Apocalypse: King of Zombies

As soon as the rabbit vanished into the warped space, Skinny Pete frowned.

”What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, catching the change in his expression.

”I’ve lost the link,” Pete said, voice low. ”I can’t issue it any commands anymore.”

”Can you still tell if it’s alive?”

”Yeah. For now, it’s still alive.”

”That’s good enough.” Ethan nodded. ”Looks like it really is a separate dimensional space. Keep monitoring it—see how long it lasts in there.”

”Got it.”

Skinny Pete closed his eyes slightly, focusing on the mental connection. The rest of the group stayed quiet, watching him closely.

A few minutes passed.

”Is it dead yet?” Big Mike asked, unable to hold back.

”No…”

Another few minutes.

”Now?”

”No.”

A few more minutes ticked by. Big Mike opened his mouth again, but Chris cut him off with a glare.

”Can you chill for five seconds? None of us are asking because we trust Pete to tell us. If it dies, he’ll say so.”

”Alright, alright.” Big Mike shut his mouth, though he was clearly itching for updates.

Ten minutes passed.

The rabbit was still alive—but it hadn’t come back.

That result left everyone uneasy.

There were too many possibilities.

Maybe the rabbit had lost Skinny Pete’s influence and just didn’t want to return.

Maybe it was trapped inside and couldn’t get out.

Or maybe… it was a one-way trip.

If it was the first case, no big deal. But if it was the second or third? That was a problem.

”What now, Ethan?” Chris asked, looking over.

Ethan’s face was tight with hesitation.

He wanted to go in—badly. But this wasn’t something to take lightly. No one knew what was on the other side.

”We wait another thirty minutes,” Ethan said finally. ”If the rabbit’s still alive, I’ll go in and take a look.”

”You’re going in alone?!” Everyone stared at him.

”Yeah,” Ethan said calmly. ”I’ve got [Teleportation]. If it’s a trap or something that locks people in, it shouldn’t be able to hold me. And if the rabbit can survive half an hour, that tells us the danger level isn’t too high. It’s worth checking out.”

”But what if it really is one-way?” Chris asked, brows furrowed.

”I don’t think so,” Ethan said, thinking aloud. ”Space is usually reciprocal. If we can enter from this side, there should be a way out from the other. At least, that’s how it should work.”

He paused, then added, ”Of course, that’s just theory. We’ve never dealt with anything like this before. It could be something beyond what we understand. But we’ve stumbled on it now, and I can’t just walk away. I’ve got a hunch—and I need to confirm it, or it’s going to eat at me.”

”What kind of hunch?” someone asked.

Ethan’s expression turned serious.

”This thing—this rift—it’s never shown up before. I think it’s something that only started appearing after the apocalypse.”

”Same with that mysterious energy we absorb every night from the stars. That wasn’t around before either.”

”I’m starting to think this so-called apocalypse… might’ve been Earth getting connected to other dimensions. And that mysterious energy? It’s flooding in from those other spaces.”

He looked around at the stunned faces.

”Most people turning into zombies overnight… it might’ve been caused by that energy. For humans who’ve never been exposed to it before, maybe it’s toxic. Or maybe it carries something harmful by nature.”

The group went silent.

”Damn, Captain,” Garrick said, swallowing hard. ”That’s… a hell of a theory.”

”Crazy as it sounds, it actually makes a lot of sense,” Mia added. ”I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s exactly what happened.”

”Yeah,” Sean nodded slowly. ”If that’s even half true, then we really do need to check this place out.”

Ethan nodded. ”Exactly.”

Half an hour later...

”Still alive?” Ethan looked over at Skinny Pete.

”Yeah,” Pete nodded. ”Still kicking.”

”Good.” Ethan exhaled slowly. ”I’m going in to check it out. You all stay here and wait. No matter what—don’t follow me in unless I come back out first.”

”Don’t worry, Ethan. We won’t do anything reckless,” Sean said seriously.

”Be careful in there,” Chris added, his voice tight with concern.

Ethan gave a small nod. ”I will.”

He took a deep breath, then launched himself forward, aiming straight for the warped space.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, his figure vanished into the rift.

”Ethan’s gonna be fine… right?” Henry asked, worry creeping into his voice.

”He’ll be fine,” Chris said firmly. ”He’s strong, and he’s got [Teleportation]. If anyone can handle this, it’s him.”

”Yeah…”

…

The moment Ethan passed through the warped space, he felt a powerful force yank him forward. A wave of dizziness hit him like a truck.

Then—sudden weightlessness.

THUD!

Before he could react, he slammed down hard on the ground, landing square on his ass.

”Shit…” Ethan groaned, scrambling to his feet and rubbing his backside. He glanced around, alert.

And then he froze.

What lay before him was a desolate wasteland—ruined, lifeless, and eerily still.

The air was thick with decay and silence, like the aftermath of a war that had wiped everything clean.

Crumbling stone pillars lay scattered across the ground, broken and half-buried in dust. They looked like they’d once belonged to some grand structure—maybe even a palace.

Ethan stared at them, stunned.

”Was this… once inhabited? By humans? Or some kind of intelligent life?”

The craftsmanship on the pillars was unmistakable—this wasn’t nature’s work. They looked ancient, like something pulled straight out of a forgotten civilization.

His mind raced with possibilities, a mix of excitement and disbelief bubbling in his chest.

He activated [True Sight] and scanned the area.

The space wasn’t endless—he could see its boundaries with his ability. It looked like he’d landed at the base of a collapsed mountain. Judging by the debris, there had once been buildings up there, now reduced to rubble.

He swept the area for signs of life.

At first, nothing.

Then—movement.

Not far away, a jaguar lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving but still breathing faintly. Nearby, a rabbit was hopping in circles, leaping toward the sky like it was trying to escape.

The jaguar and the rabbit—the same two that had entered before him.

So they’d guessed wrong. The rabbit wasn’t ignoring commands or trapped by some force—it just couldn’t get out.

Ethan looked up.

The rift was floating over sixty feet above the ground. No wonder the rabbit couldn’t reach it.

He walked over to the jaguar and crouched beside it. Its chest was still rising and falling—barely, but it was alive.

He hesitated.

Killing it now would be easy. But maybe… it could be useful.

If Skinny Pete could control it, they’d have a high-speed mount. With this thing and Bengal Tiger Goldie, they could ditch the car entirely. With their size, each could probably carry four people no problem—and way faster than driving.

Ethan stood and gave the area one last sweep. No threats. No signs of danger.

Time to bring the others in before they started panicking.

With a flash of [Teleportation], he blinked up toward the rift—straight into the air—and slipped back through the portal.