Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan, Chris, Henry, Sean, Big Mike, and Skinny Pete didn’t linger long at the Walmart. Before they left, Ethan handed Chris a dozen or so Tier 1 crystal cores and told him to give them to the girls.

The zombies outside were all at least Tier 1. Without evolving, those girls wouldn’t stand a chance—even if they had the guts to fight, it’d be suicide. Since they’d already saved them, Ethan figured they might as well give them a shot at surviving.

Whether they could escape the fate of becoming someone’s plaything… that was up to them.

Now, on the road back to Lakeview Estates, the six of them each pushed a shopping cart and carried a massive hiking pack, moving carefully and quietly.

Thankfully, this stretch had already been cleared once. The undead were sparse.

Eventually, they made it home with all the supplies intact.

But with all those carts and bulging packs, there was no way they went unnoticed—especially not by the folks across the street in the luxury homes.

”They actually hauled in that much stuff?” Ray’s eyes lit up as he stared across at their house.

”Hah! Ray, these guys might be alright. We’re just about out of food ourselves, and look at that—delivery right to our doorstep,” another man chuckled.

Ray grinned. ”Yeah… once I hit Tier 4, I’ll go over and say hi. We’re neighbors, after all. Borrowing a little something shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Inside the luxury home, the group stood around, grinning at the mountain of food they’d brought back. For just the few of them, it was enough to last a month.

”We’ll use this place as our base for now,” Ethan said. ”Every time we go out to hunt zombies, we each carry a pack. Bring back whatever we can. That way, at least we won’t starve anytime soon.”

”But what if someone shows up while we’re out?” Sean frowned. ”That front door’s solid, but even reinforced fiberglass won’t hold if a high-Tier Enhanced decides to punch through.”

”Pumpkin can stay behind and guard the place. No need for him to come with us anymore.”

Pumpkin’s strength was speed. He could handle one-on-ones or small groups, but against a swarm of zombies, he wasn’t much help. Better to leave him on home defense.

”Meow!”

Pumpkin let out a soft cry, clearly on board with the plan.

The orange cat was lazy by nature. If he could nap at home instead of risking his life outside, he was all for it.

”Hah, that works. With Pumpkin’s speed, even a Tier 4 Enhanced might not be able to touch him,” Chris laughed.

Pumpkin hadn’t quite reached Tier 4 yet, but his speed gave him a serious edge. The higher the tiers climbed, the more that mattered. Most Tier 4s probably couldn’t even land a hit on him.

”Alright, it’s settled. Let’s break out the good stuff—cured ham, beef jerky, smoked sausage, spam, canned veggies. We’re eating well tonight,” Ethan said with a grin.

”Hell yeah, now we’re talking.”

They’d grabbed a decent stash of long-lasting food during their raid—enough to go beyond just bread and crackers.

The others helped prep while Ethan took over the kitchen. Soon, the place was filled with mouthwatering smells—smoked sausage sizzling in a pan, canned vegetables bubbling in a pot, pasta boiling, and slices of cured ham crisping up to golden perfection.

They loaded up plates and gathered around the kitchen island.

Everyone dug in, grinning like kids on Christmas morning.

In the apocalypse, a meal like this was a rare kind of miracle.

”Damn, Ethan… when did you learn to cook like this? This is amazing!”

”Seriously,” someone else chimed in between bites. ”I never thought I’d eat like this again after the world went to hell.”

”Alright, alright, enough ass-kissing,” Ethan waved them off, smirking. ”Eat up. Finish early, and we’ll go stargazing tonight.”

”Mm-hmm,” they all nodded, mouths full of pasta.

Everyone went back for seconds. Some even thirds. By the time they were done, the table was wiped clean, not a scrap left.

”Dish duty’s on you guys. I’m heading upstairs to crash.”

”No problem!” they all chimed in, surprisingly enthusiastic.

Ethan headed up, and the rest quickly got to work cleaning up.

”Chris, what the hell did Ethan go through before all this?” Sean asked, his voice low with curiosity. ”I mean, the guy’s what—twenty-something? But he’s sharper than all of us put together. It’s like he knows how to handle everything.”

Sean wasn’t just some rookie. Before joining this group, he’d led his own team—called the shots, made the plans. But ever since he’d fallen in with Ethan and the others, he’d felt… obsolete. Every time he thought of a problem, Ethan had already solved it. Every move Ethan made was fast, precise, and somehow always the right one.

It didn’t add up. No normal guy that age should have that kind of mind.

Chris glanced toward the stairs, then let out a long sigh. ”Ethan’s childhood was a hell of a lot rougher than ours.”

He paused, then began.

”His parents died in a car crash when he was eleven. Just a regular day—they went out and never came back. He was left an orphan, but at least there was a decent insurance payout.”

”His aunt stepped in, said she’d take care of him. Became his legal guardian. So he moved in with her.”

Chris’s voice tightened. ”But she didn’t give a damn about him. She just wanted the money. Ethan was still a kid—he didn’t know any better. She manipulated him, tricked him into signing the money over to her. Legally.”

”After that, she and her husband bought a new house, started living the good life. But for Ethan? That was when the nightmare started.”

”He did all the chores—every dirty, backbreaking thing. His uncle beat him for the smallest things. His cousin would wave around toys bought with Ethan’s money, bragging about them, while Ethan wasn’t even allowed to touch them.”

Chris’s eyes were red now. ”He was treated like a damn slave in the house built on his parents’ death.”

”Jesus,” Henry muttered, his fists clenched. The others were just as furious, their faces dark with anger.

”Fucking parasites,” Sean growled. ”Living off the blood money of his parents and treating him like garbage.”

Chris nodded grimly. ”Eventually, Ethan ran away. Never went back. He survived by collecting bottles for change, doing odd jobs, eating whatever free food he could find. Slept under bridges at night.”

”You guys can’t imagine the shit he went through. Fighting stray dogs for scraps. Getting into turf wars with homeless guys. One time, he picked up a half-finished soda bottle someone else had left behind, and the guy beat him so bad he nearly died. But he didn’t go to the hospital—he was afraid social services would take him away. So he just toughed it out. Alone.”

”It wasn’t until middle school that things got a little better. The school helped him apply for the Homeless Student Program. Got him a temporary place to stay. A real bed, finally.”

”Most of the paperwork was done by a kind elementary school teacher who remembered him. She’d seen how smart he was, knew his situation, and helped him get what he needed.”

”But Ethan never took more than the basics. He still insisted on earning his own money, feeding himself.”

Chris gave a small, sad smile. ”That’s when I met him. We were desk mates in middle school. One day I saw him picking up bottles outside after class. After that, I started sneaking food from home to share with him.”

”One day, I got jumped by a bunch of bullies outside the school gate. Ethan saw it happen. That was the first time I saw what he was really capable of.”

Chris’s voice dropped, almost reverent. ”He took on seven or eight guys by himself. Beat them so bad they ran like hell. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. Not just strong—ruthless. Like he’d been fighting for his life for years.”

”After that, I stuck with him. And thanks to him, I—a total academic screw-up—actually made it into college. My family couldn’t believe it.”

”From elementary school to college, Ethan did it all on his own. No help. No safety net. Just grit and brains.”

Chris looked around at the others. ”So yeah. You’re wondering why he’s different? Why he’s always one step ahead? That’s why. You don’t get to be Ethan without walking through hell first.”

The room fell silent.

No one spoke. No one moved.

Now they understood. Ethan wasn’t just smart or capable. He was forged—hardened by a life none of them could imagine. His calm, his decisiveness, his maturity… it wasn’t natural. It was earned. The hard way.

And suddenly, all of them felt a little smaller.

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