“The world was no longer black and white. Now they lived in shades of gray.”
Kasey and the gang have come full circle through the crumbling world. Working for the National Guard, they realize old friends and fellow survivors are disappearing. When the missing start to reappear as walking corpses, the group sets out on another journey to discover the truth. Their answers wait in the West Virginia Command Center.
Along the way, Kasey’s group encounters a new breed of horror; humanity twisted into something not quite alive, but not quite dead. When the secret of the Command Center is unearthed, an old enemy threatens to rip Kasey’s world inside out.
Everything they know is wrong. A mistake they will pay for with blood.
Kasey and the gang have come full circle through the crumbling world. Working for the National Guard, they realize old friends and fellow survivors are disappearing. When the missing start to reappear as walking corpses, the group sets out on another journey to discover the truth. Their answers wait in the West Virginia Command Center.
Along the way, Kasey’s group encounters a new breed of horror; humanity twisted into something not quite alive, but not quite dead. When the secret of the Command Center is unearthed, an old enemy threatens to rip Kasey’s world inside out.
Everything they know is wrong. A mistake they will pay for with blood.
Reviews:
Ursula K. Raphael
Dulaney combines zombies and science, and takes the mix to a new level, which just blows my mind. The author introduces some scientists who have created antibodies to fight the undead, in a way that will shock and entertain zombiephiles. And that is all I can say about that without risking any spoilers.
The characters and their relationships have become more complicated, as they should. I find myself reacting to the people just as much as the action. For example, I was disgusted with Mia's attitude towards Kasey...as a matter of fact, I was getting real fed up with the way people were taking Kasey for granted, and treating her like she was part of the problem, when Kasey is the main reason most of those folks are still alive. I think this installment is the greatest test of Kasey's will to survive, so far. As far as Jake goes, it will be interesting to see if he is still the jester of the group after everything that has happened to them at Winchester.
Fans of this series ABSOLUTELY need to read Phoenix: A Roads Less Traveled Novel; the writing style is a little different, and that might throw off a few fans, but the insight Phoenix provides to the series is quite compelling, to say the least.
When I first began this series, I didn't even know who Dulaney was, but she has made quite a name for herself in the zombie genre, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Ursula K. Raphael
Dulaney combines zombies and science, and takes the mix to a new level, which just blows my mind. The author introduces some scientists who have created antibodies to fight the undead, in a way that will shock and entertain zombiephiles. And that is all I can say about that without risking any spoilers.
The characters and their relationships have become more complicated, as they should. I find myself reacting to the people just as much as the action. For example, I was disgusted with Mia's attitude towards Kasey...as a matter of fact, I was getting real fed up with the way people were taking Kasey for granted, and treating her like she was part of the problem, when Kasey is the main reason most of those folks are still alive. I think this installment is the greatest test of Kasey's will to survive, so far. As far as Jake goes, it will be interesting to see if he is still the jester of the group after everything that has happened to them at Winchester.
Fans of this series ABSOLUTELY need to read Phoenix: A Roads Less Traveled Novel; the writing style is a little different, and that might throw off a few fans, but the insight Phoenix provides to the series is quite compelling, to say the least.
When I first began this series, I didn't even know who Dulaney was, but she has made quite a name for herself in the zombie genre, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Excerpts:
I sometimes thought we were turning into the very things we had come to hate. Mindless killers. The only difference being the deadheads didn’t have a choice in what they were. A year was all it had taken. A year of running, fighting, and killing. Some would argue it wasn’t murder if you were protecting yourself or those around you. Hell, I’d be the first to defend that. But we struggled with the decisions that had to be made. Are the zombies still people? Do they think? Do they feel pain or fear? They’re the walking dead; don’t they deserve the same respect we have always paid our dead?
After a year of this shit, we no longer cared about any of these questions. Hardened and cynical, we moved ever forward, never looking back, never considering the morality of what we were doing…what we were forced to do.
Eliminate the enemy.
These things that had once been people simply became targets.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jake and Mia added their two cents to our story as it was told. We’d been informing Pepper of the general state of shittiness the world was currently in. Unfortunately, he refused to believe it.
“I’m sure yer right, kid. Folks’ve went and lost their damn minds, that’s a fact. Never thought I’d hafta kill to protect what’s mine. But I have.”
“You had to,” Jake spoke up.
Pepper shoved away from the table, grunting as he stood, and walked over to stare out the small kitchen window above the sink. He was silent for a long time, his back to us and his arthritic hands resting on the counter. Mia and Jake grew restless and fidgety. I stayed their impatience with a stern glance.
“Yeah, I did. They ain’t right anymore. I damn sure didn’t lose no sleep over it, either.” He turned to face us and leaned against the counter. “I’m just an old man. Don’t know much. You learned me there’s more goin’ on out there ‘n I can understand, sure.” Pepper shoved off the counter and shuffled back to the table. He placed his palms against the wood and locked his eyes on mine. “But I know it can’t be helped. There’s nothin’ for it. Yer too young to have to do what ya do. All of yuns are. Them people out there ain’t right in the head, and you gotta protect you and yours, but the killin’ of it ain’t for kids. It’s for old folks like me. Ones who don’t have much to live for anymore, don’t have much to lose, and are already too hard to give a damn either way.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We sat on the wall for six hours, and that “mess of shit” never came.
By we, I mean all of us able to use a rifle except for the three kids, and by mess of shit, I mean deadheads. It was a colossal waste of time; we’d used up half a day that should have been spent sending the next scheduled group out for recovery, and possibly sending a scout or two over the ridge to spy on the prison, gather some intel. I kept my mouth shut. Thankfully everyone else was keeping their mouths shut, too; Michael was doing enough cussing and raising hell for the lot of us. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to be disappointed in this case. No deadheads equal a good day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Guys?” Todd stood up and edged his way to the back of the room. “Her blood. You’re covered in it.”
For some reason this observation made everyone spread their legs and hold their hands out to the sides. It was at that moment a whole new level of “holy shit” was reached.
"Uh…” Jonah mumbled.
“Nobody move,” Michael said.
“Because if we hold really still, the virus won’t spread?” I asked.
“Is it in my mouth? It is, isn’t it? It’s in my mouth,” Jake rambled. “I knew it. I fuckin’ knew it!”
“It’s not in your mouth, Jake,” Mia said.
“Does anyone have any open wounds, like scratches or cuts?” John asked.
“How do you know it’s not in my mouth?”
“Jake,” Mia warned with that tone she tends to get with Jake.
“Everyone check yourselves for cuts and scratches,” Michael said. Keep in mind, everyone was still frozen in place and assuming the position one would to be patted down.
“How’re we supposed to do that when our hands are covered in blood?” Jonah asked.
“Oh, God,” Jake gagged. “I think I swallowed some. Man, I can’t go out like this.”
“Alright. Let’s go to our rooms and shower up,” John said.
“Good idea,” Michael added. “We should keep our clothes on, rinse off first, then strip down and shower.”
“You know it’s always the badass hot guy who fuckin’ bites it in the end, right? He either gets the girl, or he fuckin’ dies. And I don’t have a girl!”
“Jesus, Jake. You didn’t swallow any blood. You weren’t even close to her head!” Mia yelled.
I sometimes thought we were turning into the very things we had come to hate. Mindless killers. The only difference being the deadheads didn’t have a choice in what they were. A year was all it had taken. A year of running, fighting, and killing. Some would argue it wasn’t murder if you were protecting yourself or those around you. Hell, I’d be the first to defend that. But we struggled with the decisions that had to be made. Are the zombies still people? Do they think? Do they feel pain or fear? They’re the walking dead; don’t they deserve the same respect we have always paid our dead?
After a year of this shit, we no longer cared about any of these questions. Hardened and cynical, we moved ever forward, never looking back, never considering the morality of what we were doing…what we were forced to do.
Eliminate the enemy.
These things that had once been people simply became targets.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jake and Mia added their two cents to our story as it was told. We’d been informing Pepper of the general state of shittiness the world was currently in. Unfortunately, he refused to believe it.
“I’m sure yer right, kid. Folks’ve went and lost their damn minds, that’s a fact. Never thought I’d hafta kill to protect what’s mine. But I have.”
“You had to,” Jake spoke up.
Pepper shoved away from the table, grunting as he stood, and walked over to stare out the small kitchen window above the sink. He was silent for a long time, his back to us and his arthritic hands resting on the counter. Mia and Jake grew restless and fidgety. I stayed their impatience with a stern glance.
“Yeah, I did. They ain’t right anymore. I damn sure didn’t lose no sleep over it, either.” He turned to face us and leaned against the counter. “I’m just an old man. Don’t know much. You learned me there’s more goin’ on out there ‘n I can understand, sure.” Pepper shoved off the counter and shuffled back to the table. He placed his palms against the wood and locked his eyes on mine. “But I know it can’t be helped. There’s nothin’ for it. Yer too young to have to do what ya do. All of yuns are. Them people out there ain’t right in the head, and you gotta protect you and yours, but the killin’ of it ain’t for kids. It’s for old folks like me. Ones who don’t have much to live for anymore, don’t have much to lose, and are already too hard to give a damn either way.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We sat on the wall for six hours, and that “mess of shit” never came.
By we, I mean all of us able to use a rifle except for the three kids, and by mess of shit, I mean deadheads. It was a colossal waste of time; we’d used up half a day that should have been spent sending the next scheduled group out for recovery, and possibly sending a scout or two over the ridge to spy on the prison, gather some intel. I kept my mouth shut. Thankfully everyone else was keeping their mouths shut, too; Michael was doing enough cussing and raising hell for the lot of us. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to be disappointed in this case. No deadheads equal a good day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Guys?” Todd stood up and edged his way to the back of the room. “Her blood. You’re covered in it.”
For some reason this observation made everyone spread their legs and hold their hands out to the sides. It was at that moment a whole new level of “holy shit” was reached.
"Uh…” Jonah mumbled.
“Nobody move,” Michael said.
“Because if we hold really still, the virus won’t spread?” I asked.
“Is it in my mouth? It is, isn’t it? It’s in my mouth,” Jake rambled. “I knew it. I fuckin’ knew it!”
“It’s not in your mouth, Jake,” Mia said.
“Does anyone have any open wounds, like scratches or cuts?” John asked.
“How do you know it’s not in my mouth?”
“Jake,” Mia warned with that tone she tends to get with Jake.
“Everyone check yourselves for cuts and scratches,” Michael said. Keep in mind, everyone was still frozen in place and assuming the position one would to be patted down.
“How’re we supposed to do that when our hands are covered in blood?” Jonah asked.
“Oh, God,” Jake gagged. “I think I swallowed some. Man, I can’t go out like this.”
“Alright. Let’s go to our rooms and shower up,” John said.
“Good idea,” Michael added. “We should keep our clothes on, rinse off first, then strip down and shower.”
“You know it’s always the badass hot guy who fuckin’ bites it in the end, right? He either gets the girl, or he fuckin’ dies. And I don’t have a girl!”
“Jesus, Jake. You didn’t swallow any blood. You weren’t even close to her head!” Mia yelled.
