Zombie Domination

After finishing their meal and packing up, the group continued their journey.

Julian drove with a relaxed posture, one hand on the wheel as the vehicle moved steadily across the broken roads of the post-apocalyptic world.

The scenery blurred past them, ruins, nature taking back the land, and the ever-present silence of a world that had lost its people.

He glanced at Zoe through the rearview mirror. "Zoe, are we getting close?"

Zoe, staring blankly out the window, replied in her usual tone, "Still far."

Julian nodded. "Alright. We'll keep going."

But then, in the distance ahead, the atmosphere changed. Julian narrowed his eyes.

A massive group of zombies stood up ahead, crowded together. But they weren't wandering aimlessly or charging toward the vehicle. No, this time, they were gathered tightly… almost like they were waiting for something.

Julian immediately brought the vehicle to a halt, the tires kicking up dust.

"Something's off," he muttered. "We'll find another route."

But Aya, who had been peering out the side window, pointed toward the center of the swarm. "Wait... There's something in the middle. They're surrounding it."

Julian leaned forward, curiosity sharpening his gaze. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Aya replied, squinting. "But it looks like they're waiting for... some kind of creature."

Julian exhaled slowly. "Alright then... anyone feel like clearing the way?"

Clarissa stepped forward, brushing her hair back. "Let me handle it. Emma, Veronica, and Celestia already fought yesterday."

"I'll help," Aya added, standing beside her.

Julian looked toward Zoe. "You too, Zoe. I want to see how you fight."

Zoe gave a small nod. "Understood."

Seeing the sheer number of zombies ahead, Julian narrowed his eyes. "There are too many..."

Without hesitation, he summoned shadows beneath his feet, three dark silhouettes rose from the ground, forming into perfect clones of himself.

"I'll join the fight too," he said calmly.

The others nodded in acknowledgment, and soon Aya, Clarissa, and Zoe jumped out of the vehicle.

Each one activated their unique skills.

Aya stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "I want to test my new weapon."

She activated her ability [Eagle Eye], and her gaze instantly sharpened, enhancing her vision and aim. The glove on her left hand unfolded and expanded, transforming into a sleek, mechanical crossbow with three compact barrels.

From her belt, she pulled out a handful of small, specialized bolts, lightweight, allowing her to carry dozens. With practiced motion, she loaded them into her weapon.

Clarissa, calm as always, floated a ring of small blades around her with telekinesis. The knives hovered in place, shimmering in the light as she prepared to launch them with deadly precision.

Zoe, meanwhile, allowed her transformation to begin. Thick fur spread across her limbs, her ears shifted upward into wolf-like points, and a long, fluffy tail extended behind her. Her aura turned wild and primal, her [Beast] form fully awakened.

Together with one of Julian's clones, she charged straight into the horde, tearing through zombie after zombie with razor-sharp claws and brutal strength.

Julian's clones flanked her, cutting down enemies that tried to surround her from the sides, their movements precise and efficient.

Aya took position atop a broken pillar. She raised her crossbow and fired. Thwip!

The bolt struck a zombie, and exploded on impact, tearing apart several more in the blast radius. Aya smile. "Perfect."

Inside the vehicle, Julian observed calmly through the open window.

"Nice weapon," he muttered with a smirk.

Julian's eyes locked onto Zoe as she tore through the remaining zombies. There was a savage edge to her movements, quick, brutal, and instinctive. She wasn't holding back. It was clear she had allowed her feral instincts to take control during the fight.

In just a few minutes, the battlefield had gone quiet. Every zombie was slaughtered.

Julian stepped out of the vehicle, his footsteps crunching on blood-soaked gravel. His gaze shifted to the center of the area where the zombies had been crowding.

What had they been surrounding? ThisispartofaseriesfromMyVirtualLibraryEmpire(M|V|L1EMPYR).

Cautiously, he approached the middle of the scene. Lying there was a humanoid body, motionless. It looked… human, but not quite.

The creature had two sharp horns jutting from its forehead, and strange patterns etched across its skin. Parts of its body were covered in unnatural textures, scales, ridges, or something in between.

Celestia stood nearby, gazing down at it with a furrowed brow. "Was this once… a human?"

"Maybe," Julian replied, kneeling beside the corpse.

He reached toward the creature's face, wanting a closer look.

"Careful, Julian!" Emma called out, concern in her voice.

Ignoring the warning, Julian gently opened the creature's eyelids. Its eyes were a deep crimson, with pitch-black pupils, eerily similar to a zombie's. And yet... its skin showed no signs of decay. It looked preserved, almost alive.

Suddenly, the creature twitched.

Julian tensed immediately, stepping back.

Without warning, a grotesque parasite burst from the humanoid's skull, long, wormlike, and covered in sickly veins.

Julian reacted instantly. His shadow launched upward like a spear and pierced the parasite midair.

Splurt.

The creature writhed, then went limp—dead.

Julian's eyes narrowed. That parasite... it was familiar.

"This is the same kind," he muttered, "as the ones that turn people into cocoons."

A grim silence fell over the group.

Julian rose slowly, scanning the horizon.

"At this rate…" he said quietly, "it won't be long before we're fighting more of these things."

After gathering the zombie crystals, Julian and the others returned to the vehicle without a word. The weight of what they had just witnessed hung over them like a heavy fog.

As the engine hummed back to life and the vehicle began moving once more, Veronica broke the silence.

"What did you mean earlier… when you said we'll be fighting more of them?"

Julian kept his eyes on the road. "That parasite was looking for a strong host. It sent the zombies to find one for it."

He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

"My guess is... those parasites use zombies to scout for potential hosts, bodies strong enough for them to evolve into something like that humanoid creature we found. But something went wrong. That body… it didn't complete the cocoon process. Maybe it failed, or maybe something inside it broke. Whatever it was, the body became unusable."

Veronica listened carefully, her expression growing serious.

Julian continued, "That's why the zombies were surrounding it. The parasite was still alive, and it was giving out confused commands. It already had a body, but it wanted a better one. And when it attacked me… I think it was trying to claim my body as its next vessel."

A cold silence followed his words.

Clarissa folded her arms, deep in thought. "So… there's a chance that somewhere out there, one of them did evolve properly. That there's already a fully-formed version of that creature walking freely in the world?"

Julian gave a slow, grim nod. "Yeah. That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Celestia leaned forward slightly, her tone analytical. "Then it wouldn't be a parasite anymore. It would be… something entirely new. A new species."

Emma let out a small groan, sinking back in her seat. "Great. So now humanity's got another enemy on the list."

Aya hugged her knees and muttered quietly, "Creepy…"

No one disagreed.

Julian glanced around at the others. "If that's the case, we'll need to stay alert. We don't know when we'll run into those things again."

Everyone nodded quietly.

"But don't be afraid," Julian added with a small grin. "They're just parasites."

Emma pumped her fist. "Exactly! If we meet one, we'll just beat the crap out of it!"

"Beat," Zoe echoed in her usual flat tone.

Veronica sighed, brushing her hair back. "Let's just hope we don't meet another one."

With that, the group continued their journey until nightfall began to settle in. Under the dim glow of the stars, Julian pulled the vehicle to a stop.

"We'll camp here for tonight."

As everyone started preparing the area, Zoe stepped forward eagerly. "I want more meat."

Julian chuckled and opened his Skill Inventory, pulling out a wrapped cut of fresh meat. "Here you go."

Zoe's eyes lit up as she accepted it and immediately ran to Clarissa, holding it out with both hands like an offering. "Cook."

Clarissa smiled softly. "Alright. Let's make something delicious."

Meanwhile, Julian stood in a cleared space near the firelight, facing Emma and Veronica.

"Alright," he said calmly. "Are you both ready?"

Emma stretched her arms. "Ready!"

Veronica gave a nod, her expression composed. "Let's begin."

Without warning, Julian dashed forward, his movements sharp and calculated. Emma and Veronica instinctively dropped into defensive stances.

Julian didn't strike with full force, this was training, but his attacks were fast, meant to test their reaction time and positioning.

"Don't just block," he instructed, sweeping toward Emma. "Move your feet. Read the motion."

Emma dodged back, breathing heavily.

He shifted toward Veronica, throwing a controlled jab.

"You rely too much on elegance," Julian said. "Martial arts isn't about looking graceful. It's about ending the fight quickly."

Veronica parried and aimed a counter, Julian caught her wrist.

"Better," he said with a grin. "But faster next time."

He stepped back, letting them reset. "Again."