angeles’ Zombie King could be persuaded to take them out.

As for the crystal cores scattered across the camp? He’d come back for them later.

Deciding not to risk any further complications, Nightmare made up his mind. Without hesitation, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.

...

A terrifying night had finally passed.

The sun rose slowly, its warm rays spilling over the earth, but the light did little to ease the lingering fear in people’s hearts. Even those who had been rescued from their nightmares by the cyborgs were still visibly shaken, their minds clouded and unfocused.

Some had already developed lasting trauma. They refused to sleep, their bloodshot eyes wide open, fighting exhaustion with sheer willpower. The fear of falling back into that nightmare was too overwhelming.

These individuals would need medication or therapy to recover.

In just a few minutes, Nightmare had inflicted devastating psychological wounds on humanity. His power was undeniable, his terror unmatched.

At the Genesis Biotech branch, Sophia had been briefed on the incident. Surprisingly, she wasn’t overly concerned. Compared to other encounters with Nightmare, the casualties this time were relatively low. The presence of the three cyborgs had kept him from going too far.

”Maybe it’s time to find an opportunity… to take him out for good,” Sophia mused, her mind already working on a plan. Assassination was her specialty, after all. Back when she dealt with San Bernardino’s Zombie King, she’d used similar tactics. And now, with three cyborgs at her disposal, it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

As she was deep in thought, the sharp click of high heels echoed through the hallway. Her secretary entered the office briskly, her face lit with excitement.

”Sophia! The bounty hunters have arrived!”

”Oh?” Sophia’s eyes sparkled with interest. She immediately straightened in her chair, anticipation building. This was the moment she’d been waiting for.

”How many showed up?”

”I’m not sure, but there are at least a few hundred.”

”A few hundred?!” Sophia exclaimed, genuinely impressed. She hadn’t expected such a large turnout for the first wave. ”Alright, bring them in!”

But Sophia had misunderstood. The ”few hundred” weren’t all fighters. In fact, it was an entire family—men, women, children, and even the elderly—who had shown up together.

And they weren’t even from the United States. They hailed from a small island nation in the western Pacific.

An island surrounded by the vast ocean.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened there after the apocalypse began. The deep-sea monsters had likely turned the place into an all-you-can-eat buffet.

On top of that, natural disasters—earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions—had ravaged the island, sinking large portions of it beneath the waves.

As if that weren’t enough, nuclear radiation and contamination had caused secondary mutations in the monsters, creating grotesque and unimaginable horrors.

The creatures that emerged were beyond terrifying.

In short, the island had become a hellscape. Zombies roamed freely, monsters thrived, and the human population had been nearly wiped out. Those who managed to escape were left homeless, wandering aimlessly in search of refuge.

And now, the first group responding to the bounty call was made up of these survivors.

When Sophia learned the truth, her initial excitement quickly turned to disappointment.

”This is it? They think they can take on the Los Angeles Zombie King?” she muttered, her tone dripping with disbelief. ”Don’t tell me they’re just using the bounty as an excuse to freeload off me…”

...