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The Pack: Episode One
The Pack – Episode One
In the shadows of the city, where forgotten places breathe with secrets, a hidden world begins to stir.
Kiann never expected to step across the fragile line between the ordinary and the unexplainable. But once drawn in, there is no turning back.
Mysterious whispers, unspoken rules, and an unseen community—The Pack introduces the beginning of a story where loyalty and survival collide.
Step into Episode One and discover the first piece of a dark, thrilling journey.
In the shadows of the city, where forgotten places breathe with secrets, a hidden world begins to stir.
Kiann never expected to step across the fragile line between the ordinary and the unexplainable. But once drawn in, there is no turning back.
Mysterious whispers, unspoken rules, and an unseen community—The Pack introduces the beginning of a story where loyalty and survival collide.
Step into Episode One and discover the first piece of a dark, thrilling journey.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2025
6 people want to read
About the author
Keal Rowan
4 books3 followersKeal Rowan is an indie author specializing in dark fantasy, gothic horror, and psychological thrillers. His stories invite readers into haunting worlds of forgotten villages, supernatural mysteries, and the fragile boundaries between reality and nightmare. With a passion for atmospheric storytelling, Keal crafts tales that linger long after the last page is turned.
When he’s not writing, Keal loves exploring folklore, abandoned places, and the hidden stories buried beneath history’s surface—all of which inspire his immersive narratives. His mission is to deliver unforgettable stories that captivate readers and spark their imagination.
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When he’s not writing, Keal loves exploring folklore, abandoned places, and the hidden stories buried beneath history’s surface—all of which inspire his immersive narratives. His mission is to deliver unforgettable stories that captivate readers and spark their imagination.
🔗 Discover Keal Rowan’s books:
📚 Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/kealrowan
⭐ Goodreads Author Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/
(insert full link)
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com
(insert your handle)
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
(insert your handle)
☕ Support my work: https://ko-fi.com
(insert your Ko-fi link)
🛒 Exclusive content: https://gumroad.com
(insert your Gumroad link)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 13, 2025
5/5 ★★★★★
The Pack opens with a chapter that demonstrates a remarkably confident control of tone, pacing, and atmospheric tension.
What stands out immediately is the precision of the prose: every detail is deliberate, every sensory note sharpened to a point, and every silence carries narrative weight. Rowan writes not to decorate the scene, but to expose it.
The world of The Pack is introduced not through exposition, but through trauma, instinct, and physicality.
There is an almost literary brutality to the way the opening unfolds — Kiann moving through ash, ruin, and quiet as though the world itself were an autopsy he’s been forced to perform again and again.
This is world-building by immersion, not description, and it works exceptionally well.
Kiann is one of the most compelling aspects of the chapter.
Rowan resists every temptation to over-explain him. Instead, we are shown a protagonist defined by contrast:
strength and fragility, instinct and guilt, humanity and something feral that presses beneath the skin.
His internal conflict is palpable, even when unspoken; in fact, especially when unspoken.
The horror is handled with a sophisticated understanding of tension.
The Pack is not introduced as a spectacle, but as a disturbance in the natural order — wrong movement, wrong sound, wrong shape.
The creatures bend space more than they occupy it, giving them a mythic, almost folkloric terror that sets them apart from typical post-apocalyptic monsters.
The action sequence is a standout.
It is fast, visceral, but never chaotic. Rowan maintains clarity and emotional grounding even in the violence, a skill that many action writers struggle to master.
Every blow feels earned.
Every choice Kiann makes reveals character, not choreography.
By the end of the chapter, it’s clear that The Pack is not simply another survival tale.
It is a layered, character-driven, myth-infused descent into a world where humanity is fraying at the edges — both collectively and within Kiann himself.
The writing is confident, atmospheric, and deeply intentional.
A brilliant opening.
The Pack opens with a chapter that demonstrates a remarkably confident control of tone, pacing, and atmospheric tension.
What stands out immediately is the precision of the prose: every detail is deliberate, every sensory note sharpened to a point, and every silence carries narrative weight. Rowan writes not to decorate the scene, but to expose it.
The world of The Pack is introduced not through exposition, but through trauma, instinct, and physicality.
There is an almost literary brutality to the way the opening unfolds — Kiann moving through ash, ruin, and quiet as though the world itself were an autopsy he’s been forced to perform again and again.
This is world-building by immersion, not description, and it works exceptionally well.
Kiann is one of the most compelling aspects of the chapter.
Rowan resists every temptation to over-explain him. Instead, we are shown a protagonist defined by contrast:
strength and fragility, instinct and guilt, humanity and something feral that presses beneath the skin.
His internal conflict is palpable, even when unspoken; in fact, especially when unspoken.
The horror is handled with a sophisticated understanding of tension.
The Pack is not introduced as a spectacle, but as a disturbance in the natural order — wrong movement, wrong sound, wrong shape.
The creatures bend space more than they occupy it, giving them a mythic, almost folkloric terror that sets them apart from typical post-apocalyptic monsters.
The action sequence is a standout.
It is fast, visceral, but never chaotic. Rowan maintains clarity and emotional grounding even in the violence, a skill that many action writers struggle to master.
Every blow feels earned.
Every choice Kiann makes reveals character, not choreography.
By the end of the chapter, it’s clear that The Pack is not simply another survival tale.
It is a layered, character-driven, myth-infused descent into a world where humanity is fraying at the edges — both collectively and within Kiann himself.
The writing is confident, atmospheric, and deeply intentional.
A brilliant opening.
November 13, 2025
5/5 ★★★★★
The Pack opens with one of the strongest, most cinematic first chapters I’ve read in post-apocalyptic horror.
The world Keal Rowan creates feels brutal, ancient, and alive — not with hope, but with something feral that waits just beyond the silence.
The prose is visceral and atmospheric without ever becoming overwrought.
Every detail — the scent of ash, the shifting shadows, the unnatural quiet — builds a world that feels both dying and predatory. The tension hits immediately and never lets go.
Kiann is a phenomenal protagonist: half survivor, half something unknown.
He moves through the ruins like a ghost of a forgotten war, and the slow reveal of what he is (and what he fears he might become) is gripping and gut-punching.
Rowan writes him with rare emotional precision — brutal, wounded, and frighteningly powerful.
The creatures in this world are genuinely terrifying, not because of gore, but because they feel wrong in the best possible horror sense: bending space, sliding instead of walking, melting like fading memories.
The Pack themselves — these ancient, hungry echoes — are some of the most original monsters I’ve seen in years.
The action scenes are razor-sharp and relentless.
The chapter escalates from stalking dread to full-scale nightmare, and still manages to weave in mystery, mythology, and character depth.
The appearance of the stranger, the child, and the final entity that seals Kiann’s wounds hint at a massive lore beneath the violence.
By the last page, I was fully invested — in Kiann, in the ruined world, in the terrifying truth behind the Pack, and in whatever is waking inside him.
Dark, cinematic, and brilliantly written —
this is post-apocalyptic horror at its best.
I can’t wait to read the rest.
The Pack opens with one of the strongest, most cinematic first chapters I’ve read in post-apocalyptic horror.
The world Keal Rowan creates feels brutal, ancient, and alive — not with hope, but with something feral that waits just beyond the silence.
The prose is visceral and atmospheric without ever becoming overwrought.
Every detail — the scent of ash, the shifting shadows, the unnatural quiet — builds a world that feels both dying and predatory. The tension hits immediately and never lets go.
Kiann is a phenomenal protagonist: half survivor, half something unknown.
He moves through the ruins like a ghost of a forgotten war, and the slow reveal of what he is (and what he fears he might become) is gripping and gut-punching.
Rowan writes him with rare emotional precision — brutal, wounded, and frighteningly powerful.
The creatures in this world are genuinely terrifying, not because of gore, but because they feel wrong in the best possible horror sense: bending space, sliding instead of walking, melting like fading memories.
The Pack themselves — these ancient, hungry echoes — are some of the most original monsters I’ve seen in years.
The action scenes are razor-sharp and relentless.
The chapter escalates from stalking dread to full-scale nightmare, and still manages to weave in mystery, mythology, and character depth.
The appearance of the stranger, the child, and the final entity that seals Kiann’s wounds hint at a massive lore beneath the violence.
By the last page, I was fully invested — in Kiann, in the ruined world, in the terrifying truth behind the Pack, and in whatever is waking inside him.
Dark, cinematic, and brilliantly written —
this is post-apocalyptic horror at its best.
I can’t wait to read the rest.
December 11, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
A haunting and beautifully brutal dark fantasy.
The Pack pulled me in from the very first page and refused to let go. The atmosphere is thick, eerie, and addictive — every chapter feels like walking deeper into a forest where something ancient and hungry is watching.
The characters are raw and feral, each carrying wounds that feel painfully real. I loved how the story blends supernatural tension with emotional depth; there’s blood, betrayal, loyalty, and a constant sense of danger that keeps your heart racing.
The world-building is sharp and immersive. You can practically smell the cold night air, hear the whisper of claws on the ground, and feel the weight of the pack’s secrets pressing on your chest. The pacing is perfect: slow, tense build-ups that explode into violent, unforgettable moments.
If you’re looking for a story that is dark, atmospheric, and emotionally gripping — something that stays with you long after you close the book — The Pack delivers completely.
A must-read for anyone who loves dark fantasy with teeth.
A haunting and beautifully brutal dark fantasy.
The Pack pulled me in from the very first page and refused to let go. The atmosphere is thick, eerie, and addictive — every chapter feels like walking deeper into a forest where something ancient and hungry is watching.
The characters are raw and feral, each carrying wounds that feel painfully real. I loved how the story blends supernatural tension with emotional depth; there’s blood, betrayal, loyalty, and a constant sense of danger that keeps your heart racing.
The world-building is sharp and immersive. You can practically smell the cold night air, hear the whisper of claws on the ground, and feel the weight of the pack’s secrets pressing on your chest. The pacing is perfect: slow, tense build-ups that explode into violent, unforgettable moments.
If you’re looking for a story that is dark, atmospheric, and emotionally gripping — something that stays with you long after you close the book — The Pack delivers completely.
A must-read for anyone who loves dark fantasy with teeth.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews