My Ex-Husband is Now a Zombie King

“Hey, young soon-to-be-mom, are you missing this silver zombie? Or this golden zombie? Or perhaps this one… wuu wuu wuu…”

The river god Alpheus, who had the scholarly air of a bookworm with his squinty eyes, hadn't even finished speaking when I threw a sack over him, effortlessly hoisting him over my shoulder and marching off.

...

I, Elara Vance, a soon-to-be mother who was reborn after the apocalypse, carried on my shoulder the very source of that catastrophe.

In my past life, I discovered I was pregnant just as the zombie outbreak began. To protect myself and my unborn child, my husband, Kaelen Thorne, set out alone to scavenge for supplies, but he was bitten by a zombie. He struggled against the infection, enduring the discomfort before returning with the supplies and then leaving on his own once more.

And there I was, foolishly chasing after him, only to be bitten as well. We made our way back to the dojo, where we waited for our fate as two doomed lovers in a world on the brink of destruction. But things didn’t turn out as expected. Kaelen transformed into a zombie, while I developed an immunity to the virus.

Even as a zombie, Kaelen retained some of his humanity—at least when it came to food, he remained like a normal human. The supplies he’d brought back didn’t last long, however.

Between the stress of the food shortage and the anxiety over my pregnancy, I hadn’t been sleeping well. One night, when I got up to use the restroom, I saw a group of zombies carrying sacks towards the storage room. In a panic, I let out a small scream, and every single zombie turned to stare at me, their blood-red eyes glowing in the dark.

Just when I thought I would become their next meal, Kaelen appeared. With one swift blow to each zombie's head, he roared and hissed for a while before the zombies resumed carrying the sacks, while Kaelen strutted toward me like a king.

Through a long series of hand gestures, I finally understood Kaelen’s plan. Every night, he secretly ventured out to scavenge, and somehow, his skills as a martial arts instructor had survived the transformation. He quickly gained control over the local zombie horde, becoming their leader. So, there we were, surrounded by zombies hauling sacks of supplies at midnight.

With Kaelen now the unquestioned zombie king of the area, my life began to improve. Even during the day, I could stroll the city with him by my side.

But everything changed the day Kaelen fell into a stinking sewer.

“Hey, young soon-to-be-mom, is this silver zombie what you’re after? Or maybe the golden zombie? Or just a regular one?”

A shiny silver Kaelen, a glittering golden Kaelen, and a dripping wet Kaelen were all presented to me by the squinty-eyed Alpheus. For a moment, I almost considered being swayed by the gold. However, with Kaelen's pitiful gaze on me, I chose the real Kaelen, and in return for my honesty, Alpheus generously gifted me the silver and golden Kaelens as well.

Zombies had already emerged, and now, a mythical figure like Alpheus didn’t even faze me. In fact, I was delighted to have two more shiny new husbands, and I even gave them names—Silvus and Aureus.

The arrival of Silvus and Aureus brought a splash of color into my life. The streets were now home to an entirely new breed of zombies, their bodies composed of shimmering silver and gold. After this apocalypse ends, I might just become the richest woman in the world.

The dream of sudden wealth accompanied me for five months until one day, the sound of a helicopter engine filled the sky. I looked up in excitement. It seemed there were other survivors out there.

“Please, all survivors, remain patient and await the arrival of the military. Together, we will proceed to the human base for shelter!”

“Please, all survivors, remain patient and await the arrival of the military. Together, we will proceed to the human base for shelter!”

...