by Jeannie Rae
Maggie felt a torturous burning sensation in her ear and in the side of her slender face. It was in this moment that she realized that John’s teeth were fastened to the side of her head. She cried out in pain as she slapped her hands on John’s face and head, but his grip would not be loosened.
“John!” Andy shouted, after jumping back, appalled at the sight before him.
Andy leaned in, squeezing John’s shoulder and neck in an effort to get John to release Maggie’s ear. Suddenly, John jerked his head away from Maggie, ripping her ear from the side of her head. He opened his mouth and began chewing the ear, while glaring in the direction of Andy with a feral expression. His eyes were completely black and peeled open, as though in absolute rage. Blood dribbled down his pale chin. Clenching his fists, he hollered painfully through cracked lips, much louder than anything Maggie had ever heard.
Maggie shrieked in terror, gripping her head as blood began to spurt through her fingers. She looked at Tommy Joe who had now dropped the phone and was rushing over to her. Turning her eyes to John, still on the floor, he lunged forward, thrusting himself at Andy, biting down on Andy’s throat with such speed and strength that it remained hard for Maggie to believe this was the same man that sat at her counter just moments before. What has happened to him?
Tommy Joe shouted at John, while yanking on his shoulders, but was unsuccessful at moving him. Tommy Joe backed up, dug out his gun and shot John in the back of the head. John’s body collapsed over Andy.
Maggie pulled her apron up to her face, pressing it tightly against the wound, staring down at John in revulsion. Andy lay on the floor saturated in blood, his eyes fixed open. Maggie tried calling 9-1-1 from her cell with a trembling hand, but she still had no reception. As she dropped the cell, she saw John’s body slide off of Andy’s on to the floor beside him. Andy sat up, teeth snarling, glaring up at Tommy Joe with blackened eyes…
Outside the small diner called Dizzy’s Café, a mixture of screams, growls and gunshots could be heard as the Anderson family fled from the diner. They raced to their hybrid compact car, Misses Anderson holding a bloody towel over her bitten wrist. Mister Anderson pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the interstate.
A Note from the Author…
Thank you for reading the first installment of The Rise of the Plague Trilogy. The second installment is well underway. More information will be released as it is available, on the websites and through social media.
Writing has always been a passion for me. There is something about submersing yourself into another world that has intrigued me for my entire life. Authors would be nothing without loyal readers, so I extend my deepest appreciation to you for reading this title. It is my hope that you’ve enjoyed reading Endemic: Rise of the Plague, as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Sincerely,
Jeannie Rae
Jeannie Rae has been writing short stories, poems and book reviews for decades. The last few years have been spent honing her craft and focusing her efforts on novels.
Jeannie Rae is a California native, currently residing in Central California. Having the forest-covered mountains and the sandy shores of the Pacific coast only a few hours from her home, she enjoys the wide range of possible sceneries that her location provides. When not writing, she works full time in the accounting field and spends her time with her husband and daughter, along with their three dogs.
For more titles and upcoming releases by Jeannie Rae visit:
www.riseoftheplague.com
www.jeannierae.com
www.cursedpen.com