Chapter 488: Lost lambs

“OG, did you ever figure out how to heal the trauma?” Busted Balls No. 2 asked.

“Nah, didn’t find a way to fix the trauma,” Griffin said, shaking his head. “But… I did find a new way to live.”

He didn’t sound too down about it. He turned and gave Brandon a quick glance.

Brandon’s face darkened, and he instinctively took another step away from him.

Busted Balls No. 2 froze for a second, then the meaning clicked. Griffin’s words had just opened a door to a whole new world for him. Yeah… that really did sound like a pretty damn good lifestyle.

Truth be told, he’d been toying with the idea even before the whole Busted Balls incident.

Leah stepped forward. “Mia, you guys came all the way out here—must’ve gotten some intel, right?”

“Yeah,” Mia nodded. “Lately, a bunch of top-tier Genesis Biotech operatives have been showing up around here. And the Black Hand Legion’s been super active—ambushing and slaughtering refugees left and right. Slade’s been the worst of them. He slipped through our fingers last time, so we’re here to settle the score.”

Ever since the Zombie Horde tore through Los Angeles, survivors from all over had been panicking, trying to make their way to the Mount Elbert safe zone. But Texas, being relatively safer, had become a major crossroads for anyone coming from the south.

That made it prime hunting ground for the Black Hand Legion. To them, the refugees were like sheep—easy pickings. They set traps, lured people in, or just straight-up kidnapped and murdered them, stealing whatever supplies they had. Lately, they’d been raking it in.

Leah clenched her jaw, fury burning in her eyes. Her whole family was holed up in a safe zone, and they’d already had a run-in with Genesis Biotech’s killers. So yeah, this hit close to home.

And the Black Hand Legion? They were even worse—brutal, sadistic, completely without limits. It was terrifying to even imagine what kind of horrors they were capable of.

“Mia, we’re with you. We’ll help take down the Black Hand bastards.”

Mia nodded. “Honestly, the reason the Black Hand Legion’s been able to kill so many people… it’s not entirely unrelated to a certain zombie nest’s mass migration.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. That felt like a not-so-subtle jab at him.

Still, the Zombie Horde’s move from L.A. had definitely made things easier for the Black Hand Legion. And now that they’d fattened up on human survivors, maybe it was time to put them down.

“The Black Hand Legion’s gone too far. I’m in,” Ethan said.

“Oh…” Mia replied with a noncommittal grunt, glancing away and subtly rolling her eyes.

But Leah and the others lit up when they heard Ethan was joining the fight. Some of them looked like they were about to cry. Who would’ve thought—a Zombie King, volunteering to help humans?

That was… unbelievably kind.

Even in a broken world, there are still those who try to hold it together…

With that, they got ready to move out.

Ethan followed Mia as they left San Antonio, his mind turning over everything that had happened since he arrived in Texas. Genesis Biotech had been surprisingly generous—constantly sending him supplies. The Black Hand Legion, though? Not so much.

And Slade… Slade was the bastard who’d cost Laura her arm. Yeah, he definitely needed a little personal attention.

They moved through the wilderness together.

Griffin and Busted Balls No. 2 flanked Brandon on either side, occasionally chatting about symptoms and treatments, which made Brandon visibly uncomfortable.

Sean was munching on an apple, thinking more about what snacks might be coming next than anything else. The rest? Meh.

Chris, on the other hand, was on high alert, eyes scanning the surroundings. He knew exactly what kind of danger this place held.

Mia and Ethan brought up the rear. She glanced ahead at Leah and the others, then turned to Ethan.

“Not bad, this new tool you picked up.”

“He’s alright. Not as good as the last one.”

“Who are you talking about?” Mia shot him a look.

“No one,” Ethan replied casually, brushing it off.

They kept moving, tracking the Black Hand Legion. As long as they followed the trail of migrating survivors, they’d probably run into them. Worst case? They’d just head straight for Blackhand City. That place was surrounded by smaller outposts—no way they wouldn’t find someone to kill there.

The wind howled across the open plains, kicking up dust and sand. Along the way, they passed countless corpses—some zombies, some mutated beasts, and far too many humans from the safe zones. The bodies were twisted, mutilated, showing clear signs of torture.

Whatever had happened here… it had been a massacre.

Before long, they were nearing Blackhand City—the stronghold of the Black Hand Legion. Up ahead loomed a bald, barren mountain. No grass, no trees, just jagged rocks jutting out like broken teeth.

“There are people inside,” Ethan said, eyes narrowing as he scanned the area. He could sense them—human presence, and a lot of it. Easily over a hundred.

No doubt about it. Anyone holed up in a place like this had to be part of the Black Hand Legion.

“Looks like it’s time to get to work,” Mia muttered, tightening her grip on her weapon as the group moved toward the mountain.

Just as Ethan had guessed, the mountain’s core had been hollowed out, forming a massive cavern. Inside, the Black Hand Legion had set up a base—one of their many outposts.

Thanks to their recent raids, they were flush with supplies. Right now, the place was buzzing with noise and laughter as the gang celebrated, drinking and feasting like a pack of hyenas.

The lieutenant in charge of this outpost was a man named Hugo Reynolds. He was a bloated, greasy slob with slicked-back hair and ears that stuck out like satellite dishes. At the moment, he was gnawing on a chicken leg, grease dripping down his chin.

In the open space before him, a few kidnapped girls were being forced to dance—sexy, provocative moves that left little to the imagination. They were barely dressed, their bodies swaying under the leering gazes of the men around them.

Hugo watched with a sick grin, eyes glued to the girls. Before the world went to hell, he’d been your classic neckbeard loser—obsessed with watching camgirls online, tossing them tips just to hear them purr “senpai~” at him through the screen. That alone was enough to make his pathetic little heart flutter.

He used to fantasize about the day he’d strike it rich and bring those girls to his room to dance for him in person.

Then the apocalypse hit—and wouldn’t you know it, his twisted dream actually came true.

He awakened to powers, climbed the ranks, and now ruled this outpost like some sleazy warlord straight out of a bad anime.

“Come on, drink up! Drink up!” Hugo bellowed, raising his cup like a bandit king from some old folk tale.

His underlings cheered and raised their own mugs in response.

Outside the outpost, two Black Hand guards were stationed behind a large rock, keeping watch.

One of them squinted toward the horizon. “Hey… I think someone’s coming.”

“Where?” the other asked, leaning in.

Sure enough, a group of figures was approaching from the distance.

“Judging by their clothes, they look like safe zone survivors.”

“But… why the hell are they heading toward Blackhand City?”

“Probably got lost. Doesn’t look like there’s many of them.”

They both studied the group—about ten people, tops. Looked like they’d wandered off course.

“Damn, not many of them, but check out the babes!”

“Hell yeah,” the other guard nodded eagerly. Mia, Leah, and the others were absolute knockouts—top-tier human specimens, no doubt about it.

“Man, these idiots. Not only did they get lost, they’re walking straight into our base? Might as well gift-wrap themselves.”

“Yeah, we better go ‘rescue’ these poor lost lambs. Hugo’s gonna love this—he’s always down for more girls to dance for him.”

They both let out low, dirty laughs, already picturing the girls stripped down, trembling under the lights.

…