Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan took a few steps forward, his figure gradually fading until he completely disappeared—he had entered stealth mode and stepped into the territory of the Serpent-Eye Zombie King.

His main goal was to scout the area. Besides, Mia hadn't arrived yet, and he had no idea where she was. He figured he'd have to drag her into doing something "productive" once she showed up.

The buildings on either side of the street were in ruins, crumbling and desolate. Dried bloodstains and decayed skeletons littered the ground, while a few zombies shuffled aimlessly, their stiff movements devoid of purpose.

These zombies were the weakest of the weak—old, sick, and falling apart. Their bodies were severely decomposed, reeking of rot, with maggots wriggling in their flesh. They were disgusting to look at, the kind of creatures that could make anyone gag. Their combat ability posed a threat only to ordinary humans; they were little more than walking corpses.

Of course, there was one exception—a slightly evolved zombie. It sat by the side of the street, clutching a large rat in its hands, gnawing on it with blood dripping from its mouth. Its face was smeared with gore, and rat fur clung to its lips.

Further ahead, near the base of a crumbling wall, lay a corpse. Several small snakes slithered in and out of its rotting flesh, turning the body into their personal playground.

"Disgusting…" Ethan muttered, wrinkling his nose. He found the Serpent-Eye Zombie King's territory to be utterly unsanitary. It was filthy, like a pigsty.

To make matters worse, between the buildings, countless spiderwebs hung in the air. They were thick with trapped insects, and even a few mutated sparrows were caught in the sticky threads. The birds struggled desperately, causing the webs to tremble, but they couldn't break free.

The overlapping webs formed a dense, chaotic mess. Just looking at them was enough to trigger anyone's fear of clusters or tight spaces.

Ethan ignored the mess and casually pulled out his phone to text Mia.

"Where are you?"

"Farmers' market. You?"

"Almost there."

"Alright, we'll talk when we meet. I'm busy right now."

Mia sent the reply with one hand while slicing through a zombie with her other. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and kept moving.

Around her were more than a dozen people, all engaged in combat with zombies. Among them were her partner, Sean, and Chris's group from last time. They were here to help transport supplies.

Sean glanced at Mia with admiration in his eyes. "You can text with one hand while fighting zombies? That's impressive."

"It's just practice," Mia replied casually. She gripped her blade with both hands and decapitated another zombie in one swift motion.

Sean nodded thoughtfully, as if her words had struck a chord. It reminded him of his years of driving. He'd never really paid attention to how the wheels turned, yet he could reverse into a parking spot with pinpoint accuracy every time. Why? Because practice made perfect.

He also recalled something his school coach used to say: "With enough effort, water can carve through stone, and a rope can saw through wood. Keep practicing, and even the hardest tasks will become second nature."

Yeah, practice really was the key…

Behind them, Chris and his group wielded alloy blades, cutting down zombies with ease. These were low-level zombies, the kind that could be dealt with in just a few strikes. There wasn't much pressure; it was more like routine cleanup.

They were clearing the area of zombies to make it easier to transport supplies later.

Nearby stood the farmers' market. Its rolling shutter door was half-open, smeared with bloodstains. The marks of human fingernails clawing at the metal were still faintly visible.

The door was rusted shut. Mia stepped forward, gripping her blade with both hands. With a single swing, there was a sharp 'swish'—the door was sliced cleanly in two, as if it were warm butter under a hot knife.

Mia, as the first-ever "Awakener 001," wielded a custom-made weapon—a tachi. The blade and hilt were both unusually long, nearly matching her height.

Embedded in the hilt was a lightning-element crystal core, faintly crackling with electricity. When fully activated, the electric energy would envelop the sleek blade, enhancing both its speed and destructive power.

This was the latest tech developed by the shelter: Crystal Core Armaments.

At the moment, Mia's weapon was one of a kind—and it looked awesome.

I mean, who could say no to a glowing sword?

With the long blade resting casually on her shoulder, Mia strode straight into the farmer's market. The place was dimly lit, the air thick with the stench of rot. From the darker corners, faint zombie growls echoed ominously.

Behind her, Chris rummaged through his backpack, pulling out a grenade. He lobbed it forward with a strong throw.

This wasn't just any grenade—it had a flashing red light. After rolling a couple of times on the ground, it started emitting a sharp, rhythmic beeping: beep, beep, beep.

The sound was piercing, cutting through the silence and spreading across the entire market.

"Raaaghhh!"

The zombies, drawn by the noise, began shambling toward the grenade en masse.

As the red light on the grenade blinked faster and the beeping grew more frantic, the tension in the air spiked.

Beep-beep-beep-beep—BOOM!

The explosion erupted with a deafening roar, a burst of blinding fire swallowing the horde of zombies.

Chunks of flesh and shattered limbs rained down, accompanied by rising smoke and the acrid stench of charred meat.

"Heh, problem solved!" Chris said smugly.

The shelter had been developing all kinds of anti-zombie weapons lately, and they were proving to be pretty effective—though, for now, they only worked on low-level zombies.

With the immediate threat cleared, the group headed straight for the seed storage warehouse.

The journey was surprisingly smooth. It seemed the grenade had done its job; they didn't encounter any more zombies along the way. Before long, they reached a room.

Even in the dim light, they could make out stacks of large crates piled up ahead.

"We hit the jackpot! Let's see if there's anything good in here," one of the younger guys said, his face lighting up with excitement. He rushed forward, eager to check out the supplies.

Grabbing the lid of one of the crates, he yanked it open with a flourish.

But instead of seeds, he was met with a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring back at him.

A snake.

Its sharp fangs glistened as it flicked its tongue, hissing menacingly.

For a moment, the two locked eyes.

"Oh, crap!"

The young man's face went pale as he realized what he was looking at. He tried to back away, but it was too late.

Whoosh!

The snake lunged, sinking its fangs into his neck. The sharp, searing pain made him cry out in agony.

The others froze, equally horrified.

"A snake?!"

Mia reacted instantly. With a swift motion, she swung her blade straight at the snake's head.

The razor-sharp edge sliced through the air with precision, so close to the young man's skin that it shaved the fine hairs on his neck.

The snake's head was severed cleanly, its body dropping lifelessly to the ground.

The young man stumbled back, clutching his neck. His face was pale, his breath ragged. He looked like he'd just brushed shoulders with death itself.

But the burning pain in his neck brought him back to reality. When he pulled his hand away, it was smeared with dark, blackened blood.

"It's venomous!"

"Of course it's dangerous! The last search team that came here was wiped out. Stay alert!" Chris warned, his voice tense.

As if on cue, a faint rustling sound began to spread through the warehouse.

From beneath the crates and through the cracks, countless black snakes began slithering out, surrounding the group.

There's something primal about the human fear of snakes—something buried deep in our DNA.
Continue reading stories on empire

Seeing the writhing mass of serpents, everyone felt their skin crawl.

"Kill them!"

As a few snakes slithered closer, Mia didn't hesitate. She swung her blade, slicing them cleanly in half.

The others quickly grabbed their weapons, joining the fight against the swarm.

But then, a new sound came from above—a faint, unsettling squirming.

Chris glanced up and froze in terror.

The ceiling beams were covered in snakes.

Dozens, maybe hundreds, coiled together in writhing masses. And now, they were starting to drop.

It was like a rainstorm of snakes, falling straight toward them.

...