Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Hm?” Mia turned her head. She recognized the young man standing in front of her—Dylan, one of the administrators at Mount Elbert Shelter.

”You need something?”

”Yeah… it’s about the Zombie Horde migrating out of L.A.”

”Alright, just say it here,” Mia replied casually.

Dylan glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he leaned in slightly and said, ”The L.A. horde is almost at Texas.”

Mia just nodded, unfazed.

Mount Elbert Shelter wasn’t technically in Texas, but it was close enough to be a concern. Dylan was clearly worried.

So he’d started reaching out to all the Tier-01 Awakeners, trying to rally a defense force to push back the horde and protect the shelters.

”This Zombie Horde from L.A. is tearing across the country. It’s a disaster for all of humanity. I’m afraid once they’re done with Texas, they’ll head straight for Mount Elbert.”

”And what’s that got to do with me?” Mia shot back.

Her situation wasn’t all that different from Nathan’s. With the L.A. zombies on the move, things had actually calmed down for her. No Ethan meant no weird monsters showing up to attack the shelter. Life had been surprisingly peaceful lately.

”...” Dylan was speechless. He couldn’t believe how narrow-minded she was being.

”Mia, I’m asking you to think about the future of humanity. People call you the ’Light of Mankind.’ Don’t let them down.”

”Are you trying to guilt-trip me?” Mia asked bluntly.

”I—”

Dylan choked on his words. Talking to her was like pulling teeth.

”I’m not trying to guilt you, I swear. I just hope you’ll join our fight against the Zombie Horde. Humanity needs you. And… I heard you’ve got some kind of connection with the Zombie King. Maybe you know how to take him down?”

”If you can kill him, you’ll be a legend. You’ll have access to endless resources, glory, everything.”

Everyone knew the L.A. shelter had only survived this long because of Ethan. He and Mia had worked together before—something of an open secret among survivors, even if no one said it out loud.

”You want me to go after Ethan?” Mia’s eyes narrowed slightly. Her voice dropped. ”You do realize Ethan is my closest companion and dearest friend…”

”Mia, come on. You’re not seriously in love with a Zombie King, are you? He’s just using you. Manipulating you!” Dylan jumped in, trying to talk sense into her.

He couldn’t believe a human could have real feelings for a zombie. It had to be some twisted game of mutual exploitation.

”If you agree to help, I’ll give you full access to all our resources. Whatever you need.”

Mia paused, considering. Then, to Dylan’s surprise, she nodded. ”Alright. I’m in.”

”Really? That’s amazing!” Dylan lit up, practically vibrating with excitement.

So much for ”closest companion and dearest friend,” huh?

In a world like this, even blood relatives would sell each other out for the right price.

”I’m gonna go grab some supplies,” Mia said.

Dylan nodded eagerly. ”Take whatever you need. Once you’re done, let’s talk details. I’ll be waiting in my office.”

”Sure,” Mia replied, brushing past him without another glance.

Dylan watched her walk away, a smug grin creeping onto his face. With Mia on board, the plan was already halfway to success.

He headed back to his office, practically giddy with anticipation.

In his mind, he was already mapping out his rise to power. If they could take down the Zombie King, he’d be hailed as a hero. Revered. Worshipped.

He could ride that wave straight to the top—elected as the supreme leader of the shelter, maybe even of all the remaining human settlements.

He’d lead humanity to victory, wipe out the undead, and build a new nation from the ashes.

And he’d be its king.

Once that was done, he’d go after Mia. With power and prestige on his side, how could she possibly say no?

A beautiful woman in one arm, the world in the other.

To conquer, to reign, and to have it all.

Just thinking about it made him giddy with anticipation.

Dylan was still lost in his grand plans, time slipping by unnoticed—until he realized it had been over thirty minutes and Mia still hadn’t come back.

”Where is she?”

”What the hell’s taking so long?”

He started to get uneasy. Even if she was gathering supplies, it shouldn’t be taking this long…

Growing impatient, he decided to ask around.

A few minutes later, he called in the warehouse manager.

”You called for me, Dylan?” the man asked as he stepped into the office.

”Yeah, yeah. Where’s Mia? She still not done picking up her supplies?” Dylan asked, trying to keep his voice steady, though the urgency was obvious.

The warehouse manager scratched his head. ”Mia? Oh, she finished a while ago. Took off in one of our new prototype flyers, loaded up with a ton of gear. She’s already headed back to L.A.”

”…What?” Dylan’s eyes went wide, his whole body stiffening.

She’d played him.

Mia had never intended to join their fight. She’d just used him to stock up and then bailed—back to L.A., where she was clearly living the good life and had no interest in getting dragged into their mess.

Dylan felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

His mother’s words echoed in his head: ”The prettier the woman, the better the liar…”

He’d been riding high, dreaming of glory, of power, of reshaping the world—and before he could even take the first step, he’d been outmaneuvered by a single woman.

But Dylan wasn’t the type to give up.

Setbacks were part of the journey. If you wanted to build something great, you had to be ready to eat dirt along the way.

He clenched his fists, jaw tight. Fine. Mia had made her choice.

He’d just have to move forward without her.

...

Meanwhile, in Texas, chaos was brewing.

Ever since Ethan arrived, the region had been anything but peaceful.

Right now, a squad of Awakeners from Genesis Biotech had entered a vast swamp, spreading out and unleashing their powers in a coordinated assault. Explosions rocked the ground, sending shockwaves through the muck and mire.

”RRAAAHHH—!”

Moments later, guttural zombie howls echoed from deep within the swamp.

”They’re coming! Fall back!”

”Got it!”

The Genesis Biotech team didn’t hesitate—they weren’t here to fight, just to stir the hornet’s nest. They turned and retreated fast.

From the bubbling swamp, clawed hands burst through the sludge—one after another, grotesque zombies began to crawl out, like demons clawing their way up from hell.

Some of them weren’t just zombies anymore.

They were fused with crocodiles—mutated horrors with yellow reptilian eyes and jagged teeth, radiating pure bloodlust.

In seconds, the swamp was crawling with them. The creatures tangled together in the muck, forming a writhing, grotesque mass—a living pit of death.

And then, from the center of it all, something massive rose.

A fusion-type Zombie King.

It stood tall, humanoid in shape, but its body was a grotesque blend of man and beast. A thick crocodile tail dragged behind it, and its back was covered in bumpy, armored scales that stretched all the way up to its scalp.

From a distance, it looked like a man wearing a crocodile onesie—if that onesie was made of real flesh and bone.

Its yellow eyes burned with fury, its fanged mouth twisted into a snarl. The air around it seemed to vibrate with rage.

This was the undisputed ruler of the swamp.

Gatorax.

Its voice rumbled like thunder as it growled, ”Let’s see… who the hell dares stir up trouble in my territory?”

...