Preservation - 03

by Phillip Tomasso

  His arms outstretched; fingers curling and uncurling as if calling me closer and closer..

  I swung the sword high, and fast and hard.

  As the blade connected with the side of his neck, I closed my eyes and turned away before I saw something I’d never be able to un-see. I slid the blade across his flesh as I spun, and regretted being able to feel the blade shred with a jagged cut.

  And then I walked toward the car, and past it…and kept on walking.

  # # #

  The sign said Mexican Border.

  I could hear the river. It ran strong and fast.

  There were cars all over the place, clogging the way out of this country and into the next.

  Dad wanted us to reach Mexico.

  We’d done it. Well, I’d done it.

  I’d do it, if only for him.

  I wasn’t sure this was where I wanted to be, though.

  My home was nearly 2,000 miles in the opposite direction.

  Not a few hundred yards in front of me.

  For my dad, I would cross into Mexico. Maybe it would turn out to be the perfect sanctuary. Maybe I would be safe. Maybe they didn’t have the zombie problems America faced.

  Maybe there was a new beginning waiting for me on the other side of that wall.

  I wouldn’t know until I crossed over and saw for myself.

  The problem was, I kept thinking about what we’d learned so far. The zombies did not like the rain. Mexico did not get much rain. Ever. The zombies learned. They might never be smart (again), or figure out complex problems, but they did learn. If the things were decaying from the inside out, then maybe, just maybe this nightmare would end on its own. Eventually.

  My name is Charlene McKinney.

  Char.

  In a few short weeks, I’d lost everything important in my world: my mother, my brother, my father.

  I’d lost everything except the anger that stirred inside me. I had my sword, machete and knives. I had a fire inside me. I wanted answers. I wanted revenge. I knew it might be wrong, but I wanted to kill every last zombie on earth. Maybe I’d start that in Mexico . . . Maybe I’d go somewhere else and settle the score . . .

  I turned around, and gave the USA one final look . . .

  . . . The End . . .

  Read on for a free sample of Bravo Two Zombie

  Author’s Note

  While Butler County is an actual county in Pennsylvania, for creative reasons I took many liberties with the physical attributes. With 14 movies filmed in this county, including but not limited to, Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Crazies (1973), I Am Number Four (2011), and The Avengers (2012), I wanted to include this location in the mix of my own zombie trilogy. If any harm was caused, mistakes made, I apologize as none was meant.

  Special Thanks

  I want to thank Adrian DeJesus, JoAnne Doud and Linda Tooch, my beta readers; Gary and everyone at Severed Press for all the work put into bringing The Vaccination Trilogy to life, and most importantly, all of the readers who have helped to make the series an Amazon Best Seller. Without my readers, my writing stories is pointless. Thank you, everyone. Your continued support means the world to me.

  www.philliptomasso.com / phillip@philliptomasso.com

  @P_Tomasso

  Other Titles by Tomasso

  Evacuation

  Vaccination

  Sounds of Silence

  Pulse of Evil

  Pigeon Drop Convicted

  The Molech Prophecy (as Thomas Phillips)

  Adverse Impact

  Johnny Blade

  Third Ring

  Tenth House

  Mind Play

  Forthcoming

  Riverbed Treasure Island: A Zombie Novel

  About the Author

  Phillip Tomasso is the award winning author of numerous novels, and short stories. He works full time as a Fire/EMS Dispatcher at 911. He lives in Rochester, NY with his three children, dog, Fettuccine, and cat, Luca. He is always at work on his next tale.

  Praise For VACCINATION

  “I loved this book because of the concept; zombies didn't just appear after somebody woke up in a hospital bed! The group of survivors were believable, and I loved the fact that they weren't perfect. Highly recommended.” – D.A. Wearmouth, bestselling author of First Activation

  “VACCINATION is a thrill a minute. Narrated in a gritty noir voice, Phillip Tomasso drags you into a zombie outbreak face first and doesn’t let you go until you’ve ripped your fingernails off clawing for help. Smart, intense and damn right frightening, VACCINATION is a must for any zombie fan.”– Max Booth III, author of Toxicity

  “It’s hard not to get emotionally attached to the small group of survivors and root for them despite their personal flaws. It’s pretty much impossible to describe the end without giving away too much. I’ll just say that it was a great twist. Whether you are new to zombie fiction or have been a fan for years, I’d tell you to check this one out. It’s a great read.” – Ian McLellan, Zombie-Guide.com

  “Tomasso created a Zombie book that seems all too possible! This book kept me wired tight from the beginning until the very end. If you like awesome adventure, and vivid storytelling, then you will LOVE Vaccination! 5 BIG Stars!” – Cedric Nye, author of The Road to Hell is Paved with Zombies

  “There's a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of the book, which left me wanting more. I'm anxiously awaiting the publication of the second book. If you're looking for a great zombie book, then I highly recommend you grab a copy of Vaccination. Props to Phillip Tomasso for writing this fantastic zombie novel!” – J. Cornnell Michels, author of Jordan’s Brains

  “Tomasso explores a humanity left dormant in the infected with graceful elegance. While we get glimpses into that unexpected possibility throughout the book, I would have loved digging deeper down that rabbit hole and see what he would have gifted us with. Simply put, however, VACCINATION is on fire!” — The Bookie Monster

  Praise for EVACUATION (Book 2)

  “Evacuation is a great read. A taut thriller of a zombie book that is wonderfully violent while continuing a great story about a guy who is simply trying to keep his kids safe during the absolute worst of times. It is fast paced and full of action, but also contains a few scenes that are gut-wrenching to go along with all of the gore and tension.” Ian McClellan, Zombie-Guide Magazine

  “Tomasso is a warmhearted writer with an edge. Evacuation is as much emotional and compassionate, as it is horrific and ruthless . . . Evacuation ends in such a way that readers are left with no other option than to read the final installment. It left me with a buildup of anticipation, and questions that must be answered.” Shana Festa, The Bookie-Monster Review

  “This book was better than the first. While it was still fast paced and zombie filled, it was also filled with many emotions, not only felt by the characters in the book but by you the reader. The author made you feel scared, nervous, [it made you] want to scream you were so mad, and the ending was filled with sadness and left you crying and waiting to find out what happens next . This book brought you even closer to the main characters.” MLP, Amazon

  “A very entertaining zombie story. The interrelationships between characters are surprisingly deep with an unanticipated moral theme that gives this book a deeper and more moving character than most. Very well written engrossing and moving. If you are thinking about reading it I say go ahead.” LGreen, Amazon

  “Phillip Tomasso is one of my favorite writers & this book certainly didn't disappoint . . . If you're looking for a really excellent ZA book, then read this series. I promise you won't regret it! I’m waiting impatiently for the sequel!” ZAreader, Amazon

  “OMG loved this book. Can't wait for the next one. Makes you think if we could all stick together if something like this was to happen. Thanks for writing these books. Please keep writing.” Amanda Simmons, Amazon

  “A great spin on the tried-and-true zombie tale with non-stop action. I couldn't put it down! Can't wait f
or the 3rd book!” Tony Bartosiewicz, Amazon

  “Very fun series to read. I'm a firefighter and paramedic so to see this group is fun, can't wait for the last one to come out!” Roam, Amazon

  Praise for Phillip Tomasso

  “This is different … confident, addictive storytelling, great characters, and an intriguing plot. You’ll read it fast but remember it for a long time. ” —Lee Child, best selling author of One Shot and the Jack Reacher series

  “(Tomasso) takes the standard fare of the private investigator genre and adds twists and turns to make it anything but standard. Tomasso’s writing is crisp and clear … thoroughly enjoyable.” —Joseph Nassise, author of Internal Games and King of the Dead

  “Phillip Tomasso understands what drives people who live on the edge. His characters are three-dimensional and they engage your sympathy and your anger. . .”— William Meikle, author of Night of the Wendigo and The Midnight Eye Files

  “I have a selection of authors that I turn to when I need a break from Fantasy and Phillip Tomasso has just become one of them.” —The Eternal Night Magazine

  “Phillip Tomasso breathes new life into an old genre – an EXCELLENT read!” —M. R. Sellers, Author of In the Bleak Midwinter and Never Burn a Witch

  “Tomasso weaves a fantastic tale of supernatural proportions in Third Ring. This book keeps you at the edge of your seat, makes you question what you really believe, and entertains, all at the same time. I enjoyed reading this novel because it had just the right amount of characterization to make me feel like I know Tartaglia (the protagonist) but not so much that it took away from the plot.” —John Mirak, Jr., author of Time Stand Still and Soft Case

  “Tomasso has a hit with his Nick Tartaglia series. His writing is real and flows just the way a detective novel should … THIRD RING is a frightening ride, full of twists and turns. But when the ride is over, all you want to do is buy another ticket and go again.” —Nancy Mehl, author of Unbreakable and Inescapable

  “ . . . This guy is GOOD! . . . The characters are terrific and I can’t think of anything better on a cold winter’s night than another Phillip Tomasso novel . . . Well done!” —Thom Racina, best-selling author of Hidden Agenda, Secret Weekend and Deadly Games

  “Tenth House is fast-paced, super-scary, and supernatural. Mr. Tomasso writes thrills with a twist!” —Sarah Lovett, author of Dantes’ Inferno and Desperate Silence

  “Tenth House is meticulously detailed in both setting and character depth. The story will pull you in, shake you about, disturb you, keep you guessing and always wanting more. It delivers!” —Keith Rommel, BookReview

  “Tenth House is a brilliant concoction of suspense, thrills, action, and love all mixed into a book you won’t want to put down!” —Amanda Mueller, MyRochester.com

  “Phillip Tomasso’s supernatural tale develops three-dimensional characters for a different style of detective series … where the unexpected prevails.” —N.B. Leake, Write Time Write Place

  “Fast-paced and deftly told—Tomasso knows his craft.” —Olivia Boler, author of Year of the Smoke Girl and The Flower Bowl Spell

  “…I look forward to more by this talented author in the future.” —Tracy Farnsworth, The Romance Readers Connection.com

  “Prologue”

  The land stretching from Cornwall to the south of England and running all the way to the Orkney Islands lying to the north of Scotland belonged mainly to the tainted. They roamed free, hunting down the remaining humans, following a three-year feeding frenzy that had spread the contamination throughout the population of 61,000,000 people in Britain. Ireland was almost completely lost to the Walking Dead, as was much of Europe.

  All continents, the Americas, Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and Antarctica had fallen. Bands of survivors throughout the planet had formed strongholds, creating modern day fortresses. Behind those high walls, they lived an existence of constant fear that the tainted would find a way in and devour them.

  In London, which was the old capital before the plague, walls of sheer steel over five metres high contained an area bordered by the Thames on one side, running from the famous Tower Bridge. It extended up to the A1211, turned East as far as the A1, along to the A503, north on the A10 to the A406, and then followed that all the way down to the Thames at North Woolwich. Within North Woolwich were crammed over a million souls, the Pure, which co-existed spending each day doing just that, existing. Numerous other smaller groups had dug in and created less sophisticated strongholds throughout the city and also further afield, across the south of England. Craig Anderson, the Ex-SAS Captain and now the head of security at Fort London had offered those people sanctuary at the capital’s stronghold whenever he came across such a group. Some had accepted and others for reason of religion, stubbornness or idealistic views, had chosen not to take refuge there.

  Anderson had even come across a group of Hell’s Angels in Peckham who had named themselves "The Zombie Chapter.” The Angels had turned a large warehouse into a fortress run by a man called “Hog”, named after the distinctive Harley Davidson motorbike he rode as he led his followers on gathering forays throughout the outer lands on their powerful choppers.

  Craig Anderson played a major part in setting up the London fortress, and during the last year had led a snatch squad made up of mostly SAS trained troops into what they now called the outer land. He led this squad on countless forays to scavenge, and also to gather up and bring in the stragglers of the Pure who were still playing hide and seek with the roaming hordes of WDs. This however, had all but stopped now. There were so few roamers left that the risk could not be justified and his main duty now was to maintain order and security within Fort London, a mini country. He patrolled and kept the route open with Fort Warwick, a much bigger fortress a hundred miles to the north run by a former drug baron, Karl Bruger. A man Craig despised, but a man he had little choice but to deal with, for Bruger controlled the new currency and food, not only over Fort London, but also over most of the smaller strongholds to the north. This gave him power over those who were forced to make perilous trips to Fort Warwick. To the south, his control was through Fort London, as many of the strongholds would turn to the larger fort to trade for food supplies bartered from Bruger.

  Just less than two million of the Pure lived within the steel and concrete walls of Fort Warwick, all working under Bruger´s control through his army of thugs, many of whom were ex-service men and a number of ex-SAS troops. Anderson swore that one day he would take Bruger down, take him down and feed him to the tainted. Anderson knew in his heart the time would come.

  However, as much as Anderson yearned for the day to arrive, he had to set that mission aside, for in the gloom and despair of what had become everyday life came a beacon. Suddenly, there was a thin light at the end of the endless Zombie tunnel and the prospect of a future free of the tainted and the living dead, was a possibility. A messiah had come forward, a zombie messiah.

  However, not everyone wanted change. Not everyone wanted the old world order back and one of those was Karl Bruger. He was king of all he surveyed and beyond, and he wanted it to stay that way. Bruger and Anderson were set on a collision course, and the messiah was the Holy Grail of their chosen futures. One wished to drink from it, the other wanted to crush it. Therein follows a running battle through the outer lands where many of the smaller strongholds, including the zombie chapter, were caught up in the war for the messiah. Inevitably, there would be a winner and a loser. For in all battles, there could be only one.

  Chapter One

  "We Need To Kill Him"

  'We've got a bleed on the north wall. Go into lock down,' shouted Craig Anderson sprinting to the modified Land Rover Discovery, his four most trusted men in his team close behind.

  'What sector?' checked Tom Parfitt, slamming the vehicle into first gear. The huge tyres complained, sending up a plume of smoke as the rubber heated, melted, and smeared another set of black track marks across the garage floor of one of the mo
bile bases of Bravo Two Zombie Squad, its blaring siren warning of its approach.

  'Sector 14,' snapped Pump from the back seat.

  'Put out the warning, Pump,' ordered Anderson.

  Pump was his comms man and got his name from his choice of weapon, an 870 Magnum pump action shot gun.

  Pressing a series of keys on the on-board communications laptop, he linked into the Fort London BWS (Bleed Warning System) and sent out an automated warning. Within two seconds, a pre-recorded message boomed out through the numerous tannoys set around the fort, warning the populace to keep away from Sector 14, an area taking in part of Tottenham. Immediately, there was a stampede, as men, women, and children, panicked within the sector. Emergency steel walls, which divided the fort into small containment areas, had already slammed up into position from underground, separating Sector 14 from the rest of Fort London.

  Any of the populace in a sector at the time of a bleed would be trapped by the hydraulically operated automated walls, which would be activated at the first warning call. There, the unlucky ones would stay until the clearance units had filtered through the isolated zone. Each member of the populace would be screened for bites and infection. Each person at the fort knew every one of the 100 sectors in Fort London. It was part of their conditioning to memorise them like the alphabet, and automatically react at the first warning call of a zombie break-in. Despite regulations not to, many of the populace would try to escape the sector before the steel walls were activated. However, the CCTV network would pick them up, or other members of the fort would point them out as needing screening, as the only way the fort could stay un-infected by the plague and remain Pure.