Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Los Angeles.

At the summit of Mount Baldy, a jagged boulder jutted out over the edge of the world. A woman stood atop it, her silhouette sharp against the sky. Her lips were a blazing crimson, her face hauntingly beautiful—too beautiful, almost otherworldly, with a dangerous allure that hinted at something not quite human.

This was Sophia—infected with the mutant strain of the virus, and the thirteenth adopted child of the infamous Crimson Count.

From here, she could see all of Los Angeles sprawled out below her like a broken dream.

On the far side of Mount Baldy lay San Bernardino, the city she once ruled. Now, it was a ghost town—collapsed buildings, scorched ruins, and barely a trace of the undead. Even the zombies had abandoned it.

Sophia's icy eyes flickered with a trace of sorrow, but the emotion passed quickly. Her gaze hardened, her expression turning fierce, almost fanatical.

She hadn't come back just to reminisce.

She was here to take back everything that had once been hers.

"Lady Scarlet Moon," a gruff voice called from behind her. A burly man stepped forward, his tone respectful but urgent. "The remnants of the Black Hand Legion are assembled. Awaiting your orders."

Sophia clenched her jaw. This was the moment she'd been waiting for.

"We're moving into L.A. Full assault on Genesis Biotech's branch facility."

"What?!" The man's eyes widened in disbelief.

Los Angeles wasn't just any city—it was the most fortified zombie nest in the country. Sure, the terrifying Zombie King wasn't currently there, but even so, the idea of marching into that hellhole was enough to make anyone's blood run cold.

"L-Lady Scarlet Moon, are you sure that's wise?"

"What's unwise about it?" Sophia shot back, her voice sharp with confidence. "The Crimson Count adopted me because of my tactical brilliance. You think I don't know what I'm doing?"

"Uh…" The man hesitated. He wasn't so sure about that, but he wasn't about to argue with her. After a moment, he tried a different angle.

"But the Genesis Biotech facility isn't the only thing in L.A. There are human sanctuaries too—and they're not weak. If we go in guns blazing, they'll definitely notice."

Sophia scoffed. "You think I didn't plan for that? We draw their main forces away first. Once we've taken the Genesis facility, we'll turn around and crush the sanctuaries. One by one."

There was something in her voice—an obsession, a burning need. Whatever was inside that Genesis Biotech branch, it wasn't just about strategy. She wanted it. Badly.

The man saw the fire in her eyes and knew there was no point in arguing further.

"Alright. Then let's get moving."

...

High above the city, a sleek aircraft sliced through the sky like a silver arrow.

Inside, Mia and her crew were finally heading back to Los Angeles.

The mood was light, the conversation casual—just a bunch of soldiers shooting the shit after a long mission.

"Damn," Brandon said, leaning back in his seat. "Who would've thought a border op would turn into a front-row seat to some interspecies love drama?"

Chris laughed, nodding. "Right? We just witnessed a full-on zombie-human romance arc."

Brandon raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but what happens next? Can they even have kids? Like, is that biologically possible?"

Chris waved a hand dismissively. "Man, who cares about kids? Just go DINK—double income, no kids. Problem solved."

Oliver, the pilot, chimed in from the front. "Actually, if they could have kids, that'd be huge. I mean, think about it—it could change everything. The future of human-zombie relations, the whole damn world. And what would the kid even be? A new kind of human?"

"Whoa," Chris said, eyes widening. What started as a joke was suddenly feeling a lot more real.

They all went quiet for a moment, the weight of the thought settling in.

If humans and zombies could reproduce… it would rewrite the rules of existence.

The future? No one could even begin to imagine what that would look like.

"Oliver really is the brainy one here—always thinking long-term," Brandon said with a smirk. "So... can humans and zombies actually have kids or not?"

"No clue," Oliver replied, keeping his eyes on the controls. "At this stage, probably not. But who knows what the future holds? I mean, if evolution keeps pushing forward, anything's possible."

"Yeah, makes sense," Chris nodded thoughtfully.

The rest of the crew chimed in with their own takes, voices overlapping in a lively debate. They tossed around theories about Logan and Awan's potential offspring, half-joking, half-serious, but all of them curious. It had become the hot topic of the ride—zombie-human babies and what that could mean for the world.

The cabin buzzed with chatter, but Mia sat quietly off to the side, her gaze fixed on the window. The city was getting closer—Los Angeles, and just beyond it, the sanctuary.

But then, the comms system crackled to life. A video call request flashed on the screen—coming straight from the sanctuary.

"Huh? HQ's calling us?" Oliver raised an eyebrow and quickly hit the connect button.

The display lit up with the image of an older man—gray hair, deep lines etched into his face. One of the senior administrators at the sanctuary. His expression was tight, urgent.

"There's been an incident at the sanctuary!"

"What?!" Chris shot up, the others crowding around the screen.

"What happened?"

"Is Mia there?" the old man asked, ignoring the question.

"Hey, old man, what's up?" Mia stood and walked over, arms crossed.

He didn't even flinch at the nickname—clearly used to her attitude by now.

"The Black Hand Legion is back. And they're not just back—they're bolder than ever. They ambushed one of our search teams in Santa Monica. Took them hostage. Now they're demanding crystal cores in exchange."

Mia just nodded, unfazed. "Figures. That's their style."

Kidnapping, extortion, brutality—they were known for it. Nothing was beneath them.

"You didn't send a rescue team?" she asked.

"We did! But the team we sent got captured too. Now we've got even more people in their hands. That's why I'm calling you—we're running out of options!" The old man slapped his thigh in frustration.

Mia and the others exchanged glances.

"Alright," she said. "We'll skip the sanctuary for now. Head straight to Santa Monica and check it out."

"Good, good!" the old man nodded quickly. "Just... be careful, all of you."

The call ended with a click, and the cabin fell into a heavy silence.

Everyone was thinking the same thing.

After a moment, Oliver broke it. "What the hell is the Black Hand Legion doing all the way out in Santa Monica? That's a long-ass detour."

"Beats me..." Chris muttered, shaking his head.

Santa Monica, perched on the coast, was known for its mutated sea creatures—giant lobsters, armored crabs, and worse. The sanctuary's scavenger teams often went there to gather supplies, especially seafood. If they got lucky, they might even find a Neurocore or a crystal core.

Of course, if they weren't lucky, they'd end up as lunch for some sea monster.

But getting kidnapped by the Black Hand Legion? That was a first.

Talk about bad luck.

"Why overthink it?" Chris said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's just go in and wipe them out. I'm not the same guy I used to be."

Ever since awakening his powers, Chris had been through countless battles. He wasn't just talk—he'd grown stronger, and he knew it.

Brandon, however, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Still... something feels off. I don't think this is the same Black Hand Legion we knew back in the early days of the apocalypse."

The others nodded, the unease settling in.

Oliver adjusted the flight path, rerouting the aircraft toward Santa Monica.

They didn't land. Instead, the ship soared over the crumbling skyline of L.A., heading straight for the coast.

It wasn't far—just a ten-minute flight.

Santa Monica had once been half-submerged by the ocean, but the waters had receded, revealing a city in decay. Rusted buildings leaned at odd angles, moss and algae clinging to every surface. Cracked pavement and broken glass stretched as far as the eye could see.

Mutated sea creatures slithered and crawled among the rubble, nesting in the ruins.

Zombies were rare here. Most had been conscripted into Ethan's war machine, dragged off to fight in distant battles. The few that remained—old, weak, or injured—had long since been picked off by the local sea beasts.

Even the so-called ruler of the city, Shrimpy, had followed Ethan north to attack Canada.

From the aircraft, Mia and the others scanned the area, but saw no sign of the Black Hand Legion.

"Let's go," Mia said, unbuckling her harness. "Time to take a look for ourselves."

...