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  Dead: Winter

  ©2012 May December Publications LLC

  The split-tree logo is a registered trademark of May December Publications LLC.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, or otherwise, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author or May December Publications LLC.

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  For Nickie, Vix, and Christina…

  my first fans.

  Foreword

  When TW Brown asked me to write a foreword for his fourth, and much anticipated, DEAD novel, I was petrified. I know many are wondering why he chose the author of a YA novel, who does not write true horror, much less Zombie-Lit. That thought crossed my mind, as well. There are many authors out there who write about zombies and would give their eye teeth for this chance!

  My first thought was, “I’ll screw this up.” I told Todd that my writing a foreword for one of his DEAD novels would be the equivalent of someone drawing stick figures on the Sistine Chapel. Actually, I wrote “Sixteenth Chapel”—trying to make a joke. However, the end results are the same—I just wasn’t worthy.

  Then, I got to thinking. I may not write books with zombies, but I am an expert when it comes to zombies! Trust me, if the world falls to a zombie apocalypse tomorrow, I WILL survive! Also, I am TW Brown’s biggest fan. Don’t believe me? Ask him yourself (no comments from the peanut gallery, please). I have devoured every novel he has written. His books are my one guilty pleasure. I decided the best way to honor this amazing book—the best way I could contribute—is to tell the readers why I love the DEAD series so much. So, here it goes…

  I will admit to you that before reading Todd’s zombie-lit books, I preferred watching the undead on television or the big screen. The Walking Dead is my favorite T.V. show and I have seen all of Romero’s films. I am a huge fan of the classics, such as Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness to (and yes, you can laugh if you want) Fred Dekker’s Night of the Creeps, and everything in between. If a movie or T.V. show has anything resembling a zombie in it, I want to see it.

  Before I read Brown’s DEAD and Zomblog series, the closest I had come to attempting zombie-lit was a catastrophic novel written by an author who shall remain nameless. I was so disappointed. There was no emotion, no depth—just people killing zombies. Where were the feelings of helplessness and hope? Where was the struggle of right versus wrong? I know it was appalling of me to do so, but right then and there, I decided to get my zombie fix from my usual sources and vowed to never read another “zombie-lit” book again.

  And then I met Todd Brown. Sounds like a line from a bad movie, doesn’t it? He recommended his DEAD series to me. Was I skeptical? Oh, yeah. I still haven’t read Kirkman’s series for fear that it will take away my enjoyment of the T.V. show I love so much. I had come to the conclusion that it was impossible to convey those moments of gut-wrenching horror, those pulse-stopping moments that make zombie movies so great, in the written word. However, Brown was so nice. He didn’t ask for anything in return—just an honest review of his work. I had some time to kill and figured I had nothing to lose—except maybe his friendship when I blew him out of the water with my bad review later on.

  The bad review never came. I was hooked from the first page of Dead: The Ugly Beginning. This is what I had been longing for! Real characters with real emotions, who never know if they’re making the right decisions, but do so anyway because other people are depending on them. I plowed my way through all three books in the series in three days: DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures.

  I couldn’t put them down. Why do I love these books so much? The answer is quite simple: The zombies in the books take a back seat to the characters. Let’s face it; the zombies are just doing what zombies do. They can no more change their actions than the ocean can change its direction in the tides. They are mindless and only know one thing—to feed. However, we learn in Brown’s series that the “walkers” (sorry, I had to throw that word in) are the least of the survivors’ worries. The real monsters are still breathing…still alive. The real monsters are us.

  Brown’s books are divided into different storylines—or as I like to think of them—families. I have come to love all of these characters. There are good guys and gals, heroes, and villains that make you want to reach through the book and choke the life from them. I love the fact that there are several stories within one story, but all have a common goal—survival and (for most of them) trying to do the right thing.

  Every once in a while, you pick up a story, read it, and then can’t get it off your mind when you’re done. You think about it relentlessly, wonder about the characters’ backgrounds, what will happen to them, and what could have made things better for them. You know things they don’t and wish you could jump into the story and tell them, because if you don’t, one of your favorite characters might get snuffed. That is another reason why I love, yet sometimes get angry, at TW Brown. He is NOT afraid to kill off a favorite character! Not even dogs are safe. As I have read and come to love the amazing people who make up the DEAD series, I have read these books on tenterhooks—hoping with my fingers crossed that the next chapter won’t take Steve, Teresa, Thalia, or any of the others that I consider too precious—too important to die. However, I know from reading Brown that no character is safe.

  When we last left our friends in DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, it seemed they were settling down nicely for the winter in their new “homes.” Steve and Melissa got married, Jamie almost turned into a zombie, but lucked out with food poisoning, Jason was finally disposed of, and Teresa and Melissa are both pregnant. We also witnessed the demise of poor Emily’s dad and believe me, I cried through that whole ordeal. Are people supposed to cry when reading zombie novels? Whether they are supposed to or not, get your tissues ready. In the Geeks’ story, our beloved Kevin has found a girlfriend in Aleah, Heather and Matt are becoming close, Erin has her baby, and she, Shari and Peter are still as useless as gum on the bottom of your shoe when it comes to real work. Lastly, Shaw and his men at The Basket are no more. After God only knows how many weeks of torture at the hands of the despicable Garrett, Kirsten finally manages to break free from him—only to die, but at least she took Garrett down with her. Can you say ‘satisfying?’ Juan and Mackenzie have found true love in one another, along with some new friends (remember JoJo, Thad, and Keith?), and new members have been added to their little community. I felt bad when Margaret died, but I saw it coming. Lastly, we have Chad’s group. I am most worried about this one. They have made it to Yosemite, but it appears that many in their group are afraid to get their hands dirty, not to mention that Chad’s daughter, Ronni, is still very distant from him and blames him for things he has no control over. No, I didn’t cover everything that happens in the third book. What I have written is just a small part of the exciting, nail-biting moments.

  As we move to the fourth book, DEAD: Winter, I am scared, yet I can’t wait. I have heard from reliable sources this book is “dreary and bleak.” That is enough to make me want to read it with my hands partially covering my face; you know, like how we used to watch horror movies when we were kids? I think this book will be a turning point in the series. I think people we have come to love will die. I think Todd and I will not speak for a while after I am finished with this book (I’m joking…maybe). Nevertheless, I am ready. I have my box of Kleenex, my coffe
e, and the lights have been turned down low. Come along on this journey with me, if you will. I honestly don’t think I can go there by myself.

  Nicole Storey

  Author—Grimsley Hollow-The Chosen One

  Author’s Note:

  It has been a crazy journey since the release of DEAD: Fortunes & Failures. Back then, sales did well enough to pay for the expenses of the next book…mostly. Then, Amazon announced the KDP program. (No, this is not going to be an advertisement for the online juggernaut.) The initial response from May December Publications was to wait and see. As word began to spread about three- and four-fold sales increases from people who signed up…we decided to test the waters.

  In one weekend, the MDP test subject, Zomblog, gave away 10,000 copies! Okay, that was fun, but would it equate to sales? One month later, we were selling as many books in three days as we normally did in a good month! The month after that, I was able to quit my “day” job and devote myself full time to what I love…writing.

  So here I sit…one month into my new life as a writer. There is a moment—at least there was for me—where you stop feeling like you are a person who writes, and actually feel like a writer. It is the greatest feeling in the world.

  As the second arc of the DEAD series begins, I actually feel a little bit of pressure. For the first time, I know for a fact that there are people waiting for this book. I have said on numerous occasions that it is you, The Reader, that I write for. I have started getting fan letters from some of you who tell me about your favorite scenes…or about a part that made you cry. I want you to know that I read (and save) every single one. I try to answer them as quickly as possible. Your words mean more than I can say, and I want to thank you all for making my dreams come true.

  For those of you who have taken the time to not only read my work, but to write a review and post it on your blogs, sites like Goodreads.com, or on Amazon, I read those as well. In many cases, I have tried to leave a comment thanking you…even if you didn’t exactly care for my work. To those of you that I may have missed, let me thank you right here.

  A very special thank you to The Fluffy Red Fox for her wonderful comments that went into the final crafting of this work. As an author, I have discovered that your fans often know your work better than you. I appreciate you and am forever humbled by how devoted you are to my work.

  As always, there is a plethora of people who I must acknowledge because, without them, I would not be where I am…or who I am: Denise, anybody who knows me knows that I couldn’t do this without you; my daughter, Ronni, who graduates this year…your daddy is so proud of you; Cody and Alex…I love you more than you will ever realize; Jenifer, no daughter could be a better son; Shawn Conn, you are an amazing artist and we are fortunate to have you; Nickie Storey-Bailey, Vix Kirkpatrick, Mike (The Geek) Ridenour and Valarie “Woodstock” Griffiths-Brown …thanks to you each individually for being my friend.

  As always, I want to say to you, the readers who keep coming back...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Baby, it’s cold outside…

  TW Brown

  April 2012

  Visit Amazon’s Author Page for TW Brown

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 – Honeymoon’s Over

  Chapter 2 – Vignettes XIX

  Chapter 3 – The Best Laid Plans of a Geek…

  Chapter 4 – Death and a Birthday

  Chapter 5 – Vignettes XX

  Chapter 6 – Geek and the Princess

  Chapter 7 – Blizzards

  Chapter 8 – Vignettes XXI

  Chapter 9 – Geek History

  Chapter 10 – Painful Farewells and Tough Choices

  Chapter 11 – Vignettes XXII

  Chapter 12 – No Rest for the Geek

  Chapter 13 – Bad Weather and Bad News

  Chapter 14 – Vignettes XXIII

  Chapter 15 – Geeks, Doctors, and Snow

  Chapter 16 – The Last Straw

  Chapter 17 – Vignettes XXIV

  Chapter 18 – Geek-a-go-go

  1

  Honeymoon’s Over

  “Steve!” Dr. Zahn yelled, almost making me lose my balance and plummet into the trench surrounding the hill that the former visitor’s center we now call home rests atop. “Jon says that two of the camps haven’t had any signs of activity in at least the past three days.”

  “You trying to get me back under your knife, Francis?” I quipped.

  “What on earth are you talking about?” the doctor asked flatly, trying to ignore my use of her first name. What is it about doctors and the whole thing where they insist you refer to them by title?

  “I was trying to dredge out some of the crap in this trench from the last burning.” I indicated to the gaping chasm I was standing on the edge of with a giant claw-like device that Ian had fashioned to fish out the bones and such that build up when a few hundred of them get torched. “You scared the crap out of me and almost made me fall in.”

  “Then you aren’t paying attention to your surroundings and should consider yourself lucky that it was just an elderly doctor who managed to surprise you.”

  She had a good point. I had, in fact, been daydreaming. It had only been three weeks since Melissa and I were married, but it had been three of the happiest in my life. Funny. Here I am, trying to stay alive when the world was being overrun by the walking dead, and I’ve never been so happy. How miserable was my previous life?

  “When did Jon get back?” I asked, deciding that this conversation with Dr. Zahn needed to change course.

  “He and Sunshine just set their packs on the porch and are in the examination room waiting for my check up.”

  It was a standing rule: if you go out on a mission, you get inspected for bites or scratches first thing. Even though we now knew that the disease that turned you into a zombie wasn’t a hundred percent lock if you were “nipped or clipped” as Jon liked to say, you still got checked out upon arrival.

  “But no newcomers?” I had to ask. Dr. Zahn was the type who only revealed things under direct questioning. I think it has something to do with her being a military doctor for so long.

  “No.” She looked as if she were about to say something, then stopped.

  “But…?” I tried to lead her.

  “It’s just that Jon seems distracted and Sunshine seems antsy about something.”

  “I’ll see what’s up,” I sighed. “Just let me pull out these last few pieces.” I looked down into the pit at the fully intact ribcage that I’d been about to grab before the doctor showed up. The cart was already brimming with bones; they would all be busted up and hauled away.

  “Also, I need to see Melissa tonight for her baby check up.”

  “Will do…and you’re sure that you don’t mind Thalia and Emily being there?” Both girls were, for all intents and purposes, my daughters. I’d rescued Thalia the night the whole zombie thing started, and Emily had been entrusted to me by her father when he had us abandon the military outpost-slash-small town that went by the name Serenity Base when it was believed that a massive horde might be coming.

  It had.

  “I think it is a fine idea that Melissa has the girls with her,” the doctor said. “And it wouldn’t hurt for you to make an appearance as well.”

  “Isn’t that sorta private?”

  “Husbands and boyfriends used to go to these things all the time…it is actually quite normal; besides, I doubt there is anything I’ll be checking that you haven’t seen.”

  Leave it to the good doctor to put a blunt edge on something and hit me over the head with it. “I will be there…but I don’t really see the point.”

  “Steve,” Dr. Zahn let loose with a sigh of obvious exasperation, “normally you are a good guy. You have a great heart, and it is obvious how much you care about everything. So how can you be so clueless about this?”

  “I don’t—” I started, but she cut me off.

  “Exactly! You don’t get it. This is a stre
ssful thing in the best of circumstances. We left those circumstances behind a long time ago. Pregnancy is not going to be easy. All the medical marvels we took for granted are gone.”

  I felt like a complete tool. So, besides the fact that I am an entirely clueless father to a pair of orphan girls, I can add “Idiot Husband” to my title.

  “I’ll be there, Doc,” I assured. Dr. Zahn knew I was serious when I called her by title.

  I watched her walk away, and then returned to work. After all, the bones weren’t going to come out of the trench on their own. God, please don’t let them come out of the trench by themselves.

  Almost on cue, one of the heads rolled so that the face—or rather where the face would be if there were still flesh on the skull—stared up at me with empty eye sockets. The mouth opened and closed—a charred hunk of what I assumed to be the tongue twitched back and forth. Not all the heads had suffered sufficient damage to affect the brain enough to immobilize the zombie. Picking up the long poker nearby for just such circumstances, I thrust down, effectively spearing the head and added it to the pile in the cart.

  After another hour of sifting, I was ready to pack it in. Putting all the gear in the cart, I grabbed my cane and was ready to head up the hill. I was looking forward to the day I wouldn’t need that damn thing anymore. I have no idea what sort of therapy people went through before, but I’m pretty sure Dr. Zahn makes some of the stuff up just to torture me. Of course it could’ve been worse when I fell off that picnic table and broke my leg trying to deal with a few zombies that had been led intentionally to our little hideout. From what I was told, I was real close to joining the herd.

  “Steve?” Ian’s voice called from the other side of the wagon.

  “Right here,” I answered and gimped my way around the open back end of the bone-laden cart.