The blemish began to spread, turning her flesh into ash as it moved to her hand and up her shoulder. Her screams were no longer audible, but her face was contorted into a mask of pain. Darkness consumed her, burned her. Her hair curled and turned to red ember, floating away into the black air. Her flesh melted away, leaving the visage of the Burned Woman. Daniel’s body disintegrated into soot and fell to the invisible ground.
She stepped forward, pain gone from her burned face. She took a knee in front of her husband, taking his face in hers. The remains of her face twitched in recognition, damaged muscles curling into a gruesome grin.
Get up…
I can’t…
Get up… don’t you hear?
...hear…
You do hear. Get. Up.
“I do hear,” Kahn croaked. He opened his eyes into the blazing midday sun and winced. He twisted his neck carefully, turning and moving to look toward the sound he heard.
The roar of a big engine was storming toward him. He felt and heard a crash as the vehicle pushed aside a car. He saw it move into the clear lane ahead and heard again the burst of acceleration as it rushed to meet him.
Closer, he heard the breathy growl of one of the dead. Too close. It dropped to its knees and grabbed the front of Kahn’s coveralls. Crawling forward to the flesh of his neck. Kahn didn’t fight, he just listened to the roar of the big truck.
The pop of a rifle round sounded and Kahn’s attacker fell heavily onto his chest, leaking blackened gore from the hole in its head. Several more rounds rang out as Kahn closed his eyes, trying not to lose consciousness. A second rifle, and then a third began to fire. Kahn struggled and was able to steal a glance ahead. Bodies were falling, more than the twenty he thought was following him. There was an unending number pouring from the tower now. The three shooters wouldn’t be able to hold them away for long. He looked.
Brown truck. Tall. Enough room to stand in the back.
Gray-haired shooter close to him, blue ball cap, big gray beard, leaning far forward with bent knees. Professionally shooting one round after the other, taking a headshot each time.
Another, younger man flanking the brown truck. Same stance, same successful accuracy.
“Jesse,” Kahn said, barely audible.
Grab him, Cowboy!
“Cowboy?” Kahn whispered. A big man appeared above him, grasping his shoulders and pulling him from under the carcass. The dude was huge and he dragged Kahn to his feet with ease.
“Don’t worry, I got you,” the giant of a man replied.
Kahn was dumped into the back of the truck as first Cowboy stepped past him, then the two riflemen. They didn’t speak as they took a seated position on either wheel well. Kahn’s mind raced, panicking as several of the biters stepped in front of the open doors at the rear of the truck. The engine revved again as the driver slammed the gear into reverse, blasting the corpses to the side with the edges of the big delivery truck. He spun the wheel, casting Kahn to the side as the gray-bearded marksman kept him from flying out the open back.
Kahn blinked unbelieving as the rig sped away from the Alamodome and the fallen tower, leaving dozens of corpses piled on the freeway as even more continued to walk hopelessly toward the speeding vehicle. He was leaving behind the Neighbors’ broken home, leaving his wife, leaving his friends. Only the hope Aisha gave him remained. He thought of her powerful directive as his mind faded into unconsciousness.
...think of me…
...think of Daniel…
...find them...
Acknowledgements
Thank you for reading Collusion, my second novel. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my wife. Frankly, locking yourself in an office for months on end while your spouse cares for your three children is a risky endeavor for any marriage. Additionally, I was offered a new job across the country while writing this book. I packed our house, moved to Utah from Texas, and started the new job while she crammed herself and the kids and pets into her parents’ house for several long weeks until I could fly home and bring them with me. We sold and bought a house, and experienced our first winter in the mountains. Honestly, with all that on top of my writing I’m surprised she still likes me at all. My sincere and perpetual thanks to her.
Additionally, I got lucky by having two English-degree holding cousins who are furious readers and even better editors. Without their hundreds of line edits I’d have had comma splices, typos, and some truly awful sentences in this book. The time and effort they put into improving my writing can never be repaid.
The support I receive from beta readers, friends, and family has given me the motivation to continue writing. I never thought I’d write one novel, let alone two! I appreciate the questions and discussions around the characters I’ve created, and helping me overcome the natural fear all writers have to share their work.
Also, earlier this year, my brother Lance suddenly passed away. His unexpected death devastated his family and friends. Lance, you gave me the inspiration for the ending of this book. We’ll all miss you.
Lastly, you readers motivate me with your messages, comments, and support. All indie authors need help from their fans to spread the word and share their work. Every like, comment, and share assist me in reaching a new reader. Please, if you enjoyed my work, leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. And then go and leave a review on the last book you finished as well. Support for independent authors in this manner is an immeasurable benefit, and I thank you for it.
Halwende Kahn will be back.
Paul Z. Ford
Salt Lake City, Utah
August 1, 2019
About the Author: Paul Z. Ford is an avid writer and reader of horror, science fiction, and literary fiction. Nation Undead is his first series of novels, with NEIGHBORS released May 2018 and COLLUSION in August 2019.
He has been a storyteller all his life, writing fiction for himself and his close friends and family for many years. He writes horror and science fiction, enjoying a good gory scare and terribly tragic futures for us all.
Paul is married with three children, two boys and a girl, and he loves to share his passion for entrepreneurship and writing with his family. He currently lives in Utah.
Follow Paul Z. Ford on Amazon or visit his website at www.paulzford.com for the latest news and updates on new and upcoming releases. Email the author at [email protected]
Advanced Reader Study Questions
General Questions
Who do you think was the leader of the protagonist’s group?
Who was the main antagonist?
Do you feel the conflict was clear?
Do you think the characters made realistic decisions? Did they make intelligent decisions?
PART 1
Who was your favorite character in Part 1?
How did Kahn’s goal change from the beginning to the end of this section?
How would you describe the dynamic between the Burned Woman and her followers?
Do you think Kahn made good decisions?
Do you think Jesse made good decisions?
How did you feel about the ending of this part, with the two groups coming together?
PART 2
What did you think about Colonel Luca’s motivations?
Do you think the two groups, Jesse’s and Kahn’s, made good allies?
Are you afraid of heights? What did you think about Jesse’s rappel plan?
What did you think about Specialist Jones’ decision to stay with Ty after his fall?
Did you link the information about the hurricane (Chapter 25) to the real-life Hurricane Harvey that devastated Texas in 2017?
How did Kimble’s injury impact the other members of his group?
Why did Reverend Green protest when Jesse brought Kahn’s group to their compound?
Why would the Burned Woman and the reverend hide the map from Jesse in the first place? What did they think would happen?
Did Jesse and Kahn make too hasty a decisio
n to attack the auto shop? Considering they were trying to find Mel, would you have made the same decision?
PART 3
When the surviving group members returned to the compound, what did you think would happen next?
Would you have used the kids as bargaining chips? Do you agree with Kahn’s plan to do so?
Llewelyn doesn’t make an appearance until Chapter 35, was he an effective villain throughout the book despite this late reveal?
It was found that the Neighbors kept women and children separated in cages in the base of the Alamodome. How did you feel about this? How does it reflect on your feelings toward Llewelyn and the Neighbors in general?
Why did the Neighbors lock the Burned Woman in the “jail” area?
Was Kahn important to Llewelyn? Was Llewelyn important to Kahn? Why?
What does “collusion” refer to in the title? Did your thoughts on collusion resolve the way you expected?
What were your feelings around the “twist” in Chapter 44?
What were your feelings about the ending? Where does Kahn go from here?
Nation Undead (Book 2): Collusion Page 31