Chapter 4: The First Minion
Zealot stood motionless beside the window.
The crimson crystal rested in his palm.
Below him, the streets remained crowded with wandering zombies.
The knowledge implanted within his mind was clear.
Plant the crystal inside a zombie's brain.
Create a servant.
Simple.
At least in theory.
Actually accomplishing such a thing was another matter entirely.
The zombies outside weren't exactly standing still and waiting for surgery.
Even if they were, getting close enough would be dangerous.
One mistake could still get him killed.
Despite surviving the infection, he had no intention of testing whether a second bite would be equally harmless.
"No rushing."
Zealot muttered to himself.
"Let's think this through."
For the next hour he paced around the apartment.
The more he thought about it, the more obvious the solution became.
He already had a zombie.
Or rather...
A dead zombie.
The creature that had bitten him still lay inside the apartment on the eleventh floor.
Its skull had been crushed by the frying pan.
If his instinct was correct, the zombie didn't necessarily need to be active.
It only needed an intact enough brain to receive the crystal.
At least that was his hope.
Eventually Zealot armed himself.
A kitchen knife.
A hammer.
A backpack.
Then he cautiously left his apartment.
The journey down to the eleventh floor was nerve-wracking.
Every sound caused him to freeze.
Every shadow made his heart race.
Fortunately, the building remained mostly quiet.
When he reached the apartment where the attack had occurred, the corpse was still there.
Exactly where he had left it.
The zombie's head was badly damaged but not completely destroyed.
Zealot swallowed.
This was either going to work...
Or prove that the instincts in his head were nonsense.
Slowly he knelt beside the corpse.
The crystal appeared in his hand.
Again, no effort was required.
The strange biological material simply emerged from beneath his skin.
The process felt bizarrely natural.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the crystal against the zombie's forehead.
Nothing happened.
For several seconds, absolutely nothing.
Then the crystal suddenly liquefied.
The crimson material flowed into the zombie's skull.
Zealot nearly jumped backward.
The corpse began trembling.
Its limbs twitched violently.
The fingers curled.
The jaw snapped open.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Bones shifted.
Muscles contracted.
The zombie's cloudy eyes slowly opened.
Zealot immediately raised his hammer.
Ready to strike.
The zombie sat upright.
Then it turned toward him.
Silence filled the room.
Several seconds passed.
The zombie did not attack.
Did not growl.
Did not move.
Instead—
It lowered its head.
Like a servant greeting its master.
Zealot blinked.
"What?"
A strange connection suddenly formed.
Invisible.
Yet undeniable.
He could feel the creature.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Its emotions.
Its instincts.
Its awareness.
Everything flowed through the connection.
The zombie possessed no independent hostility toward him whatsoever.
Only obedience.
Absolute obedience.
A thought entered Zealot's mind.
Stand.
Immediately the zombie rose to its feet.
The command had not been spoken aloud.
He had merely thought it.
Yet the zombie obeyed instantly.
Zealot's eyes widened.
"Walk."
The zombie walked.
"Stop."
It stopped.
"Turn around."
It obeyed.
Every order was executed perfectly.
No hesitation.
No confusion.
No resistance.
The creature followed commands more faithfully than any human ever could.
A chill ran down Zealot's spine.
This wasn't merely control.
This was domination.
Complete domination.
For several minutes he continued experimenting.
The results became increasingly impressive.
The zombie could understand surprisingly complex instructions.
It could search rooms.
Carry objects.
Open doors.
Move furniture.
Its intelligence remained primitive but functional.
More importantly—
It remained absolutely loyal.
Eventually Zealot returned to his apartment with the zombie following closely behind.
For safety, he ordered it to remain in the bathroom while he observed.
Hours passed.
Nothing changed.
The zombie remained obedient.
The bond remained stable.
The experiment had succeeded.
His first minion was real.
Night arrived.
Zealot sat in his living room while staring at the bathroom door.
His thoughts raced.
The implications were enormous.
One minion wasn't particularly impressive.
But what about ten?
Fifty?
One hundred?
A thousand?
The thought was terrifying.
Yet another question occupied his mind.
Could the minion become stronger?
The answer arrived unexpectedly.
The following morning.
Zealot was eating breakfast when he noticed a familiar sensation in his hand.
Pressure.
Warmth.
Moments later another crimson crystal emerged.
This crystal was slightly larger than the first.
Interesting.
Apparently the ability wasn't a one-time thing.
He could continuously produce crystals.
The moment the crystal formed, another instinct surfaced.
Enhancement.
The crystal could strengthen existing minions.
Zealot immediately stood.
Excitement surged through him.
There was only one way to verify it.
Entering the bathroom, he found the zombie standing exactly where he had left it.
It hadn't moved an inch.
Again he placed the crystal against its forehead.
The crystal dissolved.
The zombie froze.
Several seconds later its muscles visibly expanded.
Its posture straightened.
The pale skin gained a healthier appearance.
Even its eyes seemed slightly clearer.
Most importantly—
The creature had become stronger.
Zealot tested it using a heavy bookshelf.
Previously the zombie had struggled to move it.
Now it lifted the object effortlessly.
The improvement was obvious.
The crystal truly enhanced minions.
Zealot stared at the zombie.
Then at his own hand.
A dangerous idea began forming.
If one crystal could create a servant...
And another could strengthen it...
Then perhaps this power possessed far fewer limits than he initially believed.
Outside the apartment window, countless zombies still wandered the city.
Thousands.
Perhaps millions.
For the first time since the apocalypse began, Zealot no longer looked at them with fear.
Instead...
He looked at them as resources.
Future workers.
Future soldiers.
Future servants.
The realization shocked even him.
Yet he couldn't deny it.
The apocalypse that terrified everyone else...
Might become the greatest opportunity of his life.
And this first minion was merely the beginning.
Far greater discoveries awaited him.k