The world had already collapsed when the aliens arrived. Humanity was no longer at war with itself; that fight had ended when the dead began to rise. Cities had become feeding grounds, their streets clogged with the shuffling undead. Survivors huddled in bunkers and ruined buildings, trying to stay one step ahead of extinction. Every government had fallen, every army overrun.
But the zombies were not the end.
It began on a quiet morning in the ruins of Chicago. The air was thick with smoke, the distant cries of the undead mingling with the buzz of flies. James Mallory crouched behind a toppled car, clutching his blood-streaked machete. Beside him, Mia Raines loaded the last of their ammunition into a pistol.
“We can’t stay here much longer,” Mia said, her voice barely audible over the distant moans. “They’re closing in.”
James nodded, his jaw clenched. “If we make it to the river, there’s a chance we can lose them. Stick to the plan.”
But before they could move, the sky changed. Clouds rolled in unnaturally fast, streaked with green lightning. A low hum filled the air, growing louder until it became a deafening roar. James looked up just in time to see the first ship.
It wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen—a massive, sleek vessel shaped like a crescent moon, its surface shimmering as though alive. Smaller craft detached from its hull, streaking toward the ground in blinding flashes of light. The hum intensified, and then the ship unleashed its fury.
Pillars of light shot down from the smaller craft, incinerating everything they touched. Zombies disintegrated instantly, their bodies reduced to ash. The blast wave sent James and Mia sprawling. The air smelled of ozone and burnt flesh.
“What the hell is happening?” Mia shouted, scrambling to her feet.
“I don’t know,” James replied, staring in awe as another beam swept through the horde. “But it’s killing them.”
First Contact
The alien assault continued for hours. By the time the ships withdrew, the streets were eerily silent. James and Mia crept through the debris, their eyes scanning the sky.
“Why would aliens save us?” Mia asked.
“Who says they’re saving us?” James replied grimly.
As if to answer his skepticism, a smaller craft descended, hovering just above the ground. Its smooth surface opened like a blooming flower, and a figure emerged. The alien stood tall, its slender body encased in armor that shimmered like liquid silver. Its face was obscured by a helmet with a single, glowing blue visor.
James raised his machete instinctively, but the alien made no aggressive move. Instead, it extended a hand, a soft hum emanating from its suit. A holographic display flickered into existence, showing an image of Earth swarmed by red dots—the undead. The alien pointed to the display, then to itself, and finally to James and Mia.
“It…wants to work together,” Mia guessed.
“Or it’s luring us into a trap,” James countered.
The alien tilted its head, as though trying to understand their hesitation. Then it pressed a button on its wrist. A compartment opened in its ship, revealing crates filled with weapons far more advanced than anything humanity had ever seen. The message was clear.
“If they wanted us dead, we’d already be ash,” Mia said, stepping forward. She placed a hand on one of the crates, pulling out a sleek rifle that hummed to life in her hands. “We need all the help we can get.”
James reluctantly nodded. “Fine. But we don’t trust them.”
The New War
The aliens, who came to be known as the Jorath, wasted no time organizing the remnants of humanity. They established fortified zones, using their technology to create barriers that repelled the undead. Survivors were armed and trained, fighting alongside the Jorath in coordinated strikes.
For the first time in years, humanity wasn’t just surviving. It was fighting back.
James and Mia became leaders in the resistance, their bond with the Jorath captain—whom they nicknamed “Vex”—growing stronger with each battle. Vex’s ability to strategize and adapt was unmatched, and its weapons turned the tide in countless skirmishes.
But questions lingered. Why had the Jorath come? What did they want?
The answer came during an assault on a massive zombie hive in the heart of what had once been New York City. The undead had become more organized, clustering around what Vex identified as a “Source Node.”
“What’s a Source Node?” James asked as they prepared for the attack.
Vex’s holographic display flickered to life, showing an image of Earth with tendrils spreading from a central point. The tendrils were labeled with alien symbols, but one word stood out in English: infection.
“The virus,” Mia said. “It’s…spreading beyond Earth?”
Vex nodded, its visor pulsing with light. It projected another image, this one of a Jorath world overrun by creatures eerily similar to Earth’s zombies.
“The infection isn’t natural,” James realized. “It’s alien.”
Vex’s visor dimmed, as though in sorrow. It pointed to the Source Node, then to itself, and finally to the sky.
“They’re not just helping us,” Mia said. “They’re trying to stop it from spreading to the rest of the galaxy.”
The Final Stand
The battle for the Source Node was unlike anything James and Mia had ever experienced. The zombies swarmed in numbers that defied comprehension, their movements coordinated by an unseen intelligence. The Jorath’s weapons cut through them in waves, but for every one that fell, two more took its place.
“We’re not going to make it!” Mia shouted, firing her rifle until it overheated.
“We have to,” James replied, cutting down a zombie with his machete. “If we don’t destroy that Node, it’s over.”
Vex fought at their side, its movements a blur of precision and power. It carried a device—a bomb—designed to obliterate the Node. But as they neared their objective, a new enemy emerged.
From the shadows of the hive came a towering figure, a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and machinery. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its voice echoed in their minds.
You cannot stop the inevitable.
The creature was the architect of the infection, a being that had once been Jorath. It had been corrupted, transformed into the virus’s ultimate weapon. Vex hesitated, its visor flickering as if in recognition.
“Vex, we don’t have time for this!” James shouted.
The corrupted Jorath lunged, its massive claws raking the ground. Vex engaged it, buying James and Mia the time they needed to reach the Node. As the battle raged behind them, Mia planted the bomb, her hands trembling.
“It’s armed!” she cried. “We have thirty seconds!”
They turned to see Vex pinned beneath the corrupted Jorath, its armor cracking under the weight. With a final burst of strength, Vex activated a blade from its arm, driving it into the creature’s chest. Both collapsed in a heap as the bomb’s timer ticked down.
“Vex!” Mia screamed, but James dragged her away.
“We have to go!” he said.
They barely made it out before the explosion. The ground shook, and a blinding light consumed the hive. When it was over, the Node was gone, and the zombies collapsed where they stood.
A New Beginning
The victory was bittersweet. Vex’s sacrifice had saved not just humanity, but countless other worlds. The Jorath began the process of cleansing Earth, their technology restoring the planet piece by piece.
James and Mia stood on a hill overlooking the ruins of Chicago, watching as a Jorath ship lifted off into the sky.
“Do you think they’ll come back?” Mia asked.
James shrugged. “Maybe. If we’re lucky.”
For now, humanity had been given a second chance. The question was whether they’d make the most of it.