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Crimson Rites tells the story of 3 virgins which were killed by a sorcerer in the Eastern Kingdom. Chijidem, being a friend to one of the virgins had the opportunity to see their restless ghosts. With his help, the 3 vengeful spirits were able to eliminate the sorcerer and free the land from darkness. Don't miss this exciting thriller!

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Apocalypse! A rogue weapon ignites a war for dominion over the infected wreckage of civilization.

In a metropolis overrun by walkers, a desperate Search for the truth could save mankind...or destroy it.

As hope fades in the Wasteland, will two souls find solace in Each other?

Hello guys, this is my first book on this platform. It's a horror fiction with romance, suspense & surprises.

Chapter 1

Varlind city had fallen into despair. Its once busy avenues now stood eerily empty. The towering skyscrapers that had once scraped the clouds like towering sentinels were now hollow shells, their glass panes shattered and fragments wasting their toppled frames. Rusting vehicles were abandoned haphazardly along the roads, some still containing the skeletal remains of their long-deceased operators - a grim memento of the catastrophe that had stripped the city of its life and vigor.

All signs of the thriving metropolis that was a wonder of the modern world were now just melancholy ruins, reclaimed by nature and the ravages of time. Varlind had withered into a melancholy necropolis, a bleak shadow of its former glory.

It started on a quiet summer evening at La Italia, one of Varlind's most popular restaurants. Friends and families crowded the outdoor patio, laughing and talking as they dined under string lights. But at one table, something was wrong. Mid-conversation, Elizabeth suddenly froze with a piece of salmon halfway in her mouth. She began spasming in her chair, clutching her head in agony. Her eyes rolled back, the whites turning a sickly yellow color. When she rose, Elizabeth was no longer recognizable. With a dreadful shriek, she lunged across the table, sinking her teeth into the neck of her husband sitting across from her. Catastrophe erupted as individuals at nearby tables watched in horror.
Elizabeth's husband cried in agony as she tore off a chunk of his flesh. Blood sprayed across the table as people began screaming and running for their lives. But it was too late. Within minutes, the first of the infected were rising, their eyes feral and glassy. The contagion spread through bites and scratches at a rate too fast for authority response. They descended upon the screaming diners with unrelenting ferocity, infecting anyone within reach through bites and scratches.

And so, the virus spread at an exponential rate. Within days, two thirds of Varlind's population had been turned into the shambling undead. The infected roamed the streets in packs, their decaying bodies still driven by an insatiable hunger. Survivors barricaded themselves in their homes, listening to the moans and screams that echoed through the empty city at all hours.

The government had made desperate attempts to quarantine Varlind and eliminate the infected. Helicopters buzzed overhead, raining fire down on the streets below. But the virus had already taken hold and was impossible to contain. Soldiers on foot patrolled the ruins, guns at the ready, but even their high powered weaponry proved useless against the never ending swarms.

For the survivors that remained, it was a daily struggle to find food and supplies amid the roving hordes. Scavenging parties had to move stealthily, avoiding detection at all costs. Many good people lost their lives, torn apart while desperately defending what little they had left. As time passed, the city transformed into a lawless wasteland. Without power or running water, survivors battled not just the infected, but starvation and exposure as well.

Two months later, Varlind was a silent graveyard. The ruin of magnificent skyscrapers stand like tombstones over the forsaken streets below. Only a hardy few still cling to life in the city, living with the undead masses that now outnumber them a hundred to one. It is a desolate existence amid the remains of what was once a vibrant metropolis, fighting every day simply to see another nightmare dawn in the city of Varlind.

**********

Dr. Maria wandered aimlessly through the desolate streets of the fallen city, exhaustion and despair weighing heavily on her shoulders. Three days had passed since she escaped the overrun medical facility, and she hadn't stopped moving since. Her light blue scrubs were stained brown with dried blood and grime, clinging to her thin frame like another skin. Long blond hair had come loose from its braid, wisps clinging to her sweat-slicked cheeks. Bloodshot eyes darted wildly in their sunken sockets, scanning for any sign of movement among the abandoned buildings.

She clutched a tattered black bag tightly, grateful to still have the vital medical supplies and research notes within. Finding a cure was the only thing driving her forward as the last surviving virologist. But without a safe lab, she was fighting a losing battle. Her thoughts drifted to her fallen colleagues - brave souls who stayed behind to barricade the infected and buy her escape. Their final screams still echoed in her mind.

A metallic scrapping sound jerked Maria from her grim musings. Whirling around, she spotted a hulking form lurching toward her at the end of the block. Even from this distance, she could see the grubby bandages swaddling its gaping wounds were soaked through with fresh blood and gore. Yellowed eyes zeroed in on her with feral hunger.

Maria froze, fingers tightening over the rusted pipe she'd collected as a makeshift weapon. Her exhaustion forgotten, adrenaline surged through veins like ice. As the zombie closed the distance in uneven, shambling steps, she steadied her breathing and waited. At the last moment, Maria darted to the side, swinging the pipe with all her strength. It connected solidly with the walker's skull in a sickening crack.

The creature roared in pain and snapped slavering jaws, coming at her again with renewed fury. Maria stumbled back, narrowly avoiding its outstretched claws. Heart pounding, she circled warily, searching for an opening. There! As it lunged, she dropped into a roll and came up under its guard, jamming the pipe through its empty eye socket with a wet crunch.

The walker collapsed, twitching. Maria staggered back, heaving for air as crimson coated her hands. But she had survived another encounter. And with luck, her knowledge might help others do the same.
Dr. Maria slumped against a crumbling wall, gasping for air as the adrenaline slowly drained from her body. She had survived another close encounter, but for how much longer? As the echoes of the brutal fight faded, a chill crept up her spine. She was alone in this fallen city with no safe haven and dwindling supplies.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint, distant moan carried on the breeze. Maria peered around the corner with trepidation. To her horror, a massive horde of infected shambled down the street in her direction, drawn by the scent of blood and death. Panic gripped her heart as she realized there was no escape this time.

She turned to flee but stopped in her tracks, spotting another group cutting off her only retreat. Maria was trapped between the two seething masses of rotting flesh, their rasping moans growing closer. This was it - after everything she had been through, it would end here.

Desperate, Maria brandished her makeshift weapon, willing herself not to weep. As the first zombie lurched within striking distance, a deafening crack split the air. The creature jerked and collapsed, a smoldering hole in its skull. More gunshots rang out in rapid succession, and several more infected dropped lifeless to the pavement.

As the horde closed in, bullets tore through rotting flesh with sickening thuds. Maria watched in awe as over half the zombies collapsed in quick succession. Emerging from a side street came a group of soldiers, led by a young woman clad in a military uniform.
With practiced coordination, they picked off the remaining walkers. Maria couldn't just stand by—she swung her weapon with renewed strength, caving in the skull of a zombie lunging at her side. Finally, the street fell silent once more.

"Need a hand?" The woman asked, holstering her rifle and offering a gloved palm.
"Yeah, thanks," Maria breathed, dusting off her tattered clothes. Up close, she observed the soldier's strength and steady gaze—a true leader in these dark times. "I'm Dr. Maria."
"Ashley." She nodded in greeting. "We patrol the city daily, searching for any survivors. You're lucky we came along when we did." Her eyes drifted to Maria's battered medical bag. "Are you a doctor?"

Maria explained how she had escaped the overrun hospital laboratory, desperate to continue her vaccine research elsewhere. "If I can find a safe place to work, there may be hope."

Ashley considered this. "Our encampment has a functional clinic. You'd be welcome to use the facilities." She glanced back at her men. "We've lost too many already. Anything that gives people a fighting chance is worth pursuing."

To be continued...