Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Sure enough, the face peeking out from the hole belonged to none other than Dirtferret, grinning with pride like he’d just pulled off the heist of the century.

But before he could bask in the moment, a hand shot out from behind and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

”If I hadn’t heard the commotion, you’d still be sniffing around like a lost puppy,” Big Ears grumbled, squeezing his own face into view.

”Shroom, sis! I’m here to rescue you—come on, let’s get outta here!”

”Oh,” Lil’ Shroom nodded, calm as ever, and followed them into the tunnel.

Back above ground, The Snowy Owl stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief.

”Wait... that actually worked?”

But before he could process it, a hand shot out from the darkness and yanked him in with a sharp whoosh...

The group scrambled through the narrow tunnel, climbing deeper underground. The passage was far from the surface, buried beneath layers of thick earth, making their escape completely silent—no one above had a clue.

”They’ll never find us down here,” Big Ears said smugly. ”As long as we make it back to the Zombie Horde, this rescue mission’s a total win.”

”Damn right,” Mist chimed in. ”No one escapes like the Overlord Squad. No zombie knows how to run better than me!”

”Overlord Squad! Mission accomplished!” Shrimpy shouted, practically vibrating with excitement.

As the distance between them and the surface grew, they started to relax. Let those Cyborgs keep searching—good luck catching them now.

Meanwhile, back on the surface, LORN’s face had darkened. His mind was being flooded with one failed report after another.

All of Lil’ Shroom’s mimics had been destroyed. The entire crevice had been searched top to bottom—nothing. No trace of the others.

The only suspicious spot? A collapsed cave.

”Did they seriously dig their way out?” LORN muttered, frowning. The idea was absurd, but not impossible.

Still, no matter how clever the trick, no scheme could stand against overwhelming power. He made up his mind—he’d tear the earth apart if he had to.

”Earth Surge.”

With a low command, a surge of dark yellow energy exploded from his body—his earth-based powers kicking into overdrive.

The ground trembled violently, like an earthquake had struck. Soil churned and heaved upward, as if the land itself was being sifted.

The massive crevice ahead began to widen, stretching outward, threatening to flatten the entire area.

The terrain shifted under the force of his power, reshaping itself as the energy spread, scanning for any trace of life. Even a worm wouldn’t escape his notice.

Then—LORN’s eyes narrowed.

”Gotcha.”

He focused all his earth energy on a single point.

Underground, Big Ears was still bragging, chest puffed out. ”I’m tellin’ ya, without me, this whole hive would’ve fallen apart. I’m the glue, the brains, the—”

The Snowy Owl, still dazed from the rescue, just blinked at him, unsure whether to be impressed or concerned.

Then the ground around them rumbled violently.

”Big Chompers! What the hell are you doing? Dig straight, not sideways!” Big Ears barked, assuming it was just sloppy tunneling.

Big Chompers looked like he was about to cry. ”It’s not me! I swear!”

Lil’ Shroom’s expression tightened. She noticed a strange yellow glow pulsing through the dirt.

”We’ve been found.”

”What?! No way!” the others gasped, stunned.

BOOM!

With a deafening crash, the tunnel Big Chompers had dug collapsed in on itself. The soil turned to quicksand, swallowing them whole.

But it didn’t stop there.

LORN’s earth magic surged upward, dragging the zombies with it. The ground twisted and rolled like a giant washing machine, tossing them around like socks in a spin cycle.

Big Ears and the others were instantly disoriented, spinning helplessly, unable to tell up from down.

Even Big Chompers—who practically lived underground—was freaking out.

”I swear, I’m gonna barf dirt...”

”...”

The zombies’ screams and panicked shouts echoed through the chaos, bouncing off the churning earth. It was impossible to tell how long they’d been spinning in that hellish dirt cyclone—but finally, the ground stilled.

Everything stopped.

They opened their eyes slowly, blinking against the sudden brightness. The pitch-black tunnel was gone. In its place was open sky—gray and heavy, with thick clouds rolling overhead like a storm was brewing.

They’d been dragged all the way to the surface.

”Run all you want—you were never getting away.”

The voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and furious.

Lil’ Shroom turned her head. Standing not far away was the Fifth-Gen Cyborg, his eyes glowing with lethal intent. Behind him loomed an entire army of machines, their metallic bodies gleaming under the overcast sky.

”We’ve been caught!” someone shouted.

Big Ears looked up, his usual swagger gone. ”Damn... is this how my legendary career ends? Just like that?”

The Fifth-Gen Cyborg stepped forward, radiating menace. His voice was sharp, final.

”I’ll ask one last time—where is the stone tablet?”

Lil’ Shroom didn’t even flinch. ”Why don’t you take a wild guess?”

The zombies weren’t exactly terrified—just... deflated. Like they’d lost a game they thought they had in the bag. All except The Snowy Owl, who was visibly shaking. The sight of the Cyborg army, their cold steel bodies humming with deadly energy, had her on the verge of collapse.

She glanced at Lil’ Shroom and the others. Where the hell was their confidence coming from?

”Maybe... maybe we should just give him the tablet?” she whispered.

Lil’ Shroom shot her a look. ”Don’t be stupid. You really think he’ll let us go if we hand it over?”

”Uh...” The Snowy Owl blinked. Now that she thought about it, yeah—that did sound pretty dumb.

So what now?

Mist, meanwhile, was fuming. Getting caught like this? Total humiliation.

”This is a disgrace to my title as the Escape Master,” he growled. ”No way I’m going down like this.”

In a flash, thick black smoke erupted around him, swirling into a dense fog that swallowed the sky. Day turned to night in an instant, plunging the battlefield into darkness.

The Cyborgs’ vision was completely cut off.

”Run!” Mist shouted, already bolting.

But the Fifth-Gen Cyborg didn’t even blink. He just stood there, unimpressed, like he was watching a toddler throw a tantrum.

Heat shimmered around him as fire energy surged to life. In his palm, a massive fireball began to form—growing larger and larger, until it looked like a miniature sun rising in his hand.

He raised his arm and hurled it straight into the fog.

The blast wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular—it was a scorched-earth move, meant to obliterate everything in its path. Just like he’d said before: tricks and schemes meant nothing in the face of raw power.

The fireball tore across the ground, leaving a trail of destruction. The fog evaporated instantly, burned away by the sheer heat.

”Die,” the Cyborg snarled, certain of his kill.

The fleeing zombies felt the heat behind them like a tidal wave of flame. It was like a star had fallen from the sky, and they were directly in its path.

The red glow lit up their faces, and for a moment, everything slowed.

The Snowy Owl froze, her mind blank with despair. She was exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally. This endless chase had drained her dry. She didn’t even have the strength to scream.

”We’re gonna die...”

The fireball closed in, the air around them prickling like needles against their skin.

But just as it was about to consume them—

A new force surged into the battlefield.

It was overwhelming, crashing down like a tidal wave. The very air seemed to freeze. Space itself warped under the pressure. Even the massive fireball—unstoppable just moments ago—suddenly halted mid-air, frozen in place like time had stopped.

Then, a calm voice rang out, cutting through the silence like a knife.

”Picking on the weak? That’s your big move?”

...