Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Big Ears wasn’t doing it for anything noble—he just wanted another bragging point on his résumé: ”Briefly served as the boss of the Los Angeles zombie hive.”

Next to him, Shrimpy asked, ”Big Ears, aren’t we gonna follow them?”

”Nope. Gotta strategize from the sidelines!” Big Ears replied, waving his hand dismissively.

...

The exodus of zombies from Los Angeles was nothing short of apocalyptic. The sheer scale of it shook the entire city, leaving chaos in its wake.

At Genesis Biotech, the commotion didn’t go unnoticed.

The secretary burst into the office, her heels clicking against the floor.

”Mr. Nathan, the zombies in the city are on the move—all of them!”

”What?!” Nathan’s face froze in shock as he shot up from his chair with a loud thud.

”Quick! Pack up your stuff! We need to get out of here!” he barked, his voice frantic.

”Uh… get out? Why?” The assistant looked at him, puzzled.

Nathan was practically hyperventilating. ”The zombies! They’re coming to attack us, aren’t they?!”

”No, they’re heading toward the shelter,” the assistant clarified.

Nathan froze mid-panic, his expression shifting to one of confusion. The room fell silent, the air thick with awkwardness.

”Ahem… the zombies… are attacking the shelter?” he asked, trying to regain his composure.

”Not sure. But Sophia sent us an email earlier, saying Los Angeles was about to descend into chaos. She hinted we might have a chance to turn things around,” the assistant recalled.

”Oh…” Nathan rubbed his chin, intrigued. How did Sophia predict this? She always seemed to have a knack for seeing things coming—and she was usually spot on.

”Quick! Find out what’s happening at the shelter!” Nathan ordered, snapping back into action.

...

Outside the shelter, the scene was a blood-soaked nightmare. The ground was littered with mangled corpses and chunks of flesh, the stench of blood hanging thick in the air.

Mia stood at the front, gripping her tachi tightly. Her pale face was smeared with blood, and her dark, piercing eyes stared unflinchingly ahead. She had cut down countless monsters, her heart now as cold and sharp as the blade in her hand.

Behind her, the Awakeners were gasping for breath, their bodies drained from the relentless battle. They had been fighting for what felt like an eternity, but the monsters just kept coming, swarming out of the forest like an unstoppable tide.

It seemed like every large creature in the surrounding wilderness had been parasitized. These weren’t just monsters—they were extinction-level threats.

The survivors huddled together, their faces pale and tear-streaked. They watched the Awakeners with a mix of desperation and guilt.

”Is this it? Is the shelter really going to fall today?”

”There are just too many of them! We can’t kill them all!”

”Maybe… maybe you guys should leave us behind. You’d have a better chance of making it out alive.”

”…”

But before anyone could respond, an eerie melody drifted out from the depths of the forest. The sound was strange, shifting between high-pitched wails and low, guttural hums. It was haunting, almost hypnotic, and carried an unnatural, magnetic pull.

The survivors’ expressions went blank. Their eyes glazed over, and their bodies stiffened as if they were puppets on strings. Slowly, they began to shuffle toward the forest, drawn by the song.

Mia’s brow furrowed. She recognized this tactic all too well.

She turned her gaze toward the distant treeline, where flocks of startled birds were taking flight. The air was filled with guttural roars and shrieks echoing through the valley, like the sound of an army on the march.

”Well, things just got a whole lot more interesting…” she muttered under her breath.

”Crap! It’s a Zombie Siren!” Brandon shouted, clamping his hands over his ears. His jaw tightened as he cursed under his breath. After dealing with Aqua Zombies so often, he was all too familiar with their tricks.

”These bastards just don’t know when to quit! And of course, they’d pick now of all times to mess with us.”

”No,” Mia said, her voice calm but firm. Her eyes narrowed. ”This might not just be a distraction.”

”Huh? What do you mean?” Brandon’s stomach dropped as he caught the edge in her tone. He followed her gaze toward the forest, a deep sense of unease settling over him.

The other Awakeners scrambled to stop the entranced survivors. They fought against the mental pull, dragging people back and even erecting ice walls to block their path. But despite their efforts, a few managed to slip through, disappearing into the forest.

Moments later, blood-curdling screams echoed from the trees. Then, silence.

...

”Damn it!” The Awakeners’ eyes burned with rage, their frustration palpable.

But their momentary distraction left them vulnerable, and a parasitic creature lunged at them from the side.

Thankfully, Mia’s reflexes were razor-sharp. With two swift strikes, she shredded the creature into unrecognizable chunks.

When it rains, it pours. Monsters were attacking from the front, zombies were harassing from the flanks, and humanity was barely holding the line.

And yet, the worst was still to come.

Before long, a suffocating, murderous aura began to seep through the dense forest. It was as if the entire mountain range itself was bracing for something far more terrifying.

Through the gaps between the trees, figures began to emerge—zombies. Their bloodthirsty eyes glinted in the dim light, their faces twisted into grotesque snarls. And they were multiplying, their numbers growing denser by the second.

”Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The ground began to quake. Loose stones rattled and bounced as the tremors intensified. In the distance, the treetops swayed violently, some even crashing to the ground. Whatever was coming was massive—something that defied comprehension.

Even the parasitic creatures, which had been relentlessly attacking moments ago, froze in place. They could sense it too: a predator far more powerful than themselves. For now, they hesitated, unwilling to provoke whatever was approaching.

”What… what the hell is that?” someone stammered, their voice trembling.

”It’s gotta be some kind of giant monster!” another guessed, their face pale.

”If it’s coming from Santa Monica… it must’ve crawled out of the ocean,” someone else muttered, their voice barely above a whisper.

”What?! Are you serious? That’s horrifying!”

”…”

The same thought crossed everyone’s mind at once: Deep Sea Behemoth. The words echoed in their heads like a death knell.

It was as if humanity had come face-to-face with its natural predator. Even their souls seemed to shiver in fear.

Then, a deafening roar shattered the air. It was so loud, so primal, it felt like it could split their eardrums. The sound reverberated through their chests, leaving them momentarily paralyzed.

And then it appeared.

A colossal shadow emerged from the depths of the forest, its sheer size dwarfing everything around it. Trees snapped like twigs under its weight, falling in its wake. Its towering form grew closer and closer, radiating an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe.

Two massive, lantern-like eyes glowed a sickly yellow, suspended high above the ground. They pierced through the gloom, staring down at the world with an almost godlike disdain.

The shadow was so enormous, it blocked out the sun.

But what truly sent chills down everyone’s spine wasn’t the creature itself. It was the figure standing atop its mountain-sized head.

A boy.

Or at least, something that looked like one. His eyes were pitch black, swirling with tendrils of dark mist that radiated pure malice. His face was twisted with hatred so intense, it felt like it could burn the world to ash.

”Zombiezilla… and the Zombie Fetus!” someone gasped, their voice trembling with terror. The group collectively recoiled, their hair standing on end as if an electric current had passed through them.

But the Zombie Fetus wasn’t looking at them. Its gaze was locked onto Mia, who stood bloodied but unyielding.

”We meet again…” the boy said, his voice cold and venomous.

Mia tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. ”It’s only been three months, and you’ve already grown this much,” she muttered, almost to herself. There was a hint of curiosity in her tone, as if she were observing a strange phenomenon.

The Zombie Fetus flinched, the dark mist in its eyes flickering for a moment.

That’s what she’s focusing on? it thought, incredulous. Shouldn’t she be talking about revenge? About the fact that she killed my mother? Shouldn’t she be trembling in fear, begging for forgiveness?

”Foolish human!” the Zombie Fetus snarled, its voice echoing with rage. ”Today, I’ll make you pay for your arrogance! And as for that so-called Zombie King, I don’t care about proving anything to him. This is about reclaiming what my mother lost—her territory. I’ll take it all back!”

”Oh…” Mia’s brow furrowed slightly, but not out of fear. Her thoughts had drifted elsewhere—to Ethan.

The parasitic creatures attacking the shelter, the fallout from her killing the Pregnant Zombie King—it all led back to him.

”Was he… using me this whole time?” she wondered aloud, her voice tinged with bitterness. The pieces were starting to fall into place, and the realization left a sour taste in her mouth. ”That bastard. Manipulative, cunning, irresponsible… total scumbag.”

But the Zombie Fetus wasn’t about to let her spiral into her own thoughts. With a guttural roar, it raised its hand, commanding the Aqua Zombies to attack. Their shrieks filled the air as they surged forward, accompanied by the haunting melody of the Zombie Siren.

Mia stood alone, her tachi gleaming in the dim light. Her gaze was steady, her expression calm. The horde rushed toward her like a tidal wave, but her eyes betrayed no fear.

Perhaps… life had never held much value for her to begin with.

”Fine,” she whispered, gripping her blade tighter. ”Let’s make this a fight to remember.”

...