All the houses had newly installed corrugated iron roofs. It made them hotter in summer, but it made it virtually impossible for fairies to land within the compound. Fairies would die upon contact with the iron, but more importantly, the huge concentration of it gave any fairy flying overhead a severe migraine, of sorts. Sometimes the pain was so great that the fairy would drop from the sky. This created a spectacular display for those lucky enough to witness the rainbow explosion as the small creature hit the iron and burst into flames.
The roofs were reclaimed from the deserted village below. It had been a dangerous and time-consuming task. Lives had been lost, but now more people could be saved. It was a hard decision, but one that had to be made.
Some people believed that Daisy Hill was haunted. Emeline didn’t believe it for a second. She thought that the nighttime screeches and moans most likely came from the mutants that surrounded them. Or, possibly, they came from her tortured dreams and not from the ghosts at all.
Thursday
The Sun Herald
YOUR FAVOURITE LOCAL NEWSPAPER
AIDS Cured!
AIDS: It’s been the scourge of the sexual revolution. Now a cure is mere months away! While certain demographics of the community are affected by this devastating disease more than others, a universal fix-it-all is currently being developed in Africa, a country that is fraught with suffering as a result of this destructive illness.
Dr. Peter von der Haum, a leading viral bacterial researcher is leading the way in this exciting new breakthrough. An Australian scientist, von der Haum has moved his life’s work to Africa stating that it is important to research and test in a country that has the highest rate per capita of AIDS sufferers.
“To see small children and pregnant, breast-feeding mothers suffering from what will shortly be a curable disease is something that cannot be expressed in words.”
~ Dr. Peter von der Haum
Some health organisations, notably several groups in Australia, are requesting that more rigorous testing be done before the drug is released to the general public. While there are some concerns surrounding the short length of time between final human testing and the suggested release date of August this year, these have been muffled by the general consensus of world leaders saying that the benefits of a cure for AIDS far outweigh the slight risks involved
So what does this mean for the general public?
Starting from August, a rollout of the vaccine will begin in Africa. All AIDS affected people will be able to visit their doctor, free of charge, and obtain the variant of the vaccine that is able to correct the HIV virus. All people that have been blood-tested and are considered AIDS free will have the option of the AIDS vaccine. This inoculation will also be made available free in a bid by the African leaders to eradicate an illness that has devastated their country.
Following the successful rollout in Africa, Australia and the US will follow. While Australia is listing the vaccine on their Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and therefore making it available countrywide at a discounted or free cost, the US is still under negotiations in regards to costs.
Chapter Four
Emeline lifted her head and took aim at the zombie magpie that was still attempting to make a strangled warble in the top of the tree. She watched as it hopped stiltedly from branch to branch. It was beginning to lose its ability to fly. If it fell out of the tree, it would never be able to sing from the treetops again, not that its future looked remarkably long or eventful anymore.
However, Emeline was planning to dispose of it before then. She could see exactly what it was trying to do. It was trying to reach the non-mutated sparrow, which were now only a few branches away. Emeline needed to kill it now before it had a chance to infect the other bird.
It would save her a bullet.
A bullet wound to the brain could kill zombies. In fact, any form of brain damage could kill them. So could total decapitation.
Emeline took aim. She had a sniper rifle, so she could shoot from a safe distance. That was how she spent her days. Thursday was zombie-watch day.
The magpie jumped onto the branch above the sparrow. It staggered and lurched but managed to regain its composure. Emeline had to strike now, before it could contaminate the healthy bird. She steadied her weapon and took careful aim.
The sparrow never even knew that it had been in danger. It watched with skittish surprise as the magpie fell from the branch above. The dead bird bumped its way down through the tree, hitting the ground with a wet, splodgy thunk.
Emeline’s job was not yet complete though. She still had to burn the body after confirming that the zombified bird was dead. This was the dangerous part.
She nodded back to Warwick who was watching her through binoculars from behind the iron fence. They always worked in pairs. One was designated dispatcher, the other watcher. There was always a decent gap between the two people. In addition, usually there was some form of barrier in the middle. Today it was the iron fence. Emmy also had the water between her and the rest of the world. You can never be too safe in this new and deadly world of theirs.
Warwick nodded back at her. She waited while he put down the binoculars and picked up his own sniper rifle. He was not as good a shot as Emeline, but then again, he wasn’t aiming for the small bird. He was aiming the gun at his precious sister.
If it turned out that the magpie wasn’t dead and it infected Emeline, Warwick would be the one in charge of dispatching her. So far, they had been luckier than some of the others. Normally they refused to work with each other. No one else liked them working together, but there had been an outbreak of gastro amongst the people of the compound. Any able hands were either tending to the sick or collecting water for the community - another task that was fraught with unnecessary danger.
Warwick lifted the gun and took aim. Emeline nodded curtly again and lowered her own weapon. She still held it at the ready, but she was now concentrating on approaching the bird.
The creature hadn’t moved since it had hit the ground with its sickening thud, but Emeline knew from experience that she should never drop her guard.
The bird was only ten metres in front of her now. It was time to don her facemask. Occasionally the wind was brisk enough to whip a feather into action, Emeline had started to raise her gun twice already because of this. It was always such a fine line between caution and stupidity.
The body turned out to be well and truly dead. Emeline stuck her gun into it and poked it with enough force to break bones. There was not a croak or a squawk from the infected animal.
Once she had confirmed its death, Emeline leaned her gun against the truck of the tree from which the bird had fallen. She left the safety off. The quick or the dead was the common catch phrase now.
From her back pocket, she removed an aerosol can. From her front pocket, she retrieved a lighter. It was the only way to stop a predator making light work of an easy, but possibly highly infected, meal.
Once the body was burnt to a crisp, Emeline removed the mask from her face. There was no proof that zombie germs were an air born contagion, but Emeline refused to take any chances.
She was now able to return to the compound. It was still a slow and steady process though. Many people were caught unawares on the return trip. They had dropped their guard and assumed that the danger had been taken care of properly.
There was no such thing as properly these days.
To read the rest of Emeline and the Mutants please go to Amazon.com
Metanoia
Definition: n. an awakening, a spiritual conversion or a fundamental change of character
Etymology: Greek 'to change one's mind, repent'
Marli Anderson has just one task: assassinate Oscar La Monde, the man she once loved.
As assassin for hire for the prestigious Merrick’s Inc., she is sent back to her home town to kill the man she now loathes beyond all others—her husband. Considering they are on opposing sides of the uprising, Marli anticipates
an easy task; ‘closure’ they call it. The fact that she can exact her revenge for his past discretions is just the icing on the cake.
When she arrives, the town has changed. The man she hated is unexpectedly welcoming. And the town’s folk—well, they’re just… different. Someone or something has transformed them all into a bunch of zombies. They appear to be harmless - but are they?
As she begins to uncover details of who may be behind the townsfolk’s’ metamorphosis, Marli is left fighting for the truth. Will she and Oscar be able to unravel the web of deception before it’s too late?
Should she trust her heart or her head? Which is less likely to get her killed?
METANOIA is a heart-stopping zombie apocalypse adventure filled with twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.
Available from:
Amazon
About the Author
Rachel Tsoumbakos is a stay home mother of two.
Her main passions are writing, reading and organic gardening. Rachel lives with her husband, two kids, three cats and seven chickens in suburban Melbourne, Australia.
While she has had several articles published through mainstream magazines, she has also written extensively for True Blood Net and now writes news and entertainment articles for The Inquisitr.
Emeline and the Mutants is her first published novel and available on Amazon. The Ring of Lost Souls is set in an abandoned mental institute on the outskirts of Melbourne, is her second novel and also available on Amazon. Unremembered Things is an edgy paranormal trilogy about a woman who is in charge of saving the world even though she suffers from amnesia. It is the first novel in the Wood Nymph Chronicles
Her newest endeavour is Zombie Apocalypse Now! This is a zombie apocalypse serial written entirely from a female perspective – and boy do these gals know how to kick some butt!
Find Rachel online:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/rtsoumbakos
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/mrszoomby
Blog:
http://racheltsoumbakos.wordpress.com
Table of Contents
PART ONE: In The Beginning…
In The Beginning…. ROSALYN
In The Beginning…. BERTA
In The Beginning…. PIPPA
In The Beginning…. TATIANA
PART TWO
Tatiana Runs Out of Cigarettes
Berta Escapes
And What of Pippa?
Secrets and Lies and What the Apocalypse Brings…
Welcome to the Funhouse Forensic Unit
Going to Hell in a Hand Basket
Zombie Apocalypse Now! Page 7
