Apocalypse: King of Zombies

When Chris said the words, ”He’s my father,” Knox felt the sky collapse around him.

He’d thought this was just a minor conflict—maybe toss them some supplies, smooth things over.

But now? This wasn’t just personal. This was deeper than blood vengeance.

”Knox,” one of his men whispered nervously, ”I think I remember that guy. Blake had his eye on some pretty girl, tried to drag her off to his room. That guy told him off, so Blake had him ’taught a lesson.’”

”…”

Knox’s head snapped toward Blake, eyes blazing with fury.

”You stupid motherfucker,” he growled. ”You really went and dug your own grave. Fuck it—I’ll kill you myself!”

He grabbed a machete and charged at Blake.

”No—Knox! I was wrong! Don’t kill me!”

WHAM!

Chris’s boot slammed into Knox’s chest, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll.

”Don’t you dare try to play the sympathy card,” Chris said coldly.

By now, the rest of the compound had gone dead silent.

No one moved.

After seeing that every single one of these strangers was a Tier 6 Awakened, no one had the balls to lift a finger. Charging in now would be suicide.

Chris turned back to Blake and stepped in front of him.

”So you’re the one who had my dad ’taken care of,’ huh?”

”I was wrong… I was so wrong… I’ll never do it again, I swear…” Blake was completely broken now, trembling, eyes wide with terror. He’d thought Joe was just some nobody—a disposable worker. How the hell was he supposed to know the guy had a Tier 6 monster for a son?

If he’d known, he never would’ve touched him.

But it was too late for regrets.

Chris crouched down, his combat knife gleaming in his hand.

”Well, since you’re so fond of ’taking care’ of people… let me return the favor.”

He drove the blade straight into Blake’s thigh.

”AAAHHH—!”

Then, slowly, deliberately, he dragged the knife downward.

Blake’s scream echoed through the entire compound, sharp and raw.

By the time Chris finished, Blake’s leg had been split vertically in two. The pain was so intense he passed out on the spot.

But Chris wasn’t done.

The knife plunged into the other thigh, jerking Blake back to consciousness with another scream.

And again, Chris pulled the blade down, slicing the second leg clean in half.

”AAAHHH—! Just fucking kill me already!” Blake howled.

”Oh, don’t worry,” Chris said, voice like ice. ”You’ll die. But not quickly.”

Then he went to work.

The combat knife, enhanced by his Awakened power, was razor-sharp—every swing peeled off a chunk of flesh. Chris carved into Blake methodically, piece by piece.

”AAAHHH—!”

”AAAAHHHH—!”

The screams kept coming, each one worse than the last—until finally, Blake couldn’t scream anymore. His voice gave out. His body trembled, then went limp.

Around them, the workers looked on in horror. Some turned away, unable to watch. Others stood frozen, faces pale.

Even Knox and his Enhanced crew were ghost-white, not daring to speak. Knox clenched his jaw and said nothing.

Under Chris’s relentless torture, Blake lasted less than ten minutes before the pain finally killed him.

By the end, most of his body was stripped to the bone.

Even the members of the Fallen Star Squad—hardened as they were—couldn’t help but frown at the sight.

Ethan watched Chris with a flicker of concern in his eyes. He wasn’t worried about the fight—he was worried about Chris himself. About what this kind of rage might be doing to him.

Chris stood up slowly, wiping the blood from his blade. Blake was dead—no question. Then he turned, eyes locking onto Knox.

That look alone made Knox’s heart seize.

”H-Hey… look, this whole thing was Blake’s fault, alright?” Knox stammered, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ”He’s already paid for it. Why don’t we just… call it even?”

”Call it even?” Chris’s voice was ice. ”You think that’s possible?”

Knox swallowed hard. ”Okay, okay. How about this—we’ve got a lot of supplies in the warehouse. I’ll give you everything. Full compensation. Sound fair?”

Chris shook his head. ”Not even close.”

He started walking toward Knox, slow and steady.

”H-Hey! This had nothing to do with me!” Knox’s voice cracked. ”It was all Blake! That bastard did it on his own—I didn’t know anything!”

Chris didn’t stop. ”This happened in your compound. Under your rule. Don’t pretend you didn’t know. Without your permission, none of this would’ve happened. So yeah… you’re just as guilty.”

”You’re being unreasonable!”

”Unreasonable?” Chris let out a cold laugh. ”You’re talking to me about reason? In this world, power is reason. You’re the boss here—you should know that better than anyone.”

Knox’s face darkened. The last of his fake smiles vanished.

”So there’s really no way out of this?”

”None,” Chris said flatly. ”You’re going to die today. Unless, of course, you think you can run. If you can escape, maybe you get to live.”

Knox’s expression twisted as he weighed his odds.

But one glance at Ethan’s group—every single one of them Tier 6 Awakened—and he knew.

He wasn’t getting out of here alive.

Chris kept walking toward him, step by step, and Knox’s face contorted with desperation.

Then, to everyone’s shock, he dropped to his knees.

”Don’t kill me! I’m useful! I’m an Awakened—I can help you! I’ll do anything!”

The man who’d ruled this compound like a tyrant, who’d lived like a king, was now groveling in the dirt.

To him, pride meant nothing. Survival was everything.

He wasn’t ready to die. He was an Awakened—he was supposed to rise to the top, not die here like a dog.

The sight left everyone stunned.

Knox, the iron-fisted ruler of the compound, the man whose word was law, was now begging for his life like a common thug.

The workers watching from the sidelines felt a rush of satisfaction. The bastard who’d terrorized them for so long was finally getting what he deserved.

Some even smiled.

The Enhanced under Knox, though, looked shaken. Their belief in him—shattered.

Was this really the same man they’d followed all this time?

Ethan raised an eyebrow, surprised for a moment—but only for a moment. He knew Chris. This kind of groveling wouldn’t work on him.

Sure enough, Chris paused in front of Knox, stared down at him, and sneered.

”Awakened… you think that makes you special?”

He leaned in slightly, voice low and cold.

”Sorry to disappoint you. The one thing we’re not short on… is Awakened.”

Then, without hesitation, he raised his blade—and brought it down.

SHLICK!

Knox’s other arm hit the ground.