The Cure

By Patricia Josephine and Patricia Josephine Lynne

You die.
You become a zombie.
It's everyone's fate.

Every human in the world becomes a zombie when they die. But Erin refuses to accept the world as it is now. She's heard about a cure locked away in a lab in Upper Michigan, and she plans on retrieving it. To do so, she needs a zombie. Not just any zombie, though.

Zee is Erin's link to the lab. His connection to the living world is her bargaining chip. But only if she can teach him to control his mindless impulses.

Can a zombie be trained? Or will Erin be Zee's next meal and become a zombie herself? The fate of humanity rests in her hands.

The Cure is a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse genre and classic monster. Get it today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Twisting the Myths
• Release date: Aug 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201777593

Patricia Josephine

Patricia officially started writing in 2012. She was bored and since she was always day dreaming fantastic stories, she thought, “Why not write them down and share them with people?” She's still deciding if that was a mistake or not. Since then, she has finished a dozen stories and has no plans to stop. You can find her young adult novels and short fiction under Patricia Josephine Lynne and her adult novels under Patricia Josephine. When she’s not lost writing in fantasy worlds, she relaxes with knitting, drawing and art, and jigsaw puzzles. And of course, a good book. Patricia J.L. currently lives with her husband in Upper Michigan. One day, they both hope to have enough pets to resemble a petting zoo. (Until then, can she pet your cat or dog?)

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank my beta readers and friends who show constant support and gave amazing feedback. Thank you to my writing buddy, Christine, my editor, Chrys Fey, and my cover artist, Ninetytwo. You helped me bring this story alive.

Lastly, I want to say thanks to YOU, the reader. Thank you for picking up my book and giving me a chance to help you escape into fantastic worlds.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Sneak Peek: Abducted Life

About the Author

CHAPTER ONE

I AM NOT A MURDERER.

The man flailed at the end of the noose, and the rope groaned as it dug into the tree branch he hung from. His face was cherry-red, and his brown eyes bulged. He stretched his legs in a desperate attempt to reach the ground. His arms were bound behind his back. He jerked his shoulders as he fought to free his hands. His expression was torn between horror and confusion. Why? Seconds ticked by. His legs stopped kicking. A breath wheezed through his blue lips. His gaze went blank, and he became motionless.

I am not a murderer.

My heart beat against my ribs as I cut down the body. It thudded to the ground. I removed the rope from his neck and wrists. Angry red marks burned the tawny skin where the noose had bit into his flesh. I backed up quickly, grabbed my shotgun, and aimed at the head.

Silence fell around me. The air was still. Not a bird chirped. It was as if the world waited with me. And then...

A finger moved. An arm twitched, and the eyelids fluttered. A moan rumbled in the zombie’s throat and it clambered to its feet. Strands of ebony hair hung in its face. Guilt surged through me, but I squashed it.

I am not a murderer.

Vacant eyes scanned back and forth before locking on me.

I rested my finger on the trigger. That’s right, buddy. Your meal is this way. Follow me. I backed up.

The zombie staggered after me. Its dirty black and white sneakers dragged in the grass as it struggled to walk. It moaned again, as if moving hurt. Hunger flickered in its dead stare.

Keep coming. My voice was calm despite the tension twisting inside me. The shotgun felt as if it weighed a ton. My pulse pounded thunderously. One wrong move and I’d be its first meal.

I risked a glance over my shoulder. Except for a few abandoned cars, Water Street was vacant. The gas caps to the cars were open, the vehicles drained. Yards of homes were choked with weeds and the houses left abandoned. I led the zombie to the U.S. Coast Guard base that sat along St. Mary’s River in Sault Sainte. Marie, Michigan. We passed through the open gate and into the empty parking lot. Leaves danced across the cement. They gathered around the remains of the base. Broken windows looked like teeth.

The zombie never took its gaze off me as we walked. At a patch of ground where there used to be a tree, I veered left. The zombie didn’t change its path. It fell through the tarp and into the hole hidden beneath. A dull thud set my teeth on edge.

I inched toward the trap.

The zombie laid in the dirt with one arm bent underneath it. It kicked like a turtle stuck on its back before rolling over and clambering to its feet. It limped.

After I ensured it couldn’t escape, I threw a dead squirrel down the hole. The zombie fell on the corpse with a snarl. While zombies craved living, human flesh, they would eat any meat—dead or alive.

I recovered the hole and secured it with cinder blocks. Then I returned to the gate and shut and locked it. I checked the perimeter of the base, ensuring the fence was intact. My footsteps were heavy as I trudged back across the parking lot. Memories of the base floated through my mind—cars filling the parking lot, uniformed guards working, one manning the gate I had just shut. It put a knot in my chest.

At the river’s edge, I slung my shotgun across my back and gathered my long hair into a ponytail. The water was dark blue as it flowed past. I untied the inflatable raft I had found on the base and paddled home.

Home was a small yacht I had found floating abandoned by the Valley Camp Museum. I had