Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Meanwhile, over in Albuquerque, a horde of zombies stood motionless under the blazing sun. Among them, Slick was gnawing on a venomous snake like it was a piece of beef jerky, tearing into it with surprising ease.

Ever since he’d fused with the serpent’s crystal core, his bite had gotten a hell of a lot stronger. His power had shot up too—way more than that stubby little tail he used to have. Now it was thicker, tougher, and actually looked kind of intimidating.

”I’m heading back to L.A.,” Ethan said, his voice calm but firm. ”You two coming with me, or staying here?”

Slick froze mid-bite.

Boss… is leaving?

Jerky, standing nearby, was caught off guard too. If they followed Ethan, life would definitely be easier—food, water, safety, all guaranteed.

But when he turned to look at the hundreds of zombies behind them, he hesitated. They’d just built this horde from scratch, and things were finally starting to take off. They were on the rise, ready to make a name for themselves. It felt like walking away from a startup right before it hit big.

”Boss, maybe we should stay,” Jerky said, scratching the back of his head. ”I mean, we probably wouldn’t be much help to you right now anyway.”

”Yeah, that’s true,” Ethan nodded without hesitation.

Jerky winced a little at how quickly Ethan agreed. Damn, that was blunt.

”Most of the Black-Skin Zombies in Albuquerque died at Mosca Peak,” Jerky continued. ”And the strongest mutant in the desert’s gone too. There’s a bunch of smaller creatures left behind—we can use them as food. I think we’ve got a real shot at growing stronger here.”

”There’s still a group of humans in the Oasis,” Ethan reminded them. ”Keep an eye on that.”

”No problem,” Jerky nodded quickly, a mix of determination and sadness in his eyes.

”Don’t worry, Boss. We’ll get stronger. You’ll see.”

No one could’ve guessed that, years later, Albuquerque would become a no-go zone—home to two terrifying Zombie Kings known as the Dune Twins. Their power would be legendary, feared by all who dared approach...

...

”Achoo!” Logan sneezed hard. ”Weird… feels like someone’s talking about me.”

They were back in the Oasis now. Should be safe, right? Still, he couldn’t shake the chill running down his spine.

”You think we’re safe now?” he asked, glancing around nervously.

”Logan, relax,” one of his guys said. ”It’s daytime. The Oasis is totally safe during the day.”

”Oh… okay.” Logan looked around again. No monsters in sight. That helped—barely.

The others exchanged glances. Logan was clearly still on edge. The whole Mosca Peak ordeal had left a mark on him—probably some serious PTSD.

Chris, on the other hand, was in full panic mode. He rushed over to Jenny and her daughter Ellie. ”Come on! Hurry up! Pack your stuff, let’s go!”

”What’s the rush?” Jenny asked, folding clothes into a bag.

”Uh… well, y’know, happy life ahead and all that. I’m just excited,” Chris said with a sheepish grin.

Truth was, he was terrified Ethan would leave without him. If that ship took off and he got left behind, he’d be stuck here for good—and there’d be no getting out.

Jenny looked at him, skeptical. ”Is your L.A. shelter really that safe?”

”I swear it is. I’m not lying to you,” Chris said, hand over heart.

Once they finished packing, they left the Oasis in a hurry to meet up with Ethan.

A sleek, silver aircraft was already parked on a slab of exposed rock, gleaming under the bright sun like something out of a sci-fi movie.

”Wow! It’s beautiful!” Jenny and Ellie gasped, eyes wide with wonder.

They stepped inside, everything ready to go.

Oliver slid into the pilot’s seat and hit the ignition. With a roar of thrusters and a blast of fire from the rear, the aircraft lifted off and shot into the sky.

Below them, the Oasis shrank rapidly, the surrounding desert and jagged rocks stretching out like a painting.

In the distance, a few mutated birds circled warily, but none dared to attack this time—not after what they’d seen.

Once they broke through the clouds, the ride smoothed out. The aircraft floated like a boat on a golden sea of clouds, sunlight pouring down and turning everything into a glowing dreamscape.

They still had two hours to go.

With nothing urgent to do, Ethan waved his hand and summoned the fused stone tablet. He hadn’t had a chance to really study it since he found it.

Mia and the others gathered around, eyes locked on the artifact.

The tablet shimmered with a radiant glow, pulsing with strange energy.

Everything about it was rare and valuable—from the stone itself to the embedded Radiant Crystal.

”What exactly is this thing?” Mia asked, her brows furrowed as she studied the glowing tablet.

Ethan shook his head. ”No idea.”

”You’ve got four slots on here, but one of the Radiant Crystals is missing. Looks even more incomplete now,” Mia pointed out.

”Then help me find another one,” Ethan said casually.

Mia shot him a look. ”What, are you just gonna freeload off me now?”

Sean, who’d been quietly examining the tablet, suddenly spoke up. ”Hey, look at these patterns… the way the Radiant Crystals are arranged—doesn’t it look like the bowl of the Big Dipper?”

”Huh? Now that you mention it…” Chris leaned in, intrigued. ”It kinda does. Wait—Sean, you actually know the Big Dipper?”

”Of course. You’ve never watched The Simpsons? They talk about constellations all the time,” Sean replied, deadpan.

Chris blinked. ”Uh… no? Guess I missed that episode.”

The group chuckled and kept tossing ideas around, passing the time as the aircraft cruised through the sky. But despite all their theories and speculation, they couldn’t figure out what the tablet actually did.

So far, the only confirmed use? Smacking people really hard.

Maybe once all the pieces were assembled, its true purpose would reveal itself.

Two more pieces to go…

...

Two hours later, the aircraft streaked across the sky like a silver comet, descending smoothly into the outskirts of Los Angeles. It touched down gently on a cracked, abandoned street.

”Finally back…” Sean stretched with a groan as he hopped off the ship, feeling the weight of the journey settle into his bones.

Mia and the others followed, lugging heavy packs filled with meteorite fragments, Black-Skin Zombie teeth, hair, flesh—everything they could salvage for research. They were planning to study the biological makeup of the Black-Skin Zombies and figure out what made them tick.

”We’re heading out,” Mia said, adjusting her bag.

”Yeah. Take care,” Ethan nodded, watching them go.

As Mia’s silhouette faded into the distance, Ethan suddenly remembered something. ”Hey! Don’t forget to help me find the rest of the Radiant Crystals and tablet pieces!”

”...” Mia didn’t even turn around, but the exasperation was written all over her face.

Once they were gone, Ethan waved his hand and stored the aircraft away with a flick of his wrist.

The sun was already dipping low, casting long shadows across the ruined city. The golden light of dusk bathed the broken streets in a warm, eerie glow.

Above, a few crows flapped their wings and cawed loudly, their cries echoing through the empty buildings like a warning.

Then, from the alleys and side streets, they began to emerge—zombies.

Not the slow, shambling kind. These were fast, vicious, and heavily evolved. Their presence radiated raw power, their eyes gleaming with hunger and rage.

In seconds, the street was packed wall-to-wall with them, a seething mass of undead muscle and fury.

”Boss…”

...