Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Dylan whipped his head around—and froze.

Somehow, without him noticing, someone had appeared right beside him. The man stood tall and straight, strikingly handsome, dressed in a crisp white shirt that seemed almost too clean for this world.

”Wha—”

Dylan’s eyes went wide, his face twisted in shock. He stumbled back two steps, already recognizing who it was.

”The Zombie King from L.A.?!”

He turned to Mia, voice rising in disbelief. ”Mia! You—You actually brought the Zombie King here?!”

”Aaahhh—!”

Screams erupted around them. Dr. Morgan’s research team—men and women alike—backed away in terror, pressing themselves against the walls.

Someone slammed the emergency alarm. Instantly, the lab was bathed in flashing red lights, the shrill wail of the siren cutting through the air like a blade.

The crimson glow flickered across Ethan’s face, casting it in shifting shadows.

Mia stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. ”He’s not here to kill anyone. He needs scientists. He’s taking them to Genesis Biotech’s North American headquarters—for research.”

”What?!” Dylan clenched his jaw so hard it looked like it might crack. ”These scientists are humanity’s last hope! You can’t just hand them over to a Zombie King!”

”No way. No way in hell. We’re not letting him take our researchers!”

Ethan’s gaze sharpened, a cold, lethal edge in his eyes. The air around him seemed to drop ten degrees. ”I think you should be more worried about yourself right now.”

He’d expected resistance. He knew not everyone would cooperate. And those who didn’t—well, they’d have to be eliminated.

Outside the lab, the sound of shouting and pounding footsteps grew louder. People were rushing toward the alarm.

”What’s going on? Why’s the alarm going off?”

”Did something get in?”

”Someone’s in danger—move!”

This was the heart of the Mount Elbert Shelter, home to top-level management and elite Awakeners. Within moments, nearly a hundred people had gathered, sealing off every exit.

Dylan’s eyes lit up with hope. Among the crowd were several Rank-01 Awakeners from other shelters—some of the strongest fighters alive. He straightened up, confidence returning.

”Everyone! Over here! There’s a Zombie King in the lab!”

”Wait… Zombie King?”

The crowd froze. All eyes turned to Ethan, standing calmly in his white shirt.

The Zombie King of Los Angeles. His image had been broadcast across every shelter. Everyone knew that face.

Recognition hit like a thunderclap. The crowd’s momentum died instantly, replaced by a heavy, suffocating tension.

”It’s him!”

”What the hell is he doing here?!”

”Oh my god…”

People gasped, their expressions shifting from confusion to dread. The air thickened with fear.

No one dared approach Ethan. Despite being surrounded by nearly a hundred elite Awakeners, he stood untouched, the space around him eerily empty. The pressure he exuded was overwhelming.

Dylan snarled, his voice full of fury. ”You’ve got some nerve showing up at Mount Elbert alone. You’re dead meat! Everyone—attack! Take him down!”

”Uh…”

But no one moved.

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances. Not a single person stepped forward.

Dylan looked around, exasperated. ”What are you all afraid of?! He’s just one Zombie King! We’ve got over ten thousand Awakeners in this shelter! We can wear him down if we have to! If we kill the L.A. Zombie King, we’ll go down in history! What the hell are you waiting for?!”

”We…”

Fists clenched. Veins bulged. Teeth ground together. But still, no one moved.

Ethan just stood there, watching them. Calm. Unbothered. Daring them to make the first move.

The pressure was unbearable. The sheer presence of the Zombie King was enough to paralyze even the bravest.

Everyone stared at him, eyes bloodshot, tension crackling in the air like a live wire. One wrong move, and it would all explode.

Then, a young researcher shouted, ”Drone surveillance just picked up a Zombie Horde heading straight for Mount Elbert!”

All eyes snapped to the screen he pointed at.

The drone footage showed a bird’s-eye view of the wasteland outside. From the sky, it looked like the earth itself was moving—an endless tide of zombies, packed shoulder to shoulder, flooding the landscape.

There were all kinds of Zombie Kings among them. Massive zombie beasts. Elite berserkers sprinting like predators. Over ten thousand top-tier monsters, each one radiating bloodlust.

Their twisted faces howled in unison, forming a monstrous wave of death that devoured everything in its path.

The Los Angeles Zombie Horde was on the move again.

And this time, they were launching a full-scale assault.

The ’Continental Sweep’ had begun.

Dylan’s eyes bulged in disbelief. ”And you’re still claiming you didn’t come here to kill us?!”

Ethan’s voice was calm—eerily so. ”The Zombie Horde is just passing through. But if any of you feel like picking a fight… they wouldn’t mind taking a little hike up the mountain.”

His tone was casual, but the threat behind it was bone-chilling.

Mount Elbert might be steep and fortified, a natural fortress—but those ten thousand elite zombies? They’d scale it without breaking stride.

And most of the people living here were just regular survivors. If the virus got loose inside the shelter, it’d be a massacre. No one would make it out alive.

”Wait—no! We’re not trying to fight! Please, just leave us alone!”

”My whole family’s here! I don’t want them to die!”

”Please, we’re begging you—just let us go.”

One by one, the Awakeners cracked. The moment they saw the drone footage of the massive horde heading their way, all their bravado vanished. No one wanted to be the reason Mount Elbert turned into a graveyard.

Dylan felt cold sweat trickle down his back.

He glanced around, realizing with growing dread that no one was backing him up. Not a single person was willing to stand against the Zombie King.

Shit. Did I just screw myself?

Maybe if I take it back now… would that even work?

But Ethan was already walking toward him, each step radiating pressure like a tidal wave. The air around him shimmered with the force of his Absolute Domain, the energy pulsing like a heartbeat.

Dylan’s legs buckled. He stumbled back until he hit the wall, heart pounding like a drum.

”Wait—please! Don’t kill me! I’ll cooperate! I swear!”

Ethan’s voice was flat, emotionless. ”Too late.”

He raised his hand, ready to strike.

But just then, someone shoved through the crowd—a gray-haired man, face pale with panic.

”Dylan! Dylan! Are you okay?!”

The man’s voice cracked with desperation. He was clearly Dylan’s father—and one of the top administrators of the shelter. The moment he heard his son was in danger, he’d rushed over without a second thought.

His eyes were red, tears brimming as he looked at Ethan. Then, without hesitation, he dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

”Please! I’m begging you—don’t kill my son! Spare him, just this once!”

”My wife and daughter… they’re already gone. The apocalypse took them. He’s all I have left. Please, I’m begging you…”

”If someone has to die, then take me instead! I’ll go in his place!”

The old man sobbed, snot and tears streaming down his face. His voice cracked with grief, raw and desperate. The sight was gut-wrenching—enough to make even the coldest heart ache.

Dr. Morgan stepped forward, hesitating. ”If you kill Dylan… that old man will have no one left. He’s already lost everything. It’d be… cruel.”

Ethan tilted his head slightly. ”Hmm. You’re right.”

Then, with a flick of his wrist, a gleaming Tachi appeared in his hand.

In one smooth motion, he slashed.

The old man’s head flew from his shoulders, blood spraying across the pristine white tiles in a violent arc of red.

Ethan lowered the blade, his voice calm as ever. ”Now he doesn’t have to be sad anymore.”

…