Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Griffin’s face was smeared with blood and gore. The headless corpse of the zombie dog collapsed limply off him. He stared wide-eyed, completely stunned.

A young man’s face appeared in front of him.

”Brandon? You saved me?” Griffin asked in disbelief, finally recognizing the figure—it really was Brandon.

Was this some kind of hallucination before death?

But Brandon’s brows slowly furrowed. The way Griffin was looking at him—soft, emotional eyes—paired with that trembling voice, gave him the creeps.

”Uh… can you not look at me like that?” Brandon said, backing up slightly.

…

Meanwhile, Mia had entered the battlefield. The Tachi in her hand crackled with blinding lightning. Her body blurred into a streak of electricity as she tore across the wreckage-strewn field. Wherever she passed, zombie heads flew into the air, and their bodies crumpled to the ground.

Sean was already in full Fearless Berserk mode. With a single punch, he sent a massive zombie dog flying over thirty feet. The beast’s vicious growls turned into pitiful whimpers.

Nearby, Chris’s body radiated searing energy, coating his machete in a glowing aura. He gritted his teeth and hacked at the monsters with everything he had. He hated these damn zombies with a passion.

”They’re back… they’re all back…” someone murmured, eyes lighting up with hope. A wave of excitement surged through the survivors.

Awakener 001 and Awakener 002 from Shelter 001 had returned. Their unstoppable momentum turned the tide of battle in an instant.

As the last giant zombie dog was taken down, the horde began to retreat into the forest like a receding tide, leaving behind a field littered with mangled corpses.

”Phew—” Robert let out a long breath. With the others back, he didn’t have to carry this burden alone anymore.

Mia sheathed her Tachi and approached with the others. ”What the hell happened here?”

”No idea,” Robert said, shaking his head. ”Ever since you guys left, the zombies started circling the shelter, constantly harassing us. We lost a lot of people.”

”Hm… I see.” Mia’s eyes narrowed in thought. These zombies were way too aggressive and evolved. They had to be from the San Diego corpse nest.

If they came all the way out here, it wasn’t random. Someone must’ve drawn them in. And she had a pretty good idea who that someone was.

Nearby, Jenny held her daughter Ellie close, her eyes fixed on the dead Rabies Zombies. Their sharp fangs, fur-covered faces, and grotesque features made her shudder.

She’d seen plenty of monsters back in Oasis, but nothing this horrifying.

”And you said the shelter was safe?”

”This… this was just a freak incident,” Chris said, throwing up his hands. ”How could I have known they’d attack out of nowhere? Maybe it’s ’cause I left. No one was here to keep them in check. But now that I’m back, everything’ll be fine.”

Jenny just stared at him, speechless.

Robert cut in, ”This horde wasn’t even the worst of it. The real problem is when an S-Class Zombie King shows up.”

”What?” Jenny’s eyes widened. ”There are S-Class Zombie Kings?!”

”Yeah, a few of them,” Robert said grimly. ”Some can mess with your mind—hallucinations, hypnosis. They can kill you with just their voice, or make you turn on your own people. Their powers are seriously twisted.”

Jenny stood frozen, her whole body going numb.

Multiple S-Class Zombie Kings? That was beyond terrifying.

This shelter was way too dangerous.

She needed to get back to Oasis—fast.

...

The battle was over.

Survivors slowly emerged from the shelter, stepping onto the blood-soaked battlefield. Some began clearing the area, scavenging what they could—digging out zombie Neurocores, stripping bones, collecting any resource that might be useful.

But not everyone was working.

Some stood frozen, eyes brimming with tears. Among them were elderly men with snow-white hair and children barely old enough to understand what had happened.

They bowed their heads in silence, hands clasped tightly, mourning with quiet sobs.

It was clear—they’d lost someone. A parent. A child. A loved one.

In the apocalypse, cruelty wasn’t the exception—it was the rule.

Robert scanned the scene, his sharp eyes softening with a flicker of sorrow. He knew that pain all too well. His own family, his friends—every last one of them had been torn apart by monsters. He understood what it meant to lose everything.

Now, with the others back, he turned to Mia. ”So… now that you’re here, what’s the plan?”

”We’re not letting our people die for nothing,” Mia said without hesitation. ”It’s time to strike back.”

A murmur of admiration rippled through the crowd.

Mia was a badass—no doubt about it.

With her return, everything had changed. The past few days of hiding, of being pushed around by the undead, had been unbearable. The zombies had practically knocked on their front door.

Robert nodded. That was exactly what he’d been thinking.

”When do you want to move?”

”Tonight.”

…

Meanwhile, deep inside the Los Angeles corpse nest—

Ethan was living in comfort, lounging in his lair while quietly absorbing energy. The San Diego zombies had been wandering near L.A.’s outskirts, but they hadn’t dared to touch his turf.

Why? Because his underling Zombie Kings were just that strong.

Unless Nightbane himself—the overlord of San Diego—showed up with his elite squad, there wasn’t much that could threaten Ethan.

Everything was pretty much the same as it had been before his trip to Albuquerque.

”Boring as hell…” Ethan muttered to himself. It had been ages since any human or zombie strong enough to be interesting had dared to step into his territory.

But actually—

Someone was eyeing his turf.

Sophia.

With her iron-willed, alpha personality, she was never one to sit still. She hated being sidelined. And recently, Nathan’s Genesis Biotech base had been flooded with top-tier reinforcements.

Among them? The fourth-generation Cyborg T-09—powerful enough to take on two S-Class Zombie Kings solo. And that wasn’t all. Other elite fighters had arrived too, backed by surrounding corporations. These weren’t your average grunts—they were the best of the best.

Richard had sent Nathan the cream of the crop.

And what had Nathan done with them?

Absolutely nothing.

He was still the same as ever—partying, drinking, gambling, wasting time playing poker with his crew.

”He’s wasting all of it!” Sophia growled through clenched teeth, furious at his laziness.

If she had that kind of power at her disposal, she’d be making serious moves by now.

”No. I can’t let this go on,” she muttered, making up her mind. She needed to talk to Nathan—now.

She stormed out of her room, heels clicking sharply against the floor, and headed straight for his office.

Did she knock?

Of course not.

She shoved the door open and walked right in.

Nathan was kicked back in his chair, feet propped up on the desk, arms behind his head, watching a movie projected on the wall. He looked completely at ease, eyes glued to the screen.

”In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”

The line echoed from the film.

Sophia glanced at the screen, then back at him. ”You look real busy.”

”Eh, not bad,” Nathan replied, not even sparing her a glance.

Sophia crossed her arms. ”Richard sent you a whole squad of elite fighters. Don’t you think it’s time you actually did something?”

”Make a move? Depends—are you on top, or am I?”

”...What the hell?!” Sophia’s face turned bright red. ”What kind of dirty joke is that?!”

”Relax,” Nathan said with a smirk, still not looking away from the movie.

Sophia fumed. ”San Diego and L.A. are about to go to war. You’re not even sending scouts? No intel gathering? And you’re just sitting here watching movies?”

”Let them fight,” Nathan said casually. ”It’s not like they’re coming after me. Why should I care?”

Sophia stared at him, completely speechless.

...