Chapters (91)
- Author’s Foreword
- Part One: Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight
- DURING THE OUTBREAK
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- Part Two: Fat Girl with a knife
- DURING THE OUTBREAK
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- Part Three: Orc Night
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- Part Four: Still of Night
- — 1 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 2 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 3 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 4 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 5 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 6 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 7 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 8 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 9 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 10 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 11 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 12 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 13 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 14 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 15 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 16 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 17 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 18 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 19 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 20 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 21 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 22 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 23 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 24 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 25 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 26 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 27 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 28 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 29 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 30 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 31 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 32 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 33 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 34 —: DAHLIA AND THE PACK
- — 35 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
- — 36 —: HAPPY VALLEY
- — 37 —: THE SOLDIER AND THE DOG
- — 38 —: THE SIEGE OF HAPPY VALLEY
- — 39 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN, THE SOLDIER, AND THE DOG
- — 40 —: THE SIEGE OF HAPPY VALLEY
- — 41 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN, THE SOLDIER, AND THE DOG
- — 42 —: HAPPY VALLEY
- — 43 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN, THE SOLDIER, AND THE DOG
- — 44 —: HAPPY VALLEY
- — 45 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN, THE SOLDIER, AND THE DOG
- — 46 —: HAPPY VALLEY
- — 47 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN, THE SOLDIER, AND THE DOG
- — 48 —: THE SIEGE OF HAPPY VALLEY
- — 49 —: THE WAR
- EPILOGUE
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- The Zombie Apocalypse Chronology
“Ah,” he said, smiling sadly, “that is where you’re wrong, Dahlia. The killers are the ones who choose to do that. If you chose to stand between the helpless and people who wanted to harm them, even if you were forced to kill, it doesn’t define you as a killer.”
“Yeah? Then what the fuck does it make me?”
“It makes you a warrior.”
She stared at him, and the word seemed to burn in the air.
“Warrior . . . ?”
“Oh yes. A soldier follows orders, right or wrong. A warrior, a true warrior, steps into harm’s way to save the lives of those who cannot defend themselves.” He released her hands. “I’m teaching you how to fight, how to kill, but I have no intentions at all of turning you into a killer. Even if you kill a hundred of the enemy. I want you to live, Dahlia. When I’m gone you will need to lead your Pack, and you will need to transform it into a community. Maybe into a nation. But before we can rebuild the world we have to preserve it.”
He stood.
“The Rovers are coming for us,” said Mr. Church. “The difference between them and you is that they want a war. They want to kill.”
Dahlia got to her feet. The tears were hot on her cheeks but she didn’t wipe them away. “What . . . what do you want me to do?”
Her voice was shaky, her heart was breaking, but she stood firm.
“Gather the pack,” said Church. “Call in the scouts. We need to find out how many are coming.”
“And then?”
“And then we pick where we want to fight. They have numbers and there is an arrogance that goes with that. You are a woman, most of the Pack are kids. I’m an old man. If Trash has told them about everything, then that is what they will expect to find. It is not,” he said, “what they will find.”
“No,” she said.
“What is it they’ll find?” he asked.
“Warriors,” said Dahlia.
Mr. Church pulled her close nd hugged her.
“Welcome to the war.”
— 24 —: THE WARRIOR WOMAN
— 24 —
THE WARRIOR WOMAN
“We are getting out of here.” Rachael’s voice was low as she handed her extra knives over to Claudia. “I don’t want the town to decide that we’ve outstayed our welcome as guests and decide we need to participate in their fucked-up work program.”
It was past midnight as Rachael, Claudia, and Jason loaded up their weapons and bags onto their backs, strapping down anything that might make noise so they could move as stealthily as possible. The town was dimly lit at this hour, something Rachael hoped would work to their advantage. The solar lights along the edges of the sidewalks glowed softly, providing just enough light to navigate by.