BLOG OF CHRIS PHILBROOK
New releases & inner musings
I read a story to you.
Wanna listen to me read a short story that’s appearing in DEAD LUCKY?
It has dildos in it. You’ve been warned. Head on over to the facebook club Reading Zombie;
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1307924452575650/permalink/3364259436942131/
Dead Lucky is now up for pre-order
If it wasn’t for bad luck, some of us wouldn’t have any luck at all.
Old saying, sure, but boy is it true when it comes to Adrian Ring’s zombie apocalypse. Welcome to Dead Lucky; an anthology of twelve tales set in the world of Adrian’s Undead Diary.
With stories by:
Christopher MacDonald
Rich Restucci
Chisto Healy
Jay Wilburn
Chris Leininger
Carl Meadows
J.D. Demers
Shannon Clare
And three stories written by Chris Philbrook.
Each of these clever tales revolves around the sudden appearance of luck, or a distinct lack thereof. From getting trapped in a porn store to being dragged out of your peaceful existence into a world of violence and evil, each of these stories adds to the canon of AUD.
Pre-order the Kindle version here on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NnwBig
The Bleed: Rupture – Prologue
PROLOGUE
The planet was so old that it didn’t have a name. The people who lived there were nameless too. They had evolved and grown over countless generations and had become a strong and complex society. The needs of all individuals were considered; the collective was everything; the past, the present and the future were always in mind.
In this utopian society, the rule of law was sacred. People understood that, for them to remain strong and prosper, their friends, families, and neighbors needed to be strong and prosperous too. And for generation after generation, those principles held true and people worked with each other for collective reward. But the multiverse is a whirlwind of chaos, and sometimes no matter how hard people try to plan for it, chance and circumstance conspire to devastating effect.
An asteroid.
A massive spinning, rolling lump of rock hurtled through the void of space and hit the planet, and though the initial damage of the impact was limited, the long-term implications were stark. Clouds of noxious dust and ash were spewed into the atmosphere, plunging the planet into a brutal ice age. Oceans froze. Crops failed. Millions died. And the millions more who survived now faced the most uncertain of futures.
When there’s not enough food to keep everyone alive, how do we decide who lives and who dies?
The ancient society collapsed with terrifying ease and speed.
With the world’s equilibrium now out of balance, it became a fight for survival. The society was torn in two. On one side, those who still believed in the values of their elders and the past did all that they could to help as many people as possible. Those on the other side of the divide, however, said fuck you to the rest of their world. Base and carnal, they spilled the blood of their brothers and sisters without a second thought. The roads and rivers ran red.
This was the genesis of the Bleed.
Those who still believed in the values and structures of their ancient society used their collective wisdom to find a way of escaping the hell their planet had become. Able to travel between different worlds, universes, and dimensions, they became gods and sowed the seeds of all civilizations throughout the multiverse.
Those left behind, consumed by anger, jealously, and rage, became demons.
The abandoned people of the Bleed stole the technology of the gods and set out for revenge. And wherever they found the children of the gods, they attacked. They mutated and killed. They turned natural worlds against their indigenous inhabitants; insects became giant monsters, life-giving water turned to blood and was filled with disease….
Blinded by its anger, the Bleed won’t rest until the gods and all other living things are dead and it is the only thing that remains.
Coming July 14th, written by David Moody, Chris Philbrook and Mark Tufo.
Buy here: https://amzn.to/3fAsRq1
It’s a SALE!
To celebrate the 10th aniversary of AUD, I’ve put a handful of books on sale this week. These are the first of the sales, and each of these eBook are just 99 cents on the Kindle.
AUD Five: Wrath: https://amzn.to/2Yg38NM
AUD Nine: The Dealer of Hope: https://amzn.to/3d82ndK
Tales Three: Only the Light We Make: https://amzn.to/37FqTln
Enjoy, and more sales soon!
Celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of Adrian’s Undead Diary with me!
June 23rd, 2010 is ‘that day,’ in Adrian’s story. It’s the day the undead were unleashed on the world, and it’s the day where the end, begins.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of me starting what turned into a writing career, and the community that’s formed around it, I’m going to be posting tons of behind the scenes looks at ten years of AUD, as well as running contests for prizes, sales, and all kinds of cool stuff over on my Facebook page.
Please pop on in, and check out the schedule of events here: https://www.facebook.com/PhilbrookAuthor/photos/a.245945168863671/1972308439560660/?type=3&theater
A brief remark on racism.
It isn’t brief, but little I write is.
This is copied from my Facebook page, so you might’ve already seen it.
Writing is my livelihood.
It’s how I pay my bills.
It’s how my kids eat, get clothes, and it’s how my mortgage gets paid. I sell books to democrats, republicans, whites, blacks, asians, latinos, and to people all across the globe. I’m lucky.
I’ve always done my best to walk a path of moderation with politics and religion and belief in my social media posts. It’s pragmatic, right? Don’t alienate either side of the aisle. Don’t offend the religious, or the atheistic. Support law enforcement and the military, but also support minorities, and the idea of peace first.
Keep as many potential fans as you can, Chris. It’s how you pay the bills, Chris. It’s how you stay afloat in your writing career, Chris. Shit, I built my entire writing career around a community I built on my website, ten years this summer. I’m good at building communities.
Right now, I’m going to take a stand, and try to build a community. Maybe I’ll do this wrong, but to the people who it matters most to, I hope you see I’m trying to do something right.
Here we go;
I am a college-educated, white man, and I am not afraid of the police. I have encountered them countless times, and have, with damn few exceptions, always been treated with respect. I never worried about the consequences of getting arrested, even if it were to happen. I trusted the system. I’ve never been afraid to walk down a street, never been afraid to go to school, never had to worry about brothers or sisters getting shot in my neighborhood by either police, or neighbors. I never worried about getting school books, or qualified teachers, or school budgets.
I have never been afraid to use my voice.
I am fortunate. I am PRIVILEGED to feel the way I feel about law enforcement. Shit, I am pro-cop, pro law-enforcement. I admire the professional and almost all the men and women who enter it.
The other side of that coin is that when there is a bad cop… They must be held accountable immediately, fairly, and harshly. Police officers (and any public official) trade in trust. It is the currency they earn, and spend. Our trust in them, their trust in us. When that trust is violated, they lose the moral high ground, and we, as citizens, must become wary of them to protect ourselves, until that trust has been restored. Just like currency.
With the black community… that trust has never really existed. Cops were the authority, they were to be obeyed, and that’s that. Don’t like it, tough shit, go to jail.
Can’t get a job because your school district is in poverty, had no budget, and you couldn’t get an education? Well, you’re a piece of shit drug dealer, and it was your choice. Oh, and even if you weren’t a drug dealer, enough people think you MIGHT be a drug dealer, that it’s just better to hire a white guy who’s less qualified, because that feels safer.
No currency, right? Blacks couldn’t earn the trust of police, and the police couldn’t trust blacks, right? No one has any currency to spend with each other. No social commerce can happen with that arrangement.
Look, I am the last guy who knows the black experience in America. I don’t know shit about what that’s like, really.
I do know, that what I see, and hear, from black friends, and black fans–not JUST from the media–scares the SHIT out of me, and I KNOW that it isn’t fair, and I KNOW that they feel squelched, and I KNOW…
I know history. I know how fascist empires began. I know how the rights of the public were usurped in many places, and for less than what’s happening in America, now.
Fuck. I know that I want my daughters to grow up in a world where they can love anyone, be friends with anyone, and feel safe anywhere, and be heard. But if I want them heard…. then everyone must be given that same chance to speak, and be listened to.
A very, VERY smart man said that the riot is the voice of the unheard, and there are a LOT of people who are unheard, and are being ignored right now.
I will not ignore you. I may not understand you, but I damn sure will try. I will TRUST that what you say is real, and I hope that you TRUST that I am listening, and that I want to build a better world, with you.
Anyone who wants to share their experiences with race, life, whatever, is welcome to in the #Ringfamily group.
If you bring hate, you’re gone. This isn’t a debate.
And maybe this is the hill my writing career dies on, and if that’s the case, so be it. I’ll bury my words with a clean conscience, surrounded by people I want around me.
New Merchandise site
Hey squad.
I hope you’re all deep in the throes of reading No God today, and enjoying it. I enjoyed writing it, and I hope that translates.
I’m posting this to let folks know that I am transitioning away from doing the bulk of merchandise order-fulfillment myself. It’s taking up too much space in the house, takes too long, and with COVID19, minimizing my trips to the post office and handling packages is just smart for the family.
I will still be handling signed books orders (gotta sign them, right?) but all other merchandise will be handled through a new Redbubble.com storefront.
What does this mean?
You’ll get far better service from them then you ever will from me.
You will also have NUMEROUS new graphics to buy.
You will be able to buy merchandise that I’ve never been able to offer. Merch like mugs, pillows, phone cases, face masks, dresses, tank tops, and far, far more.
The store is up and running right now at: http://chrisphilbrook.redbubble.com
More designs are being added every few days, so follow it, and hopefully you’ll find something you dig.
As far as the merch links here go…. I will leave them up for another week or two as I take a final inventory of what’s on hand. After that, I’ll do a fire-sale at steep discounts, and then that’s it for what I have. All gone, all done. it also means I won’t be bringing shirts to signings and conventions, but that’s okay, because I never sold many, and they are a BEAST to transport and display.
So check out the store, and let me know what you think. If you have design suggestions, or want to do some fan art, I’m all ears.
-Chris
No God has arrived.
RELEASE DAY, Y’ALL!
Adrian Ring is broken. He was wounded badly, and with dead loved ones on all sides, he makes a bold, life-changing decision; he’s leaving Bastion and its people to help the unknown second Trinity in Europe, where a terrible strain of faster, smarter undead still rampage in the streets.
Clinging to what’s left of his tattered soul, he must assemble a small team to bring across the Atlantic aboard one of the few still-operational US Navy frigates. There, he is reunited with his lost brother William.
The battle ahead is ominous enough, but the journey might kill him before he sets foot on European soil. He must battle the wills of those who will be left behind at Bastion, The Factory, Spring Meadows and MGR, plus ensure a proper transition of power.
He must wage a war of wills against a rag-tag Navy crew who sees him as a self-proclaimed savior, and against a captain who is at odd with his risk-taking, bold nature.
The zombies might be the least of his problems.
No God contains Adrian’s Journal entries from July 4th, 2014 through Sept. 3rd, 2014. It also contains the side fictions; A Man of God, The Cleaving, I Can See Clearly Now, and The A Game.
Nab it on the Kindle here: https://amzn.to/2ARyZeb
Or grab the dead tree version here: https://amzn.to/3d2zX5E
The Audible version, narrated by James Anderson Foster will release later this summer.
Pre-Order No God now.
Adrian Ring is broken. He was wounded badly, and with dead loved ones on all sides, he makes a bold, life-changing decision; he’s leaving Bastion and its people to help the unknown second Trinity in Europe, where a terrible strain of faster, smarter undead still rampage in the streets.
Clinging to what’s left of his tattered soul, he must assemble a small team to bring across the Atlantic aboard one of the few still-operational US Navy frigates. There, he is reunited with his lost brother William.
The battle ahead is ominous enough, but the journey might kill him before he sets foot on European soil. He must battle the wills of those who will be left behind at Bastion, The Factory, Spring Meadows and MGR, plus ensure a proper transition of power.
He must wage a war of wills against a rag-tag Navy crew who sees him as a self-proclaimed savior, and against a captain who is at odd with his risk-taking, bold nature.
The zombies might be the least of his problems.
No God contains Adrian’s Journal entries from July 4th, 2014 through Sept. 3rd, 2014. It also contains the side fictions; A Man of God, The Cleaving, I Can See Clearly Now, and The A Game.
No God releases on May 25th in print and on the Kindle. Audiobook narrated by James Foster will arrive later in the summer, date TBD.
Pre-order the Kindle version here: https://amzn.to/2YoUwVx
The Bleed: Rupture pre-order status
Boomshakalaka.
The Kindle and Audible pre-orders for book one of The Bleed, are now up. (links below)
The Bleed is attacking on several fronts and through different realities at once. The survivors of numerous battles are brought together through a series of ancient clockwork rooms, and their individual experiences combine to paint a picture of a multiverse on the brink of total annihilation. Gods and mortals fight alongside each other on the streets and among the stars, struggling to hold back the armies of demons doing the bidding of The Bleed.
Whole worlds are lost. Others are sacrificed. Thousands are ready to fight, but millions more offer themselves up to the gods, praying that The Rapture will bring them salvation. In the midst of it all just a handful of survivors scattered across the multiverse are aware of what’s at stake and how they can avoid Armageddon. But with the odds stacked against them and impossible distances between them, will they be able to come together and turn the bloody tide against The Bleed?
Written by David Moody, Chris Philbrook, and Mark Tufo
Kindle: https://amzn.to/2VNqo4m
Audible: https://amzn.to/2KJwnRt
Join in a fun Q&A on Facebook
I decided to do a fun, open-ended Q&A session over in the #Ringfamily fan club group over on Facebook.
Tons of fun questions have already been asked, so jump in, read them and the answers I gave, and feel free to join the group and ask your own questions!
Head here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1476143502643183/permalink/2568264270097762/
The Bleed: RUPTURE
Not long now.
Call for Submission: Dead Lucky
Tales from the World of Adrian’s Undead Diary Volume Seven
Dead Lucky
Call for Submission
3/17/2020
The world of Adrian Ring welcomes you again.
Dead Lucky is the third anthology of short stories set in the zombie-ridden Adrian Ring universe and this is the call for submission.
I am looking for stories that feature strong main characters that are put into situations where luck rears its head. Call it the Jinx Fairy, call it good fortune, but all stories should feature moments where the storyline hinges on moments of good or bad luck.
Maybe your hero runs to the pickup parked outside the farmhouse with a horde on their heels, and when they drop the visor, the keys descend into the lap. Maybe those keys are for the mower.
Perhaps your character gets bitten, and when they get into their safe house, they realize they have one bullet left, so they can take care of themselves, and protect their friends and family.
Maybe your story features a pilot who has just enough fuel to put their plane down before they have to ditch in a zombie-infested city.
It’s your story. Tell it to me so I can help tell it to the world.
Dead Lucky will be divided into three sections that are AUD-universe timeline-based. The first section of stories will cover incidents on “That Day.” The second will cover the period of story between that day, and the conclusion of Book Eight. The final portion of the book will cover events after book eight.
I will be writing at least three stories, one set in each of the anthology’s time periods.
Dead Lucky will be released in eBook format on the Kindle, in print, and in audio formats in July or August. Stories should follow the general style and rules set forth in the ten books of the AUD universe. Your zombies should be slow, largely mindless, and make no noise. Please feel free to utilize existing characters, or have your story explain something in the AUD universe that has been unexplained thus far.
I am looking for first-rights stories (no reprints) that are unmistakably set in the world of Adrian Ring. Word length should be ~1,000 to ~7,000 words. If you’re under or over, better make it worth it. I will serve as the editor and curator. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but that’s weird, because if you’re story is set in the AUD universe, you ought not to be submitting it to other places. You may submit more than one story, but please try to have your stories occur in different sections of the book’s three timelines, and please try to limit your total word count across stories to 10k or less. I’d like about 18 stories, give or take.
Submissions that are accepted will be compensated with the following;
- If less than 5k words, $25 cash payment payable via paypal within 30 days of final edit approval.
- If more than 5k words, $40 cash payment payable via paypal within 30 days of final edit approval.
- Two Audible audiobook codes
- Electronic versions in both .pdf and .mobi formats
- Three print copies signed by me, sent within 30 days of final print approval (US writers only)
Submissions should be in .doc or .docx format, with no tabs or indentations. Please send them as an attachment via email to: kolrael@gmail.com Use the subject line Dead Lucky Submission (your name). In the body of your email, please write a very brief summary of your story, as well as its word count and title.
Submissions are open as of right now, and will close on May 20th, 2020 or earlier if enough high-quality submissions are received.
Good luck.
-Chris
Quarantine got you down?
I am not a newscaster, so don’t expect to get up to the minute, medically accurate COVID-19 information here.
Buuuuutttt….
My wife and I have two toddlers, and school here in New Hampshire is now cancelled until April, and that means, our life just got upended a wee bit. We love our kids, and will do anything for them, but nonetheless, having extra toddler time during the day will change things, and become a wee bit trying.
Even if you don’t have kids at home, you’re probably still thinking about isolating a bit as we try to curb the spread of a new virus that threatens the old and infirm. It’s smart to take yourself off the playing board, as an old man named Gilbert once explained. Better to sit out, than get played the wrong way.
That being said, I can’t go to your house and take care of your kids or do a song and dance to entertain you. What I CAN do, is give you some books for free.
For the remainder of the month, I’ve put several titles up on the Kindle for either free, or drastically reduced prices so at the very least, you can download the free Kindle app for your phone or tablet, or use your actual Kindle, and enjoy several of my books, on me.
Here are the titles, sale prices, and dates;
Adrian’s Undead Diary Omnibus One: (4 books, post apoc, zompoc) Free until March 13th – 17th
Adrian’s Undead Diary Omnibus Two: (4 books , post apoc, zompoc ) As low as .99 starting March 16th, ticking up to full price on March 23rd.
The Reemergence Omnibus: (3 books, urban fantasy) As low as .99 starting March 24th, ticking back up to full price on March 31st.
Unhappy Endings: Tales of AUD book one (post apoc, zompoc) : Free from March 16th to March 20th
Elmoryn’s Complete Kinless Trilogy: (3 books, Dark Fantasy) As low as .99 starting March 16th, ticking back up to full price on March 22nd.
The Wrath of the Orphans (Kinless Trilogy #1, Dark Fantasy) Free from March 25th through March 19th.
The Motive for Massacre (Kinless Trilogy #2, Dark Fantasy) As low as .99 starting on March 29th, returning to full price on March 31st.
If I could discount audiobooks, I would, but I don’t have that power. I do however, have a limited number of audiobook codes for my AUD series, so if you’d like to get a free audiobook on me, please send an email to kolrael. It’s the google mail address, and I’m writing it like this so only actual brains can put two and two together. Winning.
Supplies are limited, but they’re yours if you ask nicely.
That’s it, that’s enough. I hope this entertains a few people, and gives some respite to the anxiety and cabin fever we’re all going to suffer the next few weeks. As always, if anyone needs anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re all in this together, right?
-Chris
Gibson’s in Concord
If you made it out to Concord last Tuesday for the panel I sat on, thanks! We had about 15 people show, and engagement was stellar. I think everyone who attended asked at least one question, and we had some fun and insightful conversation about the post-apocalyptic genre.
A big thank you to Gibson’s Bookstore for having us in, and a big thank you to Scott M. Baker and Dee Cooper for their work getting the event set up.
Looking forward to more appearances around the country and New England as 2020 rolls on.
Panel and book signing at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord NH tomorrow!
For anyone in the New England area, tomorrow, Fenruary 25th I’ll be holding court with three other authors in the zompoc genre at Gibson’s Bookstore on Main Street in Concord NH.
We’re going to be talking about the state of the genre as well as our own works in that genre, and it should be a casual, fun event where you can ask us questions, and watch us square dance. Mostly the other authors, granted, but anything could happen if I’m brought decent beer. All of our books will be in stock for purchase.
The event starts at 6pm and is slated to run until 7:30, but I’m sure we’ll linger after. Feel free to reach out to the store if you have any questions regarding hotels or parking.
The Facebook event is here: Post-Apocalyptic Panel on the 25th!
I hope to see some of you there!
-Chris
The Nexus has arrived
Yasmine’s story continues.
The phone rang, and Yasmine answered it, sending her into the ruins of the city to find a young man and rescue him from the Monoliths, a ruthless gang that had taken him prisoner.
But it wasn’t quite what she expected. The Monoliths weren’t ruthless, they were good people, led by an uncle she never knew she had, and Trey, the young man who reached out to her on her mother’s phone wasn’t even a man at all.
He was an alien, and worse yet, one of the crabs that took all the water, and destroyed Earth.
But alliances were made, friendships forged, and now, in the wake of their victory against the crabs in Shantytown, Yasmine and her uncle The Baron are going on a journey no human has ever undertaken;
They are heading to The Nexus, the center of all galactic civilization, and the one place they can find help to take Earth’s water back.
But that’ll mean war.
Interstellar war.
Yasmine’s war.
Out today, you can own The Nexus for $4.99 on the Kindle (or free via Kindle Unlimited), One Credit on Audible, or for $16.95 in paperback.
Snag my alter-ego’s new release here on Amazon right now.
Thanks, squad.
-Chris (WJ)
The Reemergence Omnibus, Volume One
I done gone and did it. With an established following, and five books released in the series, I felt like it was time for me to do a collection of the Reemergence novels for the Kindle.
Releasing on January 10th, 2020, Volume One of The Reemergence contains the first three books in the series;
Tesser: A Dragon Among Us
Ambryn & the Cheaters of Death and,
Fyelrath & the Coven’s Curse
The pre-order price for this boxed set is just $2.99, which is a buck a book. After release, it will go to its regular retail price of $7.99, so if you haven’t picked up any of the books in my urban fantasy series, and want to do it on a budget, there will probably never be a better time. I mean you get dragons, demons, fairies, vampires, cosmic horrors, mutants, heresy, magic, and dick and fart jokes, all written by me.
Jack. Pot.
Click the picture below, or go ahead and click right here.
The Bleed Book One: RUPTURE
Here’s the cover.
Synopsis soon. Written by David Moody, Chris Philbrook, and Mark Tufo. We’re aiming for a late December release on this.
The Bleed marches forward…
Here’s a little teaser for the upcoming novel written by the dudes in the image.
They were safe. Sarah, Duane, and their three kids had evaded all human contact as they escaped the city and headed north to the family summer home on the edge of the lake. A miracle happened, and their gas had lasted, though the car coasted up the dusty dirt road with a sputter, and a cough. They’d never be able to drive away again, not with the fuel going so fast, but that was a problem for another day.
No one had touched another person, or touched anything that anyone had touched.
There was no way any of them could get sick, and change. No way anyone in their family would grow spasmodic, twitch and start to… melt.
No way.
Sarah sat down in on the old plaid couch that held onto the scent of expensive cigars in the way a kid might hug a teddy bear. She put her elbow down on the leather armrest. Her legs ached from sitting in the front of their Volvo SUV with the seat pulled all the way forward so they could store more of Duane’s shit in the back. Shit he swore they’d need if the sickness kept spreading, and if people kept mutating into monsters straight out a madman’s nightmare. Things like golf clubs.
He collapsed next to her on the couch and looked for the glass of wine he’d poured. He’d left it in the kitchen.
“Kids down?” she asked him.
He nodded, and sighed. “They’re scared, and whining, but they’ll be just fine. They love do this place, and there’s no social media for them to obsess over out here. No news to hear will help them forget about the world.”
“I feel like I’m gonna go crazy not knowing what’s going on,” she said. “If we hike to the top of that ridge near here, we get a bar of service right? Enough to at least check the news? We should call your mom, too.”
“My mother can take care of herself. Last thing I want is to hear her talking about her hair stylist having died, or how her landscaper stole her BMV to make his break for the country,” he said, leaning over and putting his head in her lap. The weight of him on her thigh felt good, even if he was sweaty, and hot, and being a dick.
“I’m so glad you keep all those supplies from the hospital at home. Without all those rubber gloves and masks I think we would’ve been goners,” she said.
“Well I am a doctor, Sarah. What can I say?” he said. “I’m sure Chad brought home all of his client’s file cabinets.”
Chad was their accountant, and Duane’s golf buddy. Duane shivered after finishing his bad joke. It wasn’t cold in the house.
“You cold? You just shivered and it is not cold in here,” she asked him. A pin prick of dread piercing the lining in her stomach.
“Drank too much wine in the kitchen before coming in here. Today sure has been a day.” He opened his eyes, and looked up at her. Bright blue, his eyes were. The first thing she noticed about him when they met at grad school eight years ago. The school she dropped out of when she got pregnant.”I love you.,” he lied. “We’re gonna get through this.”
“I know, and I love you too. Sleep. Get some rest.”
He was already snoring. He still shivered.
Sarah caressed Duane’s temples like she knew he liked, and smiled at her husband who she barely still loved, were it not for their children, and all the life she had tied together. She was too invested to leave him, and a divorce was too terrifying a prospect to put the kids through.
That’s why she ignored the softness of his skull as she rubbed his temple. She looked down, and pressed lightly on his skin with her thumb. The red-nailed digit sunk into the flesh until the edge of her nail threatened to disappear into the human taffy her husband was becoming. He had an hour, maybe two before he melted into an amorphous, boneless thing. An hour after that, the flesh he once was would reform into something else. Something new, and something frightening.
She started to cry as she got to her feet. She had to check the kids for the melting, and if they were still well, they had to flee.
One of a billion apocalypses unfolded again, at the speed the Bleed wished.
///
There is nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
There is only blood.
December.
Another teaser for The Bleed
They were safe. Sarah, Duane, and their three kids had evaded all human contact as they escaped the city and headed north to the family summer home on the edge of the lake. A miracle happened, and their gas had lasted, though the car coasted up the dusty dirt road with a sputter, and a cough. They’d never be able to drive away again, not with the fuel going so fast, but that was a problem for another day.
No one had touched another person, or touched anything that anyone had touched.
There was no way any of them could get sick, and change. No way anyone in their family would grow spasmodic, twitch and start to… melt.
No way.
Sarah sat down in on the old plaid couch that held onto the scent of expensive cigars in the way a kid might hug a teddy bear. She put her elbow down on the leather armrest. Her legs ached from sitting in the front of their Volvo SUV with the seat pulled all the way forward so they could store more of Duane’s shit in the back. Shit he swore they’d need if the sickness kept spreading, and if people kept mutating into monsters straight out a madman’s nightmare. Things like golf clubs.
He collapsed next to her on the couch and looked for the glass of wine he’d poured. He’d left it in the kitchen.
“Kids down?” she asked him.
He nodded, and sighed. “They’re scared, and whining, but they’ll be just fine. They love do this place, and there’s no social media for them to obsess over out here. No news to hear will help them forget about the world.”
“I feel like I’m gonna crazy not knowing what’s going on,” she said. “If we hike to the top of that ridge near here, we get a bar of service right? Enough to at least check the news? We should call your mom, too.”
“My mother can take care of herself. Last thing I want is to hear her talking about her hair stylist having died, or how her landscaper stole her BMW to make his break for the country,” he said, leaning over and putting his head in her lap. The weight of him on her thigh felt good, even if he was sweaty, and hot, and being a dick.
“I’m so glad you keep all those supplies from the hospital at home. Without all those rubber gloves and masks I think we would’ve been goners,” she said.
“Well I am a doctor, Sarah. What can I say?” he said. “I’m sure Chad brought home all of his client’s file cabinets.”
Chad was their accountant, and Duane’s golf buddy. Duane shivered after finishing his bad joke. It wasn’t cold in the house.
“You cold? You just shivered and it is not cold in here,” she asked him. A pin prick of dread piercing the lining in her stomach.
“Drank too much wine in the kitchen before coming in here. Today sure has been a day.” He opened his eyes, and looked up at her. Bright blue, his eyes were. The first thing she noticed about him when they met at grad school eight years ago. The school she dropped out of when she got pregnant.”I love you.,” he lied. “We’re gonna get through this.”
“I know, and I love you too. Sleep. Get some rest.”
He was already snoring. He still shivered.
Sarah caressed Duane’s temples like she knew he liked, and smiled at her husband who she barely still loved, were it not for their children, and all the life she had tied together. She was too invested to leave him, and a divorce was too terrifying a prospect to put the kids through.
That’s why she ignored the softness of his skull as she rubbed his temple. She looked down, and pressed lightly on his skin with her thumb. The red-nailed digit sunk into the flesh until the edge of her nail threatened to disapper into the human taffy her husband was becoming. He had an hour, maybe two before he melted into an amorphous, boneless thing. An hour after that, the flesh he once was would reform into something else. Something new, and something frightening.
She started to cry as she got to her feet. She had to check the kids for the melting, and if they were still well, they had to flee.
One of a billion apocalypses unfolded again, at the speed the Bleed wished.
///
There is nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
There is only blood.
December.
Written by Chris Philbrook, David Moody, and Mark Tufo.
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