Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Wait here.”

As soon as Ethan said the words, he vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind but the swirling snowflakes drifting down from the sky.

The zombies, including One-Ear, stared at each other in stunned silence.

”That was... insane.”

”...”

The frozen city was crawling with the undead, their guttural roars echoing through the icy streets—a chorus of hunger and desperation.

With the long journey, the brutal winter, and the mountains buried under snow, supplies were running dangerously low.

But inside one particular building, a fire crackled in a stone fireplace, the flames dancing over glowing coals. The warmth lit up the room in a soft, golden glow.

Around a large wooden table sat more than a dozen vampires, members of the Malrick clan. They were feasting—ravenous, greedy, tearing into slabs of raw meat to replenish their strength.

Knives and forks clinked as they carved chunks of unidentifiable flesh from bones, shoving it into their mouths. They chewed noisily, blood dribbling from the corners of their lips, the air thick with the metallic stench of gore. And yet, to them, it was delicious.

Watching vampires eat was a grotesque sight.

They didn’t need the fire for warmth—they didn’t feel the cold. The fire was only there to keep the meat from freezing solid.

One slightly chubby vampire stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and shoved it into his mouth, chewing with a look of pure satisfaction.

”American meat... chomp chomp... damn, this stuff tastes amazing... chomp chomp... way better than what we had back home... chomp chomp...”

”Totally,” another vampire said, licking blood from his fingers. ”Once we take out that Zombie King in L.A., we’ll have access to all those humans holed up in the shelters. We can pick out the healthy ones and start our own little livestock farm.”

”Mmm...” The chubby vampire nodded enthusiastically. ”Just like Lord Crimson Count—we’ll have an entire island of humans to feed on.”

”Hell yeah. That way, we’ll have a steady supply of premium blood and meat.”

The others around the table murmured in agreement, their eyes gleaming with hunger and anticipation.

These bloodthirsty creatures were all part of the Malrick family—men, women, even children. Though ”family” was more of a title than a blood relation.

They ate and dreamed of the future, their minds filled with visions of endless feasts.

But the thick, coppery scent of blood didn’t stay contained. It seeped through the cracks in the windows, drifting out into the frozen air.

Outside, the streets and ruins surrounding the high-rise were packed with zombies. The moment they caught the scent, they began to converge on the building, their howls growing louder, more frenzied. The hunger was driving them mad.

”Smells amazing! Lord Malrick’s having a feast!”

”Ugh, I’m starving! Think he’ll share?”

”Yeah right, keep dreaming. Like he’d ever give us any.”

”I can’t take it anymore... I’m losing it!”

”Let’s go find the boss.”

”...”

A group of elite zombies—those who had evolved enough to regain some intelligence—were growling and muttering among themselves, their voices growing more savage and frenzied by the second.

Inside the building, the Malrick family of vampires could hear the rising chorus of howls outside, each one laced with hunger and frustration.

And they understood exactly what those howls meant.

”Shut the hell up already!” one of the vampires snarled, leaning toward the window, his twisted face full of irritation and cruelty.

Sure enough, the moment the command rang out, the noise outside died instantly.

The massive horde of zombies fell into dead silence, like a switch had been flipped.

”Mm, that’s more like it,” the vampire said with a satisfied smirk.

The chubby vampire, still gnawing on a massive bone, blood smeared across his face, scoffed with disdain.

”Those purebred zombies are like dogs—always barking and whining for scraps.”

”Don’t bother with them,” another vampire said, waving a hand dismissively. ”Let’s just enjoy our meal.”

They were about to dig back in when heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance.

A towering figure stepped into the room—a purebred Zombie King. He stood at least 6’6”, built like a tank, with thick layers of muscle under a coat of fat. His body was covered in coarse hair, especially across his chest, where a dense patch of brown fur looked almost like armor.

His fangs were long and jagged, his face twisted in a permanent snarl. His cloudy eyes locked onto the table piled with meat, and thick drool dripped from the corner of his mouth. He looked like a starving grizzly bear that had just stumbled into a butcher shop.

The chubby vampire spotted him immediately and rolled his eyes.

”Grizz, who the hell said you could come in here?”

”I’m starving... We’re all starving,” Grizz growled, his voice deep and gravelly.

He was the king of the purebred zombies outside, commanding tens of thousands of the undead.

”Heh...” The chubby vampire let out a cold laugh, his tone dripping with contempt. ”You think you’re worthy of this kind of meat? If you’re hungry, go dig around in the forest behind the city. Maybe you’ll find a squirrel or two still hibernating.”

Grizz’s eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. Of course he didn’t want that. Those scrawny squirrels weren’t even enough to get stuck in his teeth.

”My lord, my brothers and I... we’re at our limit,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

”Too bad. Now get the hell out before your disgusting drool stains the floor,” the chubby vampire snapped, not even trying to hide his disdain.

Grizz’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides. Veins bulged across the backs of his hands, and the muscles in his thick arms twitched with barely restrained fury.

But just as he was about to explode, another vampire raised a hand casually.

”Now, now... Grizz is one of the Patriarch’s most loyal enforcers,” the vampire said smoothly. ”Dear brother, don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?”

”I’m already being generous,” the chubby vampire replied with a shrug.

Grizz glanced at the second vampire, a flicker of hope in his eyes. Maybe this one was different. Maybe he actually gave a damn.

But then—clang—the second vampire tossed a stripped-clean bone onto the floor with a loud clatter, like he was throwing scraps to a dog.

”There. Go fetch.”

”You...” Whatever gratitude Grizz had felt instantly curdled into rage. His whole body tensed, fury boiling up inside him. They were mocking him—humiliating him.

His fists clenched tighter, muscles bulging, his breath coming in short, heavy bursts. His eyes burned with a savage light, teetering on the edge of losing control.

But then he caught a whiff of the bone on the floor. He looked down and saw that there were still bits of tendon and scraps of meat clinging to it.

”...Screw it. I’ll eat first. Then we’ll see.”

He bent down, picked up the bone, and started gnawing in silence.

...