Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan hadn’t expected to see these zombies here.

By all logic, the Canadian Zombie Horde shouldn’t have been able to find this place...

The Splitjaw Zombie King stared at him, frozen in place, clearly terrified. She could feel it—this man in front of her was the real apex predator.

And behind him stood Big Ears and the other four elite zombies, along with a whole mob of vicious-looking undead, all glaring at her like they were ready to pounce.

”I... my underlings said they spotted humans. They set up camp here, so... so we came to check it out,” the Splitjaw Zombie King stammered, trying to explain.

”Oh...” Ethan nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place.

The only one who knew he was here was that Cyborg from last night. It was obvious now—he’d deliberately leaked Ethan’s location to lure the Canadian Zombie Horde here.

Trying to stir up trouble. Slow him down. Distract him from finding the stone tablet.

The Splitjaw Zombie King was trembling with fear. She knew there was no way out of this.

”Please don’t kill me! I—I’ll serve you, do whatever you say. I swear I’ll follow your every command!”

”Sure,” Ethan said with a nod.

Her eyes lit up with hope. She opened her mouth, ready to thank him, to show her loyalty.

But before she could get a word out, Ethan raised his hand. A pitch-black katana materialized in his grip, and in one smooth motion, he swung it at her neck.

”I want you dead.”

Shhhk—

The blade sliced clean through her grotesque head. Black blood sprayed everywhere as her mangled body collapsed to the ground.

This Canadian zombie had only offered loyalty out of fear. When the real battle came, who knew if she’d turn on him?

Besides, she’d already lost an arm—she wasn’t much use in a fight anymore. Better to take the S-grade crystal core from her corpse.

From behind, Shrimpy tilted his head, confused. ”Boss, why would a human lead her to us?”

”It was that Cyborg from Genesis Biotech,” Ethan muttered, piecing it together. ”Guess they’re not above playing dirty.”

And as if no one knew where their camp was located...

Now that the Canadian Zombie Horde was gathering and Genesis Biotech was hunting for the stone tablet, Ethan wasn’t about to let them have it easy.

A plan started forming in his mind. If they wanted to play games, he’d play right back.

”Go find the Canadian Zombie Horde,” he ordered his crew. ”Lure them straight into Genesis Biotech’s camp.”

...

Meanwhile, deep in Canadian territory...

A sleek aircraft tore through the sky, descending rapidly into a ruined city swallowed by the apocalypse. This was the main base of the Canadian Zombie Horde—and the stronghold of Malcolm, adopted son of the Crimson Count.

With a mechanical hiss, the aircraft’s doors slid open. Sophia stepped out, her pale face twisted with frustration and seething rage.

Malcolm turned to her. ”Scarlet Moon. How’d the operation go in the U.S.?”

”Don’t even ask,” Sophia growled through clenched teeth.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow, already sensing something had gone wrong. ”What happened?”

”It was going fine at first. I was this close to breaking into Genesis Biotech’s L.A. headquarters. Then outta nowhere, a whole damn horde of zombies showed up. No clue where they came from—but there were a lot of them.”

She gave him a quick rundown of everything that had gone down in the States.

Malcolm nodded thoughtfully. ”That really is unexpected. But still, the fact that you nearly took down Genesis Biotech’s L.A. headquarters? That’s no small feat.”

”Exactly,” Sophia said, her tone defensive but proud. ”So it’s not like I screwed up—it was just bad luck.”

”Right. For now, let’s focus on the fight here in Canada. Once we’ve locked this down, taking the U.S. will just be a matter of time,” Malcolm said, his voice calm and confident.

Sophia agreed. ”Don’t worry. With the two of us holding the line, there’s no way we’ll let our father down. So, what’s the situation here in Canada?”

Malcolm’s expression darkened. ”It’s... a little strange,” he admitted, furrowing his brow. He figured now that Sophia was here, it was a good time to talk it through.

”The U.S. Zombie Horde crossed into Canada and took over a small town near the border. But they’ve been unusually quiet. According to our scouts, there aren’t many zombies inside. Just one really tall, kinda dopey-looking one wandering around.”

”I was thinking... maybe their leader isn’t there? I was about to send in a squad to attack and test the waters.”

”Absolutely not!” Sophia cut in sharply, her voice urgent.

”You don’t know that Zombie King from L.A. like I do. That guy’s a snake—master of deception and dirty tricks. He’s probably setting a trap, just waiting for you to walk in so he can wipe you out.”

”You really think so?” Malcolm looked skeptical.

”I know so,” Sophia said firmly. ”Back when I was still human, I had run-ins with him. No one knows him better than I do. He’s definitely hiding in that town, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”

”Oh...” Malcolm nodded slowly. If she was that sure, he’d hold off for now and rethink the plan.

But just as the two were deep in conversation, a member of the Vampire Race came sprinting over, clearly in a panic, ready to report something urgent.

”Lords! That Zombie King from L.A.—he just showed up on top of a snow-covered mountain with his horde. They ambushed and wiped out a huge number of our incoming zombies!”

”???” Malcolm’s face twisted in confusion, completely thrown off.

What the hell?

Didn’t they just say he was holed up in the town, lying in wait? Now he’s on a mountaintop?

Sophia’s expression froze too.

Did I misjudge him?

That doesn’t make sense...

For a moment, an awkward silence settled between them. Neither said a word.

The Vampire underling glanced left, then right, clearly uncomfortable but smart enough not to ask questions.

After a long pause, Malcolm finally broke the silence. ”So... maybe the town is the trap?”

”...” Sophia opened her mouth, then closed it again.

”Ahem! But this just proves what I said—he’s as sneaky as they come!” Malcolm added quickly, trying to save face.

In truth, Ethan hadn’t planned anything that elaborate. He’d just left Bulldozer behind in the border town because the guy was too damn big to fit through the underground tunnels.

As for their safety? Not a huge concern. If things got dicey, they could always retreat back to the U.S.

Besides, Logan was still stationed at the border. That guy would fight to the death to protect the northern front.

But to Sophia and Malcolm, it was a total mystery. How the hell did the L.A. Zombie Horde vanish from the town and reappear on a mountaintop?

It was like they were ghosts—here one moment, gone the next.

Malcolm shook his head. ”Looks like gathering our Zombie Horde won’t be as smooth as we thought. We’ll need to be more careful moving forward.”

”Yeah,” Sophia said, her eyes narrowing in thought. ”He’s chipping away at our forces, little by little. Like boiling a frog in warm water. We can’t afford to lose any more of our people.”

...

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Ethan’s zombie crew had already split up, moving stealthily through the region. Their mission: lure the Canadian Zombie Horde straight into Genesis Biotech’s camp.

Obviously, this wasn’t a job for Laura and the other top-tier Zombie Kings. They were too strong—no way they could fake a retreat. Hell, just showing up might scare the enemy off.

Among the major Zombie Kings, Lil’ Shroom was the best fit for the job. She could shapeshift into a human form, making her perfect for baiting the Canadian zombies.

Then there were the weaker ones—Big Ears, Shrimpy, and the other two lesser zombies...