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Relentless

Page 53

by Jonathan Maberry


  “Inside the Fire” by Disturbed

  “Irresponsible Hate Anthem” by Marilyn Manson

  “It’s Been Awhile” by Staind

  “Joan Crawford” by Blue Öyster Cult

  “Jumper” by Third Eye Blind

  “Killing an Arab” by the Cure

  “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine

  “Last Kiss” by Wayne Cochran (cover by Pearl Jam)

  “Last Resort” by Papa Roach

  “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” by Warren Zevon

  “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” by Drowning Pool

  “Lightning Crashes” by Live

  “Lights Out” by Breaking Benjamin

  “Like a Stone” by Audioslave

  “Lost” by Death Angel

  “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem ft. Rihanna

  “Lovin’ Arms” by Etta James

  “Mad World” by Gary Jules

  “Memories” by Maroon 5

  “Merry Go Round” by the Struts

  “Monster” by Jacob Banks

  Murder Ballads album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

  “My Heart” by Varna

  “My Immortal” by Evanescence

  “Natural” by Imagine Dragons

  “No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish

  “Nobody Knows” by the Tony Rich Project

  “Not Ready to Die” by Avenged Sevenfold

  “Oh Darlin’ What Have I Done” by the White Buffalo

  “Once in a Lifetime” by Wolfsheim

  “Only Road” by Sur

  “Perdida” by Deby Medrez Pier

  “Pilgrim” by Fink

  “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp

  “Please Don’t Leave Me” by P!nk

  “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” by Warren Zevon

  “Prayer” by Disturbed

  “Push It” by Garbage

  “Pushing Me Away” by Linkin Park

  “Radiation” by Gavin DeGraw

  “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons

  “Raining Blood” by Slayer

  “Reaper” by Wild the Coyote and Badd Wolf

  “Reckless” by Lacuna Coil

  “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

  “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers (cover by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros)

  “Refuse/Resist” by Sepultura (cover by Hatebreed)

  Repentless album by Slayer

  Requiem by W. A. Mozart

  “Resentment” by A Day to Remember

  “Revenge” by Archers of Loaf

  “Rise Up” by Andra Day

  “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” by Warren Zevon

  “Roots” by In This Moment

  “Running Up That Hill” by Meg Myers

  “Sad but True” by Metallica

  “Sail” by AWOLNATION

  “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

  “Señor Sol” by Deby Medrez Pier

  “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

  “Shatter Me” by Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale

  “Sinner Man” by Nina Simone

  “Snuff” by Slipknot

  “Sober” by P!nk

  “Soldier’s Eyes” by Jack Savoretti

  “Soldiers” by Otherwise

  “Song of a Sinner” by Top Drawer

  “Splendid Isolation” by Warren Zevon

  “St. Anger” by Metallica

  “Still There’ll Be More” by Procol Harum

  “Surrender” by Billy Talent

  “Take Me to Church” by Hozier

  “Tell It to My Grave” by J. B. Beverley

  “The Big Payback” by James Brown

  “The Blacklist” by Exodus

  “The Bleeding” by Five Finger Death Punch

  “The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost” by Craig Morgan (Live at the Opry)

  “The Grace” by Neverending White Lights ft. Dallas Green

  “The Grand Massacre” by Ennio Morricone

  “The Keeper” by Chris Cornell

  “The Kill (Bury Me)” by Thirty Seconds to Mars

  “The Killing of Georgie” by Rod Stewart

  “The Last” by Agust D

  “The Naked Ride Home” by Jackson Browne (cover by James Taylor)

  “The Red” by Chevelle

  “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel (cover by Disturbed)

  “The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks

  “The Trick Is to Keep Breathing” by Garbage

  “The Ultra-Violence” by Death Angel

  “The Vengeful One” by Disturbed

  “The Way I Am” by Eminem

  “The Writ” by Black Sabbath

  “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra

  “Things Have Changed” by Bob Dylan

  “Think Twice” by Eve 6

  “This Is War” by Thirty Seconds to Mars

  “This Means War” by Avenged Sevenfold

  “Time to Kill” by Overkill

  “Tom Sawyer” by Rush

  “Train of Consequences” by Megadeth

  “Turquoise Jewelry” by Camper Van Beethoven

  “Twilight and Shadows” from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King soundtrack

  “Ultra Violet (Light My Way)” by U2 (for Junie Flynn)

  “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers

  “Unholy War” by Jacob Banks

  “Until the Day I Die” by Story of the Year

  “Uprising” by Muse

  “Useless” by Depeche Mode

  “Vengeance” by New Model Army

  “Violence” by A Day to Remember

  “Vow” by Garbage

  “Walk Me Home” by P!nk

  “War of the Worlds” by Jeff Wayne

  “When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You” by Marvin Gaye

  “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish

  “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley ft. Alison Krauss

  “Who Did That to You” by John Legend

  “Who Knew” by P!nk

  “With You” by Linkin Park

  “Without You” by Harry Nilsson

  “Wonderwall” by Oasis

  World Painted Blood album by Slayer

  “Wrong Side of Heaven” by Five Finger Death Punch

  “You Ain’t Coming Back” by Zeal & Ardor

  “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman Turner Overdrive

  “You Better Run” by Motörhead

  “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi

  “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette

  “Your Time Is Gonna Come” by Led Zeppelin

  “Zero” by OTEP

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The Joe Ledger novels could not be undertaken without the help of a lot of talented and generous people. In no particular order, then …

  Many thanks to John Cmar, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, and Dr. Ronald Coleman, CEO of Regentech Incorporated.

  Thanks to my friends in the International Thriller Writers, International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and the Horror Writers Association. Thanks to my literary agent, Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties; my stalwart editor at St. Martin’s Griffin, Michael Homler; Robert Allen and the crew at Macmillan Audio; and my film agent, Dana Spector of Creative Artists Agency. Thanks to Big FUN Shirt Company in Eureka, California (where Joe Ledger and I both shop!).

  Thanks to contest winners Michael Stafford, Mia Kleeve, Peggy Ann Gondek, and Jill Hamilton-Krawczyk.

  Special thanks to my friend and colleague Joe R. Lansdale, for his gracious permission to allow Hap Collins and Leonard Pine to have some fun with Joe Ledger.

  And special thanks to my brilliant audiobook reader, Ray Porter.

  ALSO BY JONATHAN MABERRY

  Ink

  Rage

  Deep
Silence

  Dogs of War

  Kill Switch

  Predator One

  Code Zero

  Extinction Machine

  Assassin’s Code

  The King of Plagues

  The Dragon Factory

  Patient Zero

  Joe Ledger: Special Ops

  Still of Night

  Dark of Night

  Fall of Night

  Dead of Night

  The Wolfman

  The Nightsiders: The Orphan Army

  The Nightsiders: Vault of Shadows

  Ghostwalkers: A Deadlands Novel

  Lost Roads

  Broken Lands

  Bits & Pieces

  Fire & Ash

  Flesh & Bone

  Dust & Decay

  Rot & Ruin

  Bad Moon Rising

  Dead Man’s Song

  Ghost Road Blues

  Bewilderness

  Glimpse

  Mars One

  ANTHOLOGIES (AS EDITOR)

  Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alan Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

  Joe Ledger: Unstoppable (with Bryan Thomas Schmidt)

  Nights of the Living Dead (with George A. Romero)

  V-Wars

  V-Wars: Blood and Fire

  V-Wars: Night Terrors

  V-Wars: Shockwaves

  Out of Tune Vol. I

  Out of Tune Vol. II

  The X-Files: Trust No One

  The X-Files: The Truth Is Out There

  The X-Files: Secret Agendas

  Hardboiled Horror

  Aliens: Big Hunt

  Baker Street Irregulars (with Michael Ventrella)

  The Game’s Afoot: Baker Street Irregulars II (with Michael A. Ventrella)

  Scary Out There

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times bestselling and five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Deep Silence, Kill Switch, Predator One, Code Zero, Fall of Night, Patient Zero, the Pine Deep Trilogy, Ink, Glimpse, Mars One, The Wolfman, Zombie CSU, and They Bite, among others. His V Wars series has been adapted by Netflix, and his work for Marvel Comics includes The Punisher, Wolverine, DoomWar, Marvel Zombies Return, and Black Panther. He is a board member of the Horror Writers Association, the president of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales magazine. You can sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Part 1: When Darkness Calls

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Interlude 1

  Chapter 4

  Interlude 2

  Chapter 5

  Interlude 3

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Interlude 4

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Interlude 5

  Chapter 14

  Interlude 6

  Part 2: Days of Darkness

  Chapter 15

  Interlude 7

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Interlude 8

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Interlude 9

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Part 3: Where Night Birds Fly

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Interlude 10

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Interlude 11

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Interlude 12

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Part 4: Moving Pieces

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Interlude 13

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Interlude 14

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Chapter 86

  Part 5: Because I Could not Stop for Death

  Chapter 87

  Chapter 88

  Chapter 89

  Chapter 90

  Chapter 91

  Chapter 92

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 94

  Chapter 95

  Chapter 96

  Chapter 97

  Chapter 98

  Chapter 99

  Chapter 100

  Chapter 101

  Chapter 102

  Chapter 103

  Chapter 104

  Chapter 105

  Chapter 106

  Chapter 107

  Chapter 108

  Chapter 109

  Chapter 110

  Chapter 111

  Chapter 112

  Chapter 113

  Chapter 114

  Chapter 115

  Chapter 116

  Part 6: A Shadow in the East

  Chapter 117

  Chapter 118

  Chapter 119

  Chapter 120

  Chapter 121

  Chapter 122

  Chapter 123

  Chapter 124

  Chapter 125

  Chapter 126

  Chapter 127

  Chapter 128

  Chapter 129

  Chapter 130

  Chapter 131

  Chapter 132

  Chapter 133

  Chapter 134

  Chapter 135

  Chapter 136

  Chapter 137

  Chapter 138

  Chapter 139

  Chapter 140

  Chapter 141

  Chapter 142

  Part 7: Patriots

  Chapter 143

  Chapter 144

  Chapter 145

  Chapter 146

  Chapter 147

  Chapter 148

  Chapter 149

  Chapter 150

  Chapter 151

  Chapter 152

  Chapter 153

  Chapter 154

  Chapter 155

  Chapter 156

  Chapter 157

  Chapter 158

  Chapter 159

  Chapter 160

  Chapter 161

  Chapter 162

  Chapter 163<
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  Chapter 164

  Chapter 165

  Chapter 166

  Chapter 167

  Chapter 168

  Chapter 169

  Chapter 170

  Chapter 171

  Chapter 172

  Chapter 173

  Chapter 174

  Chapter 175

  Chapter 176

  Chapter 177

  Chapter 178

  Chapter 179

  Epilogue

  The Relentless Playlist

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Jonathan Maberry

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group

  RELENTLESS. Copyright © 2021 by Jonathan Maberry. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

  www.stmartins.com

  Cover design by Rob Grom

  Cover artwork: black brush marks © Drasha/Shutterstock.com; silhouette figures © Getmilitaryphotos/Shutterstock.com; flame © Justin Tyler Tate/Shutterstock.com; body © lassedesignen/Shutterstock.com; face © Lebedev Rman Olegovich/Shutterstock.com; building © Santoelia/Shutterstock.com

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

  Names: Maberry, Jonathan, author.

  Title: Relentless: a Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International novel / Jonathan Maberry.

  Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2021. | Series: Rogue Team International series; 2 |

  Identifiers: LCCN 2021004761 | ISBN 9781250619303 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250619310 (ebook)

  Subjects: GSAFD: Adventure fiction.

  Classification: LCC PS3613.A19 R45 2021 | DDC 813/.6—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021004761

  eISBN 9781250619310

  Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  First Edition: 2021

 

 

 


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