Strange Start: Jane Zombie Chronicles, #0

By Gayle Katz

One young intern. An experimental medicine. A clinic full of feral patients. The zombie apocalypse is about to begin. I just don't know it yet.

 

As a college freshman, I can't wait for my first day of class. But when my routine health exam turns into a medical emergency, my dreams become a nightmare.

 

And as my past tumbles back into the present, I'm horrified when patients devolve into animals and attack the medical staff. Desperate to find my way back to consciousness and safety, my anxiety holds tight and doesn't go away.

 

Will my life go back to normal, or are these terrors here forever?

 

Strange Start is the short story prequel that portends the catastrophic zombie apocalypse to come in the Jane Zombie Chronicles. Reading this hair-raising, first-hand account of a brave survivor reveals the soul-stirring plight of those caught in the epicenter of the madness.

 

Sink your teeth into Strange Start now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: In Your Face Publishers
• Release date: Aug 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386142812

Gayle Katz

Gayle is a fan of zombies, sci-fi fantasy, and psychological horror—though not necessarily in that order. She writes the kinds of books she wants to read but often can’t find. Hoping to scare you, make you swoon, and root for her characters, her love of kick-butt heroines and sassy snark shines through in her work. Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gayle lives with her husband and they are currently working on their own happily ever after. If you'd like to find out about Gayle's new releases, exclusive promotions, and get some free reads, check out her website: http://gaylekatz.com/sorceress You can also contact her through her website at GayleKatz.com and via email at [e-mail]

Book preview

Chapter 1

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College Orientation

Ouch! That hurts! I complain to the school nurse taking my blood.

I’m sorry, but you have to relax, she replies. It’s difficult to get a sample when you tense up like that. Your veins constrict, and I can’t do anything.

She’s been trying to take my blood for the past ten minutes. I’m told this torture is to fulfill some health assessment for college. Needless to say, it isn’t going well. She keeps jabbing me and I’m starting to get a little…er, a lot, dizzy.

Gah, that’s way too much information. I think I’m gonna be sick.

Maybe you should lie down, the nurse suggests as she helps me out of my chair. Maybe we can get you to an exam table.

Uh-huh. I stand up, wobbly on my feet, and a nauseated feeling washes over me. Seconds later, light-headed and staring up at the shabby ceiling tiles, there’s something cold on my back. It’s the floor. Completely disoriented, I can’t move.

Jane? Jane! Can you hear me? the nurse shouts from above.

I hear her, but she sounds so far away. Her mouth is moving, but the words coming out of it are muffled. 

Jane! The nurse shouts again, and then she yells out into the corridor. I need some help here. I’m losing her. She’s becoming unresponsive.

Despite the chill on my back, I’m sweating, and my vision is fuzzy. The room is spinning. Everything goes dark.

Seven Months Earlier

Second Semester Senior Year of High School

Time to wake up, Jane! my mom hollers into my room. Are you up?

Yeah. Yeah. Sure, I reply, still snuggled under the covers.

You didn’t forget, did you?

Forget what? Wh—What time is it?

It’s 6:00 a.m. and you’ve got your field trip to the clinic today. She walks in and hovers over my bed. You forgot, didn’t you?

No. Uh. No. I didn’t.

OK, then. Get out of bed already, she sings as she rips the covers off of me. Get going! And make your father and me proud! It’s your first step into premed!

Uh-huh, I groan.

‘Uh-huh’ nothing. We’ve always wanted to have a doctor in the family.

I roll to