Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The aircraft dove sharply, descending into the ruins of what was once a city.

As the hatch split open with a hiss, Mia and the others jumped out.

All around them, Santa Monica lay in shambles. The streets were cracked and uneven, some areas flooded with stagnant water. Dead fish, dried and rotting, were scattered everywhere, and the air reeked of decay and salt.

"Ugh, it stinks…" Sean grimaced, waving a hand in front of his nose.

Chris, standing beside him, smirked. "Still better than when you shit your pants."

Everyone chuckled, but their eyes kept scanning the surroundings. The place was eerily quiet—dead silent. Not a single sign of life.

"Where the hell did all the sea beasts go?" Brandon muttered, frowning. This place had been a ghost town for a while now, which made it a perfect nesting ground for amphibious creatures. The ruins were usually crawling with them.

That's why the search team had come here—to "go fishing," so to speak.

"Guys, look over there!" Chris suddenly pointed ahead.

They all turned to see what he was talking about—and froze.

A massive sea serpent lay sprawled across a collapsed building. Its body was as thick as a grown man's waist and stretched over thirty feet long. Its pale underbelly faced the sky, completely still.

"Damn, that's a big one," Chris muttered. "Too bad it's already belly-up."

But Brandon's brow furrowed. There were no visible wounds on the creature's body, yet with his [Blood Burst] ability, he could sense it clearly—there wasn't a single drop of blood left inside. It had been completely drained.

"How the hell did it die?"

"Help… help me…"

Just then, a faint voice echoed from deeper within the city ruins. It was weak, barely audible, but unmistakably human.

Chris's ears perked up. He tensed immediately. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yeah… we heard it," Brandon and Oliver nodded in unison.

"Let's check it out," Mia said without hesitation.

They left the serpent's corpse behind and hurried toward the source of the voice.

None of them noticed the deep bite mark on the serpent's back—like a dagger had been driven into its flesh. The wound was jagged, brutal, and chilling to look at.

As they followed the voice, it grew clearer with every step. Eventually, they stopped in front of an unfinished high-rise, its skeletal frame looming over them.

The cries for help were definitely coming from inside. Along with them came the clinking of chains.

"Wait a sec… that voice… I think that's Linda from the shelter!" Chris said, frowning.

The others looked at him, curious.

"Who's Linda?"

"She's the mom of one of my students. Early thirties, really nice lady. Lost her husband when the world went to hell," Chris explained.

He'd been working as an instructor at the shelter's school, so he knew a lot of people. Linda was part of the search team too.

"Sounds like the Black Hand Legion grabbed her. We've gotta get her out of there."

"Yeah, let's move," the others agreed.

Chris didn't wait—he bolted into the building, driven by urgency.

Behind him, Brandon raised an eyebrow. A student's mom… widowed… early thirties… Why does it feel like all the flags are stacking up?

Inside the half-finished building, the air was damp and cold. Water stains streaked the walls, and the floor squelched underfoot from years of flooding.

The woman's cries echoed through the empty structure, sharp and desperate.

Chris splashed through the water, following the sound.

They reached the second floor. The ground was covered with old straw mats, and in the corner, a few human figures came into view.

They were bound in chains, slumped together like discarded dolls.

Most of them were unconscious, but one woman had just come to. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she kept calling out for help.

She was pretty, with delicate features and a fragile look that tugged at your instincts to protect.

"Instructor Chris? Is that you? Please, help me!"

Her voice cracked with emotion when she saw him, like she'd just spotted a lifeline in the middle of a storm.

Chris scanned the room first, his instincts on high alert. He'd seen too much to just rush in blindly.

"Wait… why are you guys the only ones here? Where's the Black Hand Legion?"

"I don't know," Linda said, shaking her head, eyes still dazed. "They knocked us out. When I woke up, we were like this. I don't know where they went."

"Huh…"

Chris nodded slowly. Maybe the Black Hand bastards had moved on to cause trouble somewhere else. Either way, they'd found the captives—rescuing them was the priority now.

Chris rushed forward without hesitation, yanking the titanium machete from the sheath on his back. With two sharp clangs, he sliced through the iron chains binding Linda, setting her free.

"Thank you, Instructor Chris," Linda said, wincing as she tried to move. "But my legs are numb… could you help me up?"

"Uh… is that really okay?" Chris hesitated, his face flushing red.

Among their group, most were guys—only Mia was a girl, and she definitely wasn't the type to come over and help someone up. So, Chris figured he had no choice but to step up and take on this "noble" task.

He bent down and gently took Linda's arm.

The moment he did, her soft body collapsed into his chest. She must've been tied up for too long—her circulation was shot, and she couldn't stand on her own. She leaned heavily against him, limp and helpless.

Chris couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself. Who would've thought the Black Hand Legion had already cleared out? This rescue mission was turning out to be a breeze. Honestly, it felt like a pretty sweet gig.

But when he glanced back, he noticed Mia, Brandon, and the others were still standing in place, not moving an inch.

"Hey! What are you guys doing just standing there? Aren't you gonna help the others?"

"Uh… you go ahead," Brandon said after a brief pause, his tone cautious.

Chris rolled his eyes hard. "Oh, I get it. You're using me as the guinea pig, huh? Just gonna stand there and watch your fellow humans suffer? I already freed her—what danger could there possibly be?"

"Instructor Chris, thank you," Linda said again, her voice soft and sweet.

But then she leaned in closer—too close. Her lips moved toward his neck.

"Huh? Uh… this might not be the best time for that…" Chris felt her breath on his skin and thought, Is she seriously trying to kiss me right now?

But in the next instant, something shifted.

A wave of malice radiated off her body. Her eyes turned blood-red, veins bulging across her face. Two sharp fangs burst from her gums like something out of a nightmare.

Chris's whole body tensed. Something's wrong.

He whipped his head around—just in time to see her face morph into something monstrous, twisted and feral, inches from his own.

Linda—no, the thing that had been Linda—lunged at him with a snarl, jaws wide open.

"Holy shit!"

Chris's eyes went wide as he shouted in panic, jerking his head to the side.

But they were too close. There was no room to dodge.

Her dagger-like teeth sank deep into his shoulder.

"AAAHHH—!"

The pain was blinding. Chris screamed, his voice echoing through the ruined building.

He shoved both hands against her head and pushed with everything he had. The force tore her away, but not before a chunk of flesh ripped free from his shoulder.

Blood gushed from the wound, thick and dark. The veins around it turned a sickly black-purple, pulsing as something foreign spread through his bloodstream.

Linda stood there, grinning with blood dripping from her mouth, a strip of skin still clenched between her teeth.

"Hehehehe…"

Her voice was low and chilling.

"Instructor Chris… you're about to become one of us. The mutant virus is already inside you…"

...