Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Ethan, where are we headed now?” Sean asked, glancing around as they left the supermarket behind.

The group slowed, a little aimless now that the adrenaline had worn off. With their packs full and no immediate threat, the question hung in the air.

Ethan looked at them, then asked, ”Any of you live nearby? Need to check on your families?”

That hit like a stone in the gut. Everyone went quiet.

In the apocalypse, nothing weighed heavier than not knowing if your family was alive. Especially with all communication down—no calls, no texts, no news. Just silence.

”I’m from Minnesota,” Sean said after a moment, his voice low. ”Big Mike too. Skinny Pete’s from Louisiana. We’re all a long way from here. And with flights grounded and Amtrak shut down…” He gave a bitter laugh. ”Getting home’s a pipe dream.”

Ethan nodded. ”Chris and I are closer—about three hundred miles out. Still not exactly a walk in the park. Henry’s from Boston, so yeah… even worse.”

”If it’s only three hundred miles,” Chris said, ”we might make it with a car. Assuming we can find one.”

”Assuming the roads aren’t jammed,” Sean added. ”Which they will be. Everyone’s trying to get out. Highways’ll be a nightmare.”

”Yeah,” Ethan agreed. ”Even if we had a car, we’d be crawling. And that’s not even counting the zombies. Or worse.”

”Worse?” Big Mike asked.

”Mutant beasts,” Ethan said. ”I mean, look at that cat we’ve got. If a housecat can turn into a murder machine, imagine a mutated eagle. One swipe and your helicopter’s toast. You crash, you die. Simple as that.”

”...Fair point,” Big Mike muttered. ”Guess hoping for a chopper ride home is out.”

”Best we can do is hope the authorities get their shit together and start rescue ops,” Sean said with a sigh.

”Or,” Ethan said, ”we get strong enough to not need rescuing. You level up enough, who knows? Maybe you’ll be flying home under your own power.”

”Hell yeah,” Chris grinned. ”Ethan’s right. Power’s everything now. I’m basically the new Usain Bolt. Just give me a cape and I’m good.”

”Then let’s focus on building up here in Starlight City,” Ethan said. ”First step—find a place to settle. Preferably a nice one. I mean, come on, we never got to live in a mansion before the world ended. Might as well now.”

”I’m in,” Chris said. ”Never even been inside a real villa.”

”What about Lakeview Estates?” Skinny Pete piped up, eyes lighting up. ”That’s where all the rich folks lived. Huge houses, private gardens, pools… the works. Place is like a damn resort.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. ”You know that place?”

”Uh… yeah,” Pete said, scratching his head. ”Used to walk around there sometimes. You know, daydreaming. Pretending I lived there.”

”You’ve got some imagination, I’ll give you that.”

Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. ”Well, today’s your lucky day. Let’s make that dream come true.”

Skinny Pete’s face lit up. ”No way. I never thought the apocalypse would be what finally got me into a mansion.”

Chris laughed. ”Careful what you wish for, man.”

”But Ethan,” Sean said, frowning, ”isn’t that place kinda far?”

”How far?”

”Like… ten, maybe twelve miles.”

”...”

Sean rolled his eyes. ”Dude, that’s not ’kinda far.’ That’s a whole damn expedition when you’re on foot in a zombie-infested city.”

Ethan sighed. ”Yeah… ten miles through this mess? Not happening.”

”Wait, wait,” Skinny Pete said quickly. ”We don’t have to go through the city. There’s a beltway that loops around downtown. We can avoid the worst of it.”

Ethan gave him a look. ”You really studied this, huh?”

”Heh… yeah. A bit.”

”Alright. But is there a grocery store nearby? If we can’t get food, it’s a no-go.”

”There is! About three miles from the neighborhood—Walmart Supercenter. One of the biggest in Starlight. That whole area’s packed with stores. Food won’t be a problem.”

Ethan nodded. ”Alright then. Let’s go see how the other half lived.”

”Hell yeah,” Chris said. ”I’m ready for my apocalypse mansion.”

The others all agreed. Who wouldn’t want to ride out the end of the world in luxury?

”Let’s find a car,” Ethan said, adjusting his pack.

”On it.”

With their next destination set, the group headed off down the road, six men and one cat, chasing a dream of soft beds, stocked pantries, and maybe—just maybe—a little peace.

They hadn’t gone far before they hit a wide avenue—and immediately saw the problem.

The entire road was a mess of abandoned vehicles, scattered like toys after a tantrum. Some had crashed into trees or streetlights, others had rear-ended each other in a chain of chaos. Doors hung open. Windshields were shattered. It looked like the world had ended mid-commute.

And then there were the zombies.

Dozens of them, shambling between the wrecks, aimless—until they spotted the group.

With a chorus of guttural groans, the undead snapped to attention and charged.

”Hmm? That one’s Tier 3,” Ethan said, eyebrows lifting in surprise.

”Well, that’s convenient,” Chris grinned. ”Free crystal core delivery.”

The six of them made short work of the horde. It wasn’t even a warm-up. Blades flashed, bars swung, and bodies dropped. Within minutes, the street was quiet again—except for the sound of skulls being cracked open to retrieve the glowing crystal cores inside.

Ethan plucked the Tier 3 core and handed it to Henry.

It wasn’t favoritism. The rest of them had combat abilities, but Henry’s healing power scaled with his strength. The stronger he got, the longer he could keep them alive. No one argued.

Sean, Big Mike, and Skinny Pete didn’t even blink. They knew their place in the group—and they were just grateful Ethan hadn’t left them behind.

They spent the next half hour weaving through the wreckage, checking cars. Most were either totaled or locked tight with no keys in sight. But eventually, they struck gold: a three-row SUV in decent shape, windows intact, tires still inflated.

The owner, unfortunately, had turned. He hadn’t made it far—just a few steps from the driver’s side before something got him. They put him down quickly and found the keys still in his pocket.

The SUV was perfect—roomy enough for six people and one smug, oversized cat.

Ethan slid into the driver’s seat.

”Ethan… when did you get your license?” Chris asked, eyeing him warily.

”License?” Ethan blinked. ”Man, I was broke. Couldn’t even afford the test.”

Everyone stared.

Sean leaned forward. ”So… have you actually driven before?”

”Yeah, sure. My neighbor had this old pickup. I used to sneak it out and drive around the back roads.”

A long, collective silence.

”Ethan,” Sean said slowly, ”maybe I should drive? I mean, I did get my license.”

”And how much have you driven since then?”

”Uh… none.”

”Exactly. Same difference. Relax—I’ve seen people drive. How hard can it be?”

The others exchanged looks. Doubtful ones. But Ethan had pulled off crazier things before, so they buckled in and hoped for the best.

Then—

”Huh… why’s there a pedal missing?” Ethan muttered, peering under the dash.

Sean’s soul left his body. ”Dude… it’s automatic. There’s no clutch.”

”Oh. Right. Brake to start the engine, yeah?”

”Yeah… yeah,” Sean said, already praying.

Ethan pressed the brake and turned the key. The engine purred to life.

”See? Easy.”

He eased off the brake and tapped the gas.

Nothing.

”Uh… it’s not moving.”

”Did you release the handbrake?” Chris asked.

”Don’t see a lever.”

”It’s electronic,” Sean said, voice cracking.

The rest of the group immediately tightened their seatbelts, checking the buckles like they were strapping in for a rocket launch.

”Ohhh, got it.” Ethan found the button and pressed it.

Nothing happened.

”Press the brake while you do it!” Sean yelped.

Ethan tried again—this time, the brake engaged with a soft click.

”Ha! See? I’m a genius.”

He grinned, shifted into drive, and said, ”Alright, let’s roll—”

He floored the gas.

The SUV shot forward like a bullet.

BANG!

...