God Of War System : Apocalypse King

The screams were not the joyous shouts of tourists drunk on local spirits in Poppies Lane. They were pure, long, wet screams—as if someone's vocal cords were being forcibly ripped from their throat.

Satria jolted awake, his heart hammering against his ribs. Cold sweat soaked the white tank top he slept in. He sat up straight on the cheap hotel mattress in the Kuta area, his breath ragged. The clock on the wall read 7:15 AM. The Bali sunlight, usually warm, now felt piercing through the slightly parted curtains.

“Help! Somebody! God!”

The voice sounded again. Closer. From the hallway outside the room.

Satria leaped off the bed, his instincts screaming that something was terribly wrong. He yanked the window curtain aside. The scene below, on the narrow street usually filled with rental motorbikes and accessory vendors, had transformed into a painting of hell.

A large foreign tourist was kneeling over the body of a street vendor. The tourist’s mouth wasn't screaming; it was chewing. Fresh blood spurted onto the asphalt, a stark red contrast to the bright morning. Around them, people ran in panic, crashing into motorbikes, falling, and instantly being swarmed by a mass of people moving with strange, jerky movements.

“What the hell is this…” Satria muttered, taking a step back. His foot hit a small table, knocking over a bottle of mineral water.

Bang!

His door was pounded from the outside. Not a room service knock, but a brutal body slam.

“Satria! Open up! Open the door!” It was Cindy’s voice.

Satria immediately twisted the slot lock and yanked the door open.

Cindy, the girl he had been dating for only two months, stumbled inside. Her beautiful face was deathly pale, her long hair was messy, and her floral beach dress was torn at the shoulder.

“Close it! Close it now!” Cindy shrieked hysterically, pulling Satria’s arm.

However, before Satria could slam the door shut, a pale hand with black fingernails gripped the door frame.

It was the hotel attendant who had brought extra towels yesterday. But now, half his face was missing. His skin was gray, his eyes were completely white without irises, and his mouth was smeared with thick black fluid. He let out a growl that sounded like gargling with his own blood.

“Grrrraaaagh!”

“Watch out!” Satria shoved Cindy behind him.

The creature lunged inside. It smelled foul, like a mixture of rotten meat and sulfur.

Satria had no weapon. He didn't have a black belt in karate or military experience. He was just a final-year college student on vacation. But adrenaline took over logic.

As the creature jumped, Satria snatched the heavy ceramic table lamp beside him. With a desperate yell, he swung the object with all his might.

CRASH!

The ceramic shattered against the attendant’s temple. The creature’s head snapped sideways, its skull cracking with a sickening *krek* sound. The creature collapsed onto the carpeted floor, convulsed briefly, then went still. Black fluid seeped out of its head, soaking the maroon carpet.

Satria’s breath hitched, his hands trembling violently as he held the sharp remnants of the lamp. He stared at the corpse, then at Cindy, who was huddled in the corner of the room, covering her mouth.

“Is… is he dead?” Cindy asked, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

“He was dead before he walked in here, Cin,” Satria replied, his voice hoarse. He pulled Cindy’s hand, urging her to stand. “We can’t stay here. The sound of the crash must have attracted others.”

“But our things…”

“To hell with the clothes! Grab your wallet, phone, and put on your shoes. Now!” Satria snapped. It was the first time he had yelled at Cindy, and it successfully jolted her out of her shock.

Cindy nodded quickly, grabbing her sling bag and putting on her sneakers with trembling hands. Satria grabbed his backpack containing a power bank and a water bottle, then peeked out into the hallway.

The hotel corridor was narrow and dimly lit because several lights were flickering, about to die. At the end of the hall near the elevator, two figures were hunched over a cleaning service worker’s body. The sound of wet chewing echoed off the hallway walls.

“Emergency stairs,” Satria whispered, gripping Cindy’s wrist tightly. “Don’t make a sound. Don’t look back.”

They moved stealthily. The ceramic floor felt slippery with blood in several spots. Satria’s heart was pounding so loudly he feared the sound would carry.

As they passed room 204, the door suddenly burst open.

“Get out of the way!”

A skinny man with thick glasses rushed out, slamming hard into Satria’s shoulder. It was Andy, a friend from their group. Behind him, Abigail, Andy’s petite girlfriend, ran, stifling sobs.

“Andy! Take it easy, you idiot!” Satria hissed, balancing himself so he wouldn't fall.

“They’re everywhere, Sat! Everywhere!” Andy looked insane. His eyes were wild, sweat pouring down his face. He didn't care about anyone, only wanting to run. “The elevator’s dead! Someone’s being eaten inside the elevator!”

“Keep your voice down!” Abigail snapped, pulling Andy’s shirt. “Do you want them to hear?”

Too late.

The two figures at the end of the hall raised their heads. Their blood-soaked faces turned simultaneously toward the four of them. A long roar sounded, calling their companions. Other room doors began to shake, pounded from inside by occupants who were either still human or had already turned.

“Run! To the stairs!” Satria yelled.

There was no more sneaking around. All four of them sprinted as fast as they could.

Andy was in the lead, pushing anyone who blocked his path. His true selfish nature was immediately apparent. He even almost knocked Cindy into the wall when turning the sharp corner toward the emergency exit.

“You bastard, Andy!” Satria cursed, holding Cindy’s body to keep her from falling.

“Survival of the fittest!” Andy retorted without looking back, kicking the emergency door wide open.

They rushed down the stairs at a dangerous speed. The sound of dragging footsteps and hungry growls echoed from the upper floors, chasing them. One, two, three floors they descended.

“Wait!” Abigail stopped abruptly on the first-floor landing, causing Cindy to bump into her back. “The lobby door… look at that!”

The stair access door to the lobby was made of thick glass. Through the glass, they could see total chaos in the hotel lobby.

The reception desk was overturned. Suitcases were scattered, their contents strewn everywhere. But the terrifying sight was the crowd of people outside the hotel’s main glass doors. There were dozens… no, hundreds of undead pressing against the lobby glass doors from the street. They plastered their ruined faces against the glass, trying to get inside because they saw fresh humans within.

The lobby glass began to crack.

“We’re trapped,” Andy whispered, his face ashen. He took a step back, bumping into Satria. “We’re dead. It’s over. We’re going to be eaten.”

“Shut up!” Satria grabbed Andy’s collar. “If you panic, you die. Look, there’s a side door near the restaurant. It has a manual lock.”

“There are three creatures near that piano, Satria! Are you blind?” Abigail pointed with a trembling hand.

In the middle of the lobby, three zombies—former hotel guests—were milling around confusedly. One of them wore a torn bikini, revealing a gaping bite wound on her abdomen.

“We don’t have a choice,” Satria said, his eyes fixed on the main glass door, whose cracks were lengthening. “That front glass won’t last more than a minute. If the wave from the street gets in, we’re finished.”

“What’s your plan?” Cindy asked, squeezing Satria’s hand. Her hand was cold as ice.

Satria looked around the stair landing. A red fire extinguisher was hanging on the wall. He snatched it. Heavy, solid, cold.

“I’ll distract the three creatures inside. Andy, you and Abigail run to the side door, unlock it. Cindy, you go with Abigail,” Satria ordered quickly.

“Insane! You want to be bait?” Andy stared at him in disbelief, but there was a flash of relief in his eyes. He was glad he wasn't the one who had to sacrifice himself.

“Just do it!”

Satria kicked the glass stair door open. The sound of the creaking hinge made the three zombies near the piano immediately turn their heads.

CLANG! CLANG!

“Over here, you ugly things!” Satria yelled, slamming the fire extinguisher against a nearby iron pillar.

“Run now!” Satria shouted.

Andy and Abigail immediately bolted around the lobby sofas toward the side door. Cindy hesitated for a moment, looking at Satria with teary eyes.

“Go, Cindy!”

Satria swung the extinguisher at the bikini-clad zombie that reached him first.

THWACK!

The heavy impact hit the creature’s shoulder, making it stagger back. But the second zombie, a fat man in a batik shirt, immediately lunged for Satria’s legs.

Satria fell, rolling. The metallic smell of blood instantly stung his nostrils. The creature’s yellow teeth snapped just centimeters from his calf. Satria kicked the creature’s face with all his might, his sneaker heel crushing the zombie’s nose, but the creature felt no pain. It continued to crawl up, trying to bite Satria’s thigh.

“Die, you bastard!” Satria slammed the base of the fire extinguisher right onto the creature’s head. Once. Twice. Until the head dented like a soda can.

He scrambled to his feet, his breath ragged, feeling like his lungs would burst. The third zombie was already in front of him, clawing at his chest, tearing his tank top and leaving painful scratches on his skin.

Satria screamed, spraying the extinguisher contents into the creature’s face. White smoke billowed, confusing the creature for a moment. Satria used the opportunity to run and catch up with his friends.

“Open the damn door, you bastard!” Satria yelled, seeing Andy still struggling with the jammed bolt lock.

Behind Satria, a deafening ‘SMASH’ sound echoed.

The hotel’s main glass door shattered.

Satria glanced back while running. The sight made his blood run cold. Hundreds of zombies spilled into the lobby like a flood breaching a dam. They trampled each other, shoving, racing toward the fresh meat.

“It’s open!” Abigail screamed.

Andy immediately leaped out, followed by Abigail and Cindy. Satria slid in at the last second, his fingers narrowly missing a bite from the bikini zombie, which had gotten back up.

“Hold the door!”

Andy and Satria held the teak wood door from the outside, while Abigail tried to insert the iron locking bar that was there.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The door shook violently. Dozens of hands pounded from the inside. The thick wood began to crack. The hinges screamed in protest.

“This won’t last long!” Andy yelled, tears of fear streaming down his dirty cheeks. “My car! My car is in the back parking lot! I have the keys!”

“What car?” Satria asked, holding the door with his aching shoulder.

“Pajero Sport! It fits all of us!”

Satria looked toward the parking lot. Andy’s black SUV was parked about fifty meters from where they stood. The problem was, the parking area wasn't empty. About a dozen hotel staff and guests were milling around there, dragging their feet aimlessly.

And the door they were holding was starting to open little by little. Pale fingers began to poke out through the gap.

Satria looked at Cindy. The girl was trembling, but she was holding a broken piece of iron fence. She was ready to fight.

“On the count of three,” Satria said, regulating his breath, which felt hot in his throat. “We run to the car. Don’t stop. Don’t help anyone but ourselves.”

Andy nodded frantically. “One…”

The sound of cracking wood grew louder.

“Two…”

A zombie’s claw managed to tear Andy’s sleeve, making him shriek like a child.

“THREE!”

They released the door simultaneously and ran toward the blinding sunlight, toward the only hope of escaping the island that had now become a mass grave.

Behind them, the door completely burst open, spewing hundreds of hungry monsters roaring to greet the morning.