Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Meanwhile, the search team members who had been tied up suddenly snapped their eyes open in unison, a crimson hue spreading rapidly across their irises.

"Raaagh—!"

A guttural snarl tore from their throats. Veins bulged across their faces, their teeth sharpened into fangs, and with a violent jolt, the chains binding them shattered with a loud clatter. One by one, they rose to their feet.

It was clear—they'd already been infected by the mutant virus.

Brandon's expression darkened as he took in the scene.

"This whole thing was a setup. The vampire virus has already made its way to the U.S."

"Th-then what do we do now?" Chris stammered, clearly the most panicked of the group. And for good reason—the virus was already spreading through his body, fast and aggressive.

His blood, once bright red, was turning murky and dark. A wave of searing pain surged through him.

"I'm mutating!"

Before anyone else could react, Mia moved like lightning. She whipped out the katana strapped to her back and, without hesitation, drove it straight into Chris's wounded shoulder.

Shlick!

The razor-sharp blade sank deep into his flesh, nearly punching through the other side. A gush of thick, black blood sprayed from the wound.

"AAARGH!"

Chris screamed in agony, his face contorted in pain.

Mia didn't flinch. "It's just a mutant virus. No big deal. You just have to bleed the poison out."

"..." Chris gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face. Easy for her to say—she wasn't the one getting stabbed. He hadn't awakened any kind of pain resistance ability, and the bloodletting was pure torture.

Brandon stepped in to help.

"Hang in there, Uncle Chris. I've got you."

He raised a hand, activating his blood manipulation ability. Instantly, a surge of tainted blood burst from Chris's wound like a small fountain, draining out in thick, dark streams.

Chris swayed, dizziness crashing over him like a wave. He nearly passed out, his body drained and weak.

"Thanks... I guess," he muttered, barely able to stand.

But there was no time to rest. The infected search team members were already charging at them. The survivors who had once taken shelter here were now nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters, feral and savage.

Mia yanked her katana free, her sharp eyes scanning the oncoming horde. Sparks of electricity began to crackle along the blade's edge.

She moved.

With a single, fluid slash, the blade cut through the air—and two of the creatures' necks. Their heads flew off cleanly, spinning through the air before thudding to the ground.

Sean, Oliver, and the others jumped into the fray without hesitation.

The mutant vampire zombies were vicious, but they were no match for this team. Within moments, the dozen or so infected were being cut down one after another.

The abandoned building was soon littered with corpses. Pools of foul, black blood soaked the floor, filling the air with a nauseating stench.

Chris, still wounded and barely holding it together, forced himself into the fight. He gripped a machete in one hand, flames flickering to life around him as he activated his fire ability.

He swung with everything he had, the blade arcing toward Linda—one of the infected.

Shlick!

The machete bit into her neck, grinding against bone with a sickening screech. Her head flew off, trailing smoke as the heat from the blade scorched the wound.

Her body collapsed backward with a heavy thud.

Chris had killed her himself.

"Huff... huff..."

He gasped for breath, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his face and splattering on the floor.

Every movement was agony. Between the blood loss and the injury, it took everything he had just to stay on his feet.

"Looks like the whole search team's gone. Not a single one made it out alive."

Chris stared down at Linda's body, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes.

"Yeah," Brandon nodded, his voice low. "This place is bad news. We need to get out of here. Now."

"Let's move," Mia agreed, already turning toward the exit.

Just as the group turned to leave, a chilling voice echoed from outside the crumbling building.

"Leaving so soon? Did you even ask for my permission?"

"Who's there?!"

Everyone immediately spun toward the source of the voice—and spotted a lone figure standing atop a nearby high-rise. No one had noticed him before. He was young, dressed in all black, with golden hair that shimmered under the moonlight. His eyes glowed blood-red, and sharp fangs peeked from his lips.

The aura radiating off him was intense—undeniably a high-tier vampire.

"Another freak?" Chris's eyes widened in alarm.

As the golden-haired vampire's voice faded, a chorus of snarls and screeches erupted behind him. The sound was deafening, a rising tide of chaos. It was clear—an entire horde was closing in.

One by one, Mutant Vampire Zombies began to appear, pouring in from alleyways, broken windows, and the shadows of ruined buildings. They were converging on the group like a tidal wave of death.

But that wasn't all.

Among the swarm were twisted sea beasts—mutated ocean creatures infected by the same virus. Most were serpentine, like sea snakes, some thick as tree trunks, others thin and whip-like, all writhing with unnatural hunger.

"Well, that explains where all the sea monsters in the area went," Brandon muttered, eyes narrowing. "They've been gathering here."

"Where the hell did all these things come from?" Chris demanded, his voice tight with panic.

Mia didn't even look back. "Do you really need to ask? This has Crimson Count written all over it."

The number of monsters was staggering—easily in the tens of thousands. The infected creatures were scaling the walls of the building like spiders, their movements fast and feral, their faces twisted into demonic snarls. It was like hell itself had opened up beneath them.

"Time to break through!" Mia barked.

The swarm was nearly on them. She slashed her katana in a wide arc, severing several heads in one clean motion. The headless bodies tumbled down the wall, crashing into the climbing zombies below and knocking them loose.

Without hesitation, Mia leapt from the building, landing in the street below.

The moment she hit the ground, the monsters turned on her like sharks scenting blood. The horde surged toward her, a wave of claws, fangs, and madness.

But Mia didn't flinch.

She'd seen worse. Fought worse. These things didn't scare her.

Her eyes were cold, focused, and filled with lethal intent. Sparks of electricity danced along her katana, the blade glowing brighter with each passing second.

"Cut them down."

Her voice was calm, almost casual—but the moment she moved, the air split with the speed of her strike. The blade blurred, leaving afterimages in its wake.

The zombies that rushed her were instantly sliced to pieces, their limbs and torsos falling apart mid-charge.

Brandon and the others weren't far behind. They jumped from the building one after another—because staying put meant certain death.

There was only one way out: carve a path through the horde.

Back to back, they formed a tight formation, moving as one through the chaos.

Blades flashed. Powers ignited. Blood sprayed in every direction.

But for every monster they cut down, more surged in to take its place.

"Where the hell are they all coming from?!" Chris shouted, soaked in sweat, his shoulder still throbbing with pain.

"They were waiting for us," Brandon growled. "This was a trap from the start."

He raised his hand, unleashing his ability—Blood Burst. The blood inside nearby monsters froze mid-flow, then exploded outward in a spray of gore, tearing them apart from the inside.

The battlefield was a slaughterhouse.

"Damn it! They're targeting me!" Chris hissed through clenched teeth. His vision blurred, dizziness crashing over him. His steps were starting to falter.

Brandon glanced over, frowning.

"Hey! Uncle Chris—are you still with us or what?!"

...