Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Dylan’s brows furrowed. He’d thought that once he made his call to action, everyone would rally together, united against the Zombie King.

But right out of the gate, he hit resistance.

And just like Mia, the one standing in his way now was another pretty girl.

What the hell was going on?

What kind of spell did this Zombie King from L.A. have over people?

”Why won’t you go?” Dylan asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

”Because that Zombie King from L.A. saved my life,” Lily said firmly. ”There’s no way I could go against him.”

Dylan clenched his jaw, forcing down his frustration. ”He saved your life to manipulate you. Come on, humans and zombies are enemies. He sees us as food—there’s no way he helped you out of the goodness of his heart.”

”He didn’t just save me,” Lily shot back. ”He saved my parents. He saved my sister. He saved our whole family. I might be scared of zombies, but that Zombie King never laid a finger on me. Humans, on the other hand? They’ve hurt me more than I can count. Honestly, you’re the one who sounds like you’re trying to manipulate me.”

”Damn right!” Gavin and a few others clapped at Lily’s words, unable to hold back their approval.

But when Dylan turned a sharp glare their way, they awkwardly stopped, hands half-raised.

”So what, you all disagree with me too?” Dylan snapped, turning to the crowd.

Before Gavin or anyone else could respond, another group stepped forward.

”It’s not just them,” someone said. ”We’re not going either.”

Dylan turned toward the voice and saw a middle-aged man at the front—Travis Quinn. Behind him stood Brian and a few others.

Back when they were heading to Mount Elbert, they’d run into Ethan, Nightbane, and two of the Four War Generals from San Diego. In one night, they’d faced more powerful Zombie Kings than most people would in a lifetime. But in the end, Ethan let them go. They survived.

”The L.A. Zombie Horde might be heading toward Texas,” Travis said, calm but firm, ”but that doesn’t mean they’ll come after Mount Elbert. If we go after them, we might just piss off the Zombie King and bring the fight to our doorstep. It’s not worth the risk—we’re staying put.”

The crowd, already unsure, quickly latched onto his reasoning. The idea of going up against the Zombie Horde had always felt like a suicide mission.

”Yeah, that actually makes sense.”

”If they’re not going, I’m not going either…”

”Right? If no one’s going, why should I?”

”Well, guess that’s that. No one’s going.”

”Meeting adjourned!”

”...”

People started scattering across the plaza, not even sparing Dylan a second glance.

He stood alone on the stone platform, completely dumbfounded.

”This… is not how I pictured this going.”

”What the hell is wrong with these people?!”

...

Meanwhile, in Texas, tension was thick in the air.

Every major faction was on edge.

”Stay alert! I’m serious—everyone stay sharp!” Big Ears barked orders at Gatorax and his crew of zombie underlings. ”There’s a powerful human team that just showed up in Texas. They’re dangerous as hell. I want eyes everywhere!”

Clearly, the encounter with the Perfect Team had left a mark on him. The fear still hadn’t worn off.

”Don’t worry, Big Ears,” Gatorax said confidently. ”We’re watching everything.”

Big Ears nodded rapidly. ”Good, good. This is a critical time. It’s dangerous as hell out there. Listen to me—under no circumstances can we let any human faction into San Antonio. Got it?”

”Got it! Loud and clear!” Gatorax said, pounding his chest.

But just then, a low rumble echoed through the sky—an engine, loud and fast, growing closer by the second.

”Shit…”

Big Ears jumped like he’d been electrocuted, eyes wide with panic.

Were they here already?

Everyone looked up.

Sure enough, slicing through the clouds, a sleek aircraft was speeding straight toward San Antonio.

”Holy shit!” Big Ears and his crew tensed up even more.

But as they squinted up at the aircraft, they noticed something—it wasn’t marked with the usual red ”GB” letters.

Still, one thing was clear: it was definitely human.

”Everyone stay sharp. If things go south, use the tricks I taught you to defend the place!” Big Ears barked, snapping into command mode.

”Got it, no problem!” Gatorax and the others responded in unison.

The aircraft slowed dramatically, descending lower and lower. Its blue tail flames flickered out as it touched down with a heavy thud on the street ahead, landing solidly.

The hatch hissed open, splitting to both sides, revealing a group of humans inside.

”Been gone a while, but damn—San Antonio’s changed a lot,” said Mia, stepping out first and glancing around before hopping off the aircraft.

Gatorax’s reptilian eyes locked onto them. He scanned the group—no Genesis Biotech insignias, and they didn’t seem all that powerful either...

”Coming into our turf like this? You’re dead meat!” Gatorax snarled. ”Let’s go, boys! Time to show ’em what we’re made of!”

He saw this as his moment—just like Big Ears had said. Time to earn some glory and make a name for himself.

But before he could charge, Big Ears suddenly leapt up and smacked him hard on the back of the neck.

”Charge? Charge your ass! You ever think maybe they can’t be messed with? That’s the boss’s friend, you idiot! What the hell are you doing?!”

”Uh…” Gatorax froze, stunned and confused. Just a second ago, Big Ears had been yelling about not letting any human factions in. Now he was doing a complete 180?

He looked up and saw Big Ears already strutting forward, face transformed into a wide, bootlicking grin.

”Welcome, welcome! Friends from L.A., so glad to have you in Texas! Let me take you straight to the boss!”

Mia gave a small nod and led her team forward without a word.

Gatorax stood there, dumbfounded. ”So that’s how Big Ears became the boss’s number one guy?”

...

Not long after, Ethan met up with Mia and the others. He was clearly surprised.

”You came all the way here?”

”Texas is where all the action is. If I didn’t show up, wouldn’t the party be missing a little sparkle?” Mia said with a playful smile.

Ethan paused, staring at her.

Something about her had changed.

She was… more full of herself?

Before he could say anything, Leah and the rest of her group arrived, having heard the commotion. Since they’d met before, everyone greeted each other warmly.

But the one who stood out the most was Griffin—Nora’s ex.

Seeing her again stirred up a lot of emotions.

”Nora… how’ve you been?”

”I’m… okay. You?” she asked, her voice soft.

Griffin nodded. ”I’m good. Found a new home in L.A. And someone new, too.”

Brandon, standing nearby, quietly took a step away from him.

Among Leah’s group was a young guy—one of the infamous ”busted balls” duo. The moment he saw Griffin, the original ”victim,” he rushed over, eyes wide with admiration.

”Big Brother! It’s an honor to meet you.”

”Uh…” Griffin looked him up and down, something about the way the guy walked felt eerily familiar. It didn’t take long for him to realize the poor guy had suffered the same… fate.

”You’re dating Nora too?”

”Yeah, I am.”

”Pleasure to meet you.” Griffin stepped forward and shook his hand with genuine sympathy.

Busted Balls #2 looked emotional. ”I’ve heard so much about you. There’s a lot I’d love to ask you.”

”Hey, ask away,” Griffin sighed deeply. ”We’ve been through the same hell.”

It was painfully clear—Nora’s love life hadn’t exactly been sunshine and roses.

She was still the same as ever…

…