Apocalypse: King of Zombies - Chapter 214

Chapter 214: “Bias”
The journey went smoothly without any obstacles.

Mia had gone back to being quiet and reserved, making the atmosphere feel heavy and silent.

The only exception was Chris, who was holding a small bottle, pouring out its contents and rubbing the liquid all over himself. It was supposed to mimic the scent of the monsters, tricking them into thinking he was one of their own.

“I’m gonna slather this stuff on. Last time, they tricked me. This time, I’m gonna trick them and get even!” Chris muttered to himself. But after sniffing the liquid on his hands, he winced slightly, his brows furrowing.

“Why does this smell so funky?”

“Well, what do you expect?” Brandon chimed in. “That liquid was extracted from an organ in the monsters’ corpses—something similar to a human bladder.”

“Wait, what?” Chris’s eyes widened in disgust, his face twisting as the realization hit him.

Still, for the sake of safety…

He kept applying it.

They eventually reached the riverbank and began walking upstream. The water rushed by violently, and every now and then, corpses and skeletal remains floated past on the surface.

Some of the corpses even had red-eyed, sharp-beaked mutant birds perched on them, pecking away at the flesh to pull out worms wriggling inside. The birds would then tilt their heads back and swallow the worms whole.

But the birds didn’t get to enjoy their meal for long. Suddenly, a large fish with razor-sharp teeth shot out of the water, clamping down on one of the birds in a single bite.

The bird screeched and flailed desperately, but it was no use.

Within moments, it was dragged underwater.

A burst of blood sprayed up, and then… silence.

Santa Clarita was a bit farther out than San Bernardino. On the way, they passed through open fields, occasionally encountering a few zombies that lunged at Mia and the others.

Thankfully, the numbers were small—no more than a dozen at most.

They were dealt with easily.

As they got closer to Santa Clarita, they began to notice some wildlife—wild rabbits, pheasants, and even large rats. Strangely, these animals were unusually big and moved in groups, staring at Ethan and the others with unblinking eyes.

“They’re here…” Mia muttered under her breath.

It was clear these animals weren’t normal. They’d already been parasitized by the monsters. This was the moment to test whether the scent-masking liquid worked.

Everyone felt a bit tense but tried to act like they hadn’t noticed the animals, continuing to walk as if nothing was wrong.

The wild animals observed them for a while.

Then, as if satisfied, they turned and scattered in all directions.

“Looks like the potion works. They didn’t notice us,” Chris said, visibly relieved.

Mia, however, warned, “Those were just juvenile monsters. Once we’re in the city, we’ll need to be extra careful. Sean, especially you—don’t talk, and don’t make any unnecessary movements.”

“Huh?” Sean’s sharp eyes widened in disbelief. “Why are you singling me out?”

It felt like she had some kind of bias against him…

As they moved on, passing through villages and towns, they finally reached the outskirts of Santa Clarita.

The river beside them still flowed, but the water had taken on a reddish tint. Up ahead, a bridge spanned the river, its supports piled high with corpses—human, bird, and small animal alike. The sight was horrifying.

These parasitic monsters didn’t discriminate. Any creature with flesh and blood was a potential host.

The air in the city reeked of rot and decay.

The buildings lining the streets were covered in a sticky, glue-like substance that dripped down in long, stringy strands.

“This place is even worse than Santa Monica…” Ethan muttered under his breath.

He could already sense the presence of numerous parasitic creatures and figured it was best to tread carefully. Venturing into a city overrun by monsters was risky—and not to mention, it was bound to ruin his clothes.

In the corner of one building, a corpse slumped against the wall.

Its arms hung limply at its sides, and its head drooped forward. But its stomach… its stomach was moving, as if something inside was writhing.

Suddenly, with a wet squelch, a small parasitic creature covered in tentacles burst out. Its body was slick with blood and mucus, and it squeaked like a mouse as it scurried into a nearby building.

The corpse’s stomach now had a gaping hole, its insides hollowed out—organs, flesh, everything devoured.

“Ugh, gross…”

Everyone grimaced, silently thankful that the potion was working and the monsters couldn’t detect them.

Chris, however, couldn’t help but ask, “If the parasite was already inside the corpse, why’d it come out?”

“Who knows?” Brandon and the others shook their heads. They still didn’t fully understand the behavior of these creatures.

Sean rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“What is?”

“Because it’s hot. They probably came out to cool off,” Sean said matter-of-factly.

“…”

Everyone fell silent, collectively speechless.

Mia’s so-called “bias” against Sean? Yeah, they were starting to see her point.

“You should really talk less,” Mia said flatly.

They were still on the outskirts of Santa Clarita, but parasitic creatures were already becoming more frequent.

It wasn’t just animals anymore—there were humans too. Or at least, what used to be humans. Their bodies were grotesquely altered, with tentacles sprouting from various parts, writhing and swaying unnaturally.

Some of them stared directly at Ethan and the group, their unblinking eyes locked on them for what felt like an eternity before finally shifting away.

The tension was palpable. Chris and the others were on edge, their nerves stretched thin.

For a moment, they thought they’d been discovered.

But then, at the intersection ahead, more figures appeared. These ones were even worse—tentacles flailing wildly like octopus arms as they shuffled toward the group.

“Stay sharp,” Mia warned quietly.

She kept her composure, pretending not to notice, and continued walking forward as if everything was normal.

The group passed by the mutated creatures, brushing dangerously close. Some of the tentacles even grazed Chris’s jacket.

His legs nearly gave out beneath him.

He felt his bladder tighten, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Brandon glanced at him and muttered, “Uncle Chris, could you maybe sweat a little less? If they catch a whiff of human scent, we’re done for.”

“Oh, right, right. I’ll try,” Chris whispered back, his voice shaky. He was already regretting not slathering on more of the potion earlier. But applying it now, right in front of the parasites? Yeah, not the best idea. He’d have to find a more discreet spot to “touch up.”

“Hey,” Chris whispered again, “don’t you think it’s weird? They all have tentacles, and we don’t. Isn’t that, like, suspicious?”

“Uh… probably not?” Brandon replied, though his tone wasn’t exactly confident.

But just as he said that, one of the parasitic creatures stopped in its tracks.

It tilted its head unnaturally, a single tentacle snaking out from its neck and waving in the air. Then it stepped directly in front of the group, blocking their path.

“Uh-oh…”

Everyone froze, their muscles tensing as they stared at the bizarre creature. Its appearance was even more grotesque up close, its body twitching and pulsating with unnatural movements.

“Ch-ch-ch… ch-ch-ch…”

The parasite opened its mouth, emitting a series of sounds that resembled static or some kind of garbled radio transmission.

“What the hell…” Brandon muttered under his breath, his brow furrowing.

None of them understood a word of it. It was clearly some kind of communication—likely the parasite’s own language.

The group stood there, stiff and silent, exchanging uneasy glances. Big eyes staring into bigger eyes.

“Ch-ch-ch—ch-ch—”

The creature repeated the sounds, this time faster and more urgent. Its face twisted into something that could only be described as hostile.

“What do we do?” Chris whispered, his voice barely audible.

Panic was setting in. No one had any idea how to respond. Was this it? Were they about to blow their cover before even making it into Santa Clarita?

Mia’s expression remained calm, her gaze fixed on the parasite. But her hand, pale and steady, was already inching toward the hilt of her tachi.

…