When Ari steered right onto Haley Road, Natalie felt her anxiety grow. Soon they would be back at Fort McClary, where they had started from so long ago. She needed to visit here, not out of a sense of nostalgia, but for closure. Natalie had spent the last month tracking down information on those Angels who had not joined the campaign against the rotters, and it depressed her. Sandy had joined a Combat Surgical Hospital that had been overrun by a rogue horde of rotters west of Dallas, killing everyone in the hospital. Amy had gone into logistics, driving supply trucks that reinforced the line; a convoy she was part of had been hijacked by looters who killed the drivers, including Amy. Stephanie spent the war training recruits in San Francisco before sending them to the line. Once the fighting ended, she moved back east and disappeared. While recovering from her wound, Fogel had asked Josephine to assist Chief of Staff Thomas in rebuilding San Francisco, which had become the home of the government-in-exile. The two had worked hard to restore the city, doing such a good job that in elections held six weeks ago, Thomas and Josephine had been elected mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
Yet one person remained unaccounted for.
Ari pulled the Humvee into Fort McClary’s parking lot. Nothing had changed since the night her Angels had left Portland to bring the vaccine to Omaha. It was one of the thousands of battlefields across the country that would sit untouched for years before someone had the time and resources to clean it up. The only difference was the structure erected near the main entrance to the compound. Ari stopped in front of it, and the two women climbed out.
Natalie had ordered a cork board set up on the compound. It stood five feet square, with walls extending out on both sides and a roof overhead to protect the board from the elements. She had hoped Robson or someone from his group would post a message letting her know what had happened to the others after they went their separate ways. Not that she intended to get back together with Robson. She desperately needed to know what had happened to him, and that others beside her and Ari had survived.
Natalie stepped up to the board, then she closed her eyes and lowered her head. Nothing was attached.
Ari moved up alongside Natalie. “It’s okay. Not much time has passed since the end of the war. We’ll have it checked once a week. I’m sure someone will post up here soon.”
“Thanks.” Natalie paused a moment before asking, “Was it worth it?”
“Was what worth it?”
Natalie pointed to the destroyed fort. “Everyone we lost here. Everyone we lost at Site R and on the trip to San Francisco. For all we know, there are only three of us left. I want to know they didn’t die in vain.”
“You’re missing the most important things.”
“What?”
“If it wasn’t for you and Robson, we never would have been able to retrieve the vaccine and get it to the government-in-exile. Yes, we lost a lot of good people doing that, but how many lives were saved because the troops were inoculated? None of this could have happened without you two.”
Natalie smiled, more to hide the pain of her loss than to celebrate her achievement. “What’s the other thing?”
“We have each other.” Ari took Natalie’s hand and squeezed. “We survived the rotter apocalypse.”
Acknowledgements
I want to thank all my readers who have patiently and faithfully followed the Rotter World saga. What had originally been a one-off novel about humans and vampires trying to survive a zombie apocalypse turned into an epic trilogy that not only explored the darker aspects of how we would react to a complete collapse of the social order, but concluded with humans bringing the war back to the living dead. I loved writing this series, became attached to the characters (which didn’t prevent me from killing off most of them), and am sorry to be leaving the rotter-infested world behind.
A major debt of gratitude goes to Felicia A. Sullivan, my editor, who worked closely with me to tighten up the manuscript. Felicia is a consummate professional who did a superior job, and I value her expertise as well as the fact that she is also a fan. I also want to give a special shout out to Judy Knuth who proof read the final product. They both did an excellent job in making this book read and look as professional as possible. However, any errors in the final product are mine to own.
Zach McCain provided the cover art for Rotter Apocalypse. We played around with several ideas before finally coming up with the artwork used for this cover, which perfectly captures the essence of the entire novel.
I also want to express my gratitude to James Jackson, the author of the Up From the Depths series and a military and technical advisor for The Ward Room: Military and Technical Assistance for Writers. James reviewed all the military-related scenes in Rotter Apocalypse and provided pages worth of feedback, correcting the many mistakes I originally made in depicting current U.S. weapon systems and offering some constructive feedback on how the military would wage war against the living dead. If the battle scenes in and around San Francisco seem realistic, it’s because James made me look smart.
I am grateful to my readers for reviewing the first draft and providing their honest feedback. I rely on my Beta readers to point out my mistakes and plot flaws, and they did a fantastic job.
As always, a special thank you goes to my family. For the past three years they have tolerated the long hours I spent roaming through my own sick, twisted, and undead world. My wife and fellow writer, Alison Beightol, has been supportive and understanding; I would never be able to do this without her love and support. The pets, however, cannot fathom why that strange glowing device on the desk is more important than them. I cannot remember how many times I sat in front of my computer with Walther’s drooling snout resting on my leg and his large brown eyes staring up at me begging for attention. To all of you, thank you for sharing me with my passion. I love you all.
About the Author
Scott M. Baker was born and raised in Everett, Massachusetts and spent twenty-three years in northern Virginia working for the Central Intelligence Agency. Scott is now retired and lives in Gainesville, Florida as a full-time writer along with his wife and fellow author Alison Beightol and his stepdaughter. He has written Rotter World and Rotter Nation, the first two books in his trilogy that details the struggle between humans and vampires during a zombie apocalypse; Yeitso, his homage to the giant monster movies of the 1950s that he loved watching as a kid; and The Vampire Hunters trilogy, about humans fighting the undead in Washington D.C. Scott is currently working on a young adult post-apocalyptic series as well as a historically-based series detailing efforts by U.S. and British intelligence officers battling Nazi occultism during World War II, which is tentatively titled OSS: Office of Supernatural Services.
Scott has also authored several short stories, including “Cruise of the Living Dead” (a zombie outbreak aboard a cruise ship), “Deck the Malls with Bowels of Holly” (an alcoholic mall Santa battles zombie reindeer), “Last Flight of the Bismarck” (steampunk zombies), “The Hunger” (cannibalism during a zombie apocalypse), “Lebenden Toten at the Gate” (Nazis versus zombies in Stalingrad), “From Space It Came” (a giant spider from space), and the novellas Dead Water and Nazi Ghouls From Space.
When not writing, Scott can usually be found doting on the two boxers and one cat that kindly allow him to live with them.
Please visit the author on his blog at http://scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com/, or on Facebook (Scott M. Baker, Author), Twitter (@vampire_hunters), Goodreads (Scott_M_Baker), or Pinterest (Scott Baker, Horror Writer).
Praise for Other Books
by Scott M. Baker
Rotter World
Eight months have passed since vampires released the Revenant Virus on mankind, nearly wiping out both species. For Mike Robson, the situation could be far worse. He has joined up with a small band of humans and the last coven of vampires who are riding out the zombie apocalypse in an old fort along the coast of southern Maine. The uneasy alliance between humans and vampires is strained with the a
rrival of the creator of the Revenant Virus. Compton claims to have a vaccine that will make them immune from the virus and allow mankind to take civilization back from the living dead. However, the vaccine is located in a secure underground facility five hundred miles away. To retrieve it, Robson leads a raiding party of humans and vampires down the East Coast, which has been devastated by the outbreak and overrun by zombies and rape gangs. Yet none of the horrors he deals with on the road can prepare him for what he will find in Pennsylvania. Once inside the underground facility, the Robson encounters the greatest threat his group has faced to date, not only from zombies but from betrayal within their own ranks.
“With Rotter World, Scott M. Baker pulls out all the stops in a zombie thriller that is brutal, violent and terrifying. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.”
—New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry, author of Patient Zero
“Think there are no new or original zombie authors? Think again. Scott M. Baker provides an exciting voice and fresh outlook on the undead. Fun, compulsive reading.”
—Brian Keene, author of The Rising and City of the Dead
“Scott M. Baker writes in the tradition of J.L. Bourne and Joe McKinney. Fans of thriller writers like Brad Thor will also find powerful, welcome similarities in Rotter World.”
—Scott Kenemore, author of Zen of Zombie
“Scott M. Baker has managed to bring together the best of what I love about end of the world, vampire and zombie tales in one glorious story. If you think zombie and vampire stories are overdone and there is not anything new you can do with them, Rotter World proves that theory wrong.”
—Peter Schwotzer of Famous Monsters of Filmland
Yeitso
Veteran detective Russell Andrews has seen the dangers of big-city life: rape, murder, gangs. It's not a place he wants to raise a teenage daughter on his own. After his divorce, he moves with her to serve as the sheriff of a sleepy New Mexican town. But the desert has dangers of its own—deadly secrets that eat men alive. Secrets growing in power. Andrews comes face-to-face with a thing out of myth, a force without a name in the modern world. The Navajo, though, call it Yeitso.
“Scott M. Baker builds tension and explores characters like a seasoned pro, all before offering them up as dinner for some of the creepiest crawlies you'll experience on this page. Yeitso is the perfect blend of small town quirk and pulpy monster madness that will leave you cringing and wanting more! “
—Ryan C. Thomas, author of Hissers and Salticidae
“Yeitso brought me back to those glorious Saturday afternoons of my youth watching Creature Double Feature. “
—Peter Schwotzer, Literary Mayhem
“It's giant killer beetles! How can you not love it?”
—Jeff Strand, author of Mandibles
The Vampire Hunters
As former Boston cops, Drake Matthews and Alison Monroe thought they had experienced it all... until they found themselves tracking down a serial killer who turned out to be one of the undead. Stopping him cost them their careers and almost their lives. Thanks to an influential and anonymous benefactor, Drake and Alison find a new job ridding the streets of Washington D.C. of the vampiric threat terrorizing the nation's capital. Only this time, Drake and Alison are not facing a single vampire but an entire nest led by Ion Zielenska, one of history's most evil and twisted masters. As the vampires indiscriminately prey on humans, seeing them as nothing more than food to satiate their hunger, they create a wave of violence that threatens to engulf the city. Orchestrating the carnage is Antoinette Varela, the mistress of the nest, who realizes that for the nest to survive the hunters must be eliminated. However, when her vendetta turns personal, the hunters find themselves in struggle they are not prepared for.
“Those that know me and follow my on-line work know that I am a vampire fanatic. By that I mean real vampires, the undead creatures that prey on humans for survival, not the glorified sissy boy vampires that keep getting shoved down our throats. If you’ve read Justin’s Cronin’s The Passage and Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain, you will absolutely love The Vampire Hunters. “
— Pete Schwotzer of Famous Monster of Filmland
“Scott M. Baker's The Vampire Hunters is a gut-wrenching, fast-paced horror thriller that takes you from the back streets of Washington to the rat infested sewer systems below. You cheer for both the hunter and the hunted as the author rains battle scenes with stomach turning death and destruction around every corner.”
— Fangoria
The Vampire Hunters: Vampyrnomicon
Within the vaults of the Smithsonian Institute lies the key to finding the Vampyrnomicon, the Book of the Undead, which contains the history and secrets of the vampires. According to legend, whoever possesses the book can establish a vampire nation on earth – or destroy the undead once and for all. With an opportunity to end the war against the undead so close, Drake Matthews is determined to find the book. But the vampires also want The Vampyrnomicon. When Master Chiang Shih and her coven of the most powerful and dangerous vampires arrive in Washington to claim the book as their own, the hunters find themselves facing their most dangerous enemy yet. With the stakes so high, so is the ferocity of the struggle.
“Vampyrnomicon continues where Book I leaves off and I have to say that Book II is even better than Book I. Mr. Baker has expanded the story line substantially with a group of new vampire masters that are lusciously evil and decadent, as all vampires should be. He also delves into the back history of the vampires with a series of flashbacks that greatly adds to the details of the story. The Vampire Hunters trilogy is a must read for all vampire lovers. Book II is full of great characters, action, blood, carnage and some of the most evil vampires this side of Brian Lumley’s Necroscope series and I highly recommend it.”
—Peter Schwotzer of Famous Monsters of Filmland
“Vampyrnomicon is as well written as the first book. It continues the story and begins to fill in the origins of the masters and their race of killers. The pace of the story is strong and there plenty of gore and blood splatter to go around.”
—Colleen Wanglund of The Monster Librarian
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