The Dead Brother's Vengeance,Rise of the Zombie KingChapter 1
After the zombie apocalypse broke out, a freak accident gave my brother and me immunity to the virus—and the ability to command the undead.
My brother cared about humanity. He revealed his identity to save Muriel Maxwell, a Recon Squad captain who'd been infected with the zombie virus. In return, Muriel hailed him as humanity's last hope and welcomed him into the Bastion with the highest level of protection, swearing her undying loyalty.
I stayed outside the walls, leading my horde in circles for three days until I was sure he was safe. Then I left.
Three years later, I slipped back into the city for his wedding.
What I found instead was a human being strung up outside the Bastion walls as zombie bait.
The bait had been tortured beyond recognition. Days of it, at least. All four limbs severed. Nose and mouth carved away. A death by a thousand cuts, still in progress.
And his face—what was left of it—looked exactly like my brother's.
Muriel Maxwell. Did I not tell you? If you ever betray my brother, I will bring a second apocalypse down on your head.
——
The bait they'd flung from the wall had no features left to speak of. The stumps of his limbs had turned black with rot. Every time the barbed whip kissed his body, flesh split open like wet paper, and dark red liquid dripped steadily onto the stone below.
I kept the Undead Legion hidden in the ruins outside the Bastion. The thick stench of blood was driving them into a frenzy.
A handful of strays broke formation, shrieking as they charged the gate. Arrows punched through the backs of their skulls with surgical precision. Second death, instant.
"Ha! These zombies are so damn stupid!"
"A few more rounds of this and we'll have the whole perimeter cleared!"
The soldiers on the wall were laughing, joking, shoving each other. Not a trace of the grim discipline they'd had three years ago.
I muttered the command phrase under my breath, layering another restraint over the Legion.
"That's it? A handful of zombies? Barely worth drawing my bow!"
At those words, the whipping stopped.
But someone immediately pulled out a knife, grinning.
A dull blade, sawing into living flesh. Pure, deliberate savagery.
A few of the younger soldiers covered their eyes, unable to watch.