Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Nathan logged into the virtual reality conference room. As beams of light traced out the space, a few figures materialized around the long meeting table.

There used to be over a dozen regional heads from the larger branches attending these meetings.

But now, as Nathan scanned the room, he saw only three others had shown up.

The massive VR conference room felt eerily empty.

The four of them stared at each other in awkward silence.

"This few?" Nathan muttered under his breath. He remembered the last monthly meeting had at least five people. Now they were down two more. "Where the hell are the others? Don't tell me we lost two more?"

"No idea!" The three remaining heads looked just as confused, shaking their heads.

One of them spoke up, "I was just in touch with Bill a couple days ago. Didn't seem like anything was wrong."

"Huh…"

Nathan nodded. With the Zombie Horde sweeping down from the north and already overrunning Los Angeles, most of the survivors had either fortified themselves or were in safe zones. If someone was still alive, chances were they weren't getting attacked anymore.

Maybe those two just overslept and missed the meeting.

Nathan wasn't the type to stress over it. He was pretty chill about these things. If someone didn't show up, whatever—rest was important too.

"All right, you three. Give me the rundown. How are things on your end?"

"Mr. Nathan, not much to report. Just… a bunch of our people bailed. They saw Genesis Biotech going downhill and ran off to the shelters," one of them said.

"Mm…"

Nathan nodded again. He got it. People always chased better opportunities. Water flows downhill, people climb up. Genesis Biotech was clearly on the decline, so it made sense some folks would jump ship and try their luck elsewhere.

Back in the day, that kind of thing would've been considered treason. They'd have been dragged back and used for human trials without a second thought.

But now? The company didn't have that kind of power anymore.

Genesis Biotech was like a flower that had already bloomed—now it was wilting. Petals falling one by one. More people leaving every day. No new blood coming in. If things kept going this way, they'd vanish from the map entirely.

"Ughhh…"

Nathan let out a long sigh. It was that post-glory emptiness, the inevitable crash after the peak. Rise and fall—it was just how things went.

Still, he wasn't too bothered. If the company went under, so be it.

When the time came and things got really bad… he'd just bail too.

"Meeting adjourned."

He waved his hand dismissively. No point dragging it out.

But just as he was about to log off, a new beam of light flickered above one of the empty chairs. Slowly, it began to trace out a human figure.

Nathan glanced over and realized—it was Bill's seat.

"Finally woke up?"

"I already wrapped the meeting. What's the point of showing up now?" he thought, ready to throw out a few sarcastic remarks and flex his authority a bit.

But then he noticed something was off.

The figure forming in the light… wasn't Bill.

It was a woman. Tall, graceful, with curves in all the right places.

"Huh?"

The others stared too, eyes wide, expressions full of surprise. There hadn't been any women among the branch heads for a while now.

The figure solidified further, revealing her face—fiery red lips, sharp, elegant features, and a cold, commanding presence.

When everyone finally got a good look at her, their jaws practically hit the floor.

"No way… it's her?"

Nathan was completely stunned—he couldn't believe his eyes. That woman standing before them… it was Sophia.

Their former colleague. The one they all thought was long dead.

Her icy gaze swept across the room, taking in the familiar surroundings with a distant, almost nostalgic expression.

"Still the same old place," she murmured. "But everything else… completely changed."

"Sophia? You're alive? You didn't die? Are you okay?" Nathan blurted out, his voice full of disbelief.

He'd been sure she was gone. After the Zombie King tore through Blackhand City, everyone assumed she'd been wiped out with the rest. But now, here she was, standing in front of them like a ghost from the past.

Sophia turned her eyes to Nathan. The two old workplace rivals locked eyes again, and for a brief moment, something flickered across her pale face—something almost like emotion.

"What's wrong? Disappointed I'm not dead?" she said, her voice cool and sharp. "I'm back, Nathan. And I'm here to take back everything that was mine."

Nathan straightened up, trying to reassert control. "Sophia, I'm the North America Regional Director now. If you want to come back to the company, I might be able to find a place for you."

Sophia's lips curled into a smile, but it wasn't a friendly one.

"No, Mr. Nathan. You've got it all wrong. I'm not here to come back. I'm here to take over. I'm going to absorb what's left of Genesis Biotech."

"You've lost your damn mind."

Nathan's eyes narrowed. Something was off. Her tone, her words—it was like she wasn't even the same person anymore. "Wait… where's Bill? Why are you logged in using his VR rig?"

"Bill?" Sophia's smile widened, her eyes darkening with something far more sinister. "Why don't you take a guess?"

As she spoke, a deep red hue began to spread through her irises, and when she smiled again, her teeth looked… sharper. And between them—Nathan's stomach turned—there were streaks of fresh blood.

"What the hell…?" he whispered, his voice tight with dread.

Sophia didn't answer. She just started walking toward him, slow and deliberate, her smile growing colder with every step. Her eyes glowed with a bloodthirsty light, and the veins on her face began to bulge, pulsing beneath her skin.

"Nathan," she said, her voice low and menacing, "you're next."

Before he could react, she vanished in a blur—and reappeared right in front of him. Her face was inches from his, monstrous and twisted, her breath cold against his skin.

"AHHH—!"

Nathan screamed.

Back in the real world, he ripped off his VR headset, gasping for air like he'd just surfaced from drowning. Sweat poured down his face, his chest heaving.

His secretary rushed over, startled. "Mr. Nathan? Are you okay?"

"It's bad… really bad," he panted. "Sophia's back. And she's coming for me."

"What?" she blinked, confused. "Sophia? But she's—"

"She's not dead!" Nathan cut her off, still trying to catch his breath. "She's alive. Or… something like it. She's changed. She's not human anymore."

He didn't waste another second. Still shaking, he summoned every senior executive in the building to his office and recounted everything he'd just experienced.

"Sophia… turned into a monster?" Jacob asked, frowning deeply. He'd once been one of Sophia's closest allies—one of the infamous Bernardino Four Riders.

Nathan nodded frantically. "Yes! Her eyes were glowing red, her face was all veiny, and her teeth—there was blood on her teeth! It was like something out of a nightmare!"

"Are you sure it wasn't just a glitch in the VR system?" the secretary asked, clearly skeptical.

Nathan slammed his hand on the desk. "Do I look like I'm joking?! That thing wasn't a glitch—it was real. It was her. And she's dangerous."

The room fell silent. The other execs exchanged uneasy glances, none of them quite sure what to say. The shock was still sinking in.

Jacob finally spoke. "Given the state of the company, we've got no real defense left. If Sophia's really back, and she's hostile… we won't be able to stop her."

"Exactly!" Nathan said, his voice rising. "So what the hell do we do?"

Jacob thought for a moment. "We might have no choice. We need to contact HQ. If anyone can deal with this, it's them."

Nathan hesitated. He hadn't reached out to headquarters in a long time. Ever since the last incident, he'd suspected something had gone wrong up there. He'd avoided making contact, afraid of stirring up even more trouble.

But now? There was no other option.

"Yeah… yeah, you're right," he said, swallowing hard. "We have to call them."

With trembling fingers, he reached for the secure line and dialed the number for Genesis Biotech's global headquarters.

The line rang.

And rang.

And rang…

…