Dark Queen Of Apocalypse (by Morgan Hale) novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ten years into the apocalypse, darkness spread like a sinister blanket, suffocating the world. Moss–covered skyscrapers swayed in the thick black fog, while mutant plants tore through cracked concrete, climbing upward.

Freezing winds howled across the barren landscape, echoing like vengeful spirits. The streets felt haunted, every alley thick with the stench of decay.

The entire world was lifeless, filled with nothing but endless despair.

Chloe Yates stumbled backward on a ruined wasteland, her bare feet scraping over sharp debris. Blood seeped from her soles, leaving faint trails behind.

Her short, uneven hair was a tangled mess, clumped together in dirty strands and reeking of rot. Years of survival had ravaged her face, making her almost unrecognizable.

She wore a filthy, torn military coat, trembling in the freezing wind. Ragged cotton poked through the holes, stained with dried blood.

“Honey, you’re really being naughty,” Shawn Taylor said, moving closer. His voice was eerily soft, sending a chill down her spine.

“Ten years of marriage, and aren’t you going to let me go?” Chloe rasped, her voice as rough as sandpaper.

She staggered back, a sharp stone slicing her foot. Blood dripped, soaking into the ground.

Shawn glared at her with utter contempt, his stained teeth bared in a vicious grin. “Sophie’s pregnant. She needs your heart–blood to keep her strong.”

Chloe lifted her gaze to the churning clouds, defiance burning in her chest. When she looked back, her eyes blazed with rage.

A dozen powered humans burst through the darkness, their eyes gleaming with savage hunger. They licked their dry lips, looking more like starving wolves than human beings.

Sophie Gilmore stepped out from the protective circle. Her delicate figure shivered helplessly, her flawless face streaked with tears.

“Chloe, I’m sorry. Shawn and I really love each other. Please, just let us be,” she begged.

Chloe felt a wave of disgust and bitter irony. “These two cheaters want me dead to make their little romance work? How shameless!‘

Shawn pulled Sophie into his arms, his voice full of concern. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re pregnant; be careful.”

He shot Chloe a deadly glare. “Stay away from Sophie, you freak.”

Chloe suddenly laughed, her voice so distant it sounded like it came from another world, as if her last spark of fight had finally died.

“Shawn, give me back the emerald bracelet, and let’s just call this a divorce,” she said wearily, wanting nothing more to do with him.

Panic flashed in Sophie’s eyes. Instinctively, she clutched the emerald bracelet on her wrist. “This one’s mine. Yours was lost years ago.”

Her overreaction only made her look more guilty. Her friends started giving her suspicious looks.

Shawn barked, “What are you guys waiting for? Kill her, and you’ll have real meat for dinner tonight.”

The powered humans locked their crazed stares back on Chloe, like starving wolves eyeing fresh prey in the frozen wasteland.

Suddenly, Chloe laughed maniacally, her eyes gleaming with a wicked light. “Fine, let’s all go to hell together.”

“Everyone, run!” Shawn screamed, panicking as he dragged Sophie away.

But it was already too late.

The bombs Chloe had planted exploded with a thunderous roar. Instantly, a nauseating mist of blood enveloped the wreckage. When it cleared, only shredded body parts were strewn across the ground.

She gasped. She’d returned more than four months before the apocalypse began.

On Christmas Eve, at midnight, a crimson rain would spread the zombie virus. Anyone caught in it would develop an endless fever.

Most people would become mindless zombies. But one in ten thousand would awaken special abilities, becoming the first powered humans of the apocalypse.

Chloe wasn’t one of the lucky ones. But later, she’d been bitten saving Shawn, barely surviving to become a strength–powered human.

Thinking of Shawn ignited pure hatred in her eyes. Deadly energy swirled around her, the kind of deadly aura forged through countless battles.

Staring at her reflection, Chloe parted her red lips, her voice hauntingly beautiful and eerily menacing. “Shawn, Sophie, I’ve come to collect your souls.”

*****

In a pasta restaurant on a bustling food street, Chloe devoured her meal, empty plates piling up in front of her.

A couple nearby, Harry Hoffman and Mandy Woodward, stared in disbelief.

“Wow, that gorgeous girl in designer clothes can really eat. She’s kind of adorable,” Harry said, swallowing hard.

Chloe’s massive appetite made him feel hungrier. He waved to the waiter and ordered another plate of pasta.

A hint of annoyance flickered in Mandy’s eyes as she sneered, “Just because she wears designer brands doesn’t mean she’s rich. She could just be… Chloe?”

He froze, never expecting to run into Chloe, the spoiled princess from her dorm.

“What a surprise, Chloe,” Mandy said, approaching with a forced smile, her eyes betraying a hint of contempt.