Dark Queen Of Apocalypse (by Morgan Hale) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The mutant flower showed up a week after the apocalypse hit. It could suppress the zombie virus. If she had it, a zombie bite wouldn’t be fatal.

I have to get that flower, Chloe thought. And also the mutagenic herb that can activate powers in regular people. It’ll show up on the city’s edge two days into the apocalypse!

Ignoring the three roommates trailing her, Chloe headed straight to the sixteenth floor.

Her apartment’s entrance was blocked by boxes of recently ordered supplies. Luckily, this was just a fraction of her purchases. Otherwise, there’d be absolutely no room for anything else.

With the neighbor’s security cameras watching, Chloe had to move boxes one by one. Each time, she’d secretly slip stuff underneath into her spiritual space. Even so, it took over half an hour, leaving her totally winded.

Just as Chloe collapsed to catch her breath, her phone buzzed. The girl on the other end screamed, “Go check the school forum. Someone’s spreading your info.”

Chloe didn’t respond. Instead, she dropped a line that sounded weird. “With this crazy weather, you might want to stock up on supplies.”

The girl was confused. “What are you…”

Chloe hung up, cutting her off, and then pulled up the school forum. There was a flood of hateful comments and a blurry photo of her back entering Greengrove Estates.

She curled her lips into a half–smile. “Not a bad shot.”

She turned off her phone, rested for ten minutes, and then called in some contractors to upgrade her security.

A pinhole camera was installed by the door. The security door got swapped out, and the floor–to–ceiling windows were replaced with bulletproof glass.

On top of that, a manganese steel security railing was added. No way someone could break in with an axe or a knife.

During Christmas, a red virus–infected rain would fall. Anyone caught in it would get a brutal fever. They would either die, turn into zombies, or become powered humans.

In her previous life, Chloe hadn’t awakened her power until she was bitten by a zombie and survived through sheer willpower.

This time, she had zero plans to risk her life in that virus–soaked red rain.

Time really flew by. Before Chloe knew it, two months had passed.

Chloe had rented out a factory for six months. Every day, she worked on building her strength and unpacking the supplies that kept arriving,

To anyone who asked, she said she planned to open a massive supermarket and use the factory as a warehouse.

She had stocked up on generators, gasoline, coal briquettes, smokeless charcoal, and all kinds of medicine. If she could think of it, she bought it.

Unfortunately, government weapon restrictions meant she had to settle for large knives, machetes, cleavers, and axes.

Then she bought various canned meats, flour, cooking oil, nuts, pasta, milk, fresh veggies, and meat, making sure everything was neatly organized.

She reached out to the guy who’d bought her shares. Rumor was, he had connections on both sides of the law.

She’d knocked thirty million off the price, partly to ensure his silence about the share transfer, partly to secure future help.

Through his connections, she spent a fortune buying crossbows and custom–made machetes with incredibly sharp blades.

During this time, her phone kept ringing, especially with calls from Shawn and Sam.

The eighteen–floor mall in her spiritual space was stacked with massive supply mountains.

Her bank account was basically empty, just a few hundred bucks left. And she still owed delivery guys for the last warehouse shipment.

With just a month left before the apocalypse, the weather was unnaturally cold. Heavy snow blanketed everything. In southern cities without central heating, people shivered, huddling tightly in their blankets.

‘I seriously need to make some cash,‘ Chloe thought.

It was an unimaginable sight during such a brutal winter. Everyone outside stared up at the dazzling sky, faces lighting up with surprise.

“Wow, it’s gorgeous,” someone blurted out.

Another chimed in, “This must be a good sign for the next year.”

More people kept their eyes half–closed, saying prayers, their faces glowing with hope for the future.

Chloe stood by the window of her shabby rental, sunlight streaming in. A cold, ruthless smile crossed her lips as she muttered, “Apocalypse, hello again.”

She hopped on trending forums, dropped some quick posts, and shut her laptop.

She had shared basic apocalypse survival tips and signed off with a “good luck.”

Her posts went viral. Some people panicked, some laughed, and a few even reported her to the authorities for spreading rumors. But none of this would ever reach her ears.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number from her memory of her previous life.

A soft, gentle voice answered, “Hello?”

“Are you back in the country?” Chloe asked.

Linda, Chloe’s aunt, replied, “Almost home.”

Chloe sighed with relief, I’ve upgraded your security door. The key’s under the doormat.

“I’ve stocked up your kitchen with supplies, and there’s a pair of binoculars on the table. Use them to check what’s going on outside, but don’t go out.”