Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"What the hell kind of monster is that?" someone muttered, the tension in the air thick enough to choke on.

Whatever was buried beneath the sand had clearly caught the scent of human flesh. Like a shark drawn to blood in the water, it was speeding toward them with terrifying intent.

"It's coming," Chris said, eyes narrowing.

Everyone turned toward the sand mound ahead—only to feel like a small mountain was barreling straight at them.

They were still over a hundred feet away when a sharp, piercing screech tore through the air. Then, without warning, something massive burst out from beneath the sand.

A cloud of dust exploded into the sky, swirling like a sandstorm.

The thing that emerged was grotesque—horrifying in a way that made your skin crawl. Its entire body was a sickly gray-white, as thick around as an oak barrel. It had no eyes, no nose—just a gaping, circular mouth that took up its entire head, lined with rows of dagger-like teeth that jutted out in every direction.

Everyone's scalp tingled. Anyone with even a hint of trypophobia would've lost it right then and there.

The moment it surfaced, the creature blotted out the sun. Its massive jaws opened wide, ready to swallow them whole.

"Watch out!" Brandon shouted, raising his hand and activating his ability—Blood Burst.

A crimson shockwave pulsed through the air, slamming into the creature mid-leap. It flinched, hesitating for a split second—but then kept coming, barely slowed.

"I can't control it!" Brandon gasped, panic creeping into his voice.

His power was unique, sure—but his level wasn't high enough to handle something this massive.

Just then, Mia sprang into action. The Lightning Blade in her hand crackled with energy as she launched herself into the air, heading straight for the monster's grotesque face.

Her tachi sliced through the air with a series of sonic booms, moving so fast it was almost invisible. In one clean motion, she slashed across the creature's thick neck.

"SKREEEEE!"

The monster let out a high-pitched shriek, like a rat the size of a bus. Dark green blood sprayed into the air, raining down like acid. But the thing was just too damn big—one hit wasn't enough to kill it.

Writhing in pain, the creature went berserk. It whipped its massive tail up and brought it crashing down toward Mia.

It looked like a skyscraper-sized pillar falling from the sky.

But Mia didn't flinch. She twisted her body mid-air and dodged with ease.

BOOM!

The tail slammed into the sand like a meteor, sending up a geyser of dust and debris. The shockwave rippled out in all directions.

"Damn, Mia's a beast," Brandon muttered, awestruck. Even after that brief exchange, it was clear the monster was no match for her.

Chris nodded. "Of course. She's Refuge 001's top Awakener. People call her the Light of Humanity for a reason."

But just as Mia squared off against the monster, something terrifying happened—another sand mound behind her began to rise, completely silent.

Her focus was locked on the creature in front of her. She didn't notice what was happening behind her.

Chris and the others saw it instantly. Their hearts dropped.

"There's more than one," Chris said, eyes wide. "Mia! Behind you!"

"Huh?" Mia turned her head, just in time to see the sand shifting—but it was already too late. The second creature was less than three feet away.

"SKREEEEE!"

Another giant worm burst from the ground beneath her, jaws wide. It snapped her up in one fluid motion and launched itself into the air, dragging her with it.

It looked like a fish leaping from the ocean—then it dove back into the sand, vanishing completely.

The whole thing took maybe two, three seconds.

And just like that, Mia was gone.

"Shit!" someone shouted.

Everyone froze, stunned.

Brandon's face twisted in disbelief. "Uncle Chris, you really are a walking jinx. You just had to call her the Light of Humanity, and now she's worm food."

"I—how was I supposed to know?" Chris stammered. "But with her power, she should be okay… right?"

Brandon just stared at him. "Dude. Just… stop talking."

The first worm—the one Mia had wounded—was still there, green blood dripping from its neck. It turned its head toward the group, eyes (or lack thereof) locked on them.

"Oh, hell no," Brandon muttered.

Now it was just Sean, Chris, Brandon, and Oliver left. And none of them were sure they could take this thing down.

"Mia's gone. What do we do now?" Brandon asked, voice tight.

Sean stepped forward, eyes sharp. "Let me handle it. I'm Refuge 002's Awakener."

"You sure about that?" the others asked, not entirely convinced.

Oliver glanced over his shoulder—and his face went pale. In the distance, a swarm of black figures was sprinting toward them.

The Black-Skin Zombies. Again.

Persistent little bastards.

Oliver groaned. "These guys are like the honey badgers of the zombie world. They just don't quit."

"Sean, you better hurry," he added. "Those zombies are closing in fast."

"Got it. Don't worry," Sean said, rolling up his sleeves and stepping forward, each foot sinking into the sand.

He squared up to the monster, ready to unleash his Fearless Berserk ability and end this.

But then—the ground began to shake.

Not just a tremor. A full-on quake.

All around them, sand dunes started to rise and shift. The air filled with that same high-pitched screeching, multiplied a dozen times over.

One by one, more worms burst from the ground. Their massive tails whipped through the air, sending sand flying in every direction.

It wasn't just one. Or two.

They were everywhere.

The entire desert was crawling with them.

"Run!"

Sean, who just seconds ago looked ready to throw down, didn't hesitate for a second—he bolted sideways in a blur, kicking up sand as he vanished from the fight.

By the time Chris processed what was happening, Sean was already a speck in the distance.

"Wait, what—?"

"He's not stupid, that's for sure," Brandon muttered, stunned.

The three of them stood there for a beat, dumbfounded.

But this wasn't the time to freeze.

The second they snapped out of it, they turned and sprinted after Sean like their lives depended on it—because they absolutely did.

Behind them, the swarm of giant worms surged forward, a living tide of death.

The desert looked like it had come alive. The worms moved like monstrous eels in water, writhing and leaping through the sand, kicking up clouds of dust that blotted out the sun.

From a distance, it looked like a sandstorm was chasing them—only this one had teeth.

"Run, run, RUN!" Chris shouted, pushing his legs to the limit.

These things were way faster than the Black-Skin Zombies. There was no shaking them.

Chris's lungs burned. His throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper, dry and raw from the heat and the sprinting. He needed water—badly.

"Wait a second… where the hell is Sean?" Brandon's voice cracked with panic.

He glanced around mid-run, eyes scanning the path ahead.

Sean was gone.

Chris looked too. Nothing. No sign of him.

"That's impossible! He was just ahead of us—how'd he disappear?"

"I don't know…" Brandon's face darkened, worry creeping in fast.

Now, with Mia gone and Sean missing, it was just the three of them left—Brandon, Chris, and Oliver.

Two supply haulers and a driver.

Not exactly an elite strike team.

"You think maybe there's something dangerous up ahead too?" Oliver asked, glancing nervously at the dunes in front of them.

"Probably," Brandon said grimly. "But we don't have time to care."

Because behind them, the worm-storm was still coming.

But then—everything changed.

All three of them suddenly felt the ground shift beneath their feet. The sand gave way like a trapdoor.

"Shit—!"

They sank instantly—thigh-deep, then waist-deep, then chest-deep. The sand was like quicksand on steroids, pulling them down fast.

They struggled, clawed, kicked—but it was no use.

In seconds, the sand swallowed them whole.

Darkness closed in.

Their vision went black.

And then—nothing.

...