Publisher: 23 House Publishing
Genre: Horror
Book
Description
It didn't happen the way it was
supposed to...
I am a teacher. At least, I was
before it all happened, before I was forced to survive. I taught social studies
at the high school. I was also the coach of the school's successful debate
team. It was a cold Saturday in January when I heard the first rumor of
trouble...
You know, pop culture had defined
the zombie apocalypse time and time again, all coming from the minds of horror
writers, film producers, and video game designers. Who knew that when it really
happened, it wouldn't be anything like they all predicted. Oh sure, the dead
reanimated, and they were certainly hungry for living flesh...but what were the
mysterious red-eyes, zombies that moved faster than their stumbling
counterparts and seemed to not only communicate, but to exert some kind of
control over the others.
"James
Lacey takes the classic zombie story that we all know and love, and then twists
it off into the new directions and unexplored territory. Perseverance is fresh,
exciting, and edge-of-the-seat spell-binding."
- Samantha Murphy, 13 Nights of Blood:
Legends of the Vampire
Book Excerpt:
It is close
at hand...
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in
my holy mountain:
let all the inhabitants of the land tremble:
for
the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of
clouds and of thick darkness,
as the morning spread upon the mountains:
a great
people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any
more after it, even to the years of many
generations.
A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a
flame burneth:
the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and
behind them a desolate wilderness;
yea, and nothing shall escape them.
Joel 2:1-3
When
it happened I was excited – at first. I was a fan of the movies, the books, the
games...all of it. So when those first reports came on the television and hit
the net I was probably the most excited person on the planet. I mean, you
always wonder “what if” when you see it in films, but then to have it actually
happen, it really gets you going. That is, until they’re banging on your front
door. Or the door of someone you really, truly care about. Someone you love.
That
is when the excitement fades to fear. The fear can turn to horror. But right
before that there is a brief moment where human instinct takes over and you
choose to either fight or run. You don’t think, you just act. That is how I’m
still alive. And it is probably why she is dead.
My
story is not a happy one. It is not about heroics or unity or the fight to
persevere. It is the story of survival. The only thing a person could really do
during the crisis. It is the story of trying to protect someone you love and
failing. It is a story of love, friendship and ultimately death. I’m not
holding back. I am going to tell you everything. For some, this story will be
harder to read then it was to write. For others, it won’t. Either way, this is
my story. This is my account of the zombie apocalypse.
I
was trying to be reassuring and bring my students back to the mood they were in
before we stopped to eat, which not many were doing. But I knew there was
something big going on.
I
could hear the words “ bio-terrorism,” “widespread” and “thousands dead.” I could
hear people talking about countries all over the world. CNN had this gorgeous
new anchor,
Rebecca
Mailey and I had a sort of boyhood crush on her. I was 29 and still entitled to
fantasize about celebrities. So when she was the one who sent a chill down my
spine, I thought it was sort of ironic and could not help but laugh. I’ll never
forget the colorless look on her face when she uttered, “We are now getting
scattered reports of incidents here in the United States.”
I
never finished booting up my laptop. My instincts told me to get everyone out
of the rest area and back on the bus. It was a quiet on the way home. I told
everyone to call their parents and let them know that they were okay and would
be home soon. As we boarded the bus two police cruisers went speeding in the
opposite direction, sirens blaring. It was unnerving, given what we just heard.
The rest of the ride home was dead quiet.
“It’s
happening everywhere.”
“What
is?”
“This...thing.
People are dying. Riots happening
everywhere.
They said that there are drugs in the water supply that makes you want to hurt
others. Then they said it wasn't drugs, but a massive psychological event
caused by a solar flare or something. Another guy said it’s been happening for
a few weeks, but until now the government had it bottled up. And then...”
“Keith.”
I had to stop him. The talking heads on TV had him all turned around.
“Yeah?”
“Take
a breath. Clearly they don’t really know what is happening. So the question
remains. Now, what do you know for sure? What do they know for certain? Think
simple, Keith.”
“I
don’t know. People are killing each other, I guess. They haven’t really said
why or how, just that it’s happening.”
That
part bothered me. If it were a terrorist event, then someone would be taking
credit by now. If it were a disaster, then they would know the cause. Not
knowing information...that is when I became hooked. That is when it
became...interesting.
I
looked up at the clock on the microwave. It was almost 10 AM. I really slept in
late. I went and checked my cell phone. Seven missed calls? I realized then
that I still had the phone on silent from the tournament. One call from Keith’s
mom. Two from my parents? That was
odd. Four from Ashley. Damn...I had promised to go over early this morning.
She’s probably pissed right now. I went back into the bedroom and turned the TV
on as I checked my voice-mail.
“Hi,
it’s Keith’s Mom. Sorry I’m home so late. Thanks for watching him.”
All over the country
people are fighting against...
“It’s
mom. Calling to see if you’re okay. Call me back.”
Military response is
beginning to organize...
“I
need you! Now! Please hurry! Call me back!”
We have confirmed video
reports of...
“Why
aren’t you answering?! Oh good...I hope...call me back...”
Rising from the dead and
attacking...
“They’re
outside! Help me! I need you! I need to hear your voice!”
All over the world people
are coming back from the dead and killing others.
“I
love you...Mom! Look out!” There’s a crash of glass on the phone.
Stay indoors. Lock your
doors. Board up your windows. Do not go outside.
No
words on the last message...just another crash and the sound of a scream.
I
was paralyzed.
The
phone fell from my hand.
About
the Author:
No comments:
Post a Comment