The crimson artifact throbbed like a beating heart in the core lab, casting an eerie glow over the shattered facility. The undead surged through the corridors, a tide of death driven by the Zombie King’s command. Damien stood at the lab’s entrance, his machete gleaming with blood, ready to make his final stand.
“Clara, how much longer?” Damien yelled over the alarms.
“Just a few more seconds!” Clara shouted back, her fingers deftly wiring the explosives. “We destroy this thing, we destroy him.”
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor. The air grew cold as the Zombie King appeared, his grotesque, half-mechanical form towering over the carnage. His eyes, glowing with malevolence, locked onto Damien.
“You’ve fought well, Rook,” the King said, his voice a low growl. “But this world belongs to the dead. You can’t stop evolution.”
Damien raised his machete. “The only thing you’ve evolved into is a monster.”