Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 499: Terms Of Damnation

The sun had barely crested over the horizon, spilling a soft gold haze across the scorched grass, but the Devil’s Playground didn’t wake slow. No. If I had to be awake for all this, everyone else did.

As if feeling my intentions, the world around me seemed to hold its breath. Every house, every jungle outpost, every flooded city and smoking ruin—the people inside felt it, and I felt them. Even the air had a certain stillness to it, like every living thing was bracing for a command.

And then the command came.

I stood at the edge of the stone path in front of Hallow, dressed in the way I wanted to dress. I was sure that others might have had an opinion about how a Queen should look, but I wasn’t one of those Queens. I didn’t give a damn what others thought about me, or my sense of style.

My dress was absolutely perfect, if I did say so myself. It was the same style as the rest of my wardrobe: a cute Lolita dress that flared out around my hips, ending just at my knees. It was black and white, with pinstripes on the bodice and skirt, as if I were just one of the inmates...

Or like I should have bright green hair.

My thigh-high white socks were offset by the black Mary Janes I refused to go without, and I wore black gloves on my hands that stopped at my wrists with a little white bow. I even had the black and red chocker/collar that Daddy had given me in Camp Hell... just as a remind of who I was and where I came from.

My blueish-silver hair was up in pig-tails, with the right bow black and the left bow white. I didn’t look my age at all, but I loved how the dress made me feel. And at the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

The men had suggested that I wear a crown or tiara, something that would make people understand I was their queen, but I really thought it would ruin my look. Besides, a crown did not make a queen, and if the people tied to me couldn’t understand who stood at the top of the hierarchy, then they really were too stupid to live.

Behind me, all ten of my men stood, their heads held up high as if they were proud of their position. I offered to do all this part by myself, but they had refused. Dante had said that if it involved me, then it involved all of them.

Personally, I think they were still a bit miffed to have had Tank, Daddy, and Eric follow me to the Sanctuary to cut the final ties.

Then again, if the situation was reversed, I would have been a bit miffed, too. So I wouldn’t hold it against them. Besides, I was smart enough to know that no matter how strong I was, I was always stronger with the guys by my side.

And when it came to what was going to happen next, I needed all the strength I could get.

Taking in a deep breath, I looked out across the land, at all the souls bound to me, both near and far. For a moment, I thought about backing down, about turning tail and running. Finding a small hut in the middle of the bayou, away from everyone, was sounding really good right about now.

But at the same time, I refused to run away. Hell was destroyed, and, for better or worse, Earth was my new home, the new Hell. And I wasn’t going to force my men to rule in my place again. Not even if the idea of ruling a bunch of people made me have a panic attack.

Opening my mouth, I gathered my courage and spoke to each one of my new people. "I know what you’re feeling," I said, my voice echoing across every mind in the Western Hemisphere, carried on something older than sound. "The chain pulling at your ribs. The fire curling around your soul. You’re wondering what it all means."

I let the silence stretch for half a breath before continuing. "It means you’re mine."

Thousands of ghosts in front of me, each one representing a living being somewhere on my side of the world, dropped to their knees without realizing it.

"I don’t care who you were before. What god you prayed to. What kingdom you ruled. You live in my world now. You breathe my air. You walk on my land. And if you want to survive here, you will follow my rules."

There were certain things that I wasn’t willing to compromise on, and I would like to think I had learned my lesson. I might not remember all my time in Hell, but I knew there was only one rule: ’Do not leave without permission.’ This time around, I was going to be a bit more specific.

After all, the devil was in the details.

A pulse rolled out from Hallow like thunder without sound as my words penetrated each individual’s soul.

"This is not Eden," I announced, the words tasting like bitter ash on my tongue. "This is not Heaven. And this sure as shit isn’t Sanctuary. This is the Devil’s Playground. My playground."

Once again, I paused, letting the people digest what I was saying and what it would mean to them. "And in my Playground," I continued, "you are not entitled to peace. You are granted peace, but it’s not absolute. You have done nothing to earn it; I am just nice like that. Don’t make me be mean."

My hand lifted slowly, and vines curled at my wrist like armor.

"As with everything else, there will be rules, laws that must be obeyed at all times. If you choose to go against my rules, then I promise you, I will make any tortures found in Hell seem like child’s play with what I will do to you."

Another pause. "Rule One: Harm no child. Not with words. Not with actions. Not with intent. The punishment is death. And I don’t mean the kind you recover from. I have 150 hellhounds, more velociraptors than I can count, and a tyrannosaurus rex. They all need to be fed. Break the first commandment, and I’ll let them rip you apart over and over again until I grant you a final death. And make no mistake, only I can grant a final death."

Beau let out a soft, approving hum beside me. A few miles away, someone dropped the blade they’d been holding behind a locked nursery door. I heard it hit the ground as if it were next to me, but I didn’t call the mother out on it. I didn’t know what had driven her to that point, but from now on, her world would change.

If she ever picked up the knife again, I would make sure that it was the last thing she ever did.