Apocalypse: King of Zombies

A few of the humans were on the verge of tears.

Kindness from a stranger is always touching—but protection from a stranger who's the Zombie King? That hit even harder.

They'd thought they were just tools, used up and discarded. Worthless now. Probably about to be dumped in the Zombie Cultivation Ground like trash.

But instead… he was taking them with him.

Right then, Travis felt like—even if Ethan killed him the moment they got out—it would still be worth it.

"Let's go," Ethan said casually, then turned to Nightbane. "Guess we'll see each other next time…"

…

As Ethan walked away, Nightbane and his crew stood silently, watching his back disappear into the distance. Beside him, Daisy was fuming, cheeks puffed out in frustration. She clearly wasn't okay with how things had gone down.

Falseword looked just as confused.

"Boss, why'd you let him go?"

"Because I wasn't sure I could make him stay," Nightbane said, eyes still locked on the horizon.

"Huh?" Both Falseword and Daisy froze.

They were right at the edge of their territory. Behind them, a horde of a thousand zombies stood ready.

And even with all that…

He still wasn't confident they could keep Ethan here?

Nightbane's voice dropped low. "Besides, we can't rush this. We need to finish our plan first. Once our strength is fully built up, they won't stand a chance. When the two-month deadline hits, we'll wipe out the Los Angeles zombie nest."

"Oh…" Falseword and Daisy nodded slowly.

Nightbane continued, "In the meantime, we need to tighten security. No leaks. No one can find out what we're doing."

"Got it."

Falseword thought for a moment. "Boss, what if we leak the duel to the humans? They'll definitely stir things up, maybe even distract the LA Zombie King."

"Hmm. Not a bad idea."

…

Meanwhile, Ethan strolled out of the Zombie Cultivation Ground like he owned the place, mind racing.

Something's off about Nightbane…

Way off.

Ethan didn't buy the whole "honorable Zombie King" act. Who the hell challenges someone to a fair fight in broad daylight? Especially when they've got the upper hand?

No way he wasn't scheming something behind the scenes.

And then there was that detail—Nightbane had set the duel for two months from now.

"Why two months? Why not one? Or three?"

Maybe two months was some kind of critical window for them. Maybe Nightbane needed that time to complete something—some ritual, some upgrade, some power boost—so he'd be ready to take Ethan on for real.

"Stalling for time, huh?" Ethan muttered to himself, eyes narrowing.

He glanced back—and saw a few humans still trailing behind him.

Travis froze the moment their eyes met, his whole body tensing up like he'd been electrocuted.

"Boss, I didn't see anything, I swear! I won't tell anyone about the duel, promise!"

Ethan shrugged. "Eh, doesn't matter if you do."

Brian chimed in, thinking out loud, "That Zombie King's definitely up to something. No way he's playing fair. You guys are Zombie Kings—aren't you supposed to be ruthless and underhanded? Show some professional pride, man."

Ethan blinked. That kid… actually had a point.

Travis, on the other hand, looked like he was about to pass out. He grabbed Brian and hissed, "Dude, shut up! Now's not the time to be low on emotional intelligence! You're gonna get us killed!"

"Relax," Ethan said, "Whether a Zombie King kills you or not has nothing to do with your EQ."

"Just shut up already!" Travis groaned, clearly at his wit's end. Brian's mouth was a liability.

Ethan looked them over. "Alright. Since you're still alive, head to the shelter."

Travis's eyes widened, disbelief and hope flashing across his face.

Then came the rush of emotion.

Because from the way Ethan said it, it was clear—he was letting them go.

"We're… really gonna live?"

"Yeah. Go on," Ethan said.

"Oh my god, thank you—thank you!" They didn't dare stick around. They turned and bolted, tears streaming, like they'd just been pardoned from death row.

At that moment, the long, dark night finally began to lift. A pale light crept across the horizon.

And the wind… slowly died down.

Travis and the others were so overwhelmed they could barely hold back tears. This night had been nothing short of legendary. They were probably among the very few humans who'd ever come face-to-face with so many bizarre, terrifying Zombie Kings—and lived to tell the tale.

Once they made it to the shelter, this was definitely going to be their go-to story. The kind of thing you brag about for years.

"Hey, hold up a sec," came Ethan's voice from behind them.

Everyone froze.

Oh no…

Was he changing his mind?

Their nerves, already stretched to the breaking point, nearly snapped. This whole night had been a rollercoaster of near-death moments—one second they were doomed, the next they were saved. Hope and despair had taken turns yanking at their hearts, and even the strongest will would be frayed by now.

Brian turned around, deadpan. "What now?"

"Yeah, you," Ethan said, pointing at him. "If you make it to Mount Elbert Shelter and run into a lunatic named Mia, tell her to give me back my aircraft."

"..."

Ethan figured Brian's personality made him the perfect guy for the job.

With that, he turned and headed back toward the Los Angeles zombie nest.

By now, dawn had fully broken. A blazing red sun rose over the horizon, casting golden light across the ruined city.

Caw—caw—caw!

A few pitch-black crows circled overhead, their cries echoing through the empty streets. Below, the roads were littered with debris, and clusters of zombies milled about in the chaos.

Bulldozer stood among them, grinning like an idiot, his tone unusually respectful. "Boss, how'd it go in San Diego?"

"I ran into their Zombie King," Ethan replied. "He challenged me to a duel. Two months from now."

Bulldozer let out a low growl, eyes lighting up. The thought of a fight had him practically vibrating with excitement. He was already imagining tearing the enemy to pieces.

Laura's blood-red eyes gleamed with anticipation too. A flicker of bloodlust danced in her gaze, and the killing instinct buried deep in her bones began to stir.

But then she remembered—it was still two months away.

Ugh. Too long.

PhD, standing nearby, asked, "Boss, why two months?"

"No idea," Ethan said. "They're probably stalling. Buying time to pull some sneaky shit."

"Ah! Right!" Bulldozer's tiny eyes widened. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"They say two months and we just go along with it? Screw that! Let's go crush them now!"

"Forget it," Ethan said, shaking his head. "That Zombie King's not like Nightmare. He's stronger. If we fight now, we'll probably take heavy losses."

"Oh…" Bulldozer deflated a little, then turned to Laura and said, "Hear that? Boss is worried you'll die, so he's holding off. You're the one dragging us down."

Laura shot him a sideways glare. No words. Just action.

She calmly extended a bone claw and shunk—drove it straight into Bulldozer's side.

Yeah. That was kind of her thing now.

Lil' Shroom tilted his head, thinking.

"Boss, maybe we should figure out what they're really up to first?"

"Yeah, good idea," Ethan nodded. "If you guys have time, head out near San Diego. Poke around. See what you can dig up."

He didn't have a specific target in mind, so he just sent the crew out to scout. Who knows—maybe they'd stumble onto something useful.

...