Rising Fall: Zero Effect, #1

By Jayson Zwirner

One injection changed their world, one bite changed his forever. Castiel was just a college kid trying to finish his degree when a plan gone wrong left his best friend Alex in an unknown condition at the hospital, and got him bitten. As their town falls apart these two deal with separate afflictions in their own ways. One destroys, the other will try to make things right. Who will win the first battle in the war all started by the Zero Effect?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meztrailov Fantasy Games
• Release date: Jan 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386937456

Book preview

Dear Reader (also some acknowledgments)

I started this book a while back with no real idea of what I was getting into, then the story just took off; the book took a life of its own and guided me (albeit in spurts and phases) to what you are reading today. This is the first book in the series and, with it, some world and character building that I had to establish. I wanted it set in a believable day-to-day world, but also have some fantastic things that happen below the surface. I hope you, as a reader, can place yourself in this world and find your place in it, as well as have some awesome things (not just zombies) that occur

Why zombies? This is a question I was asked a lot when I started this book and my answer is simple: zombies are the simplest complex creature out there. Before you chastise me for the double meaning I just tossed at you, hear me out. Zombies have had so many incarnations and creations that the lore out there is vast. You have your  undead, voodoo, infected Rage Virus, alien infestations, and the list goes on. This is the complex part I was talking about; there is so much you can do with a zombie the possibilities are endless. The simple part, however, is a zombie itself. It is a very basic creature with one or two desires (depending on the type): consume the flesh of due to its the only instinct it has left, or infect every non-infected being it comes across.

Now, I could bore you with the lore and rhetoric of zombies all day, but honestly it comes down to the fact I love the creatures. I have seen every movie, read almost any book I can get my hands on, and played every video game—even played some old school pen-and-paper RPGs that had to do with Zombies. It is my passion, coming second only to comic books. I spent many of my younger (and now older) years engrossed by the stories of DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, and many other great publications. I always wanted to create something like they did, that someone could look at and wish they could be that hero, or even the villain (I know how some of you are. Looking at you Raz). What I ended up creating was a story that had both elements of the things I enjoy so much growing old (never up). I added nods here and there to my heroes of both genres throughout the book. Some are easy to catch, others not so much. So here, dear reader, I give you my first offering. Please be gentle as this is my first attempt to pour the love of the two genres into written form. I hope you enjoy reading it as much (or more) than I did writing it.

Last but not least, I want to say thanks to some folks out there who had my back no matter what and some that inspired me to do better. First, I want to thank my wife for dealing with me on the days I was writing and she had to solo our three kids. Also, my mom for her support and advice while I was writing and, of course, my co-hosts of the podcast I created. I believe that hearing their stories of writing at the same time I was going through a lot of the same issues is what kept me from throwing in the towel. So, Raz and Mariah, thank you. Oh, I can't forget Jen G. for the encouragement and red pen she added to my work. I would also like to give a big shout out to fellow Zombie author, Mark Tufo. It was his books that re-sparked the dead fire of a writer that was within me (and that is paid homage in a couple names in the book, ZF fans will catch it nearly immediately), and then getting to have him as a guest on the show not once but twice to just pick his brain meant the world to me (Mark I'm still coming to your place for that BBQ and Beer you promised,  so be ready). Finally, you the reader (yes it’s cheesy but it is true). Without you there would be no point in writing this book other than for my own perverted self-gratification and we can’t have that; so thank you, dear reader.

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P.S. Evelyn and Serenity, Daddy loves you too.

Prologue

May 15,  11:23 PM

The ER staff had just settled after all their patients had been seen to and either checked out or sent to their corresponding care ward. Doctor Caldwell began to strike up a conversation with the new girl, taking advantage of this calm moment.

So, Stephanie was it? he asked, a charming smile creeping on his face

Huh? Oh, me. Yeah, Stephanie at your service, replied the younger woman, brushing a strand of honey blonde hair out of her face.

Well, it’s certainly a pl— His words were cut off by a ring of the ambulance line.

Incoming single patient with no apparent injuries, showing convulsions, fever, and disorientation. Patient has seized on the medics twice now. Stephanie called out after she answered and spoke.

Sighing, the doctor strode towards the ambulance entrance with a small team of nurses as the ambulance pulled up, the back doors slamming open. The EMTs placed the gurney on the ground and looked to the doctor.

Doc, he’s crashed once on us. No one seems to know exactly what happened. A local called 911 after seeing the kid convulsing on the side of an alley. His name is Alex  according to his identification—a local student on the campus.

Any signs of substance overdose or physical trauma? the doctor asked quickly, examining the boy whose skin color looked somewhere between death and buried if he had to be honest with himself.

No apparent trauma and no signs of drug abuse. No track marks or signs of intoxication either. To be honest doc, the kid was linebacker fit when we first picked him up. His condition worsened in the seven minutes it took to get him here.

As the gurney was wheeled into one of the rooms Caldwell nodded to the EMT, then the nursing staff began to strip him down and examine his body for marks or wounds.

I need a sedative or he will seize himself to death if we do not calm his nerves Caldwell shouted as he began to take the patient's pulse and assisted in attaching the leads to his chest. When he did, the heart rate monitor beeped to life and was now being broadcast for all to hear.

The staff all moved like a well-trained unit, each person doing something to assist each other or to stabilize the patient. A syringe was handed to the doctor, which he cleared the air from before plunging it into the boy's side. However, no sooner had the  monitor alarms blared Alex’s heart apparently just stopped beating altogether.

Compressions, NOW! He’s crashing again. Get the cart fired up and ready on my word. Caldwell then took over for the nurse that was performing chest compressions, trying to coax the heart into restarting at the most, if not at the very least, keeping some blood flow moving through the body. One, two, three, four.... he counted off in his head as he jammed down on the boys chest compressing it until a set of paddles were handed to him. The gel was applied to both before he rubbed them together and shouted CLEAR!. Placing the paddles in two separate locations on Alex's chest and ribcage he pressed the button and the charge surged into the young man'sform; the result of which forced his back to arch violently gave him an appearance reminiscent of demonic possession. As more compressions were applied to his chest, Caldwell continued to count. He waited for the heart monitor to show any signs of a beat, then rubbed the paddles together again while they charged. Another CLEAR! rang out through the ER when he hit the buttons again, but after a few compressions and another attempt at the defibrillator the doctor just sighed and shook his head.

I’m calling it. Time of death: eleven twenty-nine P.M. The weariness crept into his voice as he placed the paddles back on the cart and removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. After taking in a deep breath he gave one more look at the young man lying on the bed and noticed his skin had somehow grew even paler. That is odd. Tilting his head he looked closer and noticed the pigment from his hair was fading as well. Nurse, get me some blood samples. I want to be sure this isn’t something we have to contact the CDC about.

Yes, doctor. It was Stephanie who responded to him and, in all the excitement, he had completely forgotten his attempts to ask her out.

Oh well, another day perhaps, he mumbled to himself as he leaned against the door frame. Losing a patient was never easy for a doctor. I wonder what in the hell this kid got into. I have never seen pigment just drain away like that. He was musing out loud now—another habit he had formed while working here.

Just as he had turned to walk out of the room  a high pitched scream sounded off behind him. Caldwell spun around to see what the source was, but he could only stare in slack jawed amazement at what was in front of him. Stephanie, whose eyes were wide with fear and shock, reached out to him. The thing that was so unsettling, however, was that her hand was covered in blood. Following the crimson stain up her arm, as all of this seemed to be going in slow motion, he found the cause of the blood. It was Alex, seemingly having come back from being dead just a few moments ago and was now launching himself at the other nurses after tearing a sizeable chunk out of Stephanie's throat. He stood, snapping his teeth at her and finally catching purchase on her shoulder. What came next was something that could only be described as a wet tearing that sounded as the skin was ripped from her shoulder, and, to Caldwell's horror, consumed by the assailant like it was a piece of Easter Ham. The Nurse screamed and dropped to the ground, clutching her injured shoulder, crimson slowly seeping from her hand.

As Alex rose, he turned and looked at Caldwell, but the doctor’s entire being seemed to chill as he peered into those hollow, lifeless eyes; they held neither emotion nor regard for what it was looking upon, almost like a machine. It stood about six feet tall, had short, spiked, white hair with an athletic build, and clean shaven. Caldwell chose it because that's what he could only describe what Alex had become. Whatever it was now it certainly wasn't human.

It regarded him for a moment then let out a low guttural growl as it tensed. Caldwell seemed to snap out of his paralysis right when it leaped at him, grabbing the closest object which, luckily for him, happened to be an instrument tray. He swung with all of his might and caught the creature in the temple, sending it sprawling back where it hit the wall and crumpled. Slowly, he made his way to the form to check its pulse, but when he found none he turned to Stephanie after he heard her groan.

Thank god, you're still alive. Let me help—hold this against the wound.