Ultimate Undead Collection: The Zombie Apocalypse Best Sellers Boxed Set (10 Books)

by Joe McKinney

  But next to the goldfish was another item. A sippy cup. Purple and pink.

  And above both, on the mirrored back of the elevator, someone had written something. The lettering was tan, a color he recognized as well: Maggie’s lipstick.

  “Ken: 9th Fl.”

  Chapter 78

  Ken ran the last two feet, leaping over the dead man.

  “Ken!” Dorcas joined him in the elevator. “What are you doing?”

  “They’re alive.” Ken leaned over, barely noticing how badly his back hurt, not even registering his missing fingers, and grabbed the dead man’s legs. He shoved them out of the elevator. Not far enough. He began muscling the dead weight out of the cab.

  Aaron stood just outside the elevator. He looked at the mirror in the back of the cab and it seemed to Ken like the man’s face slackened. Not in hope, but in sympathy.

  “Going up is a bad idea,” he said. “Nowhere to retreat to if the things come again.”

  “Seriously,” said Christopher, taking up a position behind the older man. “We should get outta here.”

  Ken didn’t stop moving. “I can’t ask you to come with me. You’ve all saved me, and I can never repay you.” He kicked the dead man’s trailing foot out of the track of the elevator’s doors. “But I have to go.”

  “Bad idea,” said Aaron.

  “Yeah,” said Christopher.

  They both stepped in.

  Dorcas pressed the round circle with a “9” in the center.

  The doors shut.

  The elevator started to rise.

  With it, questions rose in Ken’s mind. What was happening? What were these things, that had destroyed almost everyone and everything humanity held dear in less than a day? Why did they stop moving and breathe in time, why were the times they did so decreasing, and what would happen when that “countdown” reached zero? What had killed all the insects? How come one had vomited acid?

  What would he find when he reached the ninth floor?

  Ken looked at the other survivors. At Christopher, to whom he had said less than a hundred words. At Aaron, who had saved Ken’s life but who remained a complete enigma. At Dorcas.

  She caught his gaze. Raised her shoulders as though unsure of why they were coming, and said, “It’s still the right thing to do.”

  Ken didn’t know if he would find his family when the doors opened.

  But he knew he had family here with him.

  END OF BOOK ONE

  THE SAGA CONTINUES IN BOOK TWO

  THE COLONY: RENEGADES

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I like zombie books. But almost all of them move from a place of despair – not merely that zombies exist (as if that weren’t bad enough), but that humans are so rotten that the zombies are probably the least terrible thing to deal with anyway.

  I wanted to do something different. Something that had never been done before. One thing I wanted was to show a real collapse – a lot of books about apocalyptic events seem to have a few bad things happen, then give their characters a few days or weeks off to recuperate. I am a mean person. I wanted my characters to twist in the wind, to bang and batter and bruise them to the point of physical, mental, and emotional destruction.

  More than that, though, I wanted to write a hopeful zombie story. A story about humanity running into something terrible… and banding together. Rising above the terror and becoming something more than they once had been.

  Horror is at its best when it shows us not just the monsters among us, but the angels as well.

  This meant that the bad guys – the zombies – would have to be truly terrible, beyond anything ever seen in a zombie story before. So I started putting together my own zombie mythology. Then, when I had an evil threatening enough to prove my thesis – that humanity is not only able to save itself against nearly infinite evil, but noble and good enough to actually merit salvation – I began writing.

  I outline most of my books. I do so often enough that I can usually tell how long it will get to take from point A to point B, and from there through to Z.

  In the case of The Colony, I was in for a surprise: getting from point A almost to point B took over 200 pages. We’ve met some of our main characters – some of the people whose stories I would like to tell, who have survived partly by luck (you have to be lucky to survive any war), but partly by the fact that they are smart and tough and good – but not all. We’ve met some of the bad guys, but not all. We haven’t scratched the surface of the story.

  I soon realized that the story I wanted to tell might end up hitting half a million words. This meant I could either release it all at once, or do a series of shorter books. Many of my fans wanted the longer version, but a few things mitigated against this:

  1) A lot of my other fans email me regularly, asking when my next book will be out. Responding “a few years… maybe?” seemed like a bad answer.

  2) At a half million words, I was worried that the weight – even the weight of electrons on a Kindle or a tablet device – might crush unwary readers who fell asleep while reading.

  3) I am a fairly successful novelist, but my name is not King, Koontz, or Rowling. So waiting a caboodle of time between books meant an increased likelihood of explaining to my children that we would be cutting back on certain things, like Armani toilet paper and unicorn rides and food.

  4) Most important, my wife told me to do it this way. My wife is very smart. She’s also nice and takes care of me and the kids and is scorching hot. Not a woman I care to go against if I can avoid it.

  So you’re getting this. If you don’t like cliffhangers, blame my wife.

  But I do want to reassure you about a few things:

  First of all, if you’re new to my books, I do know how to finish a story (ha!). So if you love the tone, but hunger for a more complete story, pick up a copy of Strangers or The Haunted or Apparition or… well, any of my other books.

  Second, the day this comes out, I will already be hard at work on Vol. II of The Colony: Renegades. There are a lot of nifty things in store. In addition to finding out whether Ken’s family is waiting for him on the ninth floor, we’re also going to find out what happens when you have a bunch of severely injured people with no medical care. Who Aaron is and how he survived in that stairwell is going to be explained (a bit). The issue of where Christopher learned how to blow up buildings is going to be discussed. We’ll get to know Dorcas better, and find out some of her secrets.

  And, of course, the zombies. There is a reason for their existence, and eventually we’ll find out what it is.

  But that’s all assuming the series sells well. ‘Cause there’s that whole “food for the kids” thing.

  So if you want to find out how this all ends, please spread the word about The Colony. Click that “Give as Gift” button on Amazon and send a copy to your zombie-loving friends… and your zombie-hating enemies. If you like it, leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. The more you buy, the faster I can finish. Promise.

  So enjoy. Tell everyone. Start a cult about it and hand out literature and flowers at the airport.

  And keep on reading….

  About the Author

  Michaelbrent Collings is a full-time screenwriter and novelist. He has written numerous bestselling horror, thriller, sci-fi, and fantasy novels, including The Colony Saga, Strangers, Darkbound, Apparition, The Haunted, Hooked: A True Faerie Tale, and the bestselling YA series The Billy Saga.

  Follow him through Twitter @mbcollings or on Facebook at facebook.com/MichaelbrentCollings.

  If you would like to be notified of new releases, sales, and other special deals on books by Michaelbrent Collings, please sign up for his mailing list at http://eepurl.com/VHuvX.

  And if you liked this book, please leave a review on your favorite book review site… and tell your friends!

  NOVELS BY MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS

  THE COLONY SAGA:

  THE COLONY: GENESIS (The Colony, Vol. 1)

  THE COLONY: REN
EGADES (The Colony, Vol. 2)

  THE COLONY: DESCENT (The Colony, Vol. 3)

  THE COLONY: VELOCITY (The Colony, Vol. 4)

  THE COLONY: SHIFT (The Colony, Vol. 5)

  THE COLONY OMNIBUS

  THIS DARKNESS LIGHT

  CRIME SEEN

  STRANGERS

  DARKBOUND

  BLOOD RELATIONS: A GOOD MORMON GIRL MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED

  APPARITION

  THE LOON

  Mr. GRAY (aka THE MERIDIANS)

  RUN

  RISING FEARS

  YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE FICTION:

  THE BILLY SAGA:

  BILLY: MESSENGER OF POWERS (BOOK 1)

  BILLY: SEEKER OF POWERS (BOOK 2)

  BILLY: DESTROYER OF POWERS (BOOK 3)

  THE COMPLETE BILLY SAGA (BOOKS 1-3)

  HOOKED: A TRUE FAERIE TALE

  KILLING TIME

  Autumn: The Human Condition

  David Moody

  Copyright © 2013 by:

  David Moody

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Cover design by Craig Paton

  www.craigpaton.com

  This book was built at IndieWrites.com. Visit us on Facebook.

  INTRODUCTION

  I originally envisaged Autumn as a standalone novel, but when I’d finished writing the first book back in 2001, it occurred to me that as I’d destroyed pretty much the entire population by the end of the first page, there would no doubt be many more stories left in my dead world to tell, if anyone wanted to read them. Fortunately, they did. Through the four subsequent novels I’ve been able to take my survivors way beyond the early days of the infection, right into the post-post-apocalypse. The problem was, the more I thought about the end of the world, the more I found to write about. That’s the reason for this book – it’s the very end of the Autumn series.

  Back in 2005, when I first thought I’d wrapped the series up, I released the first edition of this book, describing it at the time as ‘part companion, part guide book and part sequel’. But things change, and the acquisition of the series by Thomas Dunne Books meant the story continued after Purification. More than a year has now passed since the release of the final novel, Aftermath, and it seems the perfect time to revisit and update this collection and bring the series as a whole to a close.

  The stories you’ll find here fall broadly into three categories. Briefest are what I originally called Autumn: Echoes – snapshots of the lives of people caught up in the throes of the apocalypse (where were you when the world ended?). Some are recognisable characters from the novels, others are minor bit-players who had interesting back stories to tell. You’ll find a ‘who’s who’ at the end of the book.

  The second batch of stories focus largely on what happened before or after events described in the novels. For example, in Breaking Point, you’ll read what happened to Michael and Emma between Autumn and The City. In Beginning to Disintegrate, you’ll discover how the group of survivors we meet in Disintegration came to be stuck with each other.

  Finally, there are numerous other shorts here which are self-contained and take place well outside the main story arc. I came up with a number of scenarios which were too interesting to forget about, but which didn’t fit naturally into the novels. For example, in The Garden Shed, a proud man refuses to leave the home he’s worked so hard to own, and in Office Politics, we meet a man whose coping strategy is enviably simple: complete denial.

  I hope you enjoy this collection, and that you’ve enjoyed the rest of the Autumn series. In closing, I wish to record my enormous thanks to everyone who has been involved in the series in one way or another over the last decade: to the editors, artists, and publishers who’ve worked behind the scenes, but most importantly, to the readers who’ve supported the books from the beginning. I’m indebted to all of you.

  David Moody

  June 2013

  BEFORE

  JAKE WILSON

  Eight months ago, Jake Wilson packed up his family and emigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom. A regional manager for a global finance house, Jake agreed to move overseas for a well paid, two year posting. He, his wife Lucy and their two children settled quickly into their new surroundings. The people who found it hardest to adjust were those they’d left behind. Even after more than half a year, Polly Wilson – Jake’s well-meaning but highly strung and over-sensitive mother – still finds the distance between her and her son difficult to deal with. Mrs Wilson and her husband made their first visit to Canada several weeks ago, but it did little to reassure her. If anything it’s made her even more neurotic. Jake has grown to dread the weekly telephone calls from home. It’s now the early hours of Tuesday morning.

  #

  ‘Jake? Jake, is that you?’

  ‘Mom? Bloody hell, do you know what time it is?’

  ‘Are you okay, love?’

  ‘Apart from being woken up in the middle of the night I’m fine. Why shouldn’t I be?’

  ‘Haven’t you heard?’

  ‘Heard what? Bloody hell, Mom…’

  ‘There’s no need for the language, Jake, we were just worried about you, that’s all.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Are you far from Vancouver?’

  ‘It’s on the other side of the country. It’s thousands of miles away, why?’

  ‘Because something’s happening there. I don’t know what exactly. I don’t think anyone knows. Your dad and I saw it on the news and—’

  ‘You’re not making any sense. Look, Mom, I’m really tired.’

  ‘I’m sorry, love. It’s just that you’re all so far away and we worry about you.’

  ‘I know, I know… What are you doing up so early, anyway? It’s before seven there, isn’t it?’

  ‘Your dad couldn’t sleep. You know what he’s like once he’s awake. And once he’s up and about I can’t relax. He woke me up with his shuffling and his moaning so we both got up and came downstairs. We were watching the news, and when we saw they were talking about Canada we thought we should call…’

  ‘So what exactly is supposed to have happened in Vancouver?’

  ‘They’re not sure. No one’s saying much. No one seems to know.’

  ‘So you’ve woken me up to tell me that no one knows very much about what’s happening in Vancouver? Come on, Mom, I’ve got an important meeting first thing tomorrow and I can’t afford to—’

  ‘No. Listen, son, something’s definitely happened there but they don’t—’

  ‘Well was it an accident or a bomb or…?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Mom, you’ve got to stop this. I know you mean well, but this isn’t little old England. This place is huge. Just because something’s happening in the same country, it doesn’t always mean it’s going to affect us.’

  ‘But this sounds serious, love. They say the city’s gone silent.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean? Vancouver is a massive city for Christ’s sake. There are thousands and thousands of people there, millions even. You don’t lose contact with millions of people just like that.’

  ‘I know, but—’

  ‘You can’t lose contact with a whole bloody city, Mom.’

  ‘I know, but they have.’

  ‘What channel are you watching? Are you sure it’s genuine? It’s not just a film or one of those drama-documentaries, is it?’

  ‘Jake, your father and I are not stupid. I know what I’m watching. It’s the news and it’s real. We’re sitting in front of the television right now. I’m only telling you because we’re concerned about you, Lucy and the boys.’

  ‘So tell me again, what exactly is it they’re saying?’

  ‘Your dad says to put your TV on, son. You’re bound to have some news where you are. You’re much closer than we are.’

  ‘Okay,
give me a second.’

  ‘What can you see?’

  ‘Hold on, that’s strange.’

  ‘What is?’

  ‘I can’t get a picture on some of the channels. Cable must be down. Sometimes this happens when…’

  ‘What about the radio? Try your computer, son. Try the Internet.’

  ‘Hang on, here’s something.’

  ‘What are they saying?’

  ‘Christ, Mom, it’s just like you said, they’ve lost contact with the area around… Hold on, you said Vancouver, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes, why?’

  ‘Because the station I’m watching here is talking about Winnipeg. That’s miles away. And Seattle, and Portland. They’re talking about a massive part of the country. Bloody hell…’

  ‘Are they saying anything about what’s happened, Jake? Do they know why—’

  ‘Christ, Mom, they’ve put a map up. It looks like it’s spreading out from the west.’

  ‘What is?’

  ‘I don’t know. Nothing… Just nothing… They’re not explaining anything, they’re just…’

  ‘Where are Lucy and the boys, Jake?’

  ‘Lucy’s here in bed with me, the boys are asleep.’

  ‘You should lock your doors. Don’t answer the door if anyone comes.’

  ‘What’s the point of locking the door? This isn’t anything to do with…’

  ‘Jake… Jake, are you still there? What’s the matter, son?’

  ‘Nothing. Thought I heard something.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Thought I could hear…’