Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Ugh, that's disgusting!"

A wave of nausea surged through Caleb as the stench of zombie saliva hit him like a brick wall. His stomach churned violently, and he almost lost his composure.

"I'm a tree... I'm a tree... I'm a tree..."

He silently chanted to himself, like some kind of self-hypnosis.

Thankfully, Caleb managed to hold it together. The zombie above him, crawling like a spider, didn't seem to notice anything unusual and continued scuttling away into the distance.

"Whoo—"

He let out a long breath of relief.

But just then, a sudden scream pierced through the darkness of the factory.

"Ahhh!"

A girl's terrified cry echoed, shattering the silence.

Immediately, the zombies let out guttural roars, and the elite ones nearby all turned toward the sound, rushing in that direction.

"Damn it! Another teammate's been spotted!" Caleb's heart sank in panic.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl sprinting desperately toward the exit. Her face was pale with fear, and behind her, a horde of zombies was in hot pursuit.

"Chloe!"

Caleb's heart nearly stopped. That girl was his little sister, Chloe.

Ahead of her, more zombies were closing in, blocking her escape. In the dimly lit factory, there was nowhere to run.

Terrified, Chloe instinctively released a burst of icy energy. The air around her chilled instantly, and a wall of ice materialized, encasing her in a protective barrier.

But there were over twenty elite zombies surrounding her, clawing and snarling.

"Raaaghhh!"

The zombies howled furiously, their razor-sharp claws raking against the ice wall, sending shards flying everywhere.

More zombies, drawn by the noise, began converging on the scene.

Chloe's heart sank into despair.

Once exposed, there was no way out. Death was inevitable.

From his hiding spot, Caleb watched in agony.

He had already witnessed several teammates die gruesome deaths earlier, and the guilt was eating him alive. Now, his sister was about to be torn apart by zombies. The pain in his chest was unbearable.

He had promised her once—he'd protect her no matter what.

The ice wall was getting thinner with every attack. Chloe's energy was draining fast, and her life was slipping away.

With the last of her strength, she formed an ice spike in her palm. Her eyes filled with resolve as she prepared to drive it into her own throat.

"No!"

A roar erupted from the shadows.

Suddenly, countless roots shot out like writhing serpents, wrapping around the zombies' legs, torsos, and even piercing through their bodies.

The roots lashed out wildly, flinging the zombies in all directions.

Caleb emerged from the darkness, sprinting toward his sister.

"Caleb!"

Chloe froze, staring at the figure running toward her. For a moment, it felt like time itself had stopped.

But the elite zombies were relentless. Their vitality was monstrous, and unless their heads were destroyed, they wouldn't die.

They began clawing their way back to their feet, chasing after Caleb.

"Watch out!" Chloe screamed, her voice trembling with fear.

Caleb's gaze was steady and determined. He reached his sister and turned to face the oncoming horde, spreading his arms wide as if to shield her.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

His body began to transform again, the wood-like texture spreading across his skin. Roots extended from him, weaving together into a thick wall to protect Chloe.

"Raaaghhh!"

The zombies didn't care. They lunged at Caleb, biting and clawing at him.

"Hsss..."

Caleb winced in pain. His bark-like skin held up against the attacks, but his energy was draining rapidly.

It felt like every muscle in his body was locked in tension, unable to relax for even a second.

Even his... well, even his sphincter was clenched tight at this point.

"Why are you doing this, Caleb?!" Chloe cried, tears streaming down her face. She knew he couldn't hold out much longer.

Clenching his teeth, Caleb growled, "What kind of brother would I be if I just stood by and let my little sister get torn apart by zombies? I can't do it. I just can't!"

"Caleb..." Chloe's sobs turned into uncontrollable wails as tears poured down her cheeks.

As a wood-element Awakener, Caleb had the strongest camouflage abilities. He could have easily stayed hidden and waited for the rescue team to arrive. But instead, he chose to expose himself to save his sister.

The pain from the zombie bites was excruciating, like needles stabbing into his body over and over. Caleb was clearly at his limit, but he still forced himself to speak, trying to comfort Chloe. "It's okay. Hang in there. We'll hold on together until the rescue team gets here."

"Really... can we?" Chloe's lips trembled as she spoke.

"Ah—!"

Before she could finish, Caleb let out a blood-curdling scream. A zombie had sunk its teeth deep into his forearm, biting so hard it felt like it had pierced through to his very core. His body was at its breaking point.

He was holding on purely through sheer willpower, his mind already starting to blur from the pain.

The agony only grew worse.

But Caleb refused to give in.

Even if he died, he would maintain this stance—protecting his sister.

His vision began to darken, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

Then, out of nowhere, a sudden change occurred.

A tachi blade sliced through the air, cutting cleanly through a zombie's head. The creature's skull split in two, and blood sprayed everywhere as its body collapsed to the ground.

Through the mist of blood, Caleb and Chloe saw a face emerge.

It was a strikingly handsome face, with sharp, chiseled features that looked almost too perfect to be real. His cold, indifferent eyes carried a hint of cruelty, giving him an air of dangerous confidence.

"Still alive, huh," the man muttered, his tone casual.

The tachi in his hand, which had clearly been used to cut down countless zombies, was dripping with dark, filthy blood.

This was Ethan.

The blade he wielded was something he had taken from Mia as "payment" for helping her earlier. After dispatching the zombies, Ethan channeled energy into the fire-element crystal core embedded in the sword's hilt. Flames erupted along the blade, burning away the filthy blood until it turned to ash and scattered into the air.

With a flick of his wrist, Ethan extinguished the flames. The blade gleamed once more, spotless and razor-sharp, as if it had never been used.

The entire sequence of actions—slashing, igniting, cleaning—was executed with such fluidity and precision that it seemed effortless. Ethan's movements were graceful, almost artistic, exuding an air of calm confidence.

Caleb and Chloe stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

"Wow... he's so cool!"

At the same time, a wave of relief washed over them. They realized the rescue team had finally arrived.

Caleb, who had been holding on by sheer willpower, collapsed into Chloe's arms. His body had reached its limit.

"Ugh... ugh... ugh..."

For the first time, Caleb broke down. He hadn't shed a single tear while being torn apart by zombies, but now, safe in his sister's arms, he sobbed uncontrollably.

At the factory entrance, Mia and Sean were fighting off the remaining zombies, holding them back.

It had been Ethan who sensed the presence of Awakeners and led the team here in time to save them.

The zombies, though ferocious, were no match for Mia and Sean. With the help of two ice-element Awakeners providing support, the group quickly cleared out the remaining undead.

Once the area was secure, they began making their way toward Caleb and Chloe.

Chloe immediately recognized Mia and felt a surge of gratitude. But as her gaze shifted to Ethan, curiosity flickered in her eyes.

He was undeniably handsome. Even after slaughtering dozens of zombies, his white shirt remained spotless, a testament to his incredible skill.

But... who was he?

She had never heard of someone like him in the shelter.

"Mia, who's this...?" Chloe asked hesitantly.

"Oh, him? That's Ethan. He's a friend of mine," Mia replied casually.

"Oh, I see..." Chloe nodded quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. She turned to Ethan and said, "Thank you. Thank you so much for saving me and my brother."

"It's nothing," Ethan replied, his tone calm and detached. Then, without missing a beat, he asked, "You're an ice-element Awakener, right?"

"Uh, yes," Chloe answered honestly, a little surprised by the question.

Ethan's expression didn't change. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Let's exchange contact info," he said bluntly.

"Huh?"

Chloe froze, her face turning bright red. She lowered her head, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

Sure, he had just saved her life, but wasn't this a bit... too direct?

They were still in the middle of a dangerous situation, and he was already asking for her contact info? It felt so sudden. She wasn't prepared for this at all.

Her mind raced.

Shouldn't we at least talk about what we're going to name our future kids first...?

...