Girl Germs

By Ged Maybury

Nathan's a regular boy: cheeky, fun-loving, and completely terrified of water. Anything wetter that a shower and he freaks. Ms Loti is his Wonder-Woman teacher. And Lucy is just a regular girl until she gets a weird headache on the way to school camp.

Things get weirder. The headaches spread like a disease. Lucy goes manic in the pool. Storm-clouds gather. Marcus sees a flying saucer. The storm breaks. The floods begin. The phones stop working. Then everyone goes weird!

Is Lucy deliberately spreading her germs? Is no-one safe?

Oh: Ms Loti's okay! She's still soldiering on, so Nathan sticks to her like glue as the Alien Invasion gets into full swing. Huh? What? Alien Invasion!? Yes, and they're the nicest; uh; 'people' you'll ever meet.

Humanity is "going, going, gone" but Nathan and Ms Loti might just hold out forever. Or will he get lonely and finally take a drink of Girl Germs…?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ged Maybury
• Release date: Jul 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393817208

Ged Maybury

Ged Maybury is an Australasian author of children's and YA novelist, with 14 books conventionally published (not counting this series) and a lot more in the pipeline. Finalist - NZ Children's Book Awards 1994: “The Triggerstone” Finalist - NZ Children's Book Awards 2001: “Crab Apples” He began 1994 in his favourite genre: Science Fiction, later adding comedy and slice-of-life, and finally returned to his sci-fi roots with Steampunk. This series is aimed at young adults and anyone else who likes an engaging adventure, but as far as any full-on “adult” content goes: well that's just not his thing. (Okay – there's a bit of it.) He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and grew up in Dunedin; dux of his school; blah-blah-blah … Went into architecture, ended up in the performing arts and has been writing plays, poetry and books ever since. He also has earned some notoriety as a Cosplayer and Costumer, Steampunk Sculptor, Performance Poet and Story-teller. Occasionally he writes plays and films. Even more occasionally they get produced. WORLD-FIRST: Maybury lays claim to the world's first custom-written theme-song to a book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRQ29QkfKNE He currently lives in Brisbane, Australia. He has a blog and a Wikipedia entry, and is on Facebook.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

What Happened on the Bus

It’s Wednesday night and it’s still raining and I think the world is about to end.  And maybe that’s not such a bad thing.  Maybe that’s why They came.  Maybe it’s their way of saving us from ourselves.  Even so I feel a bit cheated.  We didn’t exactly get the chance to prove we could save ourselves. 

Anyway they haven’t got me!  They’ll never think to look in here, which should give me time to write it all down.  Except I hope there will be someone left to read it, otherwise I’m wasting my time. 

Hey! Maybe some Star Trek types from another planet will eventually find it. They'll figure out what happened!

THE TEACHER LOOKED over the boy’s shoulder in the otherwise deserted school library.  It’s all rather vague, Nathan, she said, you’re not really getting on with the story.

I know, said the boy, but I just don’t know where to begin!

What about on the bus? suggested the teacher, And put your name near the beginning so your readers know who you are.

No-one’s ever going to read this, he said dejectedly, pushing away from the computer.

Someone will, she said, gripping his shoulders gently and rolling his chair back to the keyboard, one day.  It was not a particularly teacherly thing to do, but it was not a particularly normal day.  After all, school was over.  For ever.

The boy paused at the keyboard, then began typing again.

HI.  MY NAME IS NATHAN Kennigan and the world started to go weird on me just a few days ago.  It was the beginning of our three-day school camp.  We were on a bus heading out of Brisbane, and we had only been on the road for twenty minutes when Amelia started calling out to our teacher, Ms Loti, Lucy’s got a headache. 

As well as being my teacher, Ms Loti was going to be Camp Coordinator, and she was a really cool teacher, I can tell you!  She could cope with anything!  (And I’m not just saying that because she’s standing behind me right now reading everything I write down.)  So anyway Ms Loti goes striding down the aisle, her mobile phone and her medical kit hooked to her belt like one of those action heroes in the movies. 

Us boys were all hanging over the backs of our seats, being nosy as always. 

Ms Loti reached Lucy and felt her forehead.  Where does it hurt?

Lucy pointed silently to the back of her head, just behind her ears.

How does your neck feel?

Okay. whispered Lucy.

No pain?  Not stiff or anything?

No.

Well there’s no fever, so that’s a good thing.  But I think you’d better take a couple of these for the pain.  Ms Loti opened her kit and took out a huge packet of painkillers.  I saw the name, ZANODOL, on the label.  I knew they’d been advertising the stuff like crazy all weekend.

They’re on special. I blurted out, "a pack of a hundred for