The cold steel walls of Kruger's underground laboratory hummed with eerie red lighting as the transformation process neared completion. The once-proud soldiers of the Crimson Dawn were now hunched, grotesque figures, their eyes glowing with unnatural energy, awaiting their master's command.
General Viktor 'Bloodfang' Kruger stood still, his crimson beret barely shifting as he studied his latest creation. In one hand, he gripped his combat knife, its blade still fresh with blood from his latest execution. His gaze was locked onto Lieutenant Grace Holloway, who knelt before him, wrists bound, sweat trickling down her forehead as she struggled against the horror unfolding before her.
"You thought you could stop me, Lieutenant?" Kruger's voice was smooth, cold. He twirled the knife between his fingers, the sharp edge catching the dim light. "You thought you could fight the inevitable?"
Holloway gritted her teeth. "You're insane."
Kruger chuckled, crouching before her, pressing the flat of the blade against her cheek. "Insanity is relative. Some see me as a tyrant. Others… as a god."
Behind him, the Necrostrain Zombies, his newly enhanced undead soldiers, twitched and shuddered, their enhanced bodies flexing under pale, decomposing skin reinforced with bio-synthetic plating. They were no longer just mindless husks—they were weapons.
Kruger turned to Sergeant Darius 'Hellhound' Rook, who stood at attention. "Prepare them for deployment. We move at dawn."
Rook smirked. "Where first?"
Kruger traced his blade against Holloway's neck but didn't cut. "To the remnants of the Resistance. Let's see how long they last when facing their own fallen comrades."
Holloway gasped. "No… you wouldn't!"
Kruger's grin widened. "Oh, but I already have." He rose to his feet and gestured toward a nearby screen. With a press of a button, live footage flickered to life—showing a Resistance stronghold deep in the ruined outskirts of New Europa. Hundreds of infected soldiers, each bearing the markings of the Crimson Dawn, had already been deployed.
The footage zoomed in on a commander at the base, his expression twisted in shock and horror as he recognized the undead warriors charging toward them—his own fallen men, now reanimated and enslaved by Kruger's will.
Holloway screamed. "You monster!"
Kruger turned back to her, his knife hovering just under her chin. "Say that again. Please."
She trembled but didn't speak.
Kruger leaned in, his voice a whisper. "Now you understand, don't you? You can either join me… or become part of my army."
Holloway's breathing was ragged. The undead soldiers behind Kruger shifted, awaiting command, their bodies twitching with unnatural movement.
Kruger straightened, sheathing his knife. "Lock her away. She'll break soon enough."
Rook grabbed Holloway by the arm, dragging her away as the screams of the dying Resistance forces echoed through the chamber.
Kruger watched the screen, his smirk growing wider. "The era of the living is over."