Book Scorched Earth Novels & Stories

“I—I heard you. Even when he was inside my head. I heard you.” Elena pressed her lips to her hair, rocking her gently. “I told you, I’ll always come for you. Always.” Rose sobbed against her chest. “Don’t let me go again.” “I won’t. You’re safe now. You’re home.” They stumbled out of the collapsing tunnels, dust filling their lungs, and rocks crashing behind them. By the time they made it outside, the mountain shook and collapsed, burying the nightmare within. The night was cold, sharp, and endless. Smoke rose into the sky like flames from a funeral fire.

Official. Talia touched my arm. “Nova… I’m so sorry.” I stared at the screen. He’d posted it to shame me. To claim ownership. To punish me for moving on. But instead, something else sparked in my chest. Not shame. Not fear. Fire. I looked up from the phone, voice calm, eyes blazing. “He wants a war?” I handed the phone back to Talia. “Fine. Let’s give him one.”

He pauses, his small face lifting, his bright eyes locking onto mine. And then, he smiles. A little wave. He sees me. “I love you, Zachy,” I whisper. He must hear me as the little smile that splits his chubby face is full of love and happiness. He turns back to his book, content. The wind tugs at me, carrying me higher, beyond the packhouse. I float over the battlefield. Bodies are strewn like fallen leaves; the scent of blood thick in the air. The fighting rages, fierce and unrelenting.

This is the aftermath of the fire we set ourselves, a reckless blaze meant to stop Alpha Kaelen’s army, and now the forest is paying the price. My paws drum the scorched earth, slippery with ash and dotted with glowing embers that burn like dying stars. Every step sounds too loud in the eerie quiet. Every breath sears my throat. I’m deeper in the burn zone than I meant to be, lost in a wasteland where scent trails vanish beneath smoke and fear. I open my mind, reaching out through the link first for Bram then for Jorin. Nothing. Just silence, thick and cold. I don’t dare howl. Not with Kaelen’s scouts still nearby.

As I burned to death, my lungs filled with despair. The extreme temperature made red lumps and blisters form across my body, which was curled up towards the end as if I had transformed into a lump of coal. With the gentlest touch, my skin flaked away to expose the lumps of flesh underneath. The state of my body was so horrific that even the firefighters and doctors who arrived at the scene did not dare to approach. They all covered their mouths and noses before beginning to throw up.

I walked toward the trash can, my steps unsteady. Out of habit, I checked to see if my roommates had thrown away any leftover or expired food I could salvage. I had spent most of the semester surviving this way. Just as I started digging through the trash, someone pushed the door open. "Ugh, Elena, why are you going through the garbage again? That's disgusting." My roommate Danielle Lynch's voice made my face burn with shame. I jerked my hand back from the trash can like it had burned me. She glanced at the scratch card on my desk and immediately understood. Undisguised contempt filled her eyes.

The moment Elena stepped out of the supply wagon, the sheer devastation of the border camp hit her like a physical blow. The air was thick with the bitter, metallic scent of sickness and the heavy, burning smoke of herbal smudge sticks meant to clear the air. All around the muddy clearing, rows of military tents were filled with the sound of deep, ragged coughing. Elena wrapped a clean linen cloth around her mouth and nose, her eyes scanning the ground. Even the soil here looked dead—the grass at her feet was brittle, and the leaves on the surrounding bushes were webbed with the unmistakable, dark, swollen veins of the Ashen Scourge.

Chapter 70: The Scorched Earth The world did not end with a scream. It ended quietly. No sirens. No final broadcasts. No last stand worth remembering. Just silence. It spread slowly at first—like everything else had. Cities went dark, then cold, then still. Forests burned until there was nothing left to consume. Rivers froze or boiled depending on what reached them first—fire or winter. And then… Nothing. From above, the world looked abandoned. A broken sphere of ash and ice, scarred by fire and carved open by war. The places that once pulsed with life—crowded streets, glowing skylines, endless movement—had all been reduced to stillness.

The city was gleefully waiting for the total collapse of the Bishop and Vance families. The Scorched Earth Policy Chloe immediately searched for Arthur Vance’s name. It was true—the photos Sarah had leaked were everywhere. The media was in a feeding frenzy. Chloe’s heart hammered against her ribs. Sarah had truly decided to burn the world down to take Arthur with her. But this meant Arthur would be beyond livid. After this public humiliation, any lingering shred of affection he had for Sarah would turn into a lethal, concentrated hatred.

Then scorched earth crashed in. Rex's pheromones hunted out from the corridor, barreling through the space between lily-of-the-valley and old paper. The char of wildfire. The bitterness of pine resin. The crack of superheated stone. It didn't probe. Didn't entwine. It swallowed. Old paper held its ground. Scorched earth wouldn't pull back. The three scents twisted into a garrote in the air, cinching around my throat, tighter with every breath. Every inhalation I took was laced with three flavors. The acrid dryness of cold paper. The choking burn of wildfire. The feral sweetness of lily-of-the-valley run amok. They fought inside my lungs.