Surviving The Evacuation, Book 0.5: Zombies vs The Living Dead: Surviving The Evacuation

By Frank Tayell

The outbreak began in New York. Within days it had spread throughout the world. Nowhere is safe from the undead.

As anarchy and civil war took grip across the globe, Britain was quarantined. The press was nationalised, martial law, curfews and rationing were implemented. It wasn’t enough.  An evacuation was planned. The inland towns and cities of the United Kingdom were to be evacuated to defensive enclaves being built around the coast, the Scottish Highlands, and in the Irish Republic.

For George Tull and the other residents of the Waverly-Price Retirement Home, walking to the coast is not an option. Abandoned by the staff, they wait for rescue. It doesn’t come. When George leaves the illusory security of The Home and ventures into the nearby village, he finds it deserted. But he is not alone, his unhappy retirement is broken by the undead. George is left with a terrible choice; stay and fight to save the people he loathes, or leave and abandon the woman he has come to love. (15,000 words)

Other books in the near future, post-apocalyptic series Surviving The Evacuation: 0.5: Zombies vs The Living Dead. 1: London. 2: Wasteland. 3: Family. 4: Unsafe Haven. 5: Reunion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Tayell
• Release date: Jul 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501412721

Frank Tayell

Frank Tayell is the author of post-apocalyptic fiction including the series Surviving the Evacuation and it’s North American spin-off, Here We Stand. "The outbreak began in New York, but they said Britain was safe. They lied. Nowhere is safe from the undead." He’s also the author of Strike a Match, a police procedural set twenty years after a nuclear war. The series chronicles the cases of the Serious Crimes Unit as they unravel a conspiracy threatening to turn their struggling democracy into a dystopia. For more information about Frank Tayell, visit http://blog.franktayell.com or http://www.facebook.com/FrankTayell

Book preview

Surviving The Evacuation

Book 0.5:

Zombies vs The Living Dead

Frank Tayell

All places, people, and (especially) events are fictional.

Dedicated to my family

Published by Frank Tayell

Copyright 2013

All rights reserved

Other titles:

Work. Rest. Repeat.

A Post-Apocalyptic Detective Novel

Surviving The Evacuation

Book 0.5: Zombies vs The Living Dead

Book 1: London

Book 2: Wasteland

Book 3: Family

Book 4: Unsafe Haven

Book 5: Reunion

Book 6: Harvest

Book 7: Home

Undead Britain

(In the charity anthology, ‘At Hell’s Gates 1’)

History’s End

(In the charity anthology, ‘At Hell’s Gates 2’)

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www.facebook.com/TheEvacuation

Synopsis

The outbreak began in New York. Within days it had spread throughout the world. No one is safe from the undead.

As anarchy and civil war took grip across the globe, Britain was quarantined. The press was nationalized. Martial law, curfews and rationing were implemented. It wasn’t enough. An evacuation was planned. The inland towns and cities of the United Kingdom were to be evacuated to defensive enclaves being built around the coast, the Scottish Highlands, and in the Irish Republic.

For George Tull and the other residents of the Waverly-Price Retirement Home, walking to the coast is not an option. Abandoned by the staff, they wait for rescue. It doesn’t come. When George leaves the illusory security of the home and ventures into the nearby village, he finds it deserted, but not empty. His unhappy retirement is broken by the undead and George is left with a terrible choice; stay and fight to save the people he loathes, or leave and abandon the woman he has come to love.

Contents

Part 1, 5th March

Part 2, 6th March

Part 3, 7th - 10th March

Part 4, 11th March

Waverly-Price Retirement Home, England

5th March

George Tull glared at the television. On the screen, the Foreign Secretary, Sir Michael Quigley, was pontificating on the need for… George wasn’t sure. He’d turned the set on hoping to hear the news but expecting to hear nothing more than the oft-repeated phrase, There are no major outbreaks in the UK or Ireland. Instead he’d had to endure yet another rambling speech from the ageing politician.

What’s happened to the PM? George asked himself quietly. Haven’t heard from him in, what, a week?

The Prime Minister had appeared on television on the evening of the 20th February, as the world was reeling from the news of the outbreak in New York, but George couldn’t recall having seen or heard of him since. Not when the curfew was announced. Not when the Army started patrolling the streets shooting anyone they found out at night. Not when the supermarkets were closed and the rationing began. Not even after the BBC broadcast the video of that plane the RAF shot down over the Channel. Now he thought about it, all the government announcements had been made either by the Foreign Secretary or, since the establishment of the cross-party emergency coalition, Jennifer Masterton. George had always thought she seemed trustworthy, honest even, at least for a politician. Now though, he wasn’t so sure.

A small part of him – the part George liked to think of as his internal optimist – had been surprised at how quickly Britain had been turned into an armed camp. The cynical part, which had grown much larger since his wife died and he’d had to move into the home, was surprised they’d waited until the undead walked the streets before they’d abolished the rule of law.

The Super-Rabies Pandemic is a challenge to us all… Sir Michael Quigley continued.

Bloody liar, George muttered as loudly as he dared. Call it what it is. They’re zombies. Even I know that.

He’d only learned what a zombie was after he’d persuaded Mr McGuffrey, the home’s manager, to allow him to have a television in his room. That was about a month after his arrival, two years ago. The rule forbidding them in residents’ rooms was bent for George on the strict understanding that this would keep him out of the Sun Room and away from the other residents. Watching

Reviews for Surviving The Evacuation, Book 0.5

[mecaza-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

well, it was a bit different.. for a zombie story. But I just didn't like the main character very much, someone else describes him as being whiney, which I agree with, but self-obsessed would be a better description. A lot of it didn't really make a lot of sense when I look back.. think I might give the rest as miss..

[libgirl69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not bad, clunky dialogue but reads welll

[wearylibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok, it's a zombie book and I usually don't like zombie books. But, this book is good! At least most of it. There are times it's boring, when-when the author goes into too much detail about Bill's life before the zombies came....but luckily that is few and far between. Bill doesn't take part in the evacuation due to a broken leg. Now he is the only living human in London. From his window he watches as the undead lumber past his home. He knows he will have to leave soon, he is almost out of food and water, but how? He's on crutches, in a cast, and moves slower than the zombies.

[Nikki H · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was short and sweet, everything I wanted in a zombie series prequel.