Apocalypse: King of Zombies

When word got out that Ethan had returned in all his glory, the entire zombie horde erupted with excitement. The seven Zombie Kings, including Bulldozer, stood at the front, radiating a fierce and intimidating aura. Even Snowy, the zombie tiger, was there—muscles taut, eyes gleaming with primal energy.

Of course, the Four Overlords—Big Ears, Mist, and the others—were present too, standing tall and alert.

Ethan broke the silence. ”Everything good while I was gone?”

Bulldozer grinned, his massive jaw twitching. ”All good, boss! San Diego’s zombies tried to mess with us a few times, but we sent ’em packing every time!”

PhD chimed in, adjusting his cracked glasses. ”Lately, they’ve been focusing more on the Genesis Biotech shelters. Haven’t seen them around here much.”

Ethan nodded. ”Good. Just like I figured—Nightbane’s not ready for an all-out war yet. He’s not gonna risk a sneak attack.”

Then his tone shifted, a little sharper. ”What about the shady stuff they’ve been up to? You guys dig anything up?”

Lil’ Shroom stepped forward, her fungal tendrils twitching slightly. ”Boss, I used a spore-shifted bird to eavesdrop. Picked up some chatter. Nightbane managed to break into the San Diego branch of Genesis Biotech. They didn’t destroy all the tech when they evacuated. Word is, they intercepted some kind of signal... from outer space.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. ”Outer space? Seriously?”

Lil’ Shroom nodded. ”Yeah. And it wasn’t just any signal—it was one of ours. Zombie communication frequency. Humans can’t even decode it. Whatever it was, it might’ve been what pushed Nightbane to schedule the showdown with us two months from now.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing. A zombie-only signal from space? That was new. Weird. And kind of unsettling.

Aliens... zombies... alien zombies?

”You catch any details about the message?”

Lil’ Shroom shook her head. ”Nope. Super classified. Probably only Nightbane and his Four War Generals know the full story. The rest of the horde just knows something’s up.”

Ethan fell silent, deep in thought. A signal from deep space... What the hell could it be saying?

...We are not alone?

Lil’ Shroom wasn’t done. ”Also, my spies spotted something else. San Diego’s nest has elite zombies that’ve been injected with both the X and Y viruses.”

Ethan’s expression darkened. ”Huh...”

That wasn’t good news—but it wasn’t exactly unexpected either. After all, Nightbane had taken over a state-level Genesis Biotech facility. The guy who ran that place used to be the California regional director. He’d have access to all kinds of resources, including the X and Y viruses.

And probably in large quantities.

”Damn... Nightbane’s no joke,” Ethan muttered under his breath.

Both he and Nightbane were top-tier Zombie Kings—legendary figures in the archives. Each had their own elite forces. This was shaping up to be a real clash of titans.

He wondered if the Genesis Biotech branch in L.A. had cooked up anything new lately. It’d been quiet for a while—too quiet.

Maybe it was time to pay them a visit.

After catching up with his crew and getting the lay of the land, Ethan casually waved his hand—and with a thud, dropped the spoils of his Albuquerque hunt onto the ground.

Among the pile was the corpse of the Stone Scorpion King, towering over sixty feet tall, like a skyscraper rising from the street.

”Holy shit!” Bulldozer and the others gawked, eyes wide. None of them had expected their boss to bring down a monster that massive.

And that wasn’t all—there were giant snake beasts, mutated venom scorpions, grotesque centipedes, and more. Dozens of them, stacked into a grotesque mountain of flesh and chitin.

”So many new flavors...” the zombies murmured, awe and hunger mixing in their voices. This was clearly a ”Desert Feast Deluxe.”

Without hesitation, they surged forward, scrambling up the corpse pile, tearing into the meat with claws and fangs.

The street filled with the stench of blood and decay. The sounds of ripping flesh and gnashing teeth echoed through the air—a full-blown zombie banquet in progress.

Ethan didn’t stick around to watch. Without a word, he turned and walked away from the feeding frenzy, heading toward the towering skyscraper that loomed over the city.

Big Ears was crammed in with the rest of the zombie horde, gnawing on a chunk of meat when he noticed Ethan walking away. His eyes flickered with curiosity.

”Did the boss bring back any new zombies this time?” he asked, craning his neck.

”Don’t think so,” Shrimpy replied, already distracted.

Big Ears let out a disappointed sigh. Looked like his Overlord Squad wasn’t getting any new recruits today...

But Shrimpy had already stopped listening. His eyes were locked on the mountain of corpses in front of them, and he suddenly bolted forward like a kid at a buffet.

”Shrimp! I see shrimp! So many shrimp! It’s all shrimp!!!”

Big Ears slapped a hand to his forehead. ”Dude, those are scorpions. Just ’cause they’ve got pincers doesn’t make ’em shrimp!”

He shook his head. Strength-types... always a little short in the brains department.

Still, he wasn’t about to waste time arguing. The feast was disappearing fast.

”Better grab a big one for myself.”

His eyes landed on an 18-foot-long Stone Scorpion—smaller than the king, but still massive. He lunged at it and sank his teeth in with a loud crunch.

Only to immediately wince in pain.

”Damn, this thing’s tougher than beef jerky! I think I just cracked a molar…”

The scorpion’s stone-like exoskeleton was way too hard for his bite. He backed off, rubbing his jaw, muttering curses under his breath.

...

Meanwhile, Ethan had returned home.

As usual, he went through his routine—checked the perimeter, made sure everything was in order—then poured himself a glass of ”juice.”

He pulled out the SS-grade crystal core from the Stone Scorpion King. It pulsed with dense, pure energy—thick and heavy in his palm.

He hadn’t tried one of these before.

Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth.

The core melted instantly on his tongue, releasing a sweet, mellow flavor—like honeydew melon, but richer, more intense.

”Damn... stuff that grows in the desert really is sweeter,” Ethan murmured, savoring the taste.

The energy surged through him like a warm current, spreading to every limb, every cell, reinforcing his already monstrous body.

This one core alone had enough juice to keep him powered for days.

Whatever Nightbane was scheming—signals from space, virus-enhanced elites, secret tech—it didn’t matter.

In the face of overwhelming strength, all that crap was meaningless.

As long as he kept getting stronger, nothing else mattered.

...

Elsewhere...

Mia, Chris, and the others were still on the road, making their way back to the Los Angeles shelter.

Brandon glanced around the quiet forest trail and asked, ”Hey, how come we didn’t run into any parasite freaks this time while looking for the meteorite?”

Chris immediately started coughing—loud and fake. ”Ahem! Ahem ahem!” He shot Brandon a sharp look, eyes wide, practically screaming shut up.

Jenny, walking just ahead with her daughter Ellie’s hand in hers, had already picked up on it. She turned, curious.

”Parasite freaks? What are those?”

Brandon, oblivious to Chris’s panic, answered cheerfully, ”Oh, they’re these monsters that can take over human bodies. They look totally normal on the outside, but they’re super deadly. One time, they attacked the shelter and killed, like, tens of thousands of people. Right, Uncle Chris?”

Chris forced a smile and nodded quickly. ”Y-Yeah, yeah. But I spotted them just in time. If I hadn’t, the whole shelter might’ve been wiped out.”

Jenny’s face tightened. She’d come to the L.A. shelter for one reason—Ellie’s safety. The idea of body-snatching monsters lurking around didn’t sit well with her.

”Are they... still around? Is the shelter really safe?”

”Totally safe!” Chris said, hands up like he was swearing on a Bible. ”I promise, all the parasite freaks were wiped out. There’s nothing dangerous in the shelter now. I swear.”

Jenny hesitated, then nodded slowly. ”Alright... I hope you’re right.”

But just as they were passing through the last stretch of forest, nearing the outskirts of the shelter, a sudden roar shattered the calm.

It wasn’t just one sound—it was two.

One was the guttural, rage-filled howl of a zombie.

The other... was a human battle cry.

The clash of the two echoed through the trees, loud and violent.

Chris’s eyes went wide.

”What the hell... is going on up there?!”

...