monkeymagicboy

In the year 2025, the world changed forever. Without warning, massive sinkholes tore open the earth in the heart of major cities across the globe. From the unfathomable darkness below, nightmarish creatures emerged—zombies, ghouls, twisted abominations of flesh, and horrors beyond human comprehension. They devoured, they infected, they transformed. The streets ran red as civilization crumbled overnight.

Governments fell, military forces were overwhelmed, and soon, the world belonged to the monsters. Those who survived the first wave were left with a grim choice: fight, run, or become one of them.

As society collapses and humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, scattered survivors must navigate a new world where the laws of nature have been rewritten. But as the sinkholes continue to spread, whispers of something even worse lurking beneath begin to surface.

This is not the end of the world.
This is the beginning of something new.

the end is a new

Pain. That was the first thing Ethan felt as he drifted between the haze of unconsciousness and waking. His ribs ached, his skin burned, and his muscles screamed with every breath. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights above him.

He was in a room—a sterile, makeshift infirmary made of metal and patched walls. A soft beeping sounded beside him, monitoring his heartbeat. Bandages wrapped around his torso, his arms, even his forehead. Beside him lay the Reaper Squad's leader, barely conscious, covered in bruises and deep cuts.

It hadn't even tried. Just a flick of its wrist had shattered bones, broken will, and crushed pride.

Ethan's hands trembled. Not from injury. From fear.

The Golden Guardian hadn't needed to kill them. It let them live. It chose to spare them.

A metallic sliding door opened with a hiss, and two figures entered—members of the Haven Patrol Squad. Both wore advanced armor, a mix of salvaged tech and mutant bone plating.

"You're awake," one of them said, a woman with sharp eyes and a scar tracing her cheek. "You're lucky. Most people don't return from a pit run, let alone from deep inside."

The other added, "You were found on the outer rim, barely breathing. Looked like you went ten rounds with a walking tank."

Ethan tried to speak, but his voice came out hoarse. "The Golden One… he let us go…"

The two patrol members exchanged a worried glance.

"We've heard stories," the woman said quietly. "About glowing mutants… guardians of the Zero Zone. But nobody ever confirmed it. Until now."

The leader of the Reapers stirred beside him. His eyes opened slowly, haunted.

"He didn't fight us," he whispered. "He judged us… and we lost."

Silence settled in the room like a weight.

The trauma wasn't just physical—it was spiritual. They had seen a level of power that made all their weapons, all their bravado, feel like toys. For Ethan, a man who had fought tooth and nail, eaten mutants to survive, and brought hope to others—this was something else.

"You'll both need time," the patrolwoman said softly. "You've earned it."

As they left, the door sliding shut behind them, Ethan stared at the ceiling. He wasn't angry. He wasn't broken.

He now knew what waited at the heart of the mutant plague.

First, he had to heal. Then—he had to prepare.

After the Golden Storm