by Justin Bell
“How do you know that?” Lisa asked.
“It’s a small town,” Harris replied. “Everyone knows everything.”
Lisa looked back out the window at the soldiers scattered throughout the Main Street stretch. She leaned closer to the glass, looking farther down Main Street, and saw an armored military transport parked diagonally in the road.
“So you’re cutting Aldrich off from the world?”
“Not entirely. I’m doing what I believe is best for the town. Or should I say ‘we’ are doing what’s best for our town. This wasn’t just my decision, and this isn’t just about Main Street. We are erecting a perimeter, stationing armed guards, and preparing a safe society apart from whatever is happening around us.”
“And you think this will work?”
Mayor Harris shrugged. “Town leadership has been discussing this for some time. We are, shall we say, prepared? We have food reserves. Shelters. Aldrich has been budgeting for an event like this for over a decade, my dear. We will weather this storm. We will come out on top. You should feel privileged to be a part of it.”
Lisa peeled herself away from the window and walked past the mayor, toward a silver-doored elevator carved into the rear left corner of the lobby. As she neared it, she turned and glanced over her shoulder.
“I’m not sure privileged is the word I would use.” The chime dinged, the doors opened, and she stepped in, pressing the down arrow. Suddenly standing in the same room as Aldrich Mayor Bruce Harris was making her nauseated. The doors slid shut and she felt the small elevator easing its way down toward the basement and she wondered, not for the first time, where Jackson was right now, and when he was coming for her.
Because he was coming for her. This was something she knew. She just hoped when he arrived he wasn’t staring down the barrels of Aldrich’s makeshift armed militia.
Zero Hour Book 2
Now Available!
Author’s Notes
July 30, 2018
Dear Readers,
Well, here we are again. Hopefully you, as the reader, are as happy to be here again as I am.
It's been a whirlwind, thrilling six months since the debut of Darkness Rising and my first collaborative work with Mike Kraus. The experience has been, in short, life changing. I've had the pleasure of telling some fantastic stories to some even better readers, and I couldn't be happier.
Zero Hour was something Mike and I spoke about for a while before actually putting virtual pen to paper. Mike always has an eye towards doing something that hasn't been done before, and Zero Hour truly is that, exploring the science behind genetically engineered ethnic bioweapons - a weapon that targets a specific demographic group. What would happen if one of those devices was detonated within the United States during the busiest time of the year? How would this weapon impact a nation as much a "melting pot" as the United States is, and how would the U.S. possibly recover from such an attack?
Even worse - what would happen to the nation's infrastructure if the majority of the people responsible for operation and maintenance were to suddenly not exist? Aircraft in flight? Trains barreling towards their next destination? Power plants with no one to monitor them? I think it's fair to say the world would plunge quickly into chaos, and as always, we use this book as a way to explore the human condition and how normal people react to such chaos.
Like with Darkness Rising, Zero Hour has been a pleasure to write, I greatly hope it's as much as a pleasure to read.
Thank you all so much, buckle up and enjoy the next ride!
Justin
*****
Dear Readers,
Justin Bell is a consummate professional and a wordsmithing genius. The number of words he puts down in a day is staggering, and what’s more is how good they are. Working with him is an absolute treat, and I’m really excited that we have a new series for you that’s coming hot on the tail of Darkness Rising.
Whenever I think about a post-apocalyptic story I try to think about doing something unique and something relevant—something that, when you read it, you’ll think about a headline you read in a newspaper or saw on the news recently. Ideas that are steeped in reality and need just a little bit of a push from the fiction side are my favorite, because they’re great examples of how quickly we can descend into chaos.
Over the last several years genetic engineering has become engrained in most of our lives, whether we know it or not. New medical advances are being made through genetic manipulation and crops that are hardier and produce more per acre are stocked on the shelves of our supermarkets. Not all genetic engineering is bad (aside from some of those nasty side effects that are starting to be uncovered), but just like any other tool, if it’s put in the wrong hands then the potential for trouble is magnified enormously.
That’s what we’re doing with Zero Hour. Taking a technology that could be used for great good and giving it to the bad guys, adding a dash of suspension of disbelief and seeing what happens. I hope you enjoy the journey that these characters will take over the next few months.
If you enjoyed this story and/or any of my other stories, you should really sign up for my newsletter. I send out quick messages a few times a month and I take a totally different approach to my newsletters than other authors. Where other authors see a newsletter as a selling tool first and foremost I see it as a way to connect with my readers first and foremost. I've met some terrific people (like my AWESOME beta readers) and really enjoy talking to folks who email me.
Don't like email newsletters? I also keep my Facebook page updated and you can message me through there as well if you prefer FB to email. Feel free to drop me a line via email/FB. I'd love to hear from you.
Catch you in the next book!
-Mike
Other Post-Apocalyptic Books from Mike Kraus
Final Dawn: The Complete Original Series Box Set
Clocking in at nearly 300,000 words with over 250,000 copies sold, this is the complete collection of the original bestselling post-apocalyptic Final Dawn series. If you enjoy gripping, thrilling post-apocalyptic action with compelling and well-written characters you’ll love Final Dawn.
Final Dawn: Arkhangelsk: The Complete Trilogy Box Set
The Arkhangelsk Trilogy is the first follow-up series set in the bestselling Final Dawn universe and delivers more thrills, fun and just a few scares. The crew of the Russian Typhoon submarine Arkhangelsk travel to a foreign shore in search of survivors, but what the find threatens their fragile rebuilding efforts in the post-apocalyptic world.
No Sanctuary
A nationwide terrorist attack has left the country in shambles and the country's transportation capabilities are crippled beyond repair. Frank Richards barely escapes with his life when he watches his truck explode in front of his eyes. As chaos descends across the country, Frank's home-grown survival and preparedness training and the help of a mysterious stranger he meets are the only things he can rely on to see him safely across the thousand miles separating him and his loved ones.
Surviving the Fall
Surviving the Fall is an episodic post-apocalyptic series that follows Rick and Dianne Waters as they struggle to survive after a devastating and mysterious worldwide attack. Trapped on the opposite side of the country from his family, Rick must fight to get home while his wife and children struggle to survive as danger lurks around every corner.
Prip’Yat: The Beast of Chernobyl
Two teens and two Spetsnaz officers travel to the town of Prip’Yat set just outside the remains of the Chernobyl power plant. The teens are there for a night of exploration. The special forces are there to pursue a creature that shouldn’t exist. This short thriller set around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will keep your heart racing right through to the very end.
Other Fantasy Books from Mike Kraus
The Makeshift Wizard: Death Magic
The Makeshift Wizard series is a new action-packed urban fantasy series from bestselling post-apocalyptic author
Mike Kraus writing as MJ Kraus.
My job was supposed to be easy. Investigate a bleed farm, find the a-hole vamps who've been kidnapping Normals and bring down some street justice. Now I've got a relic in my hands that was created with the blood and death magic of an elder Vampire and a whole lot more questions than answers.
ZERO
HOUR
The Zero Hour Series
Book 1
By
Justin Bell
Mike Kraus
© 2018 Muonic Press Inc
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