Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Ethan, this crystal core should go to you,” Henry said, handing over the glowing core.

Ethan waved it off with a grin. ”What’s there to assign? Obviously, it’s going to Skinny Pete.”

”I knew it! I knew Captain would give it to me!” Skinny Pete beamed as he took the core.

”We all knew he’d give it to you,” Sean said, his tone turning stern. ”But it’s one thing for the captain to assign it. It’s another if you just help yourself. Got it?”

”Got it! I wasn’t gonna use it without asking. That’s why I waited till we got back.”

”Alright, don’t get too uptight,” Ethan said casually. ”We’re not buried in red tape here. Fallen Star Squad isn’t that kind of team.”

”Even so,” Miles chimed in, ”I think we should have some basic rules. For high-tier crystal cores like this, it’s better if you’re the one assigning them, Captain. Avoids any future drama.”

Ethan nodded. ”Fair enough.”

Then he turned to Skinny Pete. ”Go ahead and advance to Stage D. I’ve been curious about your ability.”

”On it!”

Skinny Pete sat down immediately and swallowed the crystal core.

Five minutes later, he opened his eyes—his expression a little… off.

”What’s up? What ability did you get?” Chris asked, leaning in.

”Wind-type. Wind Cutter,” Skinny Pete said.

”That’s solid,” Chris nodded. ”I’ve felt that one before. It’s strong.”

”I know the new skill,” Pete said, ”but the weird part is… my original ability. It feels like something new got added to it.”

”What kind of ability?” Chris asked, intrigued.

”I think… I can control animals now?” Skinny Pete said, uncertain.

”!!!”

”For real!?”

Everyone’s eyes went wide—even Ethan looked surprised. If that was true, it was a game-changer.

”I’m not 100% sure, but that’s what it feels like.”

”Wanna try it on Pumpkin?” Chris suggested.

”Let’s not mess with Pumpkin,” Skinny Pete said, a little nervous. ”What if I fry his brain or something?”

”This kind of control might mess with the target’s mind,” Ethan agreed. ”Let’s not risk it. Tomorrow, we’ll find a mutant beast outside and test it.”

”Yeah, good call,” Pete nodded.

”Jesus… if I’d known your ability had this kind of potential, I would’ve fought you for that core,” Big Mike said, staring at Pete with open envy.

Beast Control. If he could command a horde of mutant beasts, he could wipe out a city with a wave of his hand. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

”Heh, you’re the one who didn’t want it back then,” Skinny Pete said smugly.

”Special-type abilities are way rarer than elemental ones,” Ethan said seriously. ”Naturally, they’ve got more potential.”

He continued, ”I think I’m starting to figure some things out.”

”Abilities awakened before Stage D are Innate Abilities. They grow with you. Every time we light up a star in our constellation, the ability evolves—either getting stronger or branching into something new.”

”Like my True Sight evolved into Telekinesis. Skinny Pete’s Enthrallment evolved into Beast Control. For others like Sean and Chris, their abilities just got stronger.”

”But once you hit Stage D, the ability you choose is an Acquired Ability. Maybe ’skill’ is a better word. These don’t evolve—they’re fixed attack methods.”

”If I’m right, every time we light up a star, we get to choose one skill. The later stars probably unlock stronger skills.”

”The ones available at Stage D are mostly basic—Fireball, Wind Cutter, stuff like that. So being weak at Stage D doesn’t mean you’ll stay weak.”

”In theory, everyone gets nine chances to shape their destiny. Even if your early picks suck, one lucky pull later on could change everything.”

”Yeah, Captain, that makes a lot of sense,” the others nodded, taking it in seriously.

”Holy shit… then you’re basically a god, Captain!” Big Mike said, eyes wide. ”We’re all rolling the dice, but you get to pick every time—nine times! You can just choose the best, most perfect skills for yourself!”

The others suddenly realized it too. One by one, they turned to Ethan, their eyes full of envy.

”Uh… don’t look at me like that,” Ethan said, scratching his head. ”I’m your captain. It’s normal for me to be a little stronger, right?”

”Yeah… fair enough.”

”Wait… what’s that burning smell?” Garrick sniffed the air.

Everyone turned toward the kitchen.

”Ah—sorry! I got too caught up listening,” Mia suddenly snapped back to reality and rushed into the kitchen.

Everything Ethan had just explained was completely new to her. She’d been so absorbed, she forgot she had food on the stove.

”Captain… who’s she?” someone finally asked, just now noticing the unfamiliar beauty in the house.

”New team member,” Ethan replied simply.

”Haha, finally! Our bachelor squad’s got a female member!” someone cheered.

”Remember—she’s a teammate. Don’t get any ideas.”

”Got it, we get it,” the guys all nodded, though a few of them shot Ethan some suspicious looks.

”Dinner’s ready!” Mia called out, bringing out dish after dish and setting them on the table.

”Sorry, I got distracted and burned the lasagna. I’ll eat that one—you guys can have the rest,” she said, a little embarrassed.

”If it’s burnt, toss it. No point eating that,” Ethan said, walking over and dumping the lasagna straight into the trash.

Mia gave a helpless nod. Figures. This was the Fallen Star Squad—clearly, supplies weren’t a problem here.

Everyone gathered around the table and dug in fast. They’d burned a lot of energy today.

”Mmm… Mia, your cooking’s pretty damn good. Almost as good as Ethan’s,” Big Mike said, mouth full.

”Though honestly,” Skinny Pete added, ”you might’ve made a bit too little. I don’t think this is gonna fill us up.”

”Ah, sorry. I’m not used to cooking for this many people. I’ll make more next time,” Mia said, a little flustered.

After over a month of apocalypse living, she’d gotten used to rationing. Who would’ve thought this place was so well-stocked?

”Ethan, when are we heading back to the hometown?” Chris asked. He already had a bad feeling, but he still wanted to go back and see for himself.

”In a couple days,” Ethan said. ”Once the others hit Tier 6, I should be close to Tier 7. Then we’ll move out.”

”You’re almost Tier 7!?” Mia stared at him, stunned.

”What’s with the shock? This is the Fallen Star Squad. That’s pretty normal around here.”

”…”

”Captain, what’s your hometown like? Think it’s a good spot to build a compound?” Miles asked.

”It’s surrounded by mountains on all sides. Whole county’s population is under three hundred thousand. Honestly, it’s a great location.”

”Then why don’t we just set up a compound there?” Miles suggested.

”That’s the plan,” Ethan nodded. ”But after checking out two compounds today, I noticed a lot of issues. We’ll build one—but we’re keeping it small. Quality over quantity.”

”Too many people just means more problems. Resources get stretched thin. Right now, I’ve got enough supplies to raise two thousand completely powerless people to Tier 4 Enhanced. So we’ll start with around two thousand.”

”But recruitment is based on character, not strength,” Ethan added firmly.

”Understood!” Miles said with a nod.

”Alright, let’s eat. Miles, I’ve got a surprise for you tonight.”

”A surprise?” Miles looked curious, but mostly excited.

”You’ll see when the time comes.”

”Looking forward to it.”

…