Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The enormous doors opened slowly.

A breath of freezing air swept through the underground city.

Kael held Lena close while Mara, Ethan, and Adrian stood behind him. The Warden remained motionless, staring into the darkness beyond the doors.

Something was breathing inside.

Slowly.

Deeply.

Like a giant sleeping beneath the earth.

Veyr stood on the distant balcony, watching with a satisfied smile.

“You’ve brought us exactly where we need to be.”

Kael raised his sword.

“You’re not awakening anything.”

Veyr laughed.

“You still believe you have a choice.”

The floor suddenly shook.

Stone statues lining the ancient passage began cracking.

Adrian looked at the walls.

“These symbols are thousands of years old.”

Mara glanced at him.

“What do they say?”

Adrian translated the nearest inscription.

WHEN THE HEIR RETURNS, THE SLEEPING KING SHALL RISE.

Kael looked toward the darkness.

“Sleeping king?”

The Warden answered.

“The first ruler of the dead.”

Ethan tightened his grip on his rifle.

“And Veyr wants to wake it?”

“No,” the Warden said.

“He wants to become it.”

A sharp laugh echoed from the balcony.

Veyr spread his arms.

“After all these years, you finally understand.”

He pressed a device against his chest.

Red light spread through his veins.

Adrian’s face went pale.

“That’s impossible.”

“What?” Mara asked.

“He has been injecting himself with Origin blood.”

Veyr’s body began changing.

Black veins appeared across his neck. His eyes turned crimson, and the air around him seemed to vibrate.

Kael lowered Lena gently to the ground.

“Stay with Mara.”

Lena grabbed his arm.

“Kael, don’t.”

He looked at her.

“I have to stop him.”

“You can’t fight what he is becoming.”

Kael smiled faintly.

“Then I’ll fight what he was.”

He charged toward the balcony.

The Warden suddenly blocked his path.

Kael raised his sword.

“Move.”

The Warden didn’t attack.

Instead, it pointed toward the darkness.

“Your enemy is not Veyr.”

Kael frowned.

“Then who?”

A tremendous roar answered.

The underground city shook violently.

The thousands of sleeping infected suddenly opened their eyes.

Every creature looked toward the enormous doorway.

Then they bowed.

Something emerged from the darkness.

At first, Kael saw only two enormous red eyes.

Then a massive hand gripped the stone doorway.

A gigantic figure slowly stepped forward.

Its body was covered with ancient armor fused to blackened flesh. Chains hung from its shoulders, dragging across the floor.

Veyr stared at it with wonder.

“Yes.”

The creature opened its mouth.

A sound like a mountain collapsing filled the chamber.

Lena screamed.

The Warden dropped to one knee.

“The Sleeping King has awakened.”

Kael felt the blood inside his body burning.

The creature suddenly looked directly at him.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Then the ancient king spoke.

“Son.”

Kael froze.

Mara looked at him in disbelief.

Ethan whispered, “Did it just call you son?”

Kael couldn’t answer.

The creature extended one enormous hand.

“Come to me.”

Kael raised his shield.

“I don’t know you.”

The king’s expression darkened.

“But your blood knows me.”

Behind them, Veyr began laughing.

And Kael realized the deepest secret beneath the mountain was not the origin of the dead.

It was the identity of the father whose blood flowed through his veins.

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