They grounded him. Took away his laptop. Tried to make his life miserable. His response was that he'd go to the library and play his game. No big deal.
After much yelling and anger, she “woke up” at the back window of the house holding his laptop. She'd been thinking about throwing it through the glass. His apparent lack of concern over anything made punishing him impossible.
Getting him out of her sight was the only solution. She was ever thankful Jerry handled the logistics with Grandma Marty so that she could stay out of it. Her love was absolute, of course, but her anger flared up from depths previously unknown. She wanted him gone—just for a while.
And she'd felt guilty from the moment he'd walked out.
Day after day she argued with Jerry to let him come back. And each time he would respond that his time away would do everyone some good. Liam would realize what it was like to live without mom and dad to cater to his every need, and they would get some much-needed peace and quiet for the summer. They could recharge batteries for the start of school in the fall.
She wanted to go visit him at Grandmas, but Jerry insisted that would only diminish the punishment. He cut a deal with her that they would go see him on his birthday.
The sirens killed the world before that meeting could take place.
So much time wasted on arguing.
The disputes with Liam were trying enough, but she'd also argued too much with Jerry. Their disagreement over “visiting rights” with Liam had driven a wedge between them. The crevice widened after it became clear Liam and Grandma had gone out into the city. It all happened because she'd sent him away.
“I'm so sorry Jer. I wasted our last days together being mad at you. I should have spent my time telling you how much I loved you.”
Their relationship was more a brushfire of tension and small arguments than all out war, but maybe that would have been better. One big battle to get it all over and done with.
The weak consolation was that she'd forgiven him before he passed away from his infection. That was too late to matter, though.
And here at her rock, she was utterly alone. There was no sign of Cairo. Not even any barges. She wanted to believe Liam could have survived Elsa, but she was completely in control. It was unlikely he did.
“I'm going to find out,” she said to the water.
She cautiously rose to her feet and took a few tentative steps through the shallow water near the bank. Something pulled hard at her right leg, making her hop in surprise.
“Oh no,” she said as she remembered what was attached to her.
The rope was longer than it seemed while they were swimming. About ten feet by the looks of it. Jerry's leg was tied on the other end, and his body had wedged into some larger rocks just out of the water. She figured wave action pushed him out.
“You have to do it, Lana.” The words gave her courage as she got close enough to touch the blade in his side. With the burly knife, she could put the zombie down for good.
She gripped it and her heart rumbled to life. Her breathing increased, and she lost herself in tunnel vision.
“He's already dead, Lana.”
The face was hidden—a fact for which she was glad—but it seemed to be sleeping on a big rock. His skin had cleaned up considerably in the water. The dirt and discoloration of the grave had been washed away. Dirty or not, it could flip over and bite her in two seconds. She steeled herself for the final act of their marriage.
“I love you, Jerry. Goodbye.”
She was pulling at the knife when the zombie spoke.
“I love you, too.”
###
Musings of an Author
Thank you for reading Zombies Ever After! This is the sixth book of my young writing career. Book 7 in the Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse series is yet to be named, but will be released in 2017.
Have a second? Please rate this book. It really helps independent authors such as myself. Just don't give away any of the secrets!
I hope you'll return for the next installment. Sign up to the E.E. Isherwood mailing list so you'll know when it arrives.
Thank you, as always, for spending time in my world.
E.E. Isherwood, September 6, 2016
About the Author
E. E. Isherwood has penned two books about post-apocalyptic driving, six books about zombies, and several short stories from both genres. He has designs for many more tales. His long-time fascination with the end of the world blossomed decades ago after reading the 1949 classic Earth Abides. Zombies are just a handy vehicle which allows him to observe how society breaks down in the face of such withering calamity. Fast cars can also help it along.
Isherwood lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and family. He stays deep in a bunker with steepled fingers, always awaiting the arrival of the first wave of zombies.
Find him online at www.zombiebooks.net.
Books by E.E. Isherwood
E.E. Isherwood currently has six books in the Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse universe. He also has a series of high-octane post-apocalyptic stories called the Revolutions Per Mile series. Visit his website at www.zombiebooks.net to be informed when future titles are launched.
The Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse series
Since the Sirens
Siren Songs
Stop the Sirens
Last Fight of the Valkyries
Zombies vs. Polar Bears
Zombies Ever After
***
Book 1: Since the Sirens [BUY ON KINDLE]
When 15-year-old Liam goes to stay with his ancient great-grandmother for the summer, he immediately becomes bored around the frail and elderly woman. He spends most of his time at the library texting friends, playing video games, and reading dark novels. But one morning stroll changes everything as the Zombie Apocalypse unloads itself directly into his life. Now he and his 104-year-old guardian must survive the journey out of the collapsing city of St. Louis while zombies, plague, and desperate survivors swirl around them.
Book 2: Siren Songs [BUY ON KINDLE]
After escaping the chaos of the collapsing city, teens Liam and Victoria are faced with a difficult choice. Do they try to find Liam’s parents or defend their suburban home from refugees and the infected? They find new allies to hold things together, even as the government appears increasingly impotent in the face of a mutating virus. And why is a representative of the CDC trying to enlist Liam’s 104-year-old grandma to his cause?
Book 3: Stop the Sirens [BUY ON KINDLE]
Liam and his parents are reunited at last, but the matriarch of their family has been taken to a covert CDC location for medical experiments. Liam wants to mount a rescue operation, but they must first reach a refuge, endure warring government agencies, and learn Grandma’s location—not to mention survive a world awash in zombies. With Victoria at his side, Liam finds his fortitude bolstered by her faith. Together they begin to unravel the mystery of the zombie plague.
Book 4: Last Fight of the Valkyries [BUY ON KINDLE]
Liam, Marty, and Victoria are rescued from St. Louis. Now safely in the defenses of the town of Cairo, IL, they are once again free to look ahead—into the headwinds of the Zombie Apocalypse. Liam is separated from his parents, Mel and Phil are missing, and Grandma's status as a sane person is very much in doubt in their new town. But when Liam finally realizes what's on the chip given to him by Colonel McMurphy, he sees the way forward. Always with an eye toward saving civilization, he takes his first steps in that direction.
Book 5: Zombies vs. Polar Bears [BUY ON KINDLE]
Liam is more resolved than ever to solve the mystery behind the zombie plague. He now has several clues—some gleaned at great personal cost—about the zombies, although he remains unsure who's behind the creation of the plague. Was it the secretive National Internal Security division as he was originally told, or was it the Patriot Snowball movement as reported by remaining government officials? Everyone has an opinion, but the truth might lurk w
ithin his own family. Meanwhile, Grandma Marty remains in Cairo, Illinois. She is confused by her strange dreams by night, and afraid of what she hears over the great defensive levees of the town by day.
Book 6: Zombies Ever After [BUY ON KINDLE]
"Operation Renew America" is the massive convoy escaping the desolation of the East Coast. As it nears St. Louis, the Polar Bears gear up for a fight. There are tanks in the streets of St. Louis. Combat aircraft buzz the Arch. But Liam wants none of that. His heart is smitten by Victoria, and, though he knows it sounds corny, he wants to get back to her and continue the quest for the cure by her side. But Victoria meets an old foe during her time alone at her University. When Liam returns, and when he finds out where she's gone, his mission becomes very simple: pursue the girl he loves. Along the way he has to ask whether there is anything close to a storybook ending inside the Zombie Apocalypse.
OTHER TITLES
The Revolutions Per Mile series
A new series of driving adventures from post-apocalyptic author E.E. Isherwood.
Book 1: Post Apocalyptic Ponies [BUY ON KINDLE]
When the world ended, Perth Hopkins was one of the lucky few. She jumped in her father's sports car and drove like a girl possessed to escape the nuclear fires. Today, years later, she drives as a high-speed courier between the small farming towns in the breadbasket of a new nation. She's learning the rules of the road in the safe interior—the pony pastures—but she craves the speed and danger of the interstate. Those routes are run by the older girls... When one of those girls shows up in her life, she's forced to consider whether she really wants to see what's over the distant horizon.
Book 2: Post Apocalyptic Mustangs [BUY ON KINDLE]
Perth is tossed into the high-speed world of "The 70." Interstate 70 was once a major artery across the United States, but what's left of it in Kansas has become a dangerous route traversed by brave couriers carrying pieces of the Old World between the surviving towns. Perth's driver, Jo, claims she is the best of the best of the couriers remaining on the highway and she wants to introduce Perth to how things work by doing a simple run from Hays to Salina. But Perth quickly suspects she's been seduced into being her co-pilot for an entirely different destination.
###
All these books are self-published. Self-publishing runs on word of mouth. Your review on the product page is that word. It's like fresh blood to my zombies. It keeps them going. It makes them stronger. At the risk of hurting a horse, I'll mention once more to please consider taking a few moments to pen a brief review of my book on Amazon. Just a few words of encouragement will help me write many more adventures.
Review or not, you've already shown your support when you invested your time and treasure in this tome. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for purchasing and reading Zombies Ever After.
E.E. Isherwood
Connect with E. E. Isherwood
Thank you for being a reader of my work. I value your support more than I can say. I also love interacting with fans. To contact me, yell at me, become a beta reader, or find more stories about the end of everything, look for me online:
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eeisherwood
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Zombies Ever After: Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse, Book 6 Page 35