Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"I don't think I can make it… I really might die here this time." Chris gasped, pale as a ghost. His legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed.

Brandon rushed over and caught him with one arm.

But the swarm of monsters around them kept surging forward, relentless and overwhelming.

Oliver and the others jumped in to help, hacking away at the creatures with everything they had.

Among them, only Mia and Sean were strong enough to hold their own. The rest were barely hanging on, locked in a brutal struggle.

And as their stamina drained, the danger only grew worse.

Chris looked around, his voice weak. "I… I'm just slowing you guys down. Maybe… maybe you should leave me and break through with Mia."

"Alright, cool." Brandon replied casually—and let go of him.

"Wait, what?!" Chris stumbled again, barely catching himself.

Seriously? That fast?

They'd been through life-or-death together, and this guy didn't even hesitate? Not even a little emotion?

Sean hesitated, then said, "Uncle Chris did a lot for the shelter. He saved a bunch of people too."

"Yeah, that's more like it," Chris muttered under his breath. At least Sean had a heart. The kid might be a little slow, but he was loyal. From the sound of it, he didn't want to leave him behind.

But then Sean added, "So when we get back, we should throw Uncle Chris a big funeral reception. With lots of good food!"

"Uh…" Chris's face went blank. So he wasn't worried about him dying—he was just looking forward to the snacks afterward.

The monster tide kept crashing in. From the rubble, zombie sea serpents slithered out—eyes glowing red, twin fangs gleaming. They struck without warning, fast and deadly.

Their mutated virus was insanely contagious. One wrong move, and you were done for.

Everyone moved like they were walking on a tightrope, hyper-aware, dodging and weaving. A few times, they barely avoided getting bitten.

But with their energy draining fast, it was only a matter of time before someone got infected.

"This isn't working! There's too many of them—we can't kill them all!" Oliver panted, his voice strained. This was, hands down, the worst crisis they'd faced since joining the shelter.

Brandon, on the other hand, seemed weirdly chill.

"Maybe we should just turn into zombies. I mean, the virus lets you keep your memories, right? Then we could team up with Ethan and take over the world."

"Hey… that actually doesn't sound half bad."

"…"

Meanwhile, Mia was still holding the front line, taking on the brunt of the assault.

Her katana danced through the air, slicing through monsters like a blender on overdrive. Black blood sprayed everywhere, and the bodies piled up around her feet.

She glanced back and saw Chris and the others barely holding on.

Then she looked up—at the top of a nearby high-rise, where a blond-haired young man stood watching.

"If I take out their leader, maybe it'll change the tide."

She crouched low, then launched herself upward, feet slamming into the building's wall. With a few agile leaps, she shot toward the rooftop.

"Hm?"

The blond youth's eyes narrowed, sensing the deadly intent coming his way.

"No wonder she's the shelter's ace. She's got some real skill."

Before he could finish the thought, Mia landed on the rooftop. Her slim figure moved like lightning, katana crackling with electricity as she swung it straight at his neck.

The blade tore through the air with a high-pitched shriek.

The blond man's eyes widened. He wasn't stupid—he didn't try to block it. Instead, he leapt back, vaulting onto the rooftop of the next building.

Then he snapped his fingers, signaling his vampire minions to swarm Mia and slow her down.

In an instant, monsters crawled up the walls like spiders, throwing themselves at her without hesitation.

"Heh heh heh… It's useless. You can't kill me. But your teammates? They're about to die."

His voice was smug, his expression begging for a punch.

He wasn't here to win a fight—his job was to stall Mia, wear her down, and buy time for Lady Scarlet Moon's operation in Los Angeles.

He knew he couldn't beat her in a straight-up fight.

But outrun her? That he could do.

Especially with an army of bloodthirsty vampires at his back…

Mia's expression was ice-cold as she cut down wave after wave of monsters. Everywhere her blade passed, bodies dropped like flies, the rooftop slick with black blood. But when she glanced down at the street below, her heart sank—Chris and the others were in even worse shape.

Without her holding the front line, the pressure on them had doubled.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the zombie horde swallowed them whole.

And that blond bastard? He was at least S-rank. With Mia's current pain threshold, there was no way she could take him down by brute force.

"Looks like I've got no choice but to go all in…"

She muttered to herself, flipping her katana in her hand—then suddenly turned the blade toward her own body.

Down on the street, Oliver was barely hanging on. A mutant vampire zombie lunged and sank its fangs deep into his wrist.

The searing pain made him scream in agony.

Brandon didn't hesitate. He rushed over, activated Blood Burst, and blasted the creature off Oliver, drawing out the infected blood in the process.

Oliver went pale instantly, sweat pouring down his face. He looked just like Chris now—drained and barely standing.

Brandon, after using his ability multiple times, was also running on fumes. His breathing grew ragged, and his vision started to blur.

"This is it… We're really not gonna make it this time…"

Seeing her teammates pushed to the brink, Mia's eyes hardened with resolve. She raised her katana, ready to strike herself—to unleash her most devastating attack.

But just as she was about to move—

A sudden, earth-shaking boom echoed from the ocean.

Everyone froze.

Then, a monstrous wave surged up from the sea, towering over 100 feet high. It rose like a wall of water, blotting out the sky, and came crashing toward Santa Monica with terrifying speed.

It was as if the ocean itself had come back with a vengeance.

"What the hell…?"

"Is that a tsunami?!"

"Holy shit, that's insane!"

"…"

Chris and the others stared in stunned silence, eyes wide with disbelief. In front of that colossal wave, humans and zombies alike looked like ants.

Even the towering skyscrapers seemed fragile—like they could be snapped in half at any moment.

And when the wave hit, it was like the world exploded. Buildings shattered like glass, debris flying in every direction.

Mia froze mid-swing, her blade hovering inches from her body. Her sharp eyes locked onto the horizon, filled with confusion and alarm.

There'd been no warning. No tremors. No signs.

Why the hell was there suddenly a tsunami?

Then, from deep within the churning sea, a low, haunting sound echoed out—a whale's call, long and mournful, resonating through the air like it was vibrating in their bones.

Everyone stopped. The sound was so deep, so ancient, it felt like it reached into their souls and shook something loose.

For a moment, they all stood there, dazed, caught in the eerie beauty of it.

But then, beneath that whale song, came another sound—faint at first, but growing louder by the second.

A savage, guttural roar.

It was getting closer.

And it was coming with the wave.

"Wait… there's something else?"

Their expressions shifted from awe to horror. Whatever was making that sound—it wasn't friendly. And it wasn't small.

Something massive was coming ashore.

"Don't tell me… all this fighting stirred up some kind of deep-sea monster?!"

…