Biography of the Dead

By T.J. Mines

Seven teens, one volcano.

On a school trip, Maggie and six of her classmates get caught in an apocalyptic event: Yellowstone Volcano erupts! They can do only one thing: RUN!

Follow Maggie and her group on a mad dash to get out of harms way, then find a more permanent holdout to wait for the government to get the disaster under control. Survival in this apocalypse is not guaranteed!

Biography of the Dead is a prequel to the Frozen Apocalypse series. It is set in the near future and explains how the Ice Age in Frozen Apocalypse started.

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.J. Mines
• Release date: Apr 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370747696

Book preview

BIOGRAPHY OF THE DEAD

By T.J. Mines

Copyright © 2018 by T.J. Mines. All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses or events is purely coincidental.

Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

For all my fans who love my books!

And a special mention for: Maria, Nashwa, Richard, and Sjoerd

Introduction into Biography of the Dead

My name is Erin. I'm a refugee from the United States of America. Five years ago, a terrorist attack on Yellowstone Park destroyed the north-western part of my country. To escape the carnage, we were sent to Mexico and beyond.

When I crossed the border, I found myself walking behind two other women. One called herself Blair, the other Maggie. The latter told her life story to Blair as they walked. I was just a bystander, but I heard everything. Maggie, seventeen years old, was an eye-witness. I remember seeing her on the news as one of her classmates was reporting the event live on the Internet. I kept close to catch every word she said.

Maggie is no longer among us, one of the victims of the violence seen in apocalyptic events like these. But I am here to tell her story from beyond the grave so that she may live on in our memories.

It has taken me five years to settle down and be able to write this book. I hope you will learn from what I'm about to write, because if you don't, Maggie will have died in vain.

Here starts the Biography of the Dead.

CHAPTER ONE

The school bell rings and Maggie Hauser closes her book. She reaches down to grab her bag when a shoe hits it and makes it slide all the way under the teacher's desk.

Oops! Sorry, Maggie baby, Connor says. Maggie can hear the sarcasm in his voice. Connor Disenso, YouTube star and general dick, walks past with his entourage in tow. All of them are laughing. Maggie waits for them to pass before she gets up to retrieve her bag.

Don't mind them, they're just bored. Sean — her best friend in school — is standing at her desk, waiting for her to put away her stuff.

Being bored doesn't justify this. Maggie slings her bag over her shoulder and follows Sean out of the classroom. They walk into the throng of high school students on their way out at the end of the day.

I know, it's just—

You're being kind to me. Thanks, Sean. Let's just go to the library.

Sean nods. They turn a corner into a part of school that is less busy than the main hallway to the exit. Most students want to go have fun in the warm spring air or need to catch the school bus home.

Are you excited yet for the school trip tomorrow? Maggie asks.

Nah, sitting on a bus for six hours just to see some trees and bushes? No thank you.

Is it really that far?

Three hours one way, yes. I've done the calculations.

I'm sure you did. There are not just trees and bushes there, you know.

I don't care for nature. You know I like cold, hard facts and numbers.

You're weird, Maggie says and pushes Sean away laughing.

Okay then, Miss Wikipedia, tell me what I would find so interesting tomorrow.

Maggie and Sean push open the doors to the library. They walk past reception where Miss Gladstone, the school librarian, nods at them. To their left are shelves full of physical books. Between the book cases are nooks with tables where students can study. All tables can raise or lower with integrated motors. Also, each spot is equipped with a wired connection to the Internet and docking stations for most mobile devices. A few spots are already taken by students engrossed in what's on their screen. Maggie and Sean walk to their usual spot, tucked away in a corner so they can discuss what they're studying.

When they sit, Maggie continues the conversation with Sean.

Let's see, there's the super volcano. You could calculate the yield when it blows. Or you can find out how much vegetation is consumed every day by the wildlife living there. Or — even better — you can estimate how much data the whole park, including tourists, uses yearly.

You want me to estimate stuff? You're crazy! Sean laughs, looking a bit hurt too. But I like your thinking. Why do what the rest of the class will be doing when I can do things I really enjoy? I'll take my calculator and an extra set of pencils with me.

Are you still using pen and paper to calculate?

Computers are useless; they only give answers, as Pablo Picasso once said, or something like that.

The friends sit down and get out their books.

After a few minutes, commotion at the door catches Maggie and Sean's attention.

And this is the library. I'm sure you all know what this is. A place with books and stuff, things you'd never need when you are connected like us! Connor says as he enters the room, holding a small camera on a selfie stick. His girlfriend, Riley, follows him in.

So, this is where all the geeks are after school. See, there are some sitting right there! Connor swings the camera around to show his audience who he's talking about.

Please, be quiet. This is a place to study, not to record movies, Miss Gladstone says.

Connor turns around to face her, giving a big smile to the camera.

We're not making a movie, this is live! he says. At that moment, an annoying bell sound comes from the phone Riley is holding. See, we even have a sponsor!

Burn it all. Burn it all. Burn it all— a mechanical voice comes out of the phone before Riley taps the screen.

I'm not going to burn it, I'm no criminal! Connor says into the camera.

Please, be quiet or go do your live thing somewhere else.

We should go, Connor. The number of viewers is dropping, and the chat says it's boring, Riley says.

Then we go! Connor spins around one more time. Let's see what's going on in the girl's locker room.

Maggie and Sean look at each other after the noisy duo leaves.

What an ass. Why would anyone watch that crap? Sean says, shaking his head.

I don't know. From what I've heard, a lot of people like it.

Yeah, I hear he gets most of his toys — like the camera and mobile — for free, to advertise.

I guess that would work like that. He gets sponsored and his viewers want to have that product too.

Maybe we should try some streaming ourselves and get some sponsorship deals out of it, Sean says, holding up his old, solar-powered calculator.

Maggie laughs at the notion of them hosting a YouTube video. That would be ridiculous. A thin dark-skinned nerd and a plain geek — that would never get the attention of the masses. Unless they lowered their standards and did some nasty things together. Chills run up Maggie's spine at the thought of Sean as anything else but a study friend.

§

Excited for the trip to Yellowstone, Maggie can't sleep. She looks at the clock. It says 5:40 am, way too early to get up, but she does so anyway. Trying to be silent and not wake her parents in the other room, she finds the best outfit for the excursion. She also grabs her backpack instead of her normal, messenger style, school bag. Two straps and a hip band are more sensible when trekking through the wilderness. She dives into the back of her closet and grabs her hiking boots to complement her choice of clothing.

Maggie tiptoes to the bathroom to wash up. She closes the door before she turns on the light. Bright white LED's shine down from the ceiling. When they moved in two years ago, the place was a dump. Her father had a contractor do up the whole house. Dad even went as far as making the place energy neutral. Now, the spotless white bathroom contains all the modern features money can buy.

She looks at herself in the mirror. A girl with tangled brown hair, gray eyes, and a pale complexion looks back at her. She tries to work with her hair, but gives up a second later, it will work better when wet. She undresses and turns on the shower. She taps the corner of the mirror above the sink. A graphic displaying the time lights up, 6:00am, together with the forecast for today. As usual, nothing but clear skies and nice temperature. Below the weather information is a ticker tape with news headlines. Maggie reads a few of them, but nothing piques her interest. She fingers the necklace hanging between them. The golden medallion is a gift from her grandmother. It is a family heirloom, passed from one generation to the next. Her father was an only child and was more than happy when the necklace was passed straight on to his daughter. Maggie comes out of her reverie and looks behind her. Steam comes from the shower stall and she gets in.

After a quick shower she is now dressed and standing in the kitchen. She opens the fridge for some yogurt. From one of the cupboards, she gets a bowl. She gets her oatmeal from a container on the counter and pours in the milk. She sits down at the kitchen bar and grabs her mobile. She checks her social media accounts for interesting facts, but nothing stands out. She opens the news app to read through more headlines. Maggie is engrossed in an article about the upcoming elections when her mother walks in.

Hi, sweetie. What time did you get up? You're all set for the trip today?

Hi, Mom. Almost ready. I just need to pack some lunch.

Do you want me to make it for you?

No thanks, I'll manage.