Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Dad… why does it feel scarier here than back in Japan?" Naomi's face was pale as a sheet.

"Don't let your imagination run wild," Hiro said, trying to reassure her. "At least we're safe for now. These fields are wide open—if anything shows up, we'll see it coming from a mile away."

"Oh…" Naomi nodded, but her expression didn't improve.

The terrifying images from the forest were still fresh in her mind, and her heart hadn't stopped racing since.

Thump thump thump… thump thump thump…

Suddenly, a knock echoed from the door. It was steady, rhythmic, and oddly low-pitched.

Everyone inside froze like startled rabbits, eyes wide, ears perked.

"Who is it?"

"Who's there?"

They were all sitting on the floor, backs against the wall, trying to rest.

Hiro quickly scanned the room, counting heads—twelve people, all accounted for. No one missing.

And more importantly, he didn't sense any human presence approaching from outside.

Gulp.

Dry lips parted as everyone instinctively swallowed hard.

So… what the hell was knocking?

Thump thump thump!

The rhythmic knocking came again.

The room was dead silent. No one dared to breathe. The sound felt like a sledgehammer pounding straight into their chests.

"What do we do?"

"Could it be that old woman again?"

"But… why would she knock?"

"…"

Everyone was confused, tension thick in the air.

Then, a girl's voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Is anyone in there?"

"Huh?"

Everyone blinked, startled. The voice was light, clear, and unmistakably feminine. It even sounded… kind of pretty.

Could it be… not a monster?

They looked at each other, reading the same question in each other's eyes.

But then again, what if they opened the door and it was still that old woman's face—just speaking in a young girl's voice?

That would be even worse…

Still, if it really was a monster, why knock so politely?

"I understand English. I'll go check it out," Hiro Saito said, stepping up with quiet resolve. He grabbed his katana and moved toward the door. "Yusuke, watch over my daughter."

"Got it," said a young man nearby, a tumor bulging from his shoulder. He gave a firm nod.

Hiro approached the door, blade in hand. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and braced himself for whatever might be waiting on the other side. Then, slowly, he slid the lock and pushed the door open just a crack.

The rusty hinges groaned with a creak as the door moved.

A soft, sweet fragrance drifted in through the gap.

Standing outside was a girl—clean clothes, pale skin, delicate features. She looked completely harmless. The most striking detail was the small pink flower tucked into her hair, giving her an almost ethereal charm.

Hiro froze, caught off guard.

"Flower Girl?" he muttered.

"Are you survivors?" the girl asked, her voice gentle.

"Uh… yeah. That's right. We're from Japan," Hiro replied in clumsy English.

"Oh, I'm a survivor too. We've got a shelter nearby," she said quickly. "I saw signs that this place had been opened, so I came to check it out."

Hiro hesitated. Something still felt off. He narrowed his eyes. "Why… don't you have any human scent?"

"Because the scent of flowers hides everything," she said with a sweet smile, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The people behind Hiro couldn't help but light up.

"Finally… finally, another human being!"

"I thought we were the only ones left in the world…"

"Oh my god… she's not a monster. She's really not a monster!"

Some of them even burst into tears, overwhelmed with relief.

"Hurry… please, take us to your base! We desperately need a safe place to rest!" The man in the headscarf rushed forward, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.

The escape had pushed them to their limits.

Mentally and physically, they were completely drained—nerves frayed, bodies on the verge of collapse.

"Okay, follow me," the girl said with a gentle nod.

…

At that moment, Ethan stood at the edge of the forest, watching from a distance. He'd sensed human presence earlier and had come to check it out.

But what he saw was… bizarre.

The old, battered door creaked open on its own, and a middle-aged man stepped out. Then, to Ethan's confusion, the man started talking to thin air, explaining something in broken English.

"Is he… talking to the air?" Ethan frowned.

But what happened next was even weirder.

The rest of the Japanese group began filing out of the house one by one. Their expressions were all over the place—some were crying tears of joy, others looked thrilled, eyes shining with excitement. They were chattering away in Japanese, like a bunch of lunatics.

Then, as if drawn by some invisible force, all eleven of them began walking off in the same direction.

Ethan stayed where he was, watching silently.

It was like… they were seeing something he couldn't.

But that didn't make sense.

Their perception couldn't possibly be sharper than his.

The only difference between him and them… was that he hadn't inhaled any of the pollen floating in the air.

"So there's only one explanation… the pollen's causing hallucinations. That's how the Zombie King—who's fused with plant matter—kills his victims."

Ethan pieced it together instantly. And honestly? He felt bored.

No challenge at all.

How dull.

This wasn't some psychic trick—it was a purely physical attack. The floral scent of the pollen invaded the nervous system, scrambling the senses—sight, sound, even touch.

The more pollen you breathed in, the deeper the hallucination.

And whether Ethan's theory was right or not… he was about to find out.

He followed the group of Japanese survivors, keeping a careful distance.

As they walked, their behavior grew stranger. They pointed at empty fields, stared up at the sky with awe, babbling excitedly in Japanese. Their movements were erratic, their eyes glassy.

The air around them was thick with pollen now, practically shimmering.

Then, after passing through a line of windbreak trees, they reached a field of flowers.

The farmland ahead had transformed—pink blossoms bloomed in dense clusters, stretching out like a sea of color.

But beneath the beauty… was horror.

At the base of the flowers, tangled in their roots, were piles of skulls and rotting animal corpses. A mass grave hidden beneath a floral veil.

But to Hiro and the others, caught in the hallucination, it looked completely different.

They saw a small, well-fortified shelter surrounded by high walls. The gates were wide open, and inside, the place was bustling with life.

People smiled warmly at them, waving in welcome.

"Wow! Is this… paradise?"

"This is incredible!"

"We finally made it… we're finally here."

"…"

They looked around in awe, overwhelmed with emotion. Some of them broke down crying again—this journey had been hell, and now, it felt like they'd reached heaven.

The girl with the pink flower in her hair smiled sweetly.

But in her eyes… a flicker of cruel amusement.

"Congratulations," she said softly. "Your days of running… are over."

…