Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The room fell silent again. Neither of the two Zombie overlords said a word—the air itself seemed to freeze.

Since the apocalypse began, Ethan had been all over the place. He'd seen it all—or so he thought.

But this? This was new.

He even started to wonder if he'd misheard.

"Say that again?"

"I said... I've fallen for that woman. Being with her makes me feel... happy. I think I've... evolved. I think I've developed feelings—like, actual love."

"You're in love—with a human?" Ethan was momentarily speechless.

A Zombie King... evolving to feel love?

He didn't have an answer for that.

Logan went on, his voice calm and steady. "I know I'm no match for you. But before you kill me, can I ask you for one thing?"

"Let's hear it."

"Please spare this town. Most of the people here are just regular folks. With your power, you don't need their flesh and blood. Killing them won't benefit you in any way. As a trade, you can take my crystal core right now. And my entire Zombie Horde—they're yours."

Ethan looked up at him. "You trust me that much? You're not afraid I'll agree now and go back on my word once you're dead?"

"Of course I'm afraid. But this... this is the only way I can think of to protect this town." Logan gave a faint smile, tinged with bitterness.

Silence fell again.

Ethan thought for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

"Okay. Then go ahead."

Logan turned his head, looking out toward the next room where the siblings were still eating. They were chatting and laughing, the atmosphere warm and peaceful.

He smiled too, like someone saying goodbye for the last time.

This act of protection would cost him his life. But it was the last bit of tenderness he had left to give.

Ethan studied him. This whole situation had gone way off script. He'd considered every possible outcome—except this one.

The Northern Warlord... was a hopeless romantic?

And Logan had completely given up resisting.

His crystal core was right there, within arm's reach. Ethan could take it in a heartbeat.

But he didn't move.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a guest here. Killing you in someone else's home... feels kinda rude."

"Uh..." Logan blinked, caught off guard. At a time like this, he's worried about manners? This Zombie King from L.A. was definitely something else.

Ethan continued, "There are Zombie Kings from outside the U.S. invading right now. Let's deal with them first."

Logan nodded seriously. "Alright. I'll give everything I've got. Then I'll die."

Just then, Awan and her little brother finished eating and wandered into the room, their faces innocent and cheerful.

"Why aren't you guys eating?" she asked.

"Guess we're not hungry," Logan replied with a smile.

Awan wasn't having it. She beamed and said, "No way! You came all this way—how can you not eat?"

"Well... maybe just a little," Logan said sheepishly. Then, to everyone's surprise, he jogged over to the table, grabbed a handful of roasted potato chips, and started chomping down with gusto.

"Damn..." Ethan stared, dumbfounded again—his understanding of the world had just been flipped on its head.

Sure, zombies could eat plant-based food, but it was like chewing cardboard—no taste, no satisfaction, just plain awful.

Yet Logan was sitting there pretending to enjoy it, even enthusiastically passing over another plate of roasted potato slices.

"Ethan, want some?"

"..." Ethan's face twitched. He was honestly starting to admire this guy's commitment. But he waved it off immediately. "Nah, I just remembered I've got something else to take care of. I should get going."

"Cool, I'll come with you," Logan said without missing a beat.

"Huh? You're both leaving already?" Awan asked, still full of warmth and hospitality. "At least stay a little longer!"

But Logan shook his head with a smile. "Next time, I promise."

And with that, under the siblings' cheerful send-off, the two Zombie Kings said their goodbyes and stepped out of the yard.

The gate shut behind them with a heavy thud, and the world outside fell into a hushed stillness.

Only the soft whisper of wind carried snowflakes down from the sky.

"This is just... absurd," Ethan muttered to himself.

Logan, walking beside him, said, "Come on, I'll show you my crew."

"Alright," Ethan replied, following him out of the town.

For now, the two had formed a temporary alliance—to wipe out the foreign Zombie Kings invading the U.S. Once that was done... Logan said he'd be ready to die.

On the way, Ethan asked about the situation with the foreign Zombie Kings.

According to Logan, it wasn't just one rogue King—they were dealing with an entire alliance. A coalition of Zombie Kings from outside the U.S., united by shared interests. Some of them had bizarre, dangerous abilities, making them a serious threat.

Otherwise, Logan wouldn't have been stuck in a stalemate for so long.

As they moved deeper into the woods, zombie figures began to appear among the trees. When they saw Logan—the Redgaze Zombie King—they immediately bowed their heads in deep respect.

Once they were out of the human town, Logan stopped hiding. He reached up and pulled off the cloth covering his eyes, revealing a pair of glowing crimson irises.

His eyes were blood-red, eerie and intense, like they held the weight of a thousand massacres. Just one glance was enough to make your heart skip a beat.

"Boss! We've got another group of brothers down!" a zombie came running up, face twisted with urgency. He was tall and thin, with leathery skin and a strong aura—clearly one of Logan's top enforcers.

"Oh?" Logan's brow furrowed.

Not far ahead, a crowd of zombies had gathered. From the center came agonized howls—raw, feral, and full of pain.

"Let's go check it out," Logan said, picking up the pace. The zombies ahead quickly parted to make way.

Ethan followed, peering into the circle. Several zombies were writhing on the ground, convulsing in agony. But what made the scene truly horrifying were the thick, white worms—about the size of a finger—crawling out of their mouths and noses.

Even worse, some were squirming under their skin or wriggling out of festering wounds.

POP!

One zombie's eyeball burst open, replaced by a mass of white worms. The creature let out a guttural shriek and staggered to its feet, completely feral, ready to attack anything in sight.

Logan's red eyes flickered. He'd seen enough. He waved a hand at the tall, thin zombie.

"Got it!" the enforcer nodded and charged forward with his squad. They quickly swarmed the infected zombies, putting them down with brutal efficiency.

They especially hated the white worms—ripping them apart with claws, crushing them with their teeth. The forest echoed with chaos for a long while.

"What the hell are those things?" Ethan asked calmly, watching the carnage.

"Carrion Worms," Logan explained. "One of the foreign Zombie Kings has an insect-control ability. He can command hundreds of thousands of these things to attack or even parasitize other zombies. Real pain in the ass."

"Huh..." Ethan nodded, unimpressed. Honestly, these worms were nothing special. Buddy Crow could probably eat them by the bucketload.

Once he summoned the raven squad, these bugs wouldn't stand a chance.

These foreign Zombie Kings might be a nightmare for others—but to Ethan, they were just background noise.

He wasn't worried. Instead, he shifted the conversation.

"By the way, you said you've evolved to feel love, and you're into Awan. So... have you told her?"

"No... not yet," Logan scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm afraid she won't accept me."

"..." Ethan stared at him, speechless. Looking at this lovesick, bashful mess of a Zombie King, he seriously considered just killing him right now and saving everyone the trouble...

...