Story 384: The King's Pawn

The shadowed figure stepped forward, the light revealing a gaunt face with hollow eyes that glimmered with malice. Zara’s grip tightened on her pistol, her mind racing as she assessed the situation. The man before her wasn’t the King—too human, too fragile—but the air around him reeked of loyalty to the undead tyrant.

“I’ve been expecting you, Kincaid,” he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’ve made quite the mess of the King’s plans. But this is where it ends.”

Zara raised her gun, aiming for his chest. “Spare me the speech. Where’s your master?”

The man chuckled, his frail frame shaking as he gestured toward the containment pods lining the walls. Inside each one, horrific mutations floated in a greenish fluid—grotesque hybrids of human and machine. Zara’s stomach churned at the sight of their twitching limbs and half-formed faces.

“Do you like them?” he asked, pride evident in his tone. “The King’s new army. And you’ll be the perfect addition to it.”